Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana

17 days
From $253/day
$4,295
4.9/5 Excellent
100+ reviews  
99%
Trip last updated: 6/11/2024
Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Full schedule
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Overview

Highlights

    • Travel to South Africa with experienced Trip Leaders and driver-guides
    • Visit Kruger National Park for wildlife viewing
    • Explore the beautiful Victoria Falls
    • Stay in cozy lodges and tents, enjoying campfire by night

What's this trip about?

    Owned by the widely popular Grand Circle Corporation, Overseas Adventure Travel specializes in adventurous tours for folks over 50, with group sizes ranging from a maximum of 10-16. This safari travels from South Africa’s Kruger National Park to Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park (the country’s largest wildlife park) and Victoria Falls (where both the falls themselves and village life are showcased), then on to Namibia’s Impalila Island and Botswana’s Chobe National Park, home to 50,000 elephants.
Itinerary focusOff the Beaten Path
Group sizeSmall Group - 24 max
Age rangeOperator does not provide
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityJohannesburg
End CityJohannesburg

Travel Themes

Activities

Trip includes

    • Accommodations for 16 nights
    • 46 meals—daily breakfast, 15 lunches, and 15 dinners
    • 25 small group activities, including up to 19 game-viewing drives
    • Boat cruises, and walks, plus park fees
    • Services of a resident, English-speaking OAT Trip Leader
    • NEW for 2015: Gratuities for local guides and drivers
    • 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your next OAT trip
    • OAT safari duffle and laundry service at tented camps

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Itinerary

Travel Map

DAY 1 Fly to Johannesburg

South Africa You depart from the U.S. on an overnight flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.

DAY 2 Arrive Johannesburg

Today, arrive in Johannesburg. You will be met and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay.

DAY 3 Fly to Kruger National Park

This morning, you will fly to Nelspruit (Mbombela). Upon arrival, we  will be transferred to our camp in Kruger National Park.

The largest of South Africa’s parks, with a total area of 7,500 square miles, Kruger is also one of the largest parks in the world. Bo...

DAY 4 Explore Kruger National Park

We begin our day with an early morning bush-walk. Be on the lookout for species which live here in lesser numbers, including African wild dogs (of which only 150 remain).

After returning to camp for breakfast, we'll have the rest of the morning and the early af...

DAY 5 Wildlife-viewing in Kruger National Park

Today, you'll enjoy a full-day game-viewing drive in Kruger National Park. Kruger is home to 147 species of land mammals, the highest number in Africa, including all of the "Big Five": lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros. Thousands of zebra roam the ...

DAY 6 Wildlife viewing in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

After breakfast, we'll depart camp and return to Nelspruit for our flight to Livingstone, Zambia. From there, we'll drive a short distance to Victoria Falls—where we will be met and transferred to our lodge near Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe's largest park.

As...

DAY 7 Discover Hwange National Park

Today, we rise early for breakfast before setting out for a morning game-viewing walk. In the afternoon, we'll return to our lodge to enjoy lunch and some time at leisure, before heading into the bush again for an afternoon game-viewing drive.

During our safari...

DAY 8 Explore Hwange National Park

Today, we have the opportunity to enjoy a full day of game viewing with one of our professional guides. During this drive, you will learn about the region's flora and the intricate cycle of life in the bush. We will learn to identify which animals have passed through ...

DAY 9 Transfer to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

After breakfast this morning, we depart our lodge and travel overland to Victoria Falls.

Mosi-oa Tunya, as the falls are known in the local language, live up to their name as “the smoke that thunders.” On a clear day, you can see the mist from these crashing wa...

DAY 10  Victoria Falls Community • Optional tours

Today, we have several opportunities to gain insight into daily life in Victoria Falls. After breakfast, we'll set out to spend some time at a village market, which is partially supported by Grand Circle Foundation to benefit the local economy. Following our market vi...

DAY 11 Discover Victoria Falls • Optional Tours

With a full day at leisure, you might choose to continue your explorations of Victoria Falls. In the center, you can find local handcrafts, such as the famous Shona stone carvings and a variety of wooden carvings. You’ll also find a selection of brilliant African text...

DAY 12 Transfer to Impalila Island, Namibia • Sundowner cruise on Zambezi River

After breakfast this morning, we travel overland to Kasane, Botswana, where we transfer by boat for our 3-night discovery of Impalila Island. Impalila Island is one of the gems of the Caprivi Strip, a slender eastern arm of Namibia extending to Zambia and Botswana. We...

DAY 13 Discover Impalila Island • Boat Cruise • Island Walk

Early this morning, you might choose to experience what life is like on Impalila Island, during a walk through a local village. Or perhaps you'll opt to explore the Zambezi River on a boat cruise. The Caprivi Strip is especially well known for bird-watching, with 450 ...

DAY 14 Explore Impalila Island • Fishing Excursion • Island Walk

After breakfast this morning, we stroll to a nearby village to learn about traditional daily life in the Caprivi Strip. Depending on the village and season, this may include an introduction to the use of medicinal plants and trees in this region. This morning is sure ...

DAY 15 Transfer to Chobe National Park, Botswana

After breakfast and your choice of either a nature walk or boat cruise, we bid farewell to Impalila Island, returning by boat to Kasane. We’ll have time to explore the town before arriving at our lodge in time for lunch. 

This afternoon, we enjoy our first game...

DAY 16 Game-viewing in Chobe National Park

The next two safari days feature a wealth of game-viewing by land. We’ll begin our morning with breakfast at our lodge before setting out for a game-viewing drive in Chobe National Park. Then, we return to our lodge to relax for a quiet siesta during the heat of the d...

DAY 17 Discover Chobe National Park

We follow our traditional pattern today, following the wildlife in safari vehicles this morning and enjoying a game-viewing boat cruise along the Chobe River in the afternoon. We're likely to encounter Chobe’s famed elephants—which are the largest in size of any eleph...

Day 18 Fly to Johannesburg • Return to U.S. or begin post-trip extension

After breakfast, we travel overland to Kasane. We then drive to the Victoria Falls airport and board our flight to Johannesburg. Both the flight for the post-trip extension Cape Town & the Cape of Good Hope and the return flights to the U.S. depart in the early evening.

Dates & Availability

Price from
$4,295
Price per day
$253

Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana Reviews & Ratings

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Tour Operator

Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours)

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Associations

United States Tour Operators Association

Details

Accommodation:

Extensions

Pre-trip: Botswana's Okavango Delta

5 nights from only $2195 |  Single Supplement: FREE

Sprawling across more than 5,000 square miles, the lush Okavango Delta is truly unlike any other place on Earth. The fan-shaped “Jewel of the Kalahari” beckons wildlife and adventurers alike with its diverse terrain. In landscapes where elands play, birds wing overhead, and even rare Black and White rhinoceros can thrive, you’ll explore by land and by mokoro boat, enjoying the rich flora and fauna from an array of perspectives.

Post-trip: Cape Town & The Cape of Good Hope

4 nights from only $1195 |  Single Supplement: FREE

With Table Mountain as its backdrop, a bevy of bays at its feet, and the lushest foliage this side of paradise, Cape Town arguably occupies one of the most spectacular natural settings on Earth. Here is your chance to revel in it—and to witness the amazing social transformation of the “Rainbow Nation.”

Optional Tours

Elephantback Safari

Day 10 $150 per person

Opt for an Elephantback Safari excursion at the famed Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve, which teems with wildlife. Upon arrival, learn how the elephant hands, or grooms, care for their animals, and participate in a short training session. Then “saddle up”—high up—on your elephant, and follow ancient game trails lined with flora and fauna. The elephant groom informs about the nature you find along the way, as well as the magnificent, gentle elephant providing your safe transport.

Helicopter ride over Victoria Falls

Day 10 $150 per person

Join us for a flight over Victoria Falls, and appreciate the “smoke that thunders” from a whole new angle. Aboard a four- or six-passenger helicopter, your experienced pilot will treat you to a bird’s-eye view of majestic Victoria Falls, the wide Zambezi River, and the zigzag-shaped gorges below. This is the best way to see such vast, impressive landscapes—as Dr. David Livingstone said himself, the falls are “so lovely they must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”

Elephantback Safari

Day 11 $150 per person

Opt for an Elephantback Safari excursion at the famed Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve, which teems with wildlife. Upon arrival, learn how the elephant hands, or grooms, care for their animals, and participate in a short training session. Then “saddle up”—high up—on your elephant, and follow ancient game trails lined with flora and fauna. The elephant groom informs about the nature you find along the way, as well as the magnificent, gentle elephant providing your safe transport.

Helicopter ride over Victoria Falls

Day 11 $150 per person

Join us for a flight over Victoria Falls, and appreciate the “smoke that thunders” from a whole new angle. Aboard a four- or six-passenger helicopter, your experienced pilot will treat you to a bird’s-eye view of majestic Victoria Falls, the wide Zambezi River, and the zigzag-shaped gorges below. This is the best way to see such vast, impressive landscapes—as Dr. David Livingstone said himself, the falls are “so lovely they must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”

Flights & transport:

Transportation On game-viewing drives, we travel overland in open-sided safari vehicles with bench seating and no air-conditioning. We also travel in motorized boats 3 guided walks of up to 1 hour each; and 3 internal flights on 50-passenger planes

Group size:

Small Group - 24 max

Maximum number of people in group:

16

Cancellation policy:

Cancellation Charges Generally: Unless otherwise stated next to the program’s rate chart, you will receive a refund equal to your Trip Price less the following per-person charges. Charges shown include the $300 administrative fee.

Cancellation Charges for Land Tours:

  • If Prior to departure is 90 days or more, then charge is $300
  • If Prior to departure is 89-60 days, then charge is 10% of selling price or $300—whichever is greater
  • If Prior to departure is 59-30 days, then charge is 65% of selling price
  • If Prior to departure is 29 days–departure, then charge is 100% of selling price

Trip Excludes:

  • International Airfares

Meals included:

16 Breakfasts, 15 Lunches, and 15 Dinners

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