Southern Africa Self-Launched Northbound: Dunes, Deltas & Falls

Land at Cape Town International and take the MyCiTi bus or an Uber (~£12) into the city centre. Check into a hostel in the City Bowl or Green Point. Wander the V&A Waterfront, then join a free walking tour to get your bearings. In the evening head to Long Street for dinner and bars — the backpacker heartland of Cape Town.

🚌MyCiTi bus / Uber from airport (~£12)

🛏Hostel dorm, City Bowl (~£15/night)

• →Free walking tour of central Cape Town
• →V&A Waterfront stroll
• →Long Street nightlife

Book the Table Mountain cable car online in advance (approx. R420 / £19) — go early to beat the queues, or hike Platteklip Gorge free of charge. In the afternoon take a shared tour or the local train to Muizenberg and Kalk Bay for the beaches, or a City Sightseeing hop-on bus. Self-book via GetYourGuide for a Cape Peninsula day tour if you want Boulders Beach penguins and Cape Point.

🚌Local train to Muizenberg (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm, City Bowl (~£15/night)

• →Table Mountain cable car or Platteklip Gorge hike
• →Kalk Bay / Muizenberg beach afternoon
• →Optional Cape Peninsula day tour (GetYourGuide, ~£55)

Hire a car (or book a Baz Bus / shared shuttle) north along the R27. Stop at the !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre near Yzerfontein — entry and a guided San experience is around R250 (~£11); this is the same community project the group tour visits. Continue into the Cederberg and stay at a farmstay or backpackers such as Algeria or Khoisan Kitchen, with wine tasting on the doorstep.

🚌Hire car shared between 2–4 people (~£30/day/vehicle)

🛏Cederberg farmstay/backpackers (~£18/night)

• →!Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre (~£11)
• →Cederberg wine tasting
• →Sunset in the Cederberg mountains

Long drive north through the rooibos tea country and Namaqualand to the Orange River at Vioolsdrift. Camp or stay in a basic riverside lodge — Felix Unite and Bushwhacked are the classic backpacker stops. Swim in the river and watch the sun go down over Namibia on the far bank.

🚌Shared hire car (~£30/day/vehicle)

🛏Riverside camp/chalet (~£14/night)

• →Rooibos tea country drive
• →River swim at Vioolsdrift

Cross the Vioolsdrift–Noordoewer border (Namibia now charges a visa/entry fee — apply online beforehand to avoid delays). Drive to Fish River Canyon, the largest canyon in Africa, and watch sunset from the main viewpoint at Hobas. Camp at Hobas campsite inside the park (~£12).

🚌Shared hire car; border crossing on foot/vehicle

🛏Hobas campsite, Namibian Wildlife Resorts (~£12/night)

• →Fish River Canyon sunset viewpoint
• →Hobas campsite stargazing

A long, dusty drive north via Bethanien and Helmeringhausen to the gateway of Sossusvlei. Fuel up at Aus or Helmeringhausen — services are sparse. Arrive late afternoon at Sesriem campsite or a nearby lodge. Book your Sossusvlei shuttle/guide for the next morning on arrival.

🚌Shared hire car (~£30/day/vehicle)

🛏Sesriem camp or Sossus Oasis (~£20/night)

• →Long desert drive through the Namib
• →Sesriem Canyon at sunset

Get up before dawn and drive to Dune 45 for sunrise — climbing it is free once you've paid the Sossusvlei/Sesriem park entry (approx. R150 / £7). Take the 4x4 shuttle from the 2WD car park to Deadvlei (R200 / £9) and walk among the dead camel-thorn trees. Retreat to the shade of Sesriem Canyon in the afternoon.

🚌Self-drive plus shuttle into Deadvlei

🛏Sesriem camp (~£20/night)

• →Dune 45 sunrise climb
• →Deadvlei 4x4 shuttle & walk (~£9)
• →Sesriem Canyon walk

Cross the Namib over the Kuiseb and Gaub passes to the Atlantic coast at Swakopmund — a German-colonial seaside town and Namibia's adrenaline capital. Check into a backpackers such as Swakopmund Backpackers or Villa Wiese. Book activities for tomorrow: skydiving, sandboarding or the Skeleton Coast scenic flight.

🚌Shared hire car (~£30/day/vehicle)

🛏Swakopmund backpackers dorm (~£18/night)

• →Scenic drive through the Namib
• →Swakopmund town walk & German bakeries

Pick your poison: sandboarding from around N$700 (~£30), skydiving from ~£200, or the Skeleton Coast scenic flight at ~N$4,800 (~£210). Book direct with the operators (Alter Action, Ground Rush Adventures, Scenic Air) or via GetYourGuide. In the evening, eat at The Tug or a township braai for a fraction of tour-group prices.

🚌Local walks / operator pickups

🛏Swakopmund backpackers dorm (~£18/night)

• →Sandboarding in the Namib (~£30)
• →Optional skydiving (~£200)
• →Optional Skeleton Coast scenic flight (~£210)

Drive north-east to the granite peaks of Spitzkoppe — Namibia's 'Matterhorn'. Pay the community entry fee (~N$150 / £6) at the gate. Climb the rock arch, scramble the granite domes and settle into the community campsite for one of the best stargazing spots in southern Africa.

🚌Shared hire car (~£30/day/vehicle)

🛏Spitzkoppe Community Campsite (~£10/night)

• →Spitzkoppe rock arch climb
• →Sunset over the granite peaks
• →Milky Way stargazing

Drive north via Omaruru and Outjo to the Etosha gateway at Okaukuejo. Stock up on food and fuel in Outjo. Enter Etosha with a self-drive day permit (park fees ~N$300/person + vehicle fee) and take a slow game drive to your camp. Okaukuejo camp sits beside a floodlit waterhole — sit up after dark for rhino and elephant.

🚌Shared hire car (~£30/day/vehicle)

🛏Okaukuejo camp, NWR (~£20/night)

• →Self-drive game drive into Etosha
• →Waterhole watching at Okaukuejo

Book a guided open-vehicle game drive with NWR at the camp reception (~N$850 / £37) or self-drive the loops between Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni. Etosha's waterholes make it one of the world's best places to see lion, rhino, elephant and giraffe — especially in the dry season. Alternatively join a small-group safari via GetYourGuide.

🚌Self-drive plus 4x4 safari vehicle

🛏Okaukuejo or Halali camp (~£20/night)

• →Guided open-vehicle game drive (~£37)
• →Waterhole circuit self-drive

Head south to the Waterberg Plateau Park (or overnight in Otjiwarongo if you're short on time). Walk the plateau trails searching for buffalo, giraffe and the park's rhino, or simply relax by the camp pool. Self-cater dinner at the campsite.

🚌Shared hire car (~£30/day/vehicle)

🛏Waterberg camp chalet or tent (~£18/night)

• →Waterberg Plateau hiking trails
• →Campsite pool & sundowners

Drive to Windhoek, return the hire car and visit Penduka Village on the edge of town for coffee and crafts (the same women's project the group tour supports). Catch an afternoon Intercape coach or local minibus toward Botswana, or fly Windhoek–Maun cheaply if you'd rather save two days. Overnight in Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta.

🚌Intercape coach / minibus Windhoek–Maun (~£30) or optional flight

🛏Maun backpackers, e.g. Old Bridge Backpackers (~£15/night)

• →Penduka Village crafts & coffee
• →Maun backpackers evening

Book a 2-day/1-night mokoro trip directly with a Maun operator (Delta Rain, Okavango Delta Excursions ~£130–£170 including poler, food and park fees) or via GetYourGuide. Drive or transfer to the mokoro station, paddle through the reeds with your poler, and bush camp on an island — no showers, no toilets, total wilderness, exactly like the tour's Okavango experience.

🚌4x4 transfer to mokoro station + mokoro

🛏Wild bush camp in the Okavango Delta (included in excursion)

• →Mokoro canoe through the Delta
• →Guided bush walk with poler
• →Wild island bush camping

Sunrise in the Delta, a morning walk to spot elephant and birdlife, then paddle back and transfer to Maun. Shower, laundry and a cold beer. Optionally take a scenic helicopter or light-aircraft flight over the Delta (~£150–£200, book with your Maun operator).

🚌Mokoro + 4x4 transfer back to Maun

🛏Maun backpackers (~£15/night)

• →Delta sunrise walk
• →Optional scenic helicopter flight
• →Rest day in Maun

Take a shared shuttle or local bus north to Kasane (~£10, roughly 4 hours). Cross national park boundaries via the Chobe corridor and check into a Kasane lodge or campsite. Book a Chobe safari drive and sunset cruise for tomorrow — both around £35–£40 each when booked locally, versus US$45 on the tour.

🚌Shared shuttle Maun–Kasane (~£10)

🛏Kasane backpackers/camp (~£18/night)

• →Shuttle through the Chobe corridor
• →Kasane riverside sundowners

Morning open-vehicle safari drive in Chobe (~£38) — the park has one of the densest elephant populations on earth. In the late afternoon take a Chobe River sunset cruise (~£35), where you'll spot hippos, crocodiles and huge herds on the floodplain. Book both direct with operators in Kasane or via GetYourGuide.

🚌Safari vehicle + riverboat

🛏Kasane backpackers/camp (~£18/night)

• →Chobe National Park open-vehicle game drive (~£38)
• →Chobe River sunset cruise (~£35)

Cross the Kazungula border into Zimbabwe (get the KAZA uni-visa if you plan to hop between Zambia and Zimbabwe — ~£40). Shared taxi/shuttle to Victoria Falls town (~£15). Check into Shoestrings Backpackers. Afternoon: try the Lusumpuko Women's Club lunch — the same G for Good partner the tour visits — then sunset at the Zambezi from the Lookout Café.

🚌Shared shuttle Kasane–Victoria Falls (~£15)

🛏Shoestrings Backpackers, Victoria Falls (~£15/night)

• →Kazungula border crossing
• →Lusumpuko Women's Club lunch
• →Zambezi sunset at Lookout Café

Walk the Victoria Falls Rainforest trail on the Zimbabwean side (~US$50 / £40 entry). In the afternoon choose your adventure: Zambezi whitewater rafting (~US$120 / £95), the Zambezi sunset cruise (~US$57 / £45), the Devil's Pool or the bungee jump off the Victoria Falls bridge (~US$168 / £130). Book everything direct with the activity operators or GetYourGuide.

🚌Walkable town / activity transfers

🛏Shoestrings Backpackers (~£15/night)

• →Victoria Falls Rainforest walk (~£40)
• →Optional whitewater rafting (~£95)
• →Optional luxury sunset cruise (~£45)
• →Optional bungee jump (~£130)

Morning at leisure — a final swim, market browse or the Princess Laundry & Sewing Co-op for a last-minute laundry. Transfer to Victoria Falls Airport for your flight home or onward to Johannesburg.

🚌Shuttle to Victoria Falls Airport (~£12)

🛏N/A – departure day

• →Market shopping & crafts
• →Departure transfer