Best of Southern Africa in 12 Days

European in its sophisticated charm and South African in its cultural allure, Cape Town is a fancied South African destination with loads of character. You will arrive at the international airport, breeze through customs, and transfer to a gorgeous accommodation nestled beneath the looming peak of Table Mountain, an iconic Capetonian symbol known worldwide for its panoramic views and peculiarly shaped precipice. This afternoon, you may stroll around the neighborhood and walk along the V&A Waterfront for high-end shopping and delectable South African cuisine enjoyed alongside panoramas of the Atlantic Ocean.

Table Mountain towers over Cape Town, beckoning all visitors up its steep slope via a cable car to appreciate the unbridled cityscape and seascape spectacles waiting to be discovered from the mountain’s crest. You will relish a tour of this phenomenal geological wonder with historic tales shared by your knowledgeable guide before returning to the city and touring its spirited districts. A collection of multi-colored homes dotting the Bo-Kaap will trace back Cape culture, the abundant dazzling plantlife peppering Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens will share encounters with the indigenous wildlife, and the museums revealing South African history will provide tremendous insight.

Cape Town offers opportunities to experience South Africa’s remarkable heritage; however, the city is also a gateway to the country’s incredible environments and spectacular natural sceneries. Today, you will cruise Cape Town’s coast along world-famous roads, including Chapman’s Peak and the bends beneath the Twelve Apostles, before arriving at the Cape of Good Hope. The rugged, rocky headland is the tip of southern Africa and the meeting place of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. You will swoon over views of the azure seas crashing together before continuing to Boulders Beach, where colonies of penguins swarm white sands littered with large, round rocks.

After enjoying your morning at leisure, you will transfer to the airport for your international flight to the second destination of your vacation, Thornybush Game Reserve. Forming part of Greater Kruger National Park, Thornybush is a wildlife sanctuary home to a diverse range of animals, plants, and birds you will be thrilled to discover during extensive game safaris across the greenery. Shortly after arriving, you may wish to join your experienced ranger for a delightful afternoon tour of your surroundings that is bound to show off nature’s unspoiled charm and the creatures who call these flourishing environments home.

With a full day to explore Thornybush, you will hope to spot as much game as possible during safari drives across the varied environments. With the help of your trained tracker and knowledgeable ranger, you will pinpoint the location of significant South African animals, including rhinos, lions, leopards, giraffes, buffaloes, and many more iconic creatures. There’s a good chance you will spot the entire Big Five throughout your stay, as well as other precious wildlife such as the country’s national bird, the blue crane, and national animal, the springbok.

Having explored large portions of the park during your stay, you may wish to enjoy your third day in Thornybush slowly, appreciating the delightful amenities on offer at your accommodation. In the early afternoon, you may treasure an assortment of vitalizing spa treatments performed in private open-air rooms sharing views of the flanking bushveld. Feeling fresh and recharged, you may board a hot air balloon this afternoon and take to the skies for panoramic vistas of the Greater Kruger, clinking glasses of champagne as you toast to your adventures upon landing back on the ground.

Today, you will venture onward to the next country earmarked for your gripping game viewing adventure across southern Africa, Botswana. Home to the Mashatu Game Reserve, a wildlife haven dubbed the ‘Land of Giants’ for its enormous herds of elephants who roam the emerald plains, your travels in Botswana will present phenomenal animal spotting opportunities with sceneries seemingly stripped from the pages of a glossy travel magazine. Following an afternoon safari exploration, you will return to camp for an exquisite Botswana barbeque enjoyed around the blazing campfire.

The staggering conservation area of Mashatu is a dream to discover alongside an experienced ranger who will guide you to prime game viewing spots speckling the diverse landscape. You will take breaks at waterholes where gentle animals like zebra, giraffe, and buffaloes gather in a peaceful communion to refresh and take refuge from the wandering predators. You will continue to riverside viewpoints often sharing spectacular scenes of elephant herds crossing the tranquil streams and bathing in their cool waters with their young ones. Every inch of Mashatu has a wildlife discovery lurking behind every little piece of shrubbery.

The golden savannas, viridian plains, and emerald forests of Mashatu are yours to explore, and there are unique ways to peruse the bushveld should you wish to do so today. You may partake in a photographic safari alongside a professional photographer and knowledgeable ranger in a 4x4 vehicle equipped with the latest camera technology. Your adventure will bring you to hides, concealed viewing locations allowing you to capture unsuspecting animals grazing the grass and bathing in the waterholes. In the afternoon, you may cycle across shaded paths winding through Mashatu to encounter the animals and birdlife up close.

You will enjoy the remainder of your African vacation in Zimbabwe, a beautiful country home to one of the iconic Natural Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls. Shortly after arriving at your accommodation, you will join your guide and head for the stunning geological spectacle. As you approach the viewpoints, the echoes of the pounding streams will signal that you are close. Stepping out from the green onto a runway terrace sharing panoramic views of the falls, you will be mesmerized by its enormous size and colossal streams of pearl-white water flowing into the steep cavern.

You will transfer to one last spellbinding game reserve for the final day of your tour, Zimbabwe’s Matobo National Park. Matoba is dripping in culture and brimming with wildlife viewing opportunities set to sweep you away. You will join your knowledgeable guide for a captivating safari excursion across the historic landscape, concluding with a visit to a Matabele village. The hospitable and friendly locals will welcome you to their home, sharing their traditions and customs as well as their distinct culinary delights. You will also take great pleasure in the ability to help the community in any way possible.

Few places are as lively in the mornings as Matobo National Park, with the morning sunshine signaling the start of the day for the diurnal residents of the bushveld. A cacophony of wildlife sounds will echo from the wilderness and envelop your campsite as you sip on freshly brewed coffee and bask in breathtaking views of your surroundings. You will tuck into an exquisite breakfast before packing your bags, checking out of your accommodation, and transferring to the airport, where you will begin your journey home.