ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
12-Day Southern Africa Grand Tour

Botswana - South Africa - Zimbabwe - Fly-in safari

12-Day Southern Africa Grand Tour

Duration
12 days
Countries
Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Suited to
2-8 guests
Pricing
From USD 35,980

The journey

Three countries, eleven nights, and a route ordered the way the aircraft actually fly. You start in Cape Town, where long-haul jet lag is easiest to absorb, with three nights at The Silo Hotel above the V&A Waterfront, a day on the Cape Peninsula and a day in the Winelands. Then the safari proper: Cape Town to Johannesburg, Johannesburg to Maun, and a light aircraft onto the Mombo airstrip on Chief's Island, where Moremi holds the highest predator density in the Okavango. Three nights there, then a short hop north-east to DumaTau on the Linyanti River, where the elephant herds that cross at Osprey Lagoon are the reason the camp sits where it does. From the Linyanti you fly to Kasane and cross the Kazungula border by road to Matetsi, on a 55,000-acre private stretch of the Zambezi upstream of Victoria Falls. You leave from Victoria Falls airport, so nothing doubles back. May to October is the window we build this for: dry mornings in Botswana, the Falls still in strong flow through July, and Cape Town cool and quiet. A Sabi Sand leg slots in after Cape Town if you want leopards as well.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Table Bay and the Silo

You land at Cape Town International and transfer to The Silo Hotel, six floors built into the grain elevator above the Zeitz MOCAA, where fifty-six panels of pillowed glass bow outward over Table Bay. Lunch is unhurried. The afternoon is yours for the V&A Waterfront or the rooftop pool as the mountain turns copper, and dinner is downstairs at The Granary Cafe.

Stay 2

The Cape Peninsula

A private guide takes you south along Chapman's Peak Drive to Cape Point, where the old lighthouse stands 249 metres above the water and the wind rarely lets up. Lunch is at a harbour table in Kalk Bay. On the way back you stop at Boulders Beach, where an African penguin colony of roughly 3,000 birds nests within a metre of the boardwalk.

Stay 3

Mountain and Vineyards

The first cable car up Table Mountain leaves at eight, and the rotating floor hands you the whole peninsula in one slow turn. Afterwards you drive an hour east into the Winelands for tastings at two Stellenbosch or Franschhoek estates, lunch among the vines, and an unhurried return over Helshoogte Pass. Dinner is in town, then an early night before the flights north.

Stay 4

North to Chief's Island

Three sectors and one long, good day. You fly Cape Town to Johannesburg, connect to Maun, then step onto a light aircraft for the last 25 minutes over floodplain to the Mombo airstrip. Mombo holds a 35,000-hectare private area at the northern tip of Chief's Island, with eight tented suites and no other operator on the ground. Afternoon tea, then a first slow drive.

Stay 5

Predators of Mombo

Mombo carries the highest predator density in the Okavango, and the way to use it is a full day out. Breakfast rides in the vehicle. Lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog all hold ground inside the concession, and both black and white rhino were reintroduced here. Through the heat you sit in the ground-level photographic hide while elephant come down to drink.

Stay 6

Floodplain and Night Drive

A second full day at Mombo, worked differently. The morning drive follows whichever pride or leopard your guide picked up yesterday, out across floodplains where red lechwe and tsessebe stand in the open. The afternoon is yours on the deck above the plain, then a night drive under a filtered spotlight turns up serval, civet, porcupine and, if the timing runs your way, hunting leopard.

Stay 7

Across to the Linyanti

A 45-minute flight north-east lands you at DumaTau, on the Osprey Lagoon where the Linyanti River leaves the swamp. The concession runs to 125,000 hectares of private land against the western boundary of Chobe National Park, and in the dry months it holds one of the densest elephant concentrations in Africa. The afternoon opens with a boat, running the channel as elephants cross ahead of the bow.

Stay 8

Elephants and Wild Dog

DumaTau's guides know the Linyanti wild dog packs by individual, and the den sites shift each year within the same stretch of mopane. You drive at first light along the river, then walk with an armed guide on the floodplain after tea. Back at camp, the sunken hide at the lagoon puts you at eye level with elephants drinking a few metres away.

Stay 9

Kazungula to the Zambezi

You fly from the Linyanti to Kasane, clear Botswana and Zimbabwe formalities at the Kazungula border, and drive about ninety minutes to Matetsi. The lodge holds 55,000 acres and roughly 15 kilometres of private Zambezi frontage, some 40 kilometres upstream of the Falls. Your river suite has its own plunge pool over the water. The evening is a sundowner cruise, hippo surfacing off the bow.

Stay 10

The Falls Themselves

A guide walks you the full rainforest trail on the Zimbabwean side, which carries about three-quarters of the 1,708-metre curtain across sixteen viewpoints, from the Devil's Cataract to Danger Point. Your rainforest entry fee is covered and raincoats are handed out at the gate. Expect a soaking between March and July. The afternoon returns to Matetsi for a game drive through the private reserve.

Stay 11

Last Days on the River

The Matetsi reserve runs its own drives on ground no day visitor reaches, with buffalo, sable and elephant working the river terraces at dusk. You can fish for tigerfish instead, or canoe a quiet channel, or take the helicopter flight over the gorges at your own cost. The last evening is dinner on the deck with the Zambezi running past below you.

Stay 12

Victoria Falls and Onward

Breakfast looks out over the river for the last time, then a road transfer of about forty minutes takes you to Victoria Falls International Airport, roughly 20 kilometres from the Falls. From there you connect through Johannesburg, Nairobi or Addis Ababa for the flight home. If you want leopards as well, a three-night Sabi Sand leg slots in neatly after Cape Town.

Safari highlights

  • Three countries in twelve days, every internal flight included
  • The Silo Hotel above the V&A, Cape Point and the Winelands
  • Mombo on Chief's Island, the Delta's densest predator ground
  • DumaTau on the Linyanti, elephants crossing at Osprey Lagoon
  • Matetsi's 55,000 acres of private Zambezi frontage
  • Guided rainforest walk along the Zimbabwean face of the Falls

What is included

Included

  • 11 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Flights Cape Town to Johannesburg and Johannesburg to Maun, plus light aircraft Maun-Mombo, Mombo-DumaTau and Linyanti-Kasane
  • Road transfer Kasane to Matetsi across the Kazungula border, and all Victoria Falls area transfers including the airport
  • Private arrival and departure transfers in Cape Town and two private guided touring days, Cape Peninsula and Cape Winelands
  • Bed and breakfast at The Silo Hotel, plus three lunches and three dinners in Cape Town
  • All meals, house wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks at Mombo, DumaTau and Matetsi
  • Twice-daily safari activities in Botswana and Zimbabwe, including boating and guided walks where conditions allow
  • All park, concession and conservation fees, the Botswana tourism development levy, the Matetsi conservation contribution and the Victoria Falls rainforest entry fee
  • Laundry at all three safari camps

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Visas, including the Zimbabwe visa: USD 30 single entry on arrival, or the USD 50 KAZA UniVisa covering Zimbabwe and Zambia
  • Travel and medical insurance, including emergency evacuation cover
  • Premium imported spirits and champagne
  • Optional Victoria Falls activities such as helicopter flights, rafting, bungee and Devil's Pool
  • Spa treatments, private vehicle and private guide supplements on safari
  • Gratuities and items of a personal nature

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 12-day Cape Town, Botswana and Victoria Falls safari cost?

This programme starts at USD 35,980 per person sharing in shoulder season and runs to about USD 46,580 over the July to October peak. That covers eleven nights, the Cape Town to Johannesburg and Johannesburg to Maun flights, three light aircraft sectors, the Kasane road transfer, two private guided days in Cape Town, all meals and house drinks on safari, park and concession fees and the Victoria Falls rainforest entry. International flights are excluded.

Are international flights included in this Southern Africa itinerary?

No. International flights to and from Africa are excluded, so you can use miles or fly the carrier you prefer. You arrive into Cape Town and depart from Victoria Falls, which is an open-jaw booking most airlines price sensibly. Everything inside the itinerary is included: Cape Town to Johannesburg, Johannesburg to Maun, the three light aircraft sectors, and every road transfer including the Kazungula border crossing.

What is the best order for a Cape Town, Okavango and Victoria Falls trip?

Cape Town first, then Botswana, then Victoria Falls. Cape Town takes the most direct long-haul arrivals and is the easiest place to absorb jet lag. Johannesburg to Maun operates daily, and Maun is the gateway to every Delta airstrip. Ending at Victoria Falls lets you fly out of Victoria Falls International rather than doubling back, and the Falls make a natural finish after five nights of Botswana game viewing.

Do I need a visa for Zimbabwe?

Most nationalities, including British, EU, American, Canadian and Australian passport holders, get a Zimbabwe visa on arrival. It costs USD 30 for single entry and USD 55 for double entry, payable in cash. If you plan to cross into Zambia for Livingstone or Devil's Pool, buy the KAZA UniVisa at USD 50 instead, valid 30 days across both countries. South Africa and Botswana are visa-free for the same passports.

How much does it cost to visit Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe?

Entry to the Victoria Falls rainforest is USD 50 per adult for international visitors, payable at the gate and included in this programme. The walk covers sixteen viewpoints along roughly 1.7 kilometres of the Zimbabwean rim, which holds about three-quarters of the full 1,708-metre curtain. Raincoats are provided. Optional extras, such as the 15-minute helicopter flight at around USD 200, are not included.

When is the best time to visit Botswana and Victoria Falls together?

May to October. Botswana is dry and cool then, with game concentrated on permanent water at Mombo and elephants massing on the Linyanti from July. Victoria Falls peaks in flow between March and June and is still strong through July, thinning to a narrower, clearer curtain by October. Cape Town is cool and quiet in that window, warming from late September.

How much luggage can I take on Botswana light aircraft?

20 kg per person including hand luggage and camera gear, in a soft bag with no rigid frame or wheels, no larger than about 25 x 30 x 62 cm. This applies to all three bush sectors. Laundry is included at Mombo, DumaTau and Matetsi and turned around daily, so pack for four days rather than twelve and use a soft duffel throughout.