Self-Launched Southern Africa: Victoria Falls, Chobe, Hwange, Kruger & Cape Town
17 days · Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa)
G Adventures charges £7,610
No-markup version: ~£1,725 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched, hostel-and-guesthouse version of G Adventures' 17-day Geluxe trip from Victoria Falls to Cape Town. You'll overnight on the edge of Hwange with a local guide, see the Falls from the Zimbabwe side, cross into Botswana for a Chobe River cruise and land safaris, then fly to Johannesburg for a bushveld guide-training experience and self-drive or shuttle safaris in Kruger. Finish with Stellenbosch vineyards by bike and the Cape Peninsula by local train and shared taxi. Costs are approximate backpacker/mid-range estimates in GBP and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Victoria Falls, transfer to Hwange fringe
Victoria Falls → Hwange, Zimbabwe
Land at Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) by early afternoon and take a shared shuttle or local combi (~£12-20) south to the Hwange area, around 2.5-3 hours. Check into a budget safari lodge or guesthouse just outside the park boundary. Rest, sort your USD cash (Zimbabwe runs on USD — bring small notes) and book your park drives for the next two mornings with your lodge or a local operator such as a Hwange-based safari camp. Evening braai and early night.
🚌Shared airport shuttle / combi, ~£15
🛏Budget safari lodge or guesthouse near Hwange Main Camp (£25-40)
- →Shared shuttle Victoria Falls to Hwange
- →Settle into lodge and arrange park drives
Hwange: full day of game drives
Hwange National Park
Join a shared open-vehicle game drive into Hwange National Park (park entry ~£8-10 per day plus vehicle fee). Hwange is Zimbabwe's largest park and famous for huge elephant herds, especially around the pumped waterholes in the dry season. Most lodges run a morning drive with a bush breakfast and an afternoon drive finishing with a sundowner. Book through your lodge or Main Camp — a shared seat is far cheaper than a private vehicle.
🚌Open safari vehicle (shared seat, ~£35-45/day)
🛏Budget safari lodge or guesthouse near Hwange (£25-40)
- →Morning game drive in Hwange
- →Bush breakfast
- →Afternoon game drive and sundowner
Hwange: elephants at the waterholes
Hwange National Park
Second day in the park — swap to a different loop or waterhole circuit with your guide. Nyamandhlovu Pan near Main Camp is the classic elephant-viewing spot. Bring binoculars and a headlamp. Optional: add a night drive (if offered, ~£25) to look for nocturnal species. Budget for drinks and tip for your guide (~£5-8).
🚌Open safari vehicle (shared seat)
🛏Budget safari lodge or guesthouse near Hwange (£25-40)
- →Full-day shared game drive
- →Waterhole wildlife watching
Victoria Falls: the Smoke That Thunders
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Morning transfer back to Victoria Falls town (~£15 shared shuttle). Drop bags at a hostel or guesthouse in the centre. In the afternoon walk to the Victoria Falls National Park viewpoint (entry ~£25 for international visitors) and follow the rainforest trail past the Devil's Cataract through to the Main Falls. Expect to get soaked in high-water season — bring a dry bag. Evening: sunset drinks at a riverside bar.
🚌Shared shuttle from Hwange, ~£15; everything else on foot
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Victoria Falls town (£18-30)
- →Victoria Falls rainforest walk and viewpoints
- →Sunset at the Zambezi
Victoria Falls: community and river day
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Choose your own adventure: a community cooking experience or village walk run by a local social enterprise (~£25-35), or the historic Victoria Falls Bridge tour on the Zambia border (~£30). In the afternoon, join a shared sunset cruise on the Zambezi above the falls (~£45-60, book direct at the waterfront or via Klook/GetYourGuide) — hippos, crocs and elephants on the bank. Optional splurge: the 15-minute helicopter flip over the falls (~£170-200). Dinner at a local eatery for a plate of sadza and stew (~£6).
🚌Walk / local taxi (~£3 per trip)
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Victoria Falls town (£18-30)
- →Community cooking experience or village walk
- →Zambezi sunset cruise
- →Optional helicopter flight over the falls
Cross into Botswana: Chobe River cruise
Victoria Falls → Kasane, Botswana
Take a shared shuttle or taxi to the Kazungula border (~£15-20, 1 hour), walk across and pick up a Botswana taxi into Kasane. Pay the Botswana tourism levy (~£24 / $30) at the border. Check into a Kasane guesthouse or backpackers. Afternoon: book a Chobe River boat safari directly with a Kasane operator (~£35-45) — elephants wade across the river in their hundreds, with hippo, croc and kingfishers. Book your land safari for tomorrow at the same time.
🚌Shared shuttle + border crossing, ~£20; boat cruise included in activities
🛏Kasane backpackers or guesthouse (£20-32)
- →Kazungula border crossing
- →Chobe River boat safari
Chobe National Park: land safaris
Chobe National Park, Botswana
Early morning 4x4 game drive into Chobe National Park with a licensed guide (~£45-55 including park fees, shared vehicle) — the Chobe floodplain holds one of Africa's densest elephant populations and good odds of lion and leopard. Return to Kasane for lunch and a nap, then an afternoon drive ending with sundowners. If you want the bush-camp feeling without the Geluxe price, ask about a one-night mobile camping add-on (~£80-100), but a guesthouse night keeps costs low.
🚌Open 4x4 safari vehicle (shared, included in activity cost)
🛏Kasane backpackers or guesthouse (£20-32)
- →Morning Chobe game drive
- →Afternoon Chobe game drive and sundowners
Fly to Johannesburg
Kasane → Johannesburg, South Africa
Short hop from Kasane Airport (BBK) to Johannesburg OR Tambo with Air Botswana or SA Airlink (~£110-160 booked in advance). On arrival take the Gautrain or a shared shuttle to a backpackers in Melville or Maboneng (~£8-12). Spend the afternoon at the Apartheid Museum (~£8) or wandering Maboneng's galleries and food stalls. Stock up on supplies and sort your car hire or shuttle for tomorrow.
🚌Flight ~£135; Gautrain/shuttle ~£10
🛏Backpackers or budget hotel in Johannesburg (£22-35)
- →Flight to Johannesburg
- →Apartheid Museum or Maboneng precinct
Into the bushveld: Pridelands Conservancy area
Greater Kruger / Pridelands Conservancy
Pick up a hire car at OR Tambo (~£25-35/day for a small SUV, book ahead) or take a shuttle to Hoedspruit (~£35) and drive 5-6 hours east towards the Greater Kruger conservancies. Check into a bush lodge or backpackers near the Pridelands/Hoedspruit area. Many conservancies run a 2-day 'bush skills' or guide-training taster open to travellers (~£90-130) — ask your lodge to arrange with a local training provider, or book a walking safari plus tracking session instead.
🚌Hire car for the week, ~£30/day; fuel ~£12
🛏Bush lodge or backpackers near Hoedspruit/Pridelands (£25-40)
- →Scenic drive to the Lowveld
- →Evening bush walk with lodge guide
Tracking on foot at dawn
Pridelands Conservancy / Greater Kruger
Head out on foot at first light with a qualified trails guide to read tracks, dung and drag marks — the closest you'll get to the guide-training experience without paying for the full course. Breakfast in the bush. Afternoon game drive focused on animal behaviour and safety around big game. Bring a headlamp for the drive home; night drives reveal genets, servals and bushbabies.
🚌Open safari vehicle
🛏Bush lodge or backpackers near Hoedspruit/Pridelands (£25-40)
- →Guided walking safari
- →Bush breakfast
- →Afternoon/night game drive
Kruger National Park: first safari
Kruger National Park
Drive through the Orpen or Phabeni gate into Kruger and pay the conservation fee (~£25/day for international visitors, valid 24 hours). Self-drive the tar roads around Satara or Lower Sabie, or join a SANParks sunset drive from camp (~£20-25). Stay in a SANParks rondavel or a bush camp inside or just outside the park — book camp accommodation on sanparks.org months ahead, it sells out. Sundowners on the veranda watching the waterhole.
🚌Self-drive hire car; park fees ~£25
🛏SANParks rondavel or camp hut (£30-45)
- →Self-drive game viewing in Kruger
- →SANParks sunset drive
Kruger: walking safari and Skukuza
Kruger National Park
Book a SANParks morning walking safari in advance (~£30-35) — you'll be out with two armed rangers at dawn looking at tracks, birds and smaller species you'd miss from a car. Spend the afternoon driving the Sabie River road towards Skukuza, one of the best leopard and wild dog stretches. Optional: a night drive from camp (~£20).
🚌Self-drive hire car
🛏SANParks rondavel or camp hut (£30-45)
- →Dawn walking safari
- →Self-drive along the Sabie River
Kruger to Johannesburg / fly to Cape Town
Kruger → Cape Town
Morning drive out of the park and back towards Johannesburg or Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP). Drop the hire car and take an evening flight to Cape Town (~£60-90 booked ahead with FlySafair or Lift). Check into a backpackers in Observatory, Woodstock or the City Bowl (~£20-30 dorm or budget double).
🚌Hire car drop-off; flight ~£75
🛏Cape Town backpackers or budget guesthouse (£20-32)
- →Final Kruger game drive
- →Flight to Cape Town
Table Mountain and the City Bowl
Cape Town
Ride the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway up (~£22 return, or hike Platteklip Gorge free if you're fit — 2 hours up, very exposed). Book the cableway online to skip queues. Afternoon: wander Bo-Kaap's colourful streets, the V&A Waterfront and the Company's Garden. Evening: a Cape Malay curry or a braai at your hostel — food in Cape Town is cheap and excellent.
🚌MyCiTi bus or shared Uber (~£8 total)
🛏Cape Town backpackers or budget guesthouse (£20-32)
- →Table Mountain cableway or Platteklip Gorge hike
- →Bo-Kaap and V&A Waterfront wanders
Stellenbosch vineyards by bike
Stellenbosch, Western Cape
Take the Metro train from Cape Town to Stellenbosch (~£2.50, 1 hour to Muldersvlei then a short taxi) or a shared shuttle (~£12). Hire a bike from a local outfit (~£15-20/day) and ride between three or four estates along the R44 — tastings are ~£3-6 each at budget-friendly farms like Vergenoegd or Spier. E-bike hire is ~£30 if you want to cover more ground. Trains back before dark.
🚌Metro train ~£2.50 each way + taxi, or shared shuttle
🛏Cape Town backpackers or budget guesthouse (£20-32)
- →Cycle between Stellenbosch wine estates
- →Wine tastings at 3-4 farms
Cape Peninsula: Cape Point and Boulders Beach
Cape Peninsula
Join a small-group day tour of the Cape Peninsula booked via GetYourGuide or Viator (~£45-60), or DIY it: Metro train to Simon's Town (~£2), walk to Boulders Beach to see the penguin colony (~£10 entry), then a shared taxi to Cape Point (~£10) and the Cape of Good Hope (~£22 entry for the reserve). Chapman's Peak Drive is the scenic return. Farewell dinner back in the city — a seafood platter or a township-style shisa nyama.
🚌Metro train + shared taxi, or a small-group tour ~£50
🛏Cape Town backpackers or budget guesthouse (£20-32)
- →Boulders Beach penguin colony
- →Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope
- →Chapman's Peak Drive
Depart Cape Town
Cape Town
Optional morning at the Zeitz MOCAA or a sunrise walk on Sea Point promenade before heading to Cape Town International. Take the MyCiTi bus or an Uber to the airport (~£12-18). If you have time, add a few days down the Garden Route — the Baz Bus hop-on-hop-off (~£30-40 per leg) makes it easy.
🚌Uber or MyCiTi to airport ~£15
🛏—
- →Morning coffee in Woodstock
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,725 | £7,610 |
| Duration | 17 days | 17 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £5,885 per person (77%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,725
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 Self-Launched Southern Africa: Victoria Falls, Chobe, Hwange, Kruger & Cape Town cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,725 per person for 17 days in Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa). 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 £7,610 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,725 — a saving of roughly £5,885 (77%) per person.
How long is the Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa) trip?+
This itinerary runs 17 days, covering 17 day-by-day stops through Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa).
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, hiking trip through Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa), 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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