Overview
South Africa’s Cape Town, with its legendary landscapes, is brimming with culture, art, and culinary delights. We begin our journey here, taking in the breathtaking Cape Peninsula, exploring the fabulous Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, and watching Africa’s rare penguins waddle along the beach. From Cape Town, we venture into two of Africa’s largest national parks: Greater Kruger and Hwange, with a stop at majestic Victoria Falls along the way. In the undulating savannas of Greater Kruger on Timbavati Private Reserve, we’ll search for elephant, rhino, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, kudu, and wildebeest, and their attendant predators—lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, and African wild dog. Our grand finale is Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe: we enter by vintage rail car and savor three exquisite days of fantastic wildlife viewing along with beautiful, remote lodges. Hwange is one of Africa’s best-kept secrets with some of the highest concentrations of elephants in the world—but far fewer tourists than other parks and some of the most highly-trained guides in Africa. Now is the time to go!
This is the best vacation I have ever taken. It was the perfect way to see totally different areas of Africa, and the way the itinerary and travel days are set up was great. We were busy all the time and it was fun, informative, and exciting!
— Jon L., Los Gatos, CA
Itinerary at a Glance
Days 1-2
Cape Town, South Africa
Exploring spectacular Cape Coast landscapes and the renowned Kirstenbosch botanical garden fill our days, and the food and wine scene is superb.
Days 3-5
Timbavati Private Game Reserve
We fly to a private reserve, Timbavati, part of the Greater Kruger ecosystem. With open-sided 4WD vehicles and our Shangaan trackers, we look for lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard on the prowl.
Days 6-7
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
From breathtaking Gorges Lodge, we’ll hike along the escarpment directly across from Victoria Falls, or set out for a cruise on the Zambezi to look for wildlife.
Days 8-11
Hwange National Park
The Elephant Express vintage train brings us into the park in style, with wildlife viewing and lunch en route (sometimes we see lions lazing along the tracks). Our beautiful lodge is a special one, set in the pristine woodlands on the edge of the game-rich Ngamo Plains. We’ll enjoy phenomenal wildlife viewing, thrilling game walks, night drives, sundowners in spectacular locations, and waterhole-level views from a unique “look up” blind. Our presence directly benefits the local community and we’ll have authentic encounters, walking to school with the children and having the chance to learn a bit of their “click” language. Depart on Day 11 via Victoria Falls.
Great Wildlife of Southern Africa
