Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana
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?
Compare to similar trips
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Activities
Max Group Size
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
View Similar Trips
Itinerary
South Africa You depart from the U.S. on an overnight flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.
Today, arrive in Johannesburg. You will be met and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay.
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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.
Want a tailor-made trip instead?
Your trip, your way, planned by an expert:
- You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
- Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics
Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours).
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours) Reviews & Ratings
Other Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours) Reviews
Policy over practical customer service. zero customer service
Dec 2023
don't expect humanity or common sense
This letter is effectively what was communicated no less than 8 times in writing and conversation to OAT representatives up the chain, beginning 19 days before the t...
Trip of a Lifetime
Our recent Tanzanian Safari was indeed the trip of a lifetime. Saw the big 5, met the wonderful locals and spent 5 days in the Serengeti. Saw many lions, zebras, gi...
Be careful
Booked for July and gave them $12,000. They talked us into early arrival and then come back to us a two months later saying we can't offer. We have to keep our airli...
Travelers also viewed
Tour Operator
About Travelstride
Find your perfect trip
Save time
Save money
Travel confidently
Logistics
What's excluded
- International Airfares
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.”
Transportation & Flights
Transportation & flights
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
16 Breakfasts, 15 Lunches, and 15 Dinners
Become a member
- Save up to $700 per person
- Access members-only specials
- Personalize trip recommendations