Namibia & Botswana Uncovered — Self-Launched

Fly into Windhoek (Hosea Kutako International) and take the early Intercape or Town Hoppers shuttle into the city centre (~N$150–250 / £7–11). From Windhoek's Rhino Park or Engen petrol station departure points, catch a shared shuttle/minibus to Outjo and on to Okaukuejo or Namutoni gate at Etosha (~N$350–500 / £15–22, roughly 5–6 hours). Buy your Etosha park permit at the gate (N$150/person/day + N$50 vehicle, ~£9). Check into a campsite or budget bush chalet inside the park (Okaukuejo/Namutoni campsites from ~£12–18 pp) and join an afternoon/sunset game drive in an open 4x4 with the camp's own operator (~N$550–700 / £24–31) — or self-drive the waterhole loop if you're sharing a hired car. Evening at the floodlit Okaukuejo waterhole is free and often the best rhino sighting of the trip.

🚌Intercape/Town Hoppers shuttle Windhoek–Outjo–Etosha gate, then park shuttle or hired car (~£20)

🛏Etosha park campsite or budget bush chalet (~£12–18 pp sharing)

• →Etosha gate permit and entry
• →Sunset game drive in open 4x4
• →Okaukuejo floodlit waterhole at night

Morning game drive out of the park via the Namutoni gate, then head east on the B8 towards Rundu. The cheapest sensible option is a shared minibus/shuttle on the Rundu–Katima Mulilo road, getting off at Divundu (~N$400–550 / £18–24, 4–5 hours); if you're sharing a hired car the drive is straightforward tar the whole way. Divundu sits right on the Kavango River and is the gateway to Bwabwata National Park and the KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area. Settle into a riverside campsite or guesthouse (from ~£14–20 pp) and spend the late afternoon watching hippos and fish eagles from the bank.

🚌Shared minibus/shuttle on the B8 to Divundu (~£21)

🛏Riverside campsite/guesthouse in Divundu (~£14–20 pp)

• →Scenic drive along the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) corridor
• →Riverside sunset and birdwatching

Book a sunrise/sunset boat cruise on the Kavango River directly with one of the Divundu lodges or camps (~N$450–600 / £20–27), which is exactly the included cruise on the group tour but sold individually — expect hippos, crocs and kingfishers. In the afternoon, either self-drive into Mahangu (Buffalo) National Park and do a self-guided game drive (~£10 park fee + fuel) or hire a local guide with a 4x4 for a couple of hours (~£25–35). Mahangu is quiet and cheap compared to Etosha and good for sable and roan antelope. Dinner at your camp; many riverside camps offer a set braai meal for ~£8–10.

🚌Local 4x4 or hired car; Mahangu park fees

🛏Riverside campsite/guesthouse in Divundu (~£14–20 pp)

• →Kavango River boat cruise
• →Mahangu National Park game drive

A long travel day — the B8 continues through Katima Mulilo and across the Ngoma or Kazungula border into Botswana, but the practical budget route is a shared minibus or shuttle to Rundu, then a bus/shuttle onwards via Ghanzi or a connection through Kasane to Maun. If you're driving, Divundu–Maun is approximately 8–9 hours; budget ~£30–40 for the shared transport legs. The route crosses into the Okavango catchment — the Thamalakane River at Maun is the delta's outflow. Check into a Maun backpackers (Sitatunga Camp, Thamalakane River Lodge area, or similar, ~£12–18 pp dorm/room) and pre-book tomorrow's mokoro trip at the reception desk or with the local mokoro poler association office in town.

🚌Shared minibus/shuttle via Rundu and the border (~£32)

🛏Maun backpackers/lodge dorm or budget room (~£12–18 pp)

• →Border crossing and travel day
• →Evening walk along the Thamalakane River
• →Book mokoro trip with local polers

Either take a shared airport-bound 4x4 transfer or book a seat on a Maun–Khwai transfer with a local safari operator (~US$80–120 / £63–95 return, cheaper if shared) — no public transport links go into the concession areas, so this is the one place you genuinely need a booked transfer. On arrival set up camp at a community campsite in the Khwai Conservation Area (~£15–25 pp). In the late afternoon, join a sunset mokoro (dugout canoe) excursion with a local poler on the Okavango Delta channels (~£25–35, often bundled with your transfer). If budget allows and weather is good, the optional scenic Delta flight from Maun is ~US$120–160 for 30–45 minutes (~£95–125) — book with a Maun air charter directly.

🚌Shared 4x4 transfer Maun–Khwai (~£45 one way, shared)

🛏Khwai community campsite (~£15–25 pp)

• →Sunset mokoro excursion with local poler
• →Optional scenic flight over the Okavango Delta

Moremi has no public transport and self-driving into the reserve requires a high-clearance 4x4, so the realistic budget move is to join a shared day safari from Khwai with a local operator (~US$90–140 / £70–110 including park fees if you're lucky, so confirm park fees of ~P200/person + P800/vehicle are included). You'll spend the day on the Khwai and Mboma floodplain loops looking for wild dog, lion, elephant and the reserve's famous water-adapted wildlife. Take your own packed lunch and water — food inside the reserve is limited. Return to Khwai camp in the evening and cook at the campsite.

🚌Shared 4x4 day safari vehicle

🛏Khwai community campsite (~£15–25 pp)

• →Full-day Moremi Game Reserve game drive
• →Wildlife viewing on the Khwai floodplain

Transfer back to Maun and pick up the Maun–Francistown road to Nata (~4–5 hours, shared minibus/shuttle ~£20–28). Nata is the base for the Makgadikgadi Pans and their famous baobabs and huge birdlife. Check into a budget lodge/campsite in Nata (~£12–20 pp) and book a sunset salt pans excursion directly with your lodge or the Nata sanctuary office (~US$40–60 / £32–47, seasonal access dependent — the pans flood after rain and 4x4 access can close). If the pans are flooded, the Nata Bird Sanctuary boardwalk is the cheaper alternative (~£8).

🚌Shared minibus from Maun via Francistown road (~£24)

🛏Nata budget lodge/campsite (~£12–20 pp)

• →Makgadikgadi salt pans viewpoint at sunset
• →Optional Nata Bird Sanctuary

Continue north on the Kazungula road to Kasane (~4 hours, shared minibus ~£15–22). Kasane sits on the Chobe River and is the cheapest place in Botswana to see huge elephant herds. Settle into a Kasane backpackers or lodge (~£15–25 pp) and book the late-afternoon Chobe National Park boat cruise with one of the riverfront operators directly (~US$35–50 / £28–40 for a 3-hour cruise, park fees extra). The sunset cruise is arguably the best value wildlife experience in Southern Africa — hundreds of elephants at the water in the dry season.

🚌Shared minibus Nata–Kasane (~£18)

🛏Kasane backpackers/lodge (~£15–25 pp)

• →Chobe National Park sunset boat cruise
• →Chobe Riverfront wildlife viewing

Cross the Kazungula border into Zimbabwe (Kazungula/Kasane border is walkable with the ferry bridge; carry USD cash for the visa, US$30 or KAZA Univisa ~£24 if eligible at the border). Local shared taxis/small buses run Kasane–Victoria Falls (~US$15–25 / £12–20). Once in Victoria Falls town, buy your Zimbabwe Rainforest entry (~USD 50 / £40) and walk the rainforest paths at leisure — the group tour's included viewing is literally the national park entry. Budget backpackers/hostels in Vic Falls town run ~£15–25 pp. Optional add-ons booked directly: helicopter flight (US$150–190 / £120–150), bungee at the Victoria Falls Bridge (US$160), white-water rafting season permitting (US$130–150), or a sunset Zambezi boat cruise (US$45–65).

🚌Shared taxi/small bus across Kazungula border (~£16)

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers (~£15–25 pp)

• →Victoria Falls rainforest walk and viewpoints
• →Optional helicopter flight, bungee jump, Zambezi rafting or sunset cruise

Morning at leisure: the Historical Bridge Tour run by the Victoria Falls Bridge Company is a good low-cost option (~US$35 / £28), or take a guided walk of the falls with a local guide (~£20). Explore the craft market on Livingstone Way, and have a final breakfast at a local café. Fly out of Victoria Falls International, or if flights are cheaper, cross to Livingstone in Zambia for onward flights. If you're on a working-holiday timeline, the Vic Falls–Bulawayo and Vic Falls–Harare buses are the cheap overland route onward to Zimbabwe and South Africa.

🚌Local taxi to Victoria Falls airport (~£8)

🛏Departure day (or one extra night ~£20 if your flight is late)

• →Historical Bridge Tour
• →Craft market visit
• →Transfer to airport