Great Game Parks of Southern Africa Safari

Experience the extraordinary wildlife and amazing natural habitats of three of Africa’s most beautiful countries! In South Africa, a fantastic bush flight whisks us to Timbavati, a private game reserve that’s part of famed Greater Kruger National Park. On open-vehicle game drives with expert spotters, we get close encounters with lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and more. Mid-trip brings us to magnificent Victoria Falls to witness the wonder of its mile-wide curtain of thundering water, then head to Botswana for a safari across the game-filled Okavango Delta and savannas of Chobe National Park. Thrilling gameviewing by day, romantic candlelit dinners amid the sounds of the African night, stylish safari camps and lodges, and an optional extension to Cape Town—it all adds up to spectacular adventure.

Itinerary at a Glance

Days 1-3
Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa

At Tanda Tula, a luxurious tented camp on Timbavati’s sun-drenched savannas, we experience superlative gameviewing, and because we are on private land, not in a national park, we can drive off-road in our open vehicles for better views of the “Big Five”—lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard. After sundown, a new world opens up as we look for nocturnal wildlife including elusive genets and leopards on the hunt. We also enjoy optional bush walks accompanied by an expert ranger and tracker.

Days 4-6
Johannesburg / Victoria Falls, Zambia

After an overnight in Johannesburg, we head to stunning Victoria Falls to experience the astonishing splendor of the world’s largest waterfalls, whose towering columns of spray can be seen 50 miles away.

Days 7-9
Chobe National Park, Botswana

The Savuti region of Chobe is legendary, with resident lions, leopards, and hyenas, and on thrilling game drives we track them as well as their prey, including large herds of giraffe, kudu, and roan and sable antelope. Chobe also offers unparalleled elephant viewing, with numbers in the tens of thousands.

Days 10-12
Okavango Delta

Flying right to Xugana Lodge, set on a private island in the Okavango Delta, we boat in quiet mokoros (canoes) poled through water lily–filled lagoons by our game spotters. The birdlife here is phenomenal, and we may see lechwe and sitatunga splashing through the shallows. Evenings feature open-air dining and crimson sunsets over the lagoon. Depart on Day 12.

What the Trip is Like

The trip is rated Level 2+, Easy to Moderate. This is a luxury hotel-and-lodge-based adventure tour with several days of walking. Although this is not a particularly rigorous trip, we still recommend that each participant undertake a program of physical conditioning. Daily walking or regular hiking, jogging, and stair-climbing are excellent for preparing for the trip.

During game drives, we can at times get quite close to wild animals. Being very quiet improves everybody’s chances of observation. In the interest of safety, your Trip Leader explains limitations on movement while on game drives, in the safari vehicles, and around camp. Incidents with wild animals are extremely rare on safaris, but no camping safari can guarantee immunity from such incidents. Wilderness Travel is not to be held responsible for incidents involving the behavior of wildlife.

Explanation of Trip Levels