10-Day DIY African Safari Itinerary: South Africa, Victoria Falls and Botswana
Africa feels like the hardest trip to plan, so most people hand it to an agent. We planned this one ourselves: four countries, a private game reserve, a train parked over a river in Kruger and a swim at the edge of Victoria Falls. Here is the exact route, for 7, 10 or 14 days. Switch the length below and the plan rebuilds itself.
Johannesburg → Kapama Karula → Kruger → Victoria FallsJohannesburg → Kapama Karula → Kruger → Victoria Falls → ChobeJohannesburg → Cape Town → Kapama Karula → Kruger → Victoria Falls → Chobe
day by day
The Africa itinerary
Johannesburg1 night1 night1 night · fly in here
DayFly direct to Johannesburg
United flies nonstop from Newark, one of the only direct routes from North America, in about 15 hours. We booked economy with 45,000 United miles and paid $500 to upgrade to premium economy. Sleep at the InterContinental at the airport: pricey, but nicer than we expected, and you walk to your morning flight.
Cape Town3 nights · the one we have not done yet
DayFly to Cape Town
About two and a half hours from Johannesburg. Cape Town is the classic pairing with a safari, and we nearly added it. Its best weather comes a little later than safari season, so book this version for October or November to get both.
DayTable Mountain and the city
The cable car up Table Mountain on a clear morning, then the V&A Waterfront and the beaches around Camps Bay.
DayCape Point or the winelands
Drive the peninsula to Cape Point and the penguins at Boulders Beach, or spend the day in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. With even more time, the Garden Route runs east along the south coast.
Kapama Karula2 nights3 nights3 nights · private game reserve
DayFly to Hoedspruit, game drive before check-in
A short flight to Hoedspruit, near Kruger. The private reserve at Kapama Karula starts literally across the street from the airport, so they picked us up in the game drive vehicle and we saw animals before we ever reached the room. Lunch, a nap, then the sunset game drive.
DaySunrise and after-dark game drives
This is the private reserve difference: you are out before sunrise and after sunset, when the animals are most active, instead of leaving at the park gates at dusk. Midday is for naps (the lions are asleep under a tree anyway). Expect five or six hours of sleep a night.
DayLast sundowner and dinner on your deck
Ask the lodge what they can arrange. A private dinner on our deck on the last night came at no extra charge. Kapama Karula ran about $1,200 a person a night, all-inclusive, and it was the best three nights of the trip.
Kruger National Park1 night2 nights2 nights · Train on the Bridge
DayDrive two hours to the Train on the Bridge
A train turned into a lodge, parked on a bridge over the Sabie River inside Kruger. Because it is inside the park, game drives can stay out after the gates close. We watched elephants and hippos from the bathtub.
DayA full day in Kruger
Morning and evening game drives with a slow afternoon at the pool bar in between. We skipped one sunset drive for a rest and missed a lion pride at a lookout, so if you skip one, skip a morning.
Victoria Falls2 nights3 nights4 nights · stay on the Zambia side
DayFly to Livingstone, sunset cruise on the Zambezi
About two and a half hours direct from the Kruger area; with an 11:30 flight we still fit in a final morning game drive. We stayed at the Radisson Blu on the Zambian side, right on the river with elephants and hippos in front of the room. Many hotels at that price on the Zimbabwe side are in town with no view. Our hotel ran a sunset cruise with food and drinks included, the perfect end to a travel day.
DayWalk across the border to see the falls from Zimbabwe
The classic views are from the Zimbabwe side, and guided tours from Zambia cost over $200 a person. We did it ourselves: a ride to the border, a 15 to 20-minute walk across the Victoria Falls Bridge, a passport stamp, and the park entrance is right there. Bring a rain jacket for the mist and plan on about three hours.
DayDay trip to Chobe National Park, Botswana
A short drive to the Botswana border, where a safari vehicle picks you up: a morning game drive, then an afternoon boat safari on the Chobe River with Namibia on the far bank. Chobe has one of the largest elephant populations in the world. Confirm which drinks are included before you set off.
DayA slow day, or a microlight flight over the falls
The one thing Tim wishes we had booked: an ultralight flight over the falls, under $250. Or do nothing at all. By now you will need the sleep.
DayDevil's Pool, then fly home
A boat to Livingstone Island, then a swim to the very lip of a 355-foot drop. It only runs when the river is low, roughly August to December, always with a guide. We did it on our last morning and flew home that afternoon from Livingstone.
- A night each at Kapama Karula and the Train on the Bridge.
- The Chobe day trip.
- Kenya and Tanzania are a different trip. Getting there from South Africa means flying back through Johannesburg to Nairobi, and with 10 days you do not want to spend four of them in airports. Pick one region and save the other for next time.
- Cape Town, three nights, at the start. We have not done it yet, so this part is our plan, not our trip.
- A slow day at Victoria Falls, or the microlight flight.
before you go
Watch the whole trip
Itinerary sorted? This is the full trip, start to finish: the private reserve, the Train on the Bridge, Devil’s Pool and Chobe. Put it on your biggest screen.
the route
Route and booking tips
The route is a triangle: fly from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit, drive two hours into Kruger, then fly to Livingstone. Regional flights in Africa are limited and some run only on certain days, so build the trip around them.
book this trip
Where we stayed
pack for africa
What we packed
Small regional planes can limit luggage weight, so pack light: neutral layers for chilly sunrise drives and a clean change of clothes for the end of a dusty day. Our gear is from Tripped, our own travel brand.
watch the safari
Every stop on video
good to know
Africa trip questions
Can you plan an African safari without a travel agent?
Yes. We planned this whole trip ourselves. The keys: pick one region, build the route around the regional flights, choose lodges near commercial airports, and look on Hotels.com for lodges you cannot book anywhere else.
Private game reserve or national park?
A private reserve if you can. You get game drives at sunrise and after dark, when the animals are most active; national parks close their gates at sunset. Expect roughly $500 to $1,500 a person a night, including meals, drinks and drives.
When is the best time for a safari in South Africa?
June to November, the dry season, when there is little foliage and the animals gather at water. Do not chase low-season deals on this trip: it is low season because the animals are harder to see.
South Africa or Kenya and Tanzania?
For the hot-air balloon over the plains and the Great Migration (June to October), Kenya and Tanzania. For the Big Five with a nonstop flight from the US and an easy add-on to Victoria Falls, South Africa.
Do you need vaccines for this trip?
None are required for South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe or Botswana on this route. Ask your doctor about recommended ones; we did not get any.
Should I stay on the Zambia or Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls?
We chose Zambia for riverfront hotels and Devil’s Pool, then walked across the bridge for the classic views from Zimbabwe. Both work; just plan the border crossing.
keep planning
Plan the rest of your trip
Flights, budget and timing: the four steps we use to plan every trip, including this one.
How we plan every tripAll destinationsHow we plan every trip
