Don't want to compromise? Think of this trip as the best of the best. From seeing the beautiful coast of Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain, to having a chance of spotting the Big 5 in two of Africa's top wildlife destinations, and experiencing the adrenaline fuelled activities of one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls, this trip lets you tick off all the highlights that Southern Africa has to offer.
Locations Visited
Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park
Countries Visited
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana
Travel Style
Accommodations
10 nights included
Age Requirements
Social travel experiences for 18-35 year olds
Day 1
Accommodation
Waterfront Breakwater Lodge (or similar)
Day 2
Our time in Cape Town is dedicated to sightseeing and today is no exception! We'll start at the very top with a cable car ride up Table Mountain, followed by a city tour of Cape Town’s key sights and historical attractions. After that, the rest of the day is yours. We recommend the V&A Waterfront (SA’s most visited attraction). You’ll also have the option to join our Township Tour & Amy Foundation Lunch, which gives you a locally guided insight into life during Apartheid. Tonight, you can get to know your new pals in the best way possible – an optional MasterChef-style cooking class with food, drinks and music.
Accommodation
Waterfront Breakwater Lodge (or similar)
Meals
Breakfast
Stroll around the scenic harbour and enjoy some Insta-worthy views, at South Africa's most-visited attraction.
Cable the Table! Take a scenic ride to the top of one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of Nature’ for 360° views of Cape Town.
Bo-Kaap. The City Centre. V&A Waterfront. This tour takes in all the historical sites & attractions of the Mother City.
Day 3
This is your day to take advantage of Cape Town’s myriad local excursions – after breakfast of course. Our fav is a scenic drive along the cliffs of Chapman's Peak and down to Cape Point – the South-Western tip of Africa. In the afternoon, we’ll stop off at Boulders Beach to admire a colony of adorable African penguins - with a chance to go kayaking with them too! What next? Well, you can't go wrong with wine tasting (and a view) to round off an incredible day touring the "fairest Cape in all the world." So, join us if you like!
Accommodation
Waterfront Breakwater Lodge (or similar)
Meals
Breakfast
Day 4
Rise and shine. Today, we have a (very early) flight to Johannesburg, the city of Gold, where our first port of call will be the Kruger National Park.
The Savannah is calling. We've got no time to waste! We'll hop straight onto our coach and begin our journey through South Africa's country side to Kruger.
Yup, it’s safari time! We arrive at the gates to Kruger National Park this afternoon with binoculars at the ready. Rolling through this wildlife haven (the size of a small country) for a sunset game drive as we make our way to our exclusive Contiki Safari Camp. Set on the banks of the Sabie River, in the middle of Kruger, this Special Stay has us camping in canvas tents (the kind with mattresses and linen). All dotted around a roaring bonfire, listening to lions off in the distance, and under the African stars. That's right, its not 5 star accommodation...its 5000 star camping.
Accommodation
Contiki Safari Camp, Lower Sabie (or similar)
Meals
Breakfast
We’ll head into Kruger National Park, one of the most famous wildlife parks in the whole of Africa, to witness wildlife in their natural habitat.
Day 5
Accommodation
Contiki Safari Camp, Lower Sabie (or similar)
Meals
Breakfast
Day 6
Accommodation
Sunrock Guesthouse (or similar)
Meals
Breakfast
Day 7
This morning we'll drive to the airport to catch our flight up to Victoria Falls.
We start off with the number one attraction around - the Falls themselves! Hike along the Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders and the largest waterfall in the world. You might want to pack your raincoat, as during certain times of the year you can get drenched from the rising spray, giving the falls its local name: 'The smoke that thunders'. This afternoon, you'll have the option to jump, zipline or swing off the famous bridge connecting Zimbabwe and Zambia over the Zambezi River. On the menu tonight is an optional buffet of African delicacies with a drum show!
Please note: From January to June this trip puts you in the Victoria Falls Waterfront Hotel, Zambia, with a riverside deck and bar that overlooks the spray of the thunderous falls. Travelling from July to December? Don't worry, you're not missing out: we'll put you up in the Shearwater Explorers Village, Zimbabwe, just 400m from the falls - with bohemian cafes, curios markets and swimming pools to explore. It's a win win, basically.
Accommodation
Shearwater Explorer's Village (or similar)
Meals
Breakfast
See the epic waterfall of your Insta dreams. Take a stroll along the edge and see this ‘the smoke that thunders’ in all its glory.
Day 8
Today you have the choice to try white water rafting along the Zambezi river. There's also a locally guided village tour - if you wanna get to know the locals and experience their way of life. And then, end the evening with a magnificent sunset cruise including drinks (optional but highly recommended!).
Accommodation
Shearwater Explorer's Village (or similar)
Meals
Breakfast
Day 9
We start today on foot, to literally ‘walk on the wild side’ with an optional guided walking safari along the Zambezi’s National Park. This is a unique way to track wildlife on foot while learning about some of the smaller animals – plus plants and just generally anything we come across. Wanna go from foot mode to flight mode? Then you've got the option to take a helicopter ride above the thunderous waters below (the best way to see the falls in all their glory!). Then it’s across the border to Botswana for more of what we love. i.e. safaris! This time, it’s the world-famous Chobe National Park, known for its huge elephant population.
Tonight, you’ll truly experience the wilderness with a night out in the middle of the African bush. We have a private Contiki site just for us, with our own guides, cooks and a bonfire – all set under the stars. After dinner, you’ll get the chance to fall asleep to the sounds of Africa: a jackal calling in the distance, the loud whoop of a hyena, perhaps the roar of lions as they wake from a daytime slumber. Catch you later, city life!Accommodation
Contiki Safari Camp (or similar)
Meals
Breakfast
Dinner
Coast along the banks of the Chobe River in search of thirsty wildlife coming down to drink.
Day 10
This morning we'll wake up to watch the sunrise over the African bush with a light breakfast, before departing on a morning game drive to hopefully see some of the wildlife we may have heard the night before. We will arrive late morning to check into our new lodge and spend the rest of the day relaxing around the pool and swapping stories from the night before. On our last evening together you can opt for a wildlife cruise on the Chobe river. Surrounded by pods of hippos, crocs basking on the banks and all forms of African animals coming down to drink, this is truly one African sunset you'll never forget followed by a buffet dinner tonight.
Accommodation
Kwalape Safari Lodge (or similar)
Meals
Breakfast
Be on the lookout for any wildlife we may have heard the night before!
Day 11
It's time for our last breakfast together this morning where you have the option of ending the tour in Kasane, Botswana or make the journey back to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe with an included transfer. Time to say goodbye to your group and swap numbers so you can stay in touch until the next amazing adventure.
Meals
Breakfast
Title
A modular trip means fellow travellers will join and leave at various locations. There’ll be some goodbyes, sure, but there’ll also be plenty of hellos with new like-minded travellers.
The Cape, Safari & Falls trip ticks off all the major attractions in Southern Africa. This includes everything you’d want to see in a multi-country trip around Africa. We’ll visit the top attractions in Cape Town like Table Mountain, Cape Point, and even the penguins of Boulders Beach. Then we’ll go on plenty of game drives in top wildlife destinations such as Kruger and Chobe. And to satisfy our adventure-hungry souls, this trip includes a variety of activities. Does it get better than this? We sure don’t think so.
This is a multi-country trip, taking you to South Africa, Zimbabwe/Zambia as well as Botswana. For most of our travellers, there’s visa-free entry into South Africa and Botswana. For Zimbabwe, most of the travellers can get visas on arrival with our included flight to Victoria Falls.
Depending on your nationality, you may need to pay for a visa. (So don’t forget to keep some US dollars in hand before the start of the trip!)
We always encourage our travellers to check visa requirements for your country well in advance. Click here to find out visa requirements based on your home country.
It’ll change slightly depending on what time of year you’re visiting, but some essentials will include:
No matter what time of year you choose to visit, you’re guaranteed to have an incredible trip. Traditionally, the best time to go on safari in Africa is over the non-summer months – March to October. The vegetation is not as dense and wildlife come to waterholes to drink during the dry winter months. But the best time to visit Cape Town is in the summer! So you could say that it’s an all-year trip that’s great for both wildlife and adventure lovers.
Pretty darn good. The Cape, Safari & Falls trip has multiple game drives on offer (some of which are included)! These will be in the ‘Big 5’ mega Game Reserves of Kruger and Chobe (both are the size of a small country). On top of that, we’ll go on a walking safari close to the Victoria Falls. But it doesn’t end there.
A riverside boat cruise or two in the National Park will give us direct views to spot hippos, crocs and other wildlife coming down to drink. Will you get your wildlife fix? We definitely think so.
The question should be – what transport don’t we use on this trip? Coaches in Cape Town, safari trucks in Kruger, minivans for airport transfers, open-top safari jeeps, flights to and from Johannesburg with the chance to enjoy boat and helicopter rides.
Only the most visited tourist attraction in the whole of Africa! That’s right. In Cape Town, we’ll stay at the legendary V&A Waterfront. You’ll have access to a myriad of shops, bars, food markets, attractions and restaurants (all within 500m of our hotel).
In Kruger and Chobe, we’re doing something special. We won’t stay outside the park (where all the hotels are located). Instead, we’ll spend our nights in the park, LITERALLY glamping under the stars, around a fire. If you’re lucky, you might even hear the rush of the river with hippos calling, lions roaring and hyenas whooping all around us. Now that’s a true African wildlife experience.
In Victoria Falls, we’ll either stay on the Zambezi River in Zambia or within Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe. Both are within view of the spray from the falls (plus the wildlife that roam freely through the towns).
Trip Notes:
Terms & Conditions:
