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 / Cape Peninsula
Cape Town brims with world-renowned natural beauty, culture, art, and culinary delights. On the Cape Peninsula, we explore the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, watch Africa’s rare penguins waddle along the beach, and visit Cape Point at the tip of the continent.
Days 3-5
Timbavati Private Game Reserve / Big Five Game Viewing
Flying to an exclusive wildlife reserve, Timbavati, part of the Greater Kruger ecosystem, we’ll explore by open-sided 4WD vehicle with our Shangaan game trackers, on the lookout for the Big Five: lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard. Because we are on private lands, we can also enjoy a walking safari, exploring on foot with our tracker.
Days 6-7
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
From breathtaking Gorges Lodge, we’ll hike along the escarpment directly across from mile-wide Victoria Falls, or set out for a cruise on the Zambezi River to look for wildlife.
Days 8-11
Hwange National Park
A ride on an open-air railway car brings us into Hwange on the game-rich Ngamo Plains. We’ll enjoy phenomenal wildlife viewing, game walks, night drives, sundowners in spectacular locations, and waterhole-level views from a unique “look up” blind. Authentic cultural encounters include visiting a homestead, walking to school with local kids, and having the chance to learn a bit of their “click” language. Depart on Day 11 via Victoria Falls.
Great Wildlife of Southern Africa
