12-Day Okavango Delta & Etosha Express — Self-Launched

Fly into Livingstone Airport (taxi to town ~£8–10). Settle into a hostel near the falls, then walk or take a short taxi (£3) to the Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls National Park entrance on the Zambian side. Late afternoon is quieter and cheaper. Book your Chobe shuttle and Okavango logistics at the hostel tonight — most Livingstone hostels arrange cross-border transfers.

🚌Airport taxi ~£9

🛏Hostel dorm at a Livingstone backpackers (e.g. near the falls road), ~£14

• →Victoria Falls National Park (Zambian side) entry ~£16
• →Optional: Devil's Pool / Zambezi sunset cruise (~£50–60, book locally)

Take a shared cross-border shuttle/taxi from Livingstone to Kasane (~£20–30, 1.5–2 hrs including the Kazungula border). Drop bags at a Kasane lodge or campsite, then book a sunset Fish Eagle boat cruise on the Chobe River directly with a local operator (many kiosks in Kasane). Expect huge elephant herds at the water at dusk.

🚌Shared cross-border shuttle ~£25

🛏Kasane campsite or budget lodge, ~£15

• →Chobe River sunset boat cruise ~£28
• →Kasane riverside wander

Book a morning open-vehicle game drive in Chobe National Park with a Kasane operator (~£35–45, includes park fees). Afterwards, catch a shared minibus or combi from Kasane to Nata (~£10–14, 3 hrs). Nata is a dusty crossroads town that serves as the gateway to the Makgadikgadi Pans — grab supplies at the petrol station shops. Optional late-afternoon trip out to the pans with a local guide if time allows.

🚌Shared combi Kasane–Nata ~£12

🛏Nata campsite or guesthouse, ~£12

• →Chobe National Park morning game drive ~£40
• →Makgadikgadi Pans viewpoint (optional, ~£15)

Take a shared minibus Nata to Maun (~£12–15, 3–4 hrs). Maun is the Delta's launchpad — spend the afternoon on the main strip comparing mokoro/Delta trip prices (fixed rates apply, but check what's included). Book a one-night Delta camping excursion with a local poler guide and arrange a budget tent hire if you don't have one. Stock up on food — Delta trips include basic meals but bring snacks.

🚌Shared minibus ~£14

🛏Maun backpackers or campsite, ~£14

• →Book Delta mokoro excursion
• →Optional scenic flight over the Delta (~£75–90, self-book)

Head out early with your poler for a mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) trip into the Delta channels — this is the highlight of the whole route. Spend the afternoon on guided walking safaris on one of the Delta islands, learning birdlife, tracks and reeds from your local Tswana guide. Camp wild on an island under the stars. Bring plenty of water, a head torch and warm layers.

🚌4x4 transfer to mokoro station ~£10

🛏Wild island camping in the Delta (own/hired tent), ~£18 including guide share

• →Mokoro excursion with local polers ~£55 (guide + park fees)
• →Guided bush walk on Delta islands

Paddle/boat back out of the Delta in the morning and return to Maun. Afternoon free — relax at the hostel, do laundry, and arrange onward transport. Book your Maun–Ghanzi or Maun–Windhoek leg now: the most economical solo route is a shared shuttle or overnight bus toward Ghanzi or Gobabis via the Kalahari, or a long-distance shared taxi. Optional scenic flight over the Delta if you skipped it yesterday.

🚌Delta return transfer ~£10 (see day 5)

🛏Maun backpackers, ~£14

• →Optional Delta scenic flight ~£80
• →Restock supplies

Long travel day: take the Maun–Ghanzi shared bus or minibus (~£12–15, 4–5 hrs). Near Ghanzi you can arrange a San/Bushman cultural experience — the D'Kar Kuru Development Trust area and Kalahari lodges offer guided bush walks, tracking demonstrations and storytelling with San guides (~£25–35, book a day ahead). Spend the night on the Kalahari edge.

🚌Shared bus Maun–Ghanzi ~£14

🛏Ghanzi campsite or guesthouse, ~£13

• →San bushman cultural walk and storytelling ~£30

Cross into Namibia at Charles Hill/Buitepos and continue to Windhoek — shared shuttles/minibuses run this route daily (~£25–35, 6–7 hrs). In Windhoek, walk the city centre: Christuskirche, Tintenpalast and the old German colonial architecture are all within 20 minutes on foot. Hit a supermarket for camping food for Etosha, and book an Etosha shuttle or shared hire car seat for tomorrow.

🚌Shared shuttle Ghanzi–Windhoek ~£30

🛏Windhoek backpackers in the city centre, ~£18

• →Walk Christuskirche, Independence Memorial Museum, Zoo Park

Travel north to Etosha (~£30–40 by shared shuttle to Outjo/Tsumeb plus taxi into the park, 5–6 hrs). Enter via the Anderson Gate and camp at Okaukuejo — its floodlit waterhole is famous for rhino sightings after dark. Do a self-drive or guided game drive if you have wheels, or join a campsite-arranged evening drive. Pay park fees at the gate (~£8/day park fee plus ~£4 vehicle).

🚌Shared shuttle Windhoek–Etosha ~£35

🛏Okaukuejo campsite inside Etosha (2-person site ~£16 pp)

• →Afternoon game drive en route
• →Night waterhole viewing at Okaukuejo

Join a full-day guided game drive with a local operator or the NWR camp guide (~£55–70) covering a big chunk of the park — expect lion, elephant, giraffe, oryx and huge numbers of springbok and zebra. Alternatively, rent a car seat on a shared safari vehicle and drive yourself with a park map. Move to Halali campsite for the night and spend the evening at its waterhole, one of the best in the park.

🚌Shared game-drive vehicle included in activity

🛏Halali campsite, Etosha (~£16 pp)

• →Full-day guided game drive in Etosha ~£60
• →Halali waterhole evening

Leave Etosha early and head south-west toward Spitzkoppe via Outjo and Usakos — shared shuttles go to Usakos, then a taxi/hitch to the granite peaks (~£30 total, 6–7 hrs). Spitzkoppe's Bushman's Paradise has some of Namibia's finest rock art; the community-run site charges a small entry fee (~£5) and camping is basic but spectacular. Some travellers sleep out on the rocks under the Milky Way — bring a warm sleeping bag.

🚌Shared shuttle + local taxi ~£30

🛏Spitzkoppe community campsite, ~£10

• →Bushman rock art viewing ~£5
• →Optional sleep-out under the stars

Take a shared taxi/shuttle down to Swakopmund on the coast (~£15–20, 2.5–3 hrs via Usakos and Arandis). Check into a hostel and pick one afternoon activity — sandboarding, skydiving or a dolphin cruise are all bookable on the spot at the waterfront or town kiosks. Wander the German-style old town and the craft markets for souvenirs. Windhoek-bound shuttles or the day bus run onward from here for onward flights; Walvis Bay airport is 40 minutes away by taxi.

🚌Shared taxi/shuttle ~£18

🛏Swakopmund backpackers, ~£18

• →Optional sandboarding ~£30 / skydiving ~£180 / dolphin cruise ~£50
• →Swakopmund old town and craft market