18 Day Johannesburg to Victoria Falls Comfort Tour

Day 1: Johannesburg, South Africa

You can arrive at any time and be transferred to your hotel. Dinner tonight will be a traditional South African braai (barbecue).

There are several family-run lodges and guesthouses in Kempton Park where we will be staying. Getting around the city is easy with taxis if you have additional time. The location is convenient to the airport.

For those interested in spending more time in Johannesburg, booking pre-accommodation is recommended so you can enjoy the city at your own pace.

Accommodation: Kopanong Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Dinner
Route: Oliver Reginald Tambo International – Johannesburg (Arrival Transfer)
Included Activities: Arrival Transfer, Welcome Meeting, Traditional South Africa Braai (Barbecue)

Day 2: Johannesburg – Kruger National Park, South Africa

One of the world’s most scenic drives, the Panorama Route, leads to Kruger National Park. Experience spectacular views of the forest-covered valley from God’s Window as you stop at the dramatic Blyde River Canyon and Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Enjoy a delicious South African dinner at our lodge near Kruger National Park.

It will be a long driving day, but we will stop at many places along the Panorama Route along the way.

Accommodation: Umbhaba Eco Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Route: Johannesburg – Nelspruit
Included Activities: Panorama Route Scenic Drive

Day 3: Kruger National Park, South Africa

Spend a full day exploring Kruger National Park with an open jeep safari, home to many large mammals. Explore this breathtaking wilderness of savanna and scrubland in search of elephants, lions, giraffes, and perhaps elusive leopards. Upon returning to our lodge, you can spend some time relaxing and enjoying the bush’s nocturnal sounds.

The Kruger National Park in South Africa is the world’s largest and most impressive animal reserve, covering over 19,000 square kilometers (7,500 square miles). The Kruger Park has more large mammals than any other park in Africa with 147 species.

Accommodation: Umbhaba Eco Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Route: Kruger National Park
Included Activities: Kruger National Park Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive – Full day

Day 4: Kruger National Park, South Africa

In the Greater Kruger area, you can visit the Karongwe Private Game Reserve, a pristine wildlife sanctuary. Learn about efforts to protect the region’s cheetahs and other carnivores from a researcher from the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Cheetah Metapopulation Project. Our excursion into the reserve includes a wildlife viewing session with the researcher.

Spend the next two days exploring the Karongwe Nature Reserve in an open safari vehicle with rangers, searching for Africa’s famed Big Five. There are many creatures to be viewed in Karongwe Private Game Reserve, a 9,000 hectare (22,240 acres) area of supreme African bushveld.

The location of the accommodations will depend on availability within the reserve. Here, you will have the option to stay either in a lodge room or in a very comfortable tent with similar amenities (subject to a availability!).

Experienced wildlife rangers and trackers accompany guests on safari drives through the African bush, sharing their vast knowledge of the wildlife.

There may be times when we need to move accommodations or even use a different private reserve if space is unavailable. If this is the case, we will select another lodge or comfort camp within the Greater Kruger region (of equal quality).

Accommodation: Karongwe Private Game Reserve – Lodges (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Route: Nelspruit – Karongwe Private Game Reserve
Included Activities: Carnivore Conservation Experience

Day 5: Karongwe Private Game Reserve, South Africa

With our local guides, you will spend the morning and afternoon exploring Karongwe. As we drive through the bushveld, we will search for Africa’s famous “big five.” Afterward, enjoy a walk around the camp or enjoy a relaxing time on the deck.

Taking a morning wildlife safari drive starts early (around 5 am), as you wake up before the sun comes up. Take some time to relax at the lodge after brunch. Take a stroll through the grounds and gardens, have high tea, and converse on the deck. We will take a late afternoon safari drive after tea. Before dinner, it’s time to freshen up at camp after spotting so much wildlife.

Accommodation: Karongwe Private Game Reserve – Lodges (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Route: Karongwe Private Game Reserve
Included Activities: Karongwe Private Reserve Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive

Day 6: Karongwe Private Game Reserve – Johannesburg, South Africa

Today is your last chance to see the iconic residents of Karongwe, so make sure you keep a lookout. Our family-run lodge will provide dinner once you return to the city.

Accommodation: Kopanong Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Route: Karongwe Private Game Reserve – Johannesburg
Included Activities: Karongwe Private Reserve Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive

Day 7: Johannesburg –  Windhoek, Namibia

Take a flight to Windhoek and get a hotel transfer.. Spend the afternoon exploring Namibia’s capital.

Accommodation: Windhoek Country Club Resort (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
Route: Oliver Reginald Tambo International – Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport (Plane)

Day 8: Windhoek – Sesriem, Namibia

The Namib-Naukluft National Park is just a short drive away from the Namibian capital, Sesriem. While driving past red-hued desert landscapes, stark camel thorn trees, and dramatic curved dunes, watch out for the creatures that call these arid lands home, including oryx, springbok, jackal, and hyena. Watch a fiery crimson sunset over the desert from our lodge as you relax poolside. There is also a surprising amount of wildlife that can be found in this area.

Accommodation: Sossusvlei Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Route: Windhoek – Sesriem

Day 9: Sesriem, Namibia

Discover one of Africa’s largest national parks on a thrilling excursion. Take a trip to the Namib desert, the oldest desert on earth, and explore sand dunes at Sossusvlei and white clay pans at Deadvlei. With a crisp blue sky and orange dunes as a backdrop, capture dramatic images of dead camel thorn trees. A natural gorge carved out over millions of years by the Tsauchab River awaits you in Sesriem Canyon.

Accommodation: Sossusvlei Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Route: Sesriem – Namib Desert
Included Activities: Sossusvlei Dunes Visit, Sesriem Canyon Visit, Deadvlei

Day 10: Sesriem – Swakopmund, Namibia

Travel along the coastal road to Swakopmund as the desert landscape changes. Take a break in Solitaire before heading into the countryside, and with chances of seeing roaming zebra, kudu, springbok, and oryx along the way. On a 4×4 drive through the desert, we meet a local and learn how bushmen survived in this inhospitable region thousands of years ago. Snakes, geckos, spiders, and a variety of insects are also found here, as well as smaller wildlife that has survived.

Accommodation: Hansa Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Route: Sesriem – Swakopmund
Included Activities: Living Desert Tour

Day 11: Swakopmund,  Namibia

Swakopmund’s unique Afro-German culture can be explored on a free morning, or you can sandboard in the Namib desert. Learn about the people and history of Mondesa township with a local guide this afternoon. Explore traditional foods available at the local market, such as wild spinach, mopane worms, and dried sardines. A cozy family-run restaurant offers dinner and a performance after you stop by an arts and crafts shop and chat with the locals.

Enjoy curio shops, museums, and restaurants in this town that combines German and African culture. Sandboarding is an optional activity

Accommodation: Hansa Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Route: Swakopmund
Included Activities: Mondesa Township Walk
Optional Activities: Fat Tire Bike Tours 450 NAD per person, Sandboarding in the Namib Desert 700 NAD per person, Sea Kayaking 800 NAD per person

Day 12: Swakopmund –  Damaraland, Namibia

Discover some of Africa’s largest concentrations of petroglyphs at Twyfelfontein, Namibia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the engravings are rhinos, elephants, ostriches, and human footprints, carved by prehistoric hunter-gatherers. Our lodge is located in the heart of the Damaraland area. Swimming in the pool or watching a colourful sunset from the deck are some of the things you can do during your free time

Accommodation: Damara Mopane Lodge (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Route: Swakopmund – Twyfelfontein – Damaraland
Included Activities: Prehistoric Rock Engravings Guided Tour

Day 13: Damaraland –  Etosha National Park, Namibia

Visit the rich sandstone treasure of Damaraland in the morning and enjoy a relaxing morning at our lodge. The afternoon is ideal for exploring Namibia’s most impressive wildlife sanctuary, Etosha National Park. Located outside the park, our lodge is a great place to relax.

Accommodation: Taleni Etosha Village (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Route: Damaraland – Etosha National Park

Day 14: Etosha National Park, Namibia

Explore Etosha National Park, where vast grasslands converge on a gigantic salt pan. In your open vehicle, explore Etosha in search of endangered wildlife such as lions, elephants, and rhinos. Sit back and watch all manner of wildlife flock to a nearby watering hole as you enjoy lunch at one of the park’s rest areas. You can also swim there and take a dip.

Its vast open grasslands, massive salt pans that cover 4731km2 and huge camel thorn trees juxtaposed with Mopani trees provide a contrast after the vast desert of Etosha National Park. There are many natural waterholes in the park, along with diverse vegetation, which attract wildlife. Elephants and leopards thrive in thicker vegetation, as do some of the largest elephants in Africa. While birders can enjoy the salt pans that attract flamingos in the rainy season, lions, giraffes, ostriches, and many antelope species can be found in the grasslands. Many migratory birds and more than 340 bird species have been recorded in Etosha National Park, including the European bee-eater and the kori bustard.

Accommodation: Taleni Etosha Village (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Route: Etosha National Park
Included Activities: Etosha Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive

Day 15: Etosha National Park –  Windhoek, Namibia

Dr Laurie Marker, a National Geographic Grantee, founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund after breakfast. Take a tour of the facility and hear a talk by one of the researchers to learn more about the company’s conservation and community outreach efforts. You can then drive through the center’s grounds and meet some of the cheetahs that have been rescued and rehabilitated. Our final evening will be spent in Windhoek.

Accommodation: Windhoek Country Club Resort (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Route: Etosha National Park – Windhoek
Included Activities: Cheetah Conservation Experience

Day 16: Windhoek, Namibia

Take a flight to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, which is named in honor of one of the most powerful waterfalls on the planet. Shop for groceries in the bustling market of a nearby village. You will then have the opportunity to participate in a traditional Zimbabwean meal with a local family, where you will help your hosts prepare the meal using the ingredients you selected, as well as hear stories about the local culture and lifestyle.

Victoria Falls can generate mist as high as 400 meters (1312 feet). After seeing the falls for the first time in 1855, the explorer and missionary David Livingstone renamed them after Queen Victoria.

Meet Flatter and some of her family in her rural village, and walk with them among the fruit and vegetable plants they grow for consumption throughout the property. In the evening, we’ll eat together outside on the property, weather permitting, as the family grows hot peppers among the vegetables to keep nosy elephants away. Local village markets are bustling and friendly, and the ingredients for the meal will have been hand-picked that morning.

A stable home full of love, an outstanding education, and plenty of opportunities for our children are just some of the things we all want and need in life.

Accommodation: Explorers Village Lodge – Deluxe (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Included Activities: Zimbabwean Family Dinner
Route: Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport – Victoria Falls

Day 17: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Discover the magnificent Victoria Falls on a tour. There are two different names for these waterfalls: one is Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means “the smoke that thunders,” while the other is Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means “the smoke that thunders.” Take a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River; or visit the Chobe National Park for a day trip filled with wildlife.

Accommodation: Explorers Village Lodge – Deluxe (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast
Included Activities: Victoria Falls Guided Tour
Optional Activities: Canoeing the Zambezi (160 USD per person), Full Day Excursion to Chobe National Park (USD 189 per person), Victoria Falls Historic Bridge Tour (55 USD person), River Song Sunset Cruise (79 USD person)

Day 18: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Depart at any time.

Meals: Breakfast

Onward Travel Plans

Due to circumstances beyond our control while on tour (such as border crossings, traffic, breakdowns and delays, etc), the end time on the last day cannot be guaranteed. Therefore we strongly recommend you stay the night and fly out the next day. Please consult with your booking consultant.