49 Days | The ultimate independent adventure through Southern Africa
Travel from coast to coast and through the heart of southern Africa on a 49-day overland journey. Begin in beautiful Cape Town and voyage through desert landscapes, rolling savannas and lush mountainscapes. Cruise lakes and delta waterways and feel the spray of massive waterfalls. Spend time getting to know locals in rural villages and enjoying the buzzing city rhythms. From game drives in national parks full of iconic animals to enjoying the simple pleasure of lying on a pristine beach, this grand journey is the perfect way to discover everything that makes this part of the world so special.
Trip overview
- Start
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Finish
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Theme
- Overland, Wildlife
- Destinations
- Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya
- Physical rating
- Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
- Style
- Basix
- Ages
- Min 15
- Group size
- Min 1 - Max 22
- Trip code
- UXOAC
- With included wildlife viewing experiences like game drives, tracking walks and safaris, you are guaranteed to encounter a diverse array of Africa’s iconic wildlife.
- Wake up before dawn and scramble to the top of a massive Sesriem dune for a dramatic sunrise view across a vast sea of undulating sand.
- Glide down Botswana's Okavango Delta on a mokoro, with a local at the helm using a pole to guide your journey through the rich waterways.
- Discover the largest ruins in sub-Saharan Africa – Great Zimbabwe. This World Heritage-listed site dates back to the 11th century.
- Chill out on the white sands of Zanzibar’s northern beaches and spend a night exploring the ornate alleyways of Stone Town.
- This is an overland trip. That means you’ll be travelling with a group in a purpose-built vehicle, visiting remote communities, setting up your own tent and occasionally roughing it in the bush with no facilities – but unrivalled access to the wilderness. For more info on this style of travel, see our Africa overland page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/africa/overland
- We use mokoros (small dugout canoes) to pass through the shallow waterways of the Okavango Delta to get to our campsite for the night.
- At Usambara Mountains the group will do an easy hike to the beautiful Irente viewpoint.
- Camp in the Serengeti National Park itself without fences between you and the animals. Your leader will brief you on the safety measures the group will need to take for the two nights spent in the park.
- There are many optional activities on this trip. Please take this into consideration when budgeting.
- As the early bird catches the worm, the early camper sights the animals. There will be many early starts either to make use of the better safari time or to beat the morning traffic on long travel days.
Itinerary
View the itinerary for departures between 01 January 2024 - 31 December 2024
Inclusions
44 breakfasts, 29 lunches, 38 dinners
Overland vehicle, 4x4 Safari Vehicle, Ferry, Minibus, Mokoro
Camping (with facilities) (35 nights), Camping (with basic facilities) (5 night), Camping (without facilities) (1 night), Cabin (3 nights), Hotel (1 night)
- Fish River Canyon - Canyon entrance
- Sossusvlei - 4x4 Tour
- Sesriem - Sand dunes visit
- Cape Cross Nature Reserve - Cape Cross seal colony
- Etosha National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
- Grootfontein - San Bushman cultural experience
- Okavango Delta - Mokoro safari
- Okavango Delta - Boat Safari
- Okavango Delta - Nature Walk
- Okavango Delta – Mokoro Safari
- Okavango Delta - Nature walk
- Chobe National Park - Dawn 4WD Safari
- Victoria Falls - Visit to Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust
- Matobo National Park - Rhino Tracking, Park Visit & San Rock Paintings
- Masvingo - Great Zimbabwe Ruins guided visit
- South Luangwa - Anti-Poaching Jewelery Project
- South Luangwa National Park - 4x4 Afternoon Game Drive
- South Luangwa National Park - 4x4 Dawn Game Drive
- Mikumi National Park - 4x4 Game Drive
- Irente - Lushoto hike
- Irente - Local lunch
- Ngorongoro Forest - Elephant Cave Trek
- Karatu - Home-Cooked Dinner
- Karatu - Coffee Farm Tour
- Ngorongoro Crater - 4x4 Game Drive
- Serengeti National Park - Morning 4WD Safari
- Mto Wa Mbu - Village walk & local dinner
- Cape Town - Table Mountain Hike - ZAR1600
- Cape Town - Table Mountain Aerial Cable - ZAR380
- Cape Town - Robben Island tour - ZAR550
- Cape Town - Best of the Cape Combo Tour - Full Day - ZAR2000
- Cape Town - Cape Peninsula and SUP Tour - Full Day - ZAR2100
- Cape Town - Robben Island Ferry & Table Mountain Tour - Full Day - ZAR1800
- Cape Town - Winelands Tour - Full Day - ZAR1800
- Cape Town - Winelands Tour - Half Day - ZAR1350
- Cape Town - Cape Peninsula & Table Mountain Tour - Full Day - ZAR2000
- Cape Town - Cape Malay Cooking Tour - Half Day - ZAR1200
- Cape Town - Township Experience - Half Day - ZAR965
- Cape Town - City and Waterfront Tour - Half Day - ZAR1100
- Cape Town - Cape Peninsula & Kirstenbosch Tour - Full Day - ZAR2000
- Cape Town - District Six & Bo-Kapp Cultural Tour - Half Day - ZAR965
- Klawer - Winery visit & tasting - ZAR140
- Orange River - Canoe trip - NAD550
- Swakopmund - Swakopmund Museum - USD2
- Swakopmund - Sea kayaking - USD85
- Swakopmund - Seal and dolphin cruise - USD60
- Swakopmund - Horse riding - USD65
- Swakopmund – Living Desert Tour - USD60
- Swakopmund – Township Tour - USD45
- Spitzkoppe - San People rock painting guided walk - ZAR50
- Etosha National Park - Evening Game Drive - ZAR750
- Bagani - Sunset Cruise - USD25
- Chobe National Park - Boat Cruise - BWP270
- Chobe National Park - 4WD Safari - BWP580
- Victoria Falls - Victoria Falls entrance - USD50
- Victoria Falls - Canoe trail (full day) - USD185
- Victoria Falls - Helicopter Flight of the Angels (12 mins - Excludes US$25 fuel surcharge and NP fees) - USD150
- Victoria Falls - Helicopter Flight (25 mins - Excludes US$30 fuel surcharge and NP fees) - USD284
- Victoria Falls - Rafting & river boarding (half day) - USD218
- Victoria Falls - Village & township tour - USD61
- Victoria Falls - Canoe trail wine route - USD55
- Bulawayo - Railway Museum - USD5
- Balawayo - Natural History Museum - USD10
- Harare - National Archives - USD3
- Harare - National Botanical Gardens - USD5
- Harare - National Gallery - USD10
- South Luangwa National Park - Game Walk - USD50
- Lake Malawi - Guided village walks - USD15
- Lake Malawi - Bike Hire - USD25
- Lake Malawi - Snorkelling - USD25
- Stone Town Tour - Dharajani Market, Joseph's Cathederal, Palace Museum, Forodhani Food Market - USD20
- Zanzibar - Prison Island Tour - USD25
- Stone Town - Handicraft & Music Urban Adventure - USD50
- Zanzibar - Spice tour - USD25
- Zanzibar - Snorkelling - USD50
- Zanzibar - Dhow Trip - USD35
- Stone Town - Culinary Urban Adventure - USD29
- Serengeti National Park - Balloon Ride (from price) - USD745
- Nairobi - Nairobi by Night Urban Adventure - USD76
Dates and availability
Important notes
1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement excludes Days 7,8,9 (Chalet) and Day 17(Camping) where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. An optional sunrise balloon ride in the Serengeti National Park is possible on this itinerary. As the balloon only holds 16 people, places are limited and we recommend you book in advance. Please inquire when booking your trip to secure a place for this optional activity.
3. This trip is a combination of UXOF, YXON, YXOQ and YXOS of our most popular itineraries. As such the make up of your group and your leader may change on Days 22, 38 and 41.
4. The Zanzibar portion of your itinerary may have a few more passengers than 22 as we have a a couple of tous tht overlap in Zanzibar.
5. This trip starts in Cape Town on Day 1 at 6pm. This allows time after the welcome meeting to explore Cape Town. This trip finishes upon arrival in Nairobi on Day 49. Please do not book any flights until 10 pm on this evening.
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