Cape Town to Victoria Falls Explorer — Self-Launched

Base yourself near the V&A Waterfront or in Green Point. Book the classic Cape Peninsula day tour or, cheaper, take the MyCiTi bus to Table View and a shared shuttle/city sightseeing bus; most travellers split a rental car or take a GetYourGuide peninsula tour (~£30-40) that covers Hout Bay harbour, Chapman's Peak, Cape Point Nature Reserve and the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach. Do your own biltong-and-roll lunch in Simon's Town. Back in the evening, wander the Waterfront.

🚌MyCiTi bus + shared tourist shuttle or rental car split

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Green Point / Observatory (~£15)

• →Cape Peninsula day tour (Hout Bay, Cape Point, Boulders Beach)
• →V&A Waterfront walk

Pick up the Baz Bus or an intercity coach to Clanwilliam/Citrusdal area, or hire a car for the week if travelling with others — the Cederberg has no public transport inside the reserve. Settle into a Cederberg campsite or backpackers (e.g. near Clanwilliam) and do a self-guided afternoon walk among the rock formations and rock art. If you're car-less, most Clanwilliam guesthouses offer lifts into the mountains.

🚌Baz Bus/coach Cape Town–Clanwilliam ~£18 + local lift

🛏Cederberg campsite or farm backpackers (~£12)

• →Self-guided Cederberg walk
• →Rock-art sightseeing

Move on to the Gariep River near Vioolsdrif. The Felix Unite riverside camp is where overlanders stop and takes independent bookings — pitch a tent or take a basic room. Canoe trips down the Gariep can be booked directly with the camp (half-day from ~£25). Sunset braai on the riverbank.

🚌Shared shuttle / own car Clanwilliam–Gariep ~£20

🛏Felix Unite riverside campsite or basic chalet (~£15)

• →Optional Gariep River canoe
• →Riverside sunset

Cross the border at Vioolsdrif/Noordoewer (straightforward on foot or by car) and continue to Hobas. Public transport is thin, so use a pre-booked shuttle, the intercape bus to Keetmanshoop plus a shuttle, or a shared overland transfer. Camp at Hobas campsite inside the park and walk to the main viewpoint for sunset over the canyon — one of Africa's great sights and completely free once you've paid park entry (~£5).

🚌Border shuttle / Intercape to Keetmanshoop + shuttle ~£40

🛏Hobas campsite (~£10)

• →Fish River Canyon viewpoints
• →Sunset at canyon rim

A long transfer day — this leg has no useful public transport, so book a seat on the shared Namibia backpacker shuttle (e.g. the weekly Windhoek–Sossusvlei/Swakopmund shuttle network) or, with a group, split a car hire and drive the gravel roads. Arrive at Sesriem, pay park entry and stake out a pitch at Sesriem Campsite — being inside the gate lets you get to the dunes before sunrise.

🚌Shared Namibia shuttle / hire car split ~£45

🛏Sesriem Campsite (~£12)

• →Drive through Naukluft area

At dawn, take the park shuttle/4WD from Sesriem into Sossusvlei (roughly N$85-150 each way, or walk the last stretch for free). Climb Dune 45 or Big Daddy, see Deadvlei, then return and walk Sesriem Canyon at golden hour. Sunset on the dunes from the Elim dune viewpoint just outside camp.

🚌Park 4WD shuttle to Sossusvlei ~£12

🛏Sesriem Campsite (~£12)

• →Dune 45 / Big Daddy climb
• →Deadvlei
• →Sesriem Canyon walk
• →Sunset over dunes

Continue on the backpacker shuttle or your car via Solitaire and the Kuiseb Pass to the coast. Swakopmund is Africa's adventure capital: book dune boarding, quad biking, sea kayaking with seals, skydiving or a scenic flight the following day. Check into a guesthouse or hostel near the centre. German bakeries and beach walks in the afternoon.

🚌Backpacker shuttle Sesriem–Swakopmund ~£35

🛏Guesthouse/hostel twin or dorm, Swakopmund (~£18)

• →Coastal drive
• →Beach walk
• →Book adventure activities for tomorrow

A full free day. Cheapest adrenaline fix is dune boarding at ~£25-35 (locals' sandboards are cheaper still), sea kayaking with the seal colony ~£45, a scenic flight over the dunes and shipwrecks ~£120-180. Book direct with operators in town or via GetYourGuide the night before. Wander the Swakopmund jetty for sunset.

🚌Walk / local taxi

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Swakopmund (~£18)

• →Dune boarding or sea kayaking
• →Jetty sunset walk

Hitch a seat on a shuttle or hire car north to the Spitzkoppe granite peaks (about 3 hours). The community-run Spitzkoppe campsite lets you camp right under the rocks, and there's a network of short self-guided hikes. Stay for the sunset light on the peaks and an astonishing night sky — the Milky Way is visible with the naked eye.

🚌Shuttle or hire car Swakopmund–Spitzkoppe ~£25

🛏Spitzkoppe community campsite (~£9)

• →Hike the Spitzkoppe area
• →Sunset at Spitzkoppe
• →Stargazing

Head inland to the Brandberg massif (Namibia's highest mountain) and the Ugab River bed. Local Damara and San guides at either the Brandberg White Lady lodges or Ugab community camps offer walks to the famous rock-art shelters — negotiate a reasonable rate (£15-25) at the site, which supports the community directly. Camp in the dry riverbed.

🚌Shuttle or hire car ~£30

🛏Brandberg/Ugab community campsite (~£10)

• →Guided walk to Brandberg rock art
• →Ugab River exploration

Drive or shuttle to the southern gate of Etosha. Pay park entry plus vehicle fee at the gate, and camp at Okaukuejo inside the park — its floodlit waterhole is famous for rhino and elephant at night. If you don't have your own car, several camps run shared game drives you can join on the spot for ~£30-45 per person per drive, or book a small-group drive through a Swakopmund/Windhoek operator in advance.

🚌Shuttle/hire car to Etosha ~£35

🛏Okaukuejo or Halali campsite inside Etosha (~£15)

• →Afternoon self-drive game viewing
• →Night waterhole watching at Okaukuejo

Spend the whole day doing morning and afternoon game drives between Okaukuejo, Halali and the eastern camp — lion, elephant, giraffe, oryx, black rhino and huge springbok herds are all realistic. Self-driving with a hire car is by far the cheapest per person if you split fuel; otherwise take a shared lodge vehicle driven by a guide. Optional night drive in park vehicles (~£40). Camp again inside the park.

🚌Self-drive petrol split or shared lodge vehicle ~£20

🛏Etosha campsite (Halali or Namutoni) (~£15)

• →Morning game drive
• →Afternoon game drive
• →Optional night drive

Drive or take a shuttle/coach south to Windhoek. Book a hostel in the city centre or Klein Windhoek, walk the Independence Memorial Museum and Christuskirche, stock up at a supermarket for the next bush stretch, and enjoy a proper shower and a sit-down meal.

🚌Shuttle/coach Etosha–Windhoek ~£25

🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Windhoek (~£18)

• →City walk
• →Independence Memorial Museum
• →Supermarket resupply

Head south-east into the red-sand Kalahari. The San bushman experience that the tour includes is offered by several community camps and lodges on both sides of the border (e.g. near Omaheke, or the Kuru/Ghanzi area in Botswana) — book a nature walk with a San guide and translator directly for ~£20-30. Camp under the stars.

🚌Shuttle/hire car Windhoek–Kalahari ~£30

🛏Kalahari community campsite (~£10)

• →San bushman nature walk and bush skills demo
• →Kalahari sunset

Long transfer day across the border to Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta. Typical route: shuttle to Ghanzi then onward to Maun, or a coach combination via Gaborone is far longer — pre-arranged backpacker shuttles are by far the easiest. In Maun, book your mokoro trip for tomorrow with a locally owned operator (not through a middleman) and stay at a riverside backpackers or campsite.

🚌Regional shuttle Kalahari–Maun ~£40

🛏Maun backpackers/campsite (~£12)

• →Evening in Maun
• →Book mokoro trip

Leave early from Maun by 4WD to the mokoro station, then pole into the delta on a traditional dugout canoe with a local guide. A 1-night, 2-day self-booked mokoro trip (including food, camping equipment, guide and park fees) runs roughly £100-130 per person, and is one of the best-value wildlife experiences in Africa. Swim in the channels (elephants permitting), birdwatch and take an afternoon walking safari with your guide.

🚌4WD transfer from Maun + mokoro (included)

🛏Wild camp on an island in the delta (included in trip)

• →Mokoro journey
• →Guided bush walk
• →Swimming and birdwatching
• →Island camping

Morning walk and paddle back to the mokoro station, transfer to Maun by early afternoon. Optional scenic flight over the delta (~£80-100) if you're feeling flush — arrange at Maun airport. Back to the backpackers for a hot shower and an early night, then sort transport for the Makgadikgadi leg.

🚌Return transfers from mokoro station

🛏Maun backpackers/campsite (~£12)

• →Morning delta walk
• →Optional scenic flight

Take a shared shuttle or the Maun–Nata coach and get off at Gweta/Nata, then arrange a lift to a pan-side camp (the Gweta lodges run pan trips). Sunset over the salt pans is the draw — the flat, white-on-white horizon is genuinely surreal — plus meerkats and, in season, flamingos. Camp near the pans.

🚌Maun–Nata coach/shuttle ~£18 + local transfer ~£10

🛏Pan-side campsite near Gweta/Nata (~£12)

• →Sunset over Makgadikgadi Pans
• →Wildlife and meerkat viewing

Head north to Kasane, cross into Zimbabwe at Kazungula (visa on arrival for most western passports, ~£15-40 depending on nationality — US$ single-entry is standard), then take a shared taxi or bus to Victoria Falls town. Check into a backpackers or guesthouse and see the falls themselves on foot — the Zimbabwe side gives the fullest panorama, entry around £20-25.

🚌Coach/shuttle to Kasane ~£15, border crossing, shared taxi ~£10

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers/guesthouse (~£16)

• →Victoria Falls viewing (Zimbabwe side)

Optional extras bookable directly in town or via GetYourGuide: Zambezi sundowner cruise (~£40), 'Flight of Angels' microlight or helicopter flight (~£100-140), or white-water rafting the Zambezi gorge (~£100) if you're brave. Cheaper day: walk the rainforest trail again, hike down to the Boiling Pot, and browse the craft market. Sunset drink at the Victoria Falls Hotel terrace is free to enter.

🚌Walk / local taxi

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers/guesthouse (~£16)

• →Optional sundowner cruise, scenic flight or rafting
• →Boiling Pot hike
• →Craft market

Breakfast and departure. Fly out from Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) or take a shuttle across to Livingstone/Kasane for onward flights — most UK-bound travellers route via Johannesburg. Use the morning for a final falls viewpoint or the town's curio shops.

🚌Airport shuttle ~£6

🛏None (departure day)

• →Final falls views
• →Departure