ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
8-Day Botswana & Victoria Falls Safari

Botswana - Zimbabwe - Fly-in safari

8-Day Botswana & Victoria Falls Safari

Duration
8 days
Countries
Botswana, Zimbabwe
Suited to
2-8 guests
Pricing
From USD 19,980

The journey

Updated on 23 August 2026

Botswana and Victoria Falls sit close enough to combine without losing a day to it. Kasane airport is about 90 minutes by road from the Falls across the Kazungula bridge, so a Chobe and Linyanti safari can finish on the Zambezi instead of doubling back through Johannesburg. It is the most efficient two-country pairing in this part of Africa, and one of the best value. The order matters. You start on the Chobe riverfront, where several hundred elephant a day come down to drink and the boat work is as good as the driving. Then a 45 minute light-aircraft flight west to the Linyanti, a private concession with no other operator on it, high wild dog density and long, unhurried drives. Only then do you cross into Zimbabwe, so the Falls read as an ending rather than an interruption. Timing is a real choice. February to May is when the Falls carry the most water, and the spray can hide the view. August to January is low water: less volume, clearer photographs, and the months when Devil's Pool is open. July to October is the strongest game-viewing window in northern Botswana.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Onto the Chobe River

You land at Kasane after a 1 hour 45 minute flight from Johannesburg and drive half an hour into the park to Chobe Game Lodge, the only lodge inside the riverfront section. The afternoon is a boat cruise: elephant families wading the channel to Sedudu Island, hippo surfacing off the bow, and skimmers cutting the water as the light goes.

Stay 2

Elephants and Floodplain

A full day on the riverfront, guided by one of the Chobe Angels, the lodge's all-female team. The morning drive works the floodplain where lion lie up near water and puku hold the short grass. Later you board the electric boat, silent enough to drift within a few metres of a drinking bull while carmine bee-eaters come and go from nest holes in the bank.

Stay 3

West to the Linyanti

One more cruise at first light, then back to Kasane for the 45 minute light-aircraft hop west into the Linyanti. DumaTau stands on Osprey Lagoon, where the Savute Channel leaves the Linyanti River. Your first drive runs the floodplain edge at dusk, past elephant bulls coming down to drink and, if the pack is in, wild dog moving fast through the mopane.

Stay 4

Wild Dog Country

A full day on a private concession of roughly 125,000 hectares with no other operator on it, so a sighting stays yours. Mornings are for tracking: the Linyanti carries one of the highest wild dog densities in Africa and the pack often ranges within reach of camp. In the afternoon take the boat onto the lagoon, level with hippo and with elephant crossing to the Namibian bank.

Stay 5

The Old Savute Channel

Out early along the dry course of the Savute Channel, where lion prides work the treeline and leopard rest up in the sausage trees. Back for lunch, then an hour in the sunken hide at the camp waterhole, at eye level with elephant that come in through the afternoon in twos and threes. Dinner is on the deck above the lagoon with hippo calling below.

Stay 6

Over the Kazungula Border

After a last drive you fly 45 minutes back to Kasane, then drive about 90 minutes over the Kazungula bridge into Zimbabwe. Matetsi Victoria Falls holds 55,000 acres of private Zambezi frontage, 40 kilometres upstream of the Falls and well clear of the town. The afternoon is a river cruise, with the spray column standing over the gorge downstream as the sun drops.

Stay 7

The Rainforest Walk

You drive in to the Falls in the morning and walk the rainforest path with a guide, from Devil's Cataract to Danger Point, sixteen viewpoints along a 1,708 metre curtain of water. Entry is included. Back at Matetsi the afternoon is open: a game drive in the private reserve, a canoe on a quiet channel, or nothing at all from your deck.

Stay 8

Zambezi to Johannesburg

Breakfast on the deck above the river, then the 40 minute drive to Victoria Falls Airport for the regional flight to Johannesburg, about 1 hour 40 minutes. If your international connection is late enough, there is time first for a helicopter flight over the gorges, roughly USD 220 for fifteen minutes, which we book before you leave camp.

Safari highlights

  • Two nights on the Chobe riverfront with the Chobe Angels
  • Three nights in the Linyanti, Botswana's best wild dog country
  • Boating on Osprey Lagoon from DumaTau
  • A 90-minute road transfer over the Kazungula border into Zimbabwe
  • Guided walk through the Victoria Falls rainforest, entry included
  • Two nights on a private 55,000-acre stretch of the Zambezi

What is included

Included

  • 7 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Regional flight Johannesburg-Kasane in economy class
  • Light-aircraft seats Kasane-Linyanti and Linyanti-Kasane, with airstrip taxes
  • Road transfer Kasane to Matetsi Victoria Falls over the Kazungula border, about 90 minutes, with border assistance
  • Regional flight Victoria Falls-Johannesburg, and lodge transfers to Victoria Falls Airport
  • All meals, house wines, local spirits, beers and soft drinks at all three properties
  • Twice-daily game drives, Chobe and Zambezi boat cruises and guided walks
  • Guided tour of Victoria Falls and the rainforest entry fee of USD 58 per person
  • Chobe National Park and Linyanti concession fees, the Matetsi conservation contribution, Botswana Tourism Development Levy and Zimbabwe VAT

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Zimbabwe visa or KAZA UniVisa, payable in cash on arrival at Kazungula
  • Comprehensive travel and medical insurance, including emergency evacuation cover
  • Premium spirits, champagne and imported wines
  • Optional Victoria Falls activities: helicopter flights, Devil's Pool, white-water rafting and bungee
  • Gratuities for guides, boat crew and lodge staff
  • Items of a personal nature, curios and telephone calls

Frequently asked questions

How much does an 8-day Botswana and Victoria Falls safari cost?

This programme starts at USD 19,980 per person sharing and runs to about USD 26,380 in peak season, July to October. That covers seven nights at Chobe Game Lodge, DumaTau and Matetsi Victoria Falls, all meals and house drinks, all game drives and boat cruises, park and concession fees, the Johannesburg-Kasane and Victoria Falls-Johannesburg flights, both light-aircraft sectors, the Kazungula road transfer and the USD 58 Falls entry fee.

When are Victoria Falls at their fullest, and when is Devil's Pool open?

The Falls carry the most water from roughly February to May, peaking in April, when about 500 million litres a minute go over the lip and the spray can obscure the view from the Zimbabwe side. Devil's Pool, on the Zambian side at Livingstone Island, opens only at low water, roughly August to January. You cannot have both in one visit, so choose which matters more.

Are international flights included in this safari?

No. International flights to and from Africa are excluded and booked separately, normally into and out of Johannesburg. Everything inside Africa is included: the Johannesburg-Kasane flight of about 1 hour 45 minutes, the two 45-minute light-aircraft sectors between Kasane and the Linyanti, the 90-minute road transfer over the Kazungula border, and the Victoria Falls-Johannesburg flight of about 1 hour 40 minutes.

Do I need a visa for Zimbabwe, and should I buy the KAZA UniVisa?

Most nationalities buy a visa on arrival at the Kazungula border. A Zimbabwe single-entry visa is USD 30 and double-entry is USD 45. The KAZA UniVisa costs USD 50, lasts 30 days and covers both Zimbabwe and Zambia with day trips to Botswana, so it is worth it only if you plan to cross to Livingstone for Devil's Pool. Visas are not included in this price. Bring clean USD cash.

How long is the transfer from Kasane to Victoria Falls?

About 90 minutes door to door, including the Kazungula border post. The Kazungula bridge opened in 2021 and replaced the old ferry, so the crossing is now quick. Matetsi lies roughly 40 kilometres upstream of the Falls, adding a little to the drive. The transfer and border assistance are included in this price; the road is tarred the whole way.

How much is the Victoria Falls entrance fee?

Entry to the Victoria Falls rainforest on the Zimbabwe side is USD 58 per person for international visitors, up from USD 50 after Zimbabwe applied VAT to park fees in January 2026, and it is included here along with a guided walk of the sixteen viewpoints from Devil's Cataract to Danger Point. Optional extras are not included: a 15-minute Flight of Angels helicopter run costs about USD 220, and a Devil's Pool tour from Livingstone about USD 210.

How many nights do you need for Botswana and Victoria Falls together?

Seven nights is the sensible minimum and is what this trip does: two on the Chobe riverfront, three in the Linyanti and two at the Falls. Two nights at the Falls gives you a full day for the rainforest walk plus an afternoon for a helicopter flight or a cruise. Three nights in the Linyanti matter because wild dog and lion often take a full morning of tracking to reach.