Southern Africa Highlights
21 days
From $ 7099
Duration21 days
book now
  • Etepia
  • Southern Africa Highlights

Embark on three weeks of discovery amid some of sub-Saharan Africa's most amazing attractions. Scan the landscapes of Kruger National Park for elephants and big cats, take in the otherworldly desertscapes of Namibia, and feel the power of Victoria Falls with all your senses. The wonders of Africa don’t get much closer than this.

This tour is operated by

  • Duration: 21 days
    Service level: Upgraded
  • Physical Grading: Light
  • Ages: 12+
Southern Africa Highlights - Tour Map

Itinerary

Expand all
Day 1: Cape Town
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer included.
Day 2: Cape Town
Visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden with an expert guide on a tour exclusively designed for our groups — the garden has been named one of the top gardens in the world by National Geographic Traveler magazine. Continue on to explore vibrant Cape Town and Cape Point, with a visit to the penguins at Boulders Beach.
Meals: B
Day 3: Cape Town
There is something for everyone in Cape Town. Visit Table Mountain, walk the V&A Waterfront or embark on a wine tour in and around Stellenbosch. For the adventurous, opt to go skydiving, abseiling, or, if you're really brave, cage diving for a close encounter with a great white shark. Wander through the city centre, which has some of the oldest buildings and gardens in South Africa. Check out the Cultural Historical Museum, Planetarium, and many other museums and theatres.
Enjoy a day of leisure and choose from a variety of optional activities including a visit to Table Mountain or a Stellenbosch wine tour. If you are interested in visiting Robben Island - you must book it directly with the museum on their website prior to travel: http://www.robben-island.org.za Due to high demand, it is common that this tour can be sold out over one month in advance.
Meals: B
Day 4: Cape Town/Johannesburg
Fly to Johannesburg. Enjoy a traditional South Africa Braai (barbecue) for dinner with your local CEO and fellow travellers. Due to fluctuating flight times with the local carrier, there may either be some additional free time in Cape Town in the morning, or the opportunity to do a brief tour of Soweto when you arrive in Johannesburg. Your CEO will give you your flight times and full breakdown of what is possible, at your arrival meeting. Enjoy a traditional South African "braai" (barbecue) welcome dinner. 
Meals: B, D
Day 5: Johannesburg/Greater Kruger Area
Enjoy a scenic drive along the famed Panorama Route with stops at Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, and God's Window. Continue to our tented camp located near the Kruger National Park and this evening enjoy a delicious South African dinner in the boma. Today is a very long driving day; however, we will make many stops along the way at sites along the Panorama Route.
Meals: B, D
Day 6: Kruger National Park
At over 19,000 sq km (7,500 sq mi), South Africa’s Kruger National Park is one of the largest and most impressive animal reserves in the world. With 147 species, Kruger has more species of large mammals than any other park on the continent.
Enjoy a full-day wildlife safari drive through Kruger National Park in an open vehicle. Take in views of the abundant wildlife including elephants, lions, and giraffe. In the late afternoon, return to the lodge where you can relax on the deck with views of the surrounding area.
Meals: B, D
Day 7: Greater Kruger Area/Karongwe Private Game Reserve
For the next two days, enjoy ranger-led morning and evening wildlife safari drives in an open safari vehicle in Karongwe Nature Reserve. Search for buffaloes, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos – Africa's famed Big Five. With over 9,000 hectares (22,240 acres) of supreme African bushveld, Karongwe Private Game Reserve is home to many creatures, and our safari drives provide several opportunities for wildlife viewing.

We use various accommodations within the reserve (the location is based on availability). During your time here, you will either stay in lodge rooms or very comfortable permanent tents (both of equal quality and with similar amenities).
Continue on to a private nature reserve in the Greater Kruger area. This afternoon, meet with a researcher from the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Cheetah Metapopulation Project who will share information about their efforts to protect cheetahs and other carnivores. This National Geographic-sponsored project is part of the Big Cats Initiative. After, the researcher will join us on our evening wildlife safari drive. Wildlife safari drives are conducted with qualified wildlife rangers and Shangaan trackers who will share their vast experience of the African bush.

On some occasions, if space is unavailable, we may need to change accommodations or even use a different private reserve. In such a case, be assured we will choose other lodges or comfort camps (of equal quality) within the Greater Kruger area.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 8: Karongwe Private Game Reserve
Wake up before the sun (around 5am) and sip your morning coffee before heading out on a morning wildlife safari drive. Return to the lodge for brunch and some leisure time. Converse on the deck, walk the grounds and gardens, and enjoy high tea. Following tea, it's time for a late afternoon safari drive. After spotting tons of wildlife, it’s time to return to camp and freshen up before dinner.
Enjoy early morning and afternoon safari drives with our local guides, searching for buffaloes, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos – Africa's famed "big five". In our down time, relax at the camp, take a walk around the grounds, or enjoy a cool drink on the deck.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 9: Karongwe Private Game Reserve/Johannesburg
After one last wildlife safari drive, head back to the city. In the evening, enjoy dinner at our local guest house.
Meals: B, D
Day 10: Johannesburg/Windhoek
Fly to Windhoek and transfer to the hotel. Free time to explore Windhoek in the afternoon and then meet your CEO and the rest of the group in the evening.
Meals: B
Day 11: Windhoek/Sesriem
Enjoy postcard perfect desert scenery around Sesriem and Sossusvlei - vast desertscapes of reds and orange, stark camel thorn trees and towering dunes with dramatic curved ridges. Also keep an eye out for the surprising amount of wildlife that call this area home such as oryx, springbok, jackal, ground squirrel and hyena.
Enjoy the dramatic Namibian landscapes as we drive to the desert area of Sesriem, gateway to Namib-Naukluft National Park. Settle in to our desert lodge, relax at the pool, or enjoy a cool drink watching the stunning sunset over the desertscape.
Meals: B, D
Day 12: Sesriem
Embark on a scenic excursion into the national park to explore the Namib Desert. Visit Sossusvlei and Deadvlei — clay pans covered in a crust of salt-rich sand surrounded by burnt orange and red towering dunes. It's considered one of the most stunning desert landscapes in Africa. After, visit Sesriem Canyon, a natural gorge carved out by the Tsauchab River.
Meals: B, D
Day 13: Sesriem/Swakopmund
Continue through changing desert landscapes, keeping an eye out for free-roaming zebra, kudu, springbok, and oryx. Stop in the quirky town of Solitaire for a break before heading out into the countryside. Here we meet a local to this remote region who takes us on a drive and talks about the survival strategies of ancient bushmen who lived in the area. We also search out smaller animal life that manages to survive in these harsh conditions such as snakes, geckos, spiders, and insects to learn how they have adapted to this arid region. After, continue to Swakopmund on the Atlantic coast.
Meals: B, L
Day 14: Swakopmund
Explore the town's unique mix of German and African culture and opt to visit curio shops, the museum and restaurants. Optional activities include sandboarding, or if you're feeling brave, skydiving.
Enjoy a free morning. Opt to go sandboarding, or just take a walk in town. This afternoon, explore the township of Mondesa with a local guide, learning about its people and history. Visit the local market for an introduction to traditional food including wild spinach, mopane worms, and dried kapenta fish. Also visit an art and craft shop, meet with some locals, then visit a family-run establishment for dinner and local entertainment.
Meals: B, D
Day 15: Swakopmund/Palmwag
Continue on to Twyfelfontein where we visit the ancient petroglyphs which were named Namibia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site is thought to hold the largest concentrations of Bushman engravings in Africa, with over 2500 figures, ranging from 2000-5000 years old. Finish the day on the Palmwag Concession, in northwest Damaraland.
Meals: B, D
Day 16: Palmwag/Etosha National Park Area
Enjoy a relaxed morning at the lodge, or opt for a guided nature walk in the Palmwag Concession. In the afternoon we continue to our lodge located in the Etosha National Park area, considered the greatest wildlife sanctuary in Namibia.
Meals: B, D
Day 17: Etosha National Park Area
After the vast desert, Etosha National Park, offers a contrast of wide open grasslands, a massive salt pan that covers 4731km² and tall camel thorn trees intermixed with Mopani trees. With a combination of natural waterholes, and diverse vegetation, wildlife flock to the park. Some of the largest elephants in Africa can be found in areas of thicker vegetation, as well as leopard and the critically endangered black rhino. Lions, giraffe, ostrich and many antelope species can be found in the grasslands, while birders will love the salt pans which attract flamingos in the rainy season. More than 340 bird species have been counted in Etosha National Park including the European bee-eater, the kori bustard and numerous migratory birds.
Embark on a full day open vehicle safari drive in the national park with a local guide. There is abundant wildlife that congregate around the waterholes, so keep your cameras at the ready for elephants, lions, endangered black rhinos, and even leopards. Over lunch, you have time to relax at one of the rest camps, take a swim, or sit back and watch the animals as the come to the waterhole.
Meals: B, D
Day 18: Etosha National Park Area/Windhoek
After breakfast, visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a global field research and education facility founded by Dr. Laurie Marker whose research has been supported by National Geographic. Tour the facility to learn about the important research, conservation, and community outreach work they do as one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild. Meet with a researcher for a lecture to learn about the various projects in the works, then enjoy a cheetah drive to view some of these amazing creatures up close. After, enjoy lunch on the veranda overlooking the magnificent Waterberg Plateau. Continue on to Windhoek for our final evening.
Meals: B, L
Day 19: Windhoek/Victoria Falls
The mist off Victoria Falls can rise to a height of more than 400m (1312 ft). Local tribes used to call the falls Mosi-o-Tunya or “the smoke that thunders.” Explorer and missionary David Livingstone renamed the falls after Queen Victoria when he first saw them in 1855.
Fly to Zimbabwe. Gain insight into what life is like in Africa with a walk through a local market and dinner at a family homestead. Meet the family, learn their history, and share stories as you help prepare a traditional Zimbabwean dinner.
Meals: B, D
Day 20: Victoria Falls
Enjoy a morning tour of the beautiful Victoria Falls, then the rest of the day is free to explore the area. Take part in a river safari, cultural tours, whitewater rafting, canoeing, or a helicopter ride over the falls. Opt to take a day trip to the wildlife haven of Chobe National Park. If you have an activity planned for this morning, we will reschedule your Falls tour for this afternoon, or tomorrow morning.
Meals: B
Day 21: Victoria Falls
Depart at any time.
Meals: B
Download brochure

Inclusions

Included

  • Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens Guided Tour, Cape Town Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Carnivore Conservation Experience, Karongwe Private Game Reserve Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Mondesa Township Walk, Swakopmund Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Cheetah Conservation Experience, Windhoek Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Zimbabwean Family Dinner, Victoria Falls Your Foodie Moment: Traditional South Africa Braai (Barbecue), Johannesburg
  • Arrival transfer
  • Orientation drive of Cape Town
  • Excursion to Cape Point and Boulders Beach
  • Soweto tour
  • Panorama Route scenic drive
  • Kruger National Park and private nature reserve wildlife safari drives in open vehicles
  • Sossusvlei desert excursion
  • Desert excursion with a local
  • View the Twyfelfontein ancient petroglyphs
  • Full-day open-vehicle wildlife safari drive in Etosha
  • Tour of Victoria Falls
  • Internal flights
  • All transport between destinations and to/from included activities

  • Transport

    Air-conditioned touring vehicle, 4x4, Open safari vehicle, Plane, Walking

  • Accommodation

    Guest house (2 nts), Hotel/lodge (14 nt), Comfortable safari camp (2 nt), Comfortable tent or chalets (2 nts)

Save up to 50% on tours! Get exclusive access to members-only deals by email.

Subscribe to our newsletter