Botswana & Zimbabwe Safari — Self-Launched
10 days · Botswana & Zimbabwe
G Adventures charges £5,380
No-markup version: ~£2,140 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of the G Adventures / National Geographic Journeys 10-day Victoria Falls → Maun safari. Same spine of highlights — Victoria Falls, Painted Dog Conservation, Hwange National Park, a Chobe River cruise, elephant-heavy Chobe game drives, and mokoro trips and bush walks in the Okavango Delta — but booked independently with local safari operators, guesthouses and public/shared transport. No private vehicle, no expedition leader, no single supplement. Roughly a third of the tour price even after paying for two short scenic flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Land at Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) and take a shared shuttle or taxi into town (~£8-12, 20 mins). Check into a guesthouse or hostel in the Victoria Falls village area, a 10-minute walk from the falls' entrance gate. Spend the afternoon orienting yourself: pick up a Zimbabwe e-visa on arrival if needed, change money (USD is king here), and buy a bus ticket for the onward leg. Book your Hwange safari pickup for tomorrow while you have wifi. Sunset drinks at the Victoria Falls Hotel terrace are free to enter and the view of the spray plume is superb.
🚌Shared airport shuttle from VFA (~£10)
🛏Guesthouse/hostel dorm or twin, Victoria Falls village (£14-22/night)
- →Arrival shuttle to town
- →Victoria Falls village orientation walk
- →Sunset view from the Victoria Falls Hotel terrace
Victoria Falls in the morning, on to Hwange
Victoria Falls → Hwange National Park
Get to the falls gate at 6:30am — the rainforest walk and viewpoints are far quieter before the tour buses arrive. Entry is ~£25 (or £45 for the combined Zimbabwe/Zambia view). Walk the loop trail yourself; the signage is good and the mist is the experience. Back in town by 11am, then hop on an Intercape or Siemens bus down the Bulawayo road, or a shared taxi, to Dete/Kamativi (~£8-10, 2.5 hrs) — the gateway to Hwange. Book a two-night budget safari-camp stay inside the park or in the Dete concession; most camps run their own drives and will collect you from the road. Before dinner, ask your camp to arrange a visit to the Painted Dog Conservation centre near Dete — the rehab enclosures and the anti-snare dog patrols are worth an hour and the donation goes straight to the work.
🚌Bus Victoria Falls → Dete/Kamativi (~£9); camp transfer pickup (~£5)
🛏Budget safari camp/tented lodge in the Dete/Hwange concession, twin share (£30-45/night)
- →Self-guided Victoria Falls rainforest walk
- →Painted Dog Conservation centre visit
- →Arrive Hwange concession
Hwange game drives
Hwange National Park
Hwange holds roughly half of Zimbabwe's elephants, and the pans around Dete Vlei and Nyamandhlovu draw them in huge numbers in the dry season. Book a full-day shared game drive through your camp or the Hwange park gate office (~£60-75 including park fees) — you'll get an open 4x4, a licensed guide and lunch. Alternatively split it into a sunrise and sunset drive (each ~£35-45) and spend the middle of the day at the camp waterhole hide with binoculars. This is the closest independent equivalent to the tour's private-concession drives: same park, same vehicles, just pooled with other travellers.
🚌Camp game-drive vehicle (included in activity)
🛏Budget safari camp/tented lodge, Hwange concession (£30-45/night)
- →Full-day shared game drive, Hwange NP
- →Waterhole hide photography at camp
Cross into Botswana — Kasane and the Chobe River
Hwange → Kasane, Botswana
Head north to the Kazungula border (~£20-25 shared transfer or minibus via Victoria Falls, 4-5 hrs). The border crossing is a single-window affair for most nationalities — Botswana charges a ~£24 tourism levy, payable in USD cash. Kasane is a small, walkable town on the Chobe River. Check into a lodge or campsite on the riverfront and book a sunset boat cruise for this afternoon (~£22-30, 3 hrs) — the Chobe boat safari is the single best-value wildlife activity in the region, putting you level with bathing elephants, hippo pods and crocodiles.
🚌Shared transfer Hwange → Kazungula border → Kasane (~£24)
🛏Riverfront lodge or safari camp, Kasane (£25-40/night)
- →Kazungula border crossing
- →Sunset Chobe River boat cruise
Chobe game drive and free afternoon
Kasane / Chobe National Park
Book a half-day Chobe game drive (~£45-55 with park fees) for the early morning — Chobe's elephant herds are the largest in Africa and the riverfront road at dawn is unbeatable. You'll also pick up buffalo, lion, giraffe and the rare semi-aquatic sitatunga in the marsh channels. Afternoon free: walk the Kasane riverfront, visit the CARACAL biodiversity centre, or take a taxi out to the hot springs. Kasane is safe to wander in daylight and the supermarket is a cheap way to self-cater breakfasts.
🚌Walking; local taxi (~£3)
🛏Riverfront lodge or safari camp, Kasane (£25-40/night)
- →Half-day Chobe game drive
- →Kasane riverfront walk
- →CARACAL centre (optional, ~£5)
Scenic flight into the Okavango Delta
Kasane → Okavango Delta
Short-hop light aircraft from Kasane to the Delta (or fly via Maun) — book direct with Mack Air, Moremi Air or Kavango Air (~£180-230 one way, 1 hr). Strict 20kg soft-bag limit. On landing, transfer to a budget delta camp operated by a community trust (e.g. a Sankuyo or Gunnare mobile camp) and climb straight into a mokoro for a slow glide through the reed channels (~£15-20). Settle into a dome tent, then take an afternoon wildlife cruise or sundowner boat. Dinner under an enormous sky — the light pollution here is essentially zero.
🚌Light aircraft Kasane → Delta (~£200); camp 4x4 and mokoro transfers
🛏Delta tented/mobile camp, twin share, full board (£55-80/night)
- →Scenic light-aircraft flight over the Delta
- →Mokoro ride in the reed channels
- →Sundowner boat cruise
Chief's Island bush walk
Okavango Delta
Early mokoro paddle out toward Chief's Island (the heart of Moremi Game Reserve) with your poler, followed by a guided bush walk — the local guides read tracks, dung and bird calls, and can explain the medicinal plants as you go. Bush walks are included in most community camp packages. Back at camp for brunch, then siesta through the heat, wildlife-watch from the deck, and head out again mid-afternoon for a boat cruise. Evening stargazing on the deck.
🚌Mokoro and on-foot (included in camp package)
🛏Delta tented/mobile camp, full board (£55-80/night)
- →Mokoro to Chief's Island
- →Guided bush walk
- →Afternoon boat cruise
- →Stargazing
Second full day in the Delta
Okavango Delta
Morning and late-afternoon excursions by boat, on foot or by 4x4 depending on the season and water level (high water roughly May–September favours mokoro; low water means more game drives). No extra cost if you're on a full-board package that includes two activities a day. Sleep, swim, read, watch elephants cross the channel in front of your tent. Pre-book tonight's onward flight to Maun with the same operator to save the agent fee.
🚌Camp vehicles and boats
🛏Delta tented/mobile camp, full board (£55-80/night)
- →Morning wildlife excursion
- →Afternoon game drive or boat cruise
Fly to Maun — storytelling and a traditional dinner
Okavango Delta → Maun
Early-morning activity, then light aircraft to Maun (~£80-110, 30 mins). Check into a backpacker lodge or guesthouse in Maun, and in the afternoon book a community-run evening at the Boteti/Maun cultural centre or a village dinner experience with a local storyteller (~£25-35) — the do-it-yourself version of the tour's author-led fireside dinner: a Setswana meal, folktales and a short talk on delta life. Alternatively, watch 'Into the Okavango' online before you travel and spend the evening at a Maun restaurant chatting to polers and guides about the Okavango Wilderness Project surveys — many of them work on the transects.
🚌Light aircraft Delta → Maun (~£95)
🛏Backpacker lodge/guesthouse, Maun twin share (£20-30/night)
- →Morning wildlife excursion
- →Scenic flight to Maun
- →Community cultural dinner and storytelling
Maun — depart
Maun
Day free until your flight. The Nhabe Museum (small, ~£1) and the Maun Environmental Education Centre are both walkable, or take a cheap half-day trip to Moremi North Gate if your flight is late. Maun Airport is a 10-minute taxi from town (~£3). Shops accept pula or USD; if you're carrying cash out, note that US notes older than 2006 are refused across the region.
🚌Local taxi to Maun Airport (~£3)
🛏—
- →Nhabe Museum
- →Depart Maun
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£2,140 | £5,380 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £3,240 per person (60%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£2,140
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Botswana & Zimbabwe Safari — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £2,140 per person for 10 days in Botswana & Zimbabwe. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £5,380 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £2,140 — a saving of roughly £3,240 (60%) per person.
How long is the Botswana & Zimbabwe trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 day-by-day stops through Botswana & Zimbabwe.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, wildlife, backpacker trip through Botswana & Zimbabwe, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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