Southern Africa Self-Launched: Bush Camps & Wildlife Spotting
15 days · South Africa, Botswana & Zimbabwe
G Adventures charges £1,510
No-markup version: ~£985 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of G Adventures' 15-day Southern Africa camping loop — Johannesburg to Serowe, Maun and the Okavango Delta, Nata, Kasane, Victoria Falls, Francistown, Mapungubwe and Kruger. You'll swap the overland truck and tour leader for Intercape/bus coaches, shared shuttles and local guides, and self-book mokoro trips, game drives and Victoria Falls activities directly. Roughly 40-50% cheaper than the group tour, with far more freedom to linger in the Delta or add an extra Kruger drive.
Day-by-day
Arrive Johannesburg — Sandton or Melville
Johannesburg, South Africa
Land at O.R. Tambo and take the Gautrain (approx. R180, ~£8) or an Uber to Sandton/Melville. Book a dorm or private room in a hostel around Melville or Rosebank (approx. £22). Spend the afternoon settling in, then do a self-guided walk of the Melville 7th Street cafe strip. If you're arriving early, the Apartheid Museum (R180 entry) is an easy Uber away and a perfect intro to the country before you hit the road.
🚌Gautrain airport train + Uber (~£10)
🛏Hostel dorm/private in Melville or Rosebank (~£22)
- →Melville neighbourhood walk
- →Optional Apartheid Museum (R180)
Johannesburg to Serowe via the Botswana border
Serowe, Botswana
Long travel day. Take an Intercape or Greyhound-style coach from Johannesburg's Park Station to Gaborone (approx. R350-450, ~£20, 6 hrs) — book online a few days ahead. From Gaborone, take a shared minibus taxi (kombi) from the main rank to Serowe (~3 hrs, P150-200, ~£11). Do the border formalities yourself at Tlokweng; Brits get a free 90-day stamp. Overnight at one of the simple guesthouses or the Khama Rhino Sanctuary campsite (tent hire available, ~£12 pp).
🚌Coach JHB-Gaborone (~£20) + shared taxi to Serowe (~£11)
🛏Khama Rhino Sanctuary campsite or Serowe guesthouse (~£14)
- →Self-guided border crossing
- →Sundowner at camp
Khama Rhino Sanctuary sundown drive, then Maun
Serowe → Maun, Botswana
Book a Khama Rhino Sanctuary sundown game drive directly at the gate the day before (approx. P450/£28 pp) — this is the same drive the group tour runs, just without a middleman. Afterwards, catch a shared taxi back to Serowe and the afternoon bus toward Francistown, connecting onward to Maun. Realistically this is a full travel day: Serowe-Francistown (~2 hrs), Francistown-Maun (~6 hrs) on the Maun-bound bus (~P250, ~£16). Overnight at a Maun backpackers like Old Bridge Backpackers or Sedia Hotel campsite (~£15).
🚌Shared taxi + regional bus to Maun (~£22)
🛏Maun backpackers (Old Bridge) or Sedia campsite (~£15)
- →Khama Rhino Sanctuary sundown drive (P450)
Into the Okavango Delta by mokoro
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Book a 1-night mokoro excursion in Maun via a local operator (Old Bridge Backpackers, Delta Rain or your hostel) — roughly P2,000-2,500 pp (£125-155) including mokoro poler, guide, bush camp and all meals. This is one of the few places where DIY genuinely costs about the same as the tour, but you can often negotiate a small group rate. You'll be poled into the Delta in the afternoon, do a guided bush walk, and camp on an island among the reeds with hippos grunting nearby.
🚌4x4 transfer to mokoro station (included)
🛏Okavango Delta bush camp (included in excursion)
- →Mokoro delta excursion
- →Guided wildlife walk
- →Birdwatching
Mokoro out of the Delta — to Nata
Nata, Botswana
Sunrise mokoro ride back out, then return to Maun by early afternoon. Take the afternoon bus back east toward Nata (approx. 4 hrs, P180/£11). Check into Elephant Sands Lodge campsite (tent hire ~£12 pp) — famous for elephants wandering right through camp to the waterhole. Cheap campsite bar food and a pool make this an easy, memorable evening.
🚌Mokoro return + bus Maun-Nata (~£11)
🛏Elephant Sands Lodge campsite (~£12)
- →Sunrise mokoro
- →Elephant waterhole watching at camp
Nata to Kasane — Chobe at sunset
Kasane, Botswana
Morning bus from Nata to Kasane (approx. 3 hrs, P150/£9). Book direct with Chobe Safari Lodge or one of the local operators for the afternoon Chobe River sunset cruise (~US$45/£36 pp) — this is the classic Chobe experience and the best-value way to see hundreds of elephants at water level. Camp at Thebe River Safari Lodge campsite or a Kasane backpackers (~£15).
🚌Bus Nata-Kasane (~£9)
🛏Thebe River Safari Lodge campsite or Kasane backpackers (~£15)
- →Chobe River sunset cruise (US$45)
Kasane to Victoria Falls — Women's Club lunch
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Cross the Kazungula border into Zimbabwe (KQ ferry/one-stop border, ~£3 in fees). Brits need a Zimbabwe visa — a KAZA Univisa (US$50) covers both Zimbabwe and Zambia if you're planning to cross for the Zambia side, otherwise a single-entry visa-on-arrival is US$30. Overnight at Explorers Village Campsite/Backpackers in Victoria Falls town (~£15 pp). Book a traditional lunch at the Lusumpuko Women's Club or the Chinotimba market area for a genuine community experience (~US$15).
🚌Shared border transfer (~£8 incl. fees)
🛏Explorers Village Campsite, Victoria Falls (~£15)
- →Kazungula border crossing
- →Lusumpuko Women's Club lunch
Victoria Falls — adventure day
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Self-book everything through operators in town or on GetYourGuide the night before. Start with a walk to the Falls viewing point (US$50 for the national park entry — go early for rainbows in the spray). In the afternoon pick your adventure: whitewater rafting (US$120), 25-min helicopter flip (US$284), bungee off the Victoria Falls Bridge (US$168) or the cheaper zipline (US$50). Budget for one 'big' activity and one cheap one — most travellers do the Falls walk plus rafting or zipline. Second night at Explorers Village.
🚌Walking / local taxis (~£4)
🛏Explorers Village Campsite, Victoria Falls (~£15)
- →Victoria Falls national park (US$50)
- →Optional rafting, bungee or zipline
Victoria Falls to Francistown
Francistown, Botswana
Re-enter Botswana by shared taxi to Kasane (~£8) and pick up the bus south to Francistown (~5-6 hrs, P200/£13). Francistown is a functional, unlovely transit town — that's fine, it breaks the long haul to South Africa. Stay at Woodlands Stop Over & Lodge or a budget guesthouse (~£20) and get an early dinner.
🚌Border transfer + bus to Francistown (~£21)
🛏Woodlands Stop Over & Lodge, Francistown (~£20)
- →Border crossing back into Botswana
Francistown to the Mapungubwe area
Mapesu Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Catch the bus from Francistown to the Martin's Drift / Groblersbrug border (~3 hrs, P150/£9), cross on foot or by taxi, then arrange a pre-booked transfer or shared taxi to Mapesu Private Game Reserve (~£18). Mapesu and the nearby Mapungubwe-area lodges offer bush walks (~R400/£18) — book directly. Accommodation at Mapesu's simple lodge or camping option (~£35). This region is much cheaper and far quieter than Kruger and the landscape around the Limpopo confluence is spectacular.
🚌Bus + border crossing + pre-booked transfer (~£27)
🛏Mapesu Private Game Reserve lodge (~£35)
- →Guided bush walk at Mapesu
Mapungubwe National Park — museum and safari drive
Mapungubwe National Park, South Africa
Self-drive or hire a local guide for the day. Visit the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre and Museum (R200/£9 entry) — the gold rhino and Iron Age history here is extraordinary and almost unknown to foreign travellers. Then do a self-drive or guided game drive in the national park (~R350/£16 for a guided drive, or R100 for park entry if you hire a car). Optional night drive in the private reserve (~R450/£20). Second night at Mapesu (~£35).
🚌Local guide vehicle / car share (~£15)
🛏Mapesu Private Game Reserve lodge (~£35)
- →Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre
- →Mapungubwe game drive
- →Optional night drive
Mapungubwe to Kruger — Satara
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Book a shuttle or take a bus to Phalaborwa or Hoedspruit (~£20) and enter Kruger via the Phalaborwa Gate. Pay the R535/£23 conservation fee (international visitor, per day) and self-drive or join a SANParks sunset drive from Satara (~R400/£18). Satara Rest Camp bungalows are expensive for solo travellers — instead bring a tent and camp at Satara (~R300/£13 pp) or split a bungalow with another traveller. Night sounds in a Kruger camp are unforgettable.
🚌Shuttle to Kruger gate (~£20) + self-drive/shared vehicle
🛏Satara Rest Camp campsite, Kruger (~£14)
- →SANParks sunset game drive
- →Kruger conservation fee
Greater Kruger — full day of wildlife
Greater Kruger Area, South Africa
Early morning self-drive along the Satara-Skukuza loop (best leopard and lion territory) or book a full-day guided drive (~R800/£36) direct with a Hazyview or Phalaborwa operator. In the afternoon, transfer out to Hazyview area and stay at Hotel Numbi or a Hazyview backpackers (~£28). Many Hazyview guesthouses offer traditional dinner and dancing performances for around R250 (£11) — ask at reception rather than pre-booking online.
🚌Self-drive / local transfer (~£12)
🛏Hazyview guesthouse or Numbi (~£28)
- →Full-day Kruger game drive (optional)
- →Traditional dinner and local dancing (R250)
Greater Kruger to Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa
Morning shuttle or bus from Hazyview/Nelspruit to Johannesburg (~6 hrs, R450/£19), or fly from Kruger Mpumalanga International if you're short on time (~£60-90 one way). Back in Johannesburg, stay at Hotel Sky Sandton or a cheaper hostel in Rosebank/Melville (~£25). Spend the last evening on a self-guided walk of Maboneng precinct for street art, food and a drink.
🚌Shuttle/bus Hazyview to Johannesburg (~£19)
🛏Sandton hotel or Rosebank hostel (~£25)
- →Maboneng precinct evening walk
Departure — or a final morning in Joburg
Johannesburg, South Africa
If your flight is late, visit the Apartheid Museum (R180/£8, allow 3 hrs) or the Mandela House in Soweto (R150/£7). Gautrain or Uber to O.R. Tambo for your flight home. If you're continuing on, the Baz Bus or a coach to Durban/Cape Town connects from here.
🚌Gautrain + Uber to OR Tambo (~£10)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Optional Apartheid Museum (R180)
- →Optional Mandela House (R150)
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£985 | £1,510 |
| Duration | 15 days | 15 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £525 per person (35%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£985
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 Southern Africa Self-Launched: Bush Camps & Wildlife Spotting cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £985 per person for 15 days in South Africa, 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 £1,510 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £985 — a saving of roughly £525 (35%) per person.
How long is the South Africa, Botswana & Zimbabwe trip?+
This itinerary runs 15 days, covering 15 day-by-day stops through South Africa, 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, budget trip through South Africa, 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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