Southern Africa: Kruger and Namibia — Self-Launched

Land at O.R. Tambo and take the Gautrain (about £10) or an Uber (£8-12) into town. Base yourself in Melville or Maboneng where hostels and guesthouses are plentiful. In the evening, either join a hostel braai night or eat at a local grill house for a self-launched take on the traditional South African braai welcome dinner — order boerewors, pap and chakalaka for around £10.

🚌Gautrain + Uber (~£10)

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Melville/Maboneng (~£20)

• →Gautrain or Uber transfer from OR Tambo
• →Self-guided wander of Maboneng or Melville
• →Traditional braai dinner at a local grill

The group tour drives the Panorama Route in a private vehicle; you can do the same route on the cheap. Book a Baz Bus or shared shuttle from Johannesburg to Nelspruit/Hazyview (roughly £30-40, 5-6 hrs), or a local bus to Graskop if you want the viewpoints. From Hazyview, take a local taxi or arrange a hostel day-transfer to Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes and God's Window — many Hazyview hostels run a Panorama Route day trip for about £18-25. Overnight in a Hazyview/Greater Kruger tented camp or backpackers.

🚌Shared shuttle + local taxi (~£40)

🛏Tented camp or backpackers near Hazyview (~£22)

• →Baz Bus/shuttle Johannesburg to Hazyview
• →Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window viewpoints
• →Evening boma-style dinner at the lodge

Book a full-day guided open-vehicle safari into Kruger direct with a Hazyview-based operator or through GetYourGuide — expect £65-80 including park entry, roughly the same experience as the included group safari. Alternatively, hire a self-drive car (about £30/day plus £6 conservation fee) if you prefer to go solo and stop where you like. Late afternoon, return to the lodge for sundowners on the deck.

🚌Safari vehicle included in tour price

🛏Tented camp or backpackers near Hazyview (~£22)

• →Full-day open-vehicle Kruger safari with a local guide
• →Optional self-drive game drive alternative

Move on to a private reserve in the Greater Kruger area. Self-book a lodge or comfortable permanent tent at Karongwe (or a neighbouring reserve like Makalali) — book direct, out of season you can find rooms from £60-90 pp including dinner, bed and two game drives. Many reserves include a conservation talk with researchers from the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Cheetah Metapopulation Project or a similar carnivore project; ask your lodge to time your stay around one. Evening game drive with the reserve's ranger.

🚌Local transfer/own arrangement (~£15)

🛏Private reserve lodge or permanent tent, dinner B&B (~£75)

• →Transfer to Karongwe Private Game Reserve
• →Cheetah/carnivore conservation talk
• →Evening game drive

Early morning and late afternoon open-vehicle drives are included in almost every private-reserve lodge rate — you'll search for buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino with the reserve's expert trackers. Spend the middle of the day by the pool or on the deck. If you'd rather not pay lodge rates, nearby Hoedspruit has backpackers and tented camps with two-drive packages from around £50 pp per night.

🚌Reserve vehicles included

🛏Private reserve lodge or permanent tent (~£75)

• →Sunrise game drive
• →Afternoon game drive
• →Poolside downtime / optional bush walk

One final morning drive, then transfer back to Johannesburg — Baz Bus or a shared shuttle from Hoedspruit/Nelspruit to Joburg costs about £30-40 and takes 5-6 hours. Overnight in a guesthouse near the airport or in Melville, with dinner at a family-run spot rather than the group's guest house dinner.

🚌Baz Bus/shuttle (~£35)

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel in Johannesburg (~£22)

• →Morning game drive
• →Shuttle back to Johannesburg
• →Evening out in Melville

The group tour includes an internal flight from Johannesburg to Windhoek. Self-launched, book this yourself on Airlink or FlyNamibia — typically £100-150 one way if booked early. Arrive in Windhoek and settle into a city hostel or guesthouse (Chameleon Backpackers is the classic budget pick). Explore the city centre, Christuskirche and the craft market on your own this afternoon.

🚌Airlink/FlyNamibia flight (~£130)

🛏Windhoek backpackers/hostel (~£22)

• →Flight JNB-WDH
• →Self-guided Windhoek city walk
• →Craft market browsing

The tour uses a private vehicle; you'll travel on the Intercape or Welwitschia Shuttle — Windhoek to Sesriem/Sossusvlei takes roughly 5 hours for about £25-35. Alternatively, hire a car in Windhoek (from £35-45/day) and self-drive. Arrive at your lodge or the NWR Sesriem campsite, take a dip in the pool and watch the sun set over the desert.

🚌Intercape/shuttle (~£30)

🛏Sesriem lodge or NWR campsite, budget room (~£25)

• →Intercape coach or shuttle to Sesriem
• →Sunset and pool time at the lodge

Self-book a shared sunrise 4x4 tour from Sesriem into Namib-Naukluft National Park — around £55-70 pp including park entry, and 4x4 transfer to Sossusvlei takes you past Dune 45, through the dunes to Deadvlei's camel thorn trees, and on the return leg to Sesriem Canyon. Otherwise, drive yourself in and walk the last stretch, paying the £6 park fee. This is the oldest desert in the world — bring more water than you think you need.

🚌Shared 4x4 tour (~£60)

🛏Sesriem lodge or NWR campsite (~£25)

• →Sunrise dune excursion to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
• →Dune 45 climb
• →Sesriem Canyon walk

Travel from Sesriem to Swakopmund via Solitaire and the Kuiseb Pass — the Intercape/shuttle route costs £25-30 (4-5 hours). On arrival in Swakopmund, book a half-day desert 4x4 excursion with a local operator (Living Desert Tours, around £35-45) to see how the San and Damara people read the desert's edible plants, insects and small wildlife. Overnight in a budget hotel or hostel (Swakopmund has excellent backpackers from £20).

🚌Shuttle (~£28) + 4x4 tour (~£40)

🛏Swakopmund hostel/budget hotel (~£22)

• →Shuttle through the Namib to Swakopmund
• →Bushman/survival desert 4x4 tour

Free morning: swap the expensive scenic flights (about £200) for skydiving, sandboarding (£30-40) or simply a walk along the Skeleton Coast. In the afternoon, join a Mondesa township tour with a local guide (around £25-30) — market food tasting, arts and crafts shops, and time with local families. Dinner at a family-run restaurant like the Tug or Napolitana, or a township eatery.

🚌Walking / local taxi (~£8)

🛏Swakopmund hostel/budget hotel (~£22)

• →Optional sandboarding or skydiving
• →Guided Mondesa township walk
• →Independent market food tasting

Travel north to Damaraland — a shuttle or self-drive to Khorixas/Twyfelfontein takes about 5 hours (£30-40). Stop at Twyfelfontein, Namibia's first UNESCO World Heritage site, for one of Africa's largest concentrations of rock engravings (entry about £8, local guide £10). Finish the day at a lodge or community campsite in the Palmwag area (Palmwag Lodge runs concession sites from about £20-35 pp).

🚌Shuttle/self-drive (~£35)

🛏Palmwag-area lodge or community campsite (~£28)

• →Transfer to Damaraland
• →Twyfelfontein UNESCO rock engravings
• →Community campsite evening

The commercial itinerary uses Palmwag as a nature-reserve stop — use the day to join an optional desert-elephant or rhino tracking excursion (around £70-90 pp, or £40 for a half-day) with the Save the Rhino Trust or a local conservancy guide, or simply hike the concession with a community guide for £15-20. A quiet, self-guided afternoon in the reserve is also perfectly pleasant.

🚌Local guide transport (~£10)

🛏Palmwag-area lodge or community campsite (~£28)

• →Optional desert elephant or rhino tracking
• →Conservancy guided walk
• →Campsite downtime

Drive or shuttle from Palmwag to Okaukuejo/Etosha (about 4 hours, £30-35). Self-book a full-day open-vehicle safari with a local guide from Okaukuejo (around £70-80 including park entry), or if self-driving, pay the £7 conservation fee and spend the day at the waterholes. Etosha's floodlit waterholes at Okaukuejo camp are famous for night-time rhino sightings — stay in a NWR bush chalet or campsite inside the park (from about £30 pp).

🚌Shuttle (~£32) + safari (~£75)

🛏NWR Okaukuejo chalet or campsite (~£30)

• →Transfer to Etosha
• →Full-day guided game drive
• →Night wildlife watching at the waterhole

Use the morning for a self-drive or guided loop between Okaukuejo and Namutoni, then leave the park mid-afternoon for Outjo or Otjiwarongo (about 2 hours; the Intercape picks up on the main road for £15-20). Overnight at a budget lodge or guest farm — dinner is often a home-cooked farm meal for £10-12.

🚌Self-drive/shuttle (~£18)

🛏Budget guest farm or lodge near Outjo (~£25)

• →Morning game drive in Etosha
• →Transfer south to Outjo/Otjiwarongo
• →Farm-stay dinner

Intercape or shuttle back to Windhoek (about 3.5 hours, £15-20), drop any hire car, and connect to your international flight from Hosea Kutako International. If your flight is late, spend the morning at the craft market or the Independence Memorial Museum. Tipping note: if you've had guides along the way, £3-5/day is a good local standard.

🚌Intercape/shuttle (~£18)

🛏N/A (departure day)

• →Coach back to Windhoek
• →Optional museum visit
• →Departure