Limpopo & Southern Africa Overland Adventure — Self-Launched 21-Day Version

Land at Hosea Kutako International (WDH). Take the official airport shuttle into town (~NAD 350 / £15) or share a taxi. Settle into a backpacker hostel in the city centre, pick up a Namibian SIM (MTC or TN Mobile, cheap data), and stock up on water and snacks. Evening walk to Christ Church and the Ink Palace (Tintenpalast) area, then a braai dinner at the hostel.

🚌Airport shuttle ~£15

🛏Backpacker hostel or guesthouse, city centre (dorm or private single) — ~£16

• →City orientation walk: Christ Church, Tintenpalast, old railway station
• →Buy SIM card and groceries

Book an airport-side lodge or guest camp in the Onjala/Ondekaremba area (30-45 min east of Windhoek). Arrange a guided walking safari and an afternoon open-vehicle game drive directly with the lodge (usually ~NAD 500-700 pp) — this replicates the tour's Onjala inclusions without the group structure. Night sky here is superb; bring a red torch and use a star app rather than paying for an observatory session.

🚌Shared road transfer from Windhoek ~£20

🛏Lodge/guest camp near Onjala — ~£25

• →Guided walking safari
• →Open-vehicle game drive (2 hrs, booked direct with lodge)
• →Self-guided stargazing

Take the daily Windhoek–Otjiwarongo shuttle (Shuttle Africa / Intercape-style ~NAD 350-450 / £15-20, ~4 hrs) and continue to Okaukuejo or the Andersson Gate area, or join a shared 4x4 transfer arranged by your Etosha lodge. Check into a lodge just outside the southern gate. Afternoon: self-drive or lodge-arranged sundowner drive into Etosha; the camp waterholes at Okaukuejo are famous for night-time rhino sightings.

🚌Intercity shuttle Otjiwarongo ~£18 + shared transfer ~£20

🛏Lodge near Andersson Gate — ~£30

• →Etosha park entry (NAD 150 pp/day + vehicle fee)
• →Evening waterhole visit at Okaukuejo

Book a full-day open-vehicle safari with the lodge or a local operator (approx NAD 1,700 pp plus park fees, matching what the tour sells as an optional extra). If you're travelling solo, ask to join a shared vehicle to cut costs. Focus on Gemsbokvlakte, Olifantsbad and Nebrownii waterholes. Alternatively the cheapest option is teaming up with other travellers at the lodge to split a self-drive 4x4.

🚌Included in safari vehicle

🛏Lodge near Andersson Gate — ~£30

• →Full-day open-vehicle game drive
• →Waterhole circuit: Gemsbokvlakte, Olifantsbad

Morning game drive heading east across the Etosha salt pan towards Namutoni, then drive/transfer south-east to the Otavi Mountains (Otavi/Grootfontein area). Afternoon short walk in a local game park or farm reserve, then a sundowner on the escarpment. Guest farms here offer affordable rooms and home-cooked dinners.

🚌Shared road transfer Namutoni–Otavi ~£20

🛏Otavi guest farm — ~£25

• →Etosha salt pan crossing
• →Evening game-park walk

Long transfer day north via Grootfontein and the B8 to Rundu on the Okavango River (~5-6 hrs). Settle into a riverside lodge or guesthouse. Late afternoon: join a local two-hour sunset boat trip to see hippos and Popa Falls (~NAD 500-550 pp, bookable on arrival at the riverside lodges).

🚌Shared shuttle/minibus ~£25

🛏Riverside lodge/guesthouse, Rundu — ~£22

• →Sunset boat trip on the Okavango (~NAD 500)
• →Popa Falls rapids viewpoint

Move 1.5 hrs east to Divundu/Bagani. Book a half-day 4x4 safari into Bwabwata National Park (elephant, sable, buffalo; ~NAD 700-900 pp shared) and a two-hour boat trip on the Okavango with a riverside lodge. Lunch on an island or riverbank camp as the lodges here usually run a boat-and-lunch combination.

🚌Shared taxi Rundu–Divundu ~£8

🛏Riverside lodge, Divundu/Bagani — ~£22

• →Bwabwata half-day 4x4 safari
• →Okavango River boat trip with island lunch

Cross the Caprivi Strip marshland east to Katima Mulilo (~4 hrs). If you want more safari, stop at Kwando or Kongola for a morning game drive in Bwabwata's eastern section. In Katima, visit the riverside market and relax; this is a good night to catch up on laundry and plan the Botswana border crossing.

🚌Shared minibus/shuttle ~£15

🛏Guesthouse or backpackers, Katima Mulilo — ~£20

• →Caprivi Strip drive
• →Katima Mulilo riverside market

Cross into Botswana at Ngoma border (visa-free for most nationalities, small exit fee). En route, stop at a Mafwe cultural village near Singalamwe/Chinchimane if time allows, or visit the Kazungula-area cultural village. Arrive Kasane and stay in a backpackers or guesthouse — Kasane has good budget options and is your base for Chobe.

🚌Shared taxi to border + border crossing + shared transfer ~£20

🛏Kasane backpackers/guesthouse — ~£25

• →Mafwe cultural village visit
• →Ngoma border crossing
• →Kasane riverside sunset

This is Chobe's signature day. Book a combo package directly with a Kasane operator or via GetYourGuide: morning 4x4 game drive into Chobe National Park (~BWP 700-900 pp) plus afternoon Chobe River boat safari (~BWP 500-700 pp); many operators bundle both for ~BWP 1,300-1,600 pp including park fees. Chobe has Africa's largest elephant population — expect hundreds in a morning.

🚌Safari operator pickup

🛏Kasane backpackers/guesthouse — ~£25

• →Chobe 4x4 game drive
• →Chobe River boat safari (elephants, hippos, crocs)

Take a shared shuttle or local bus across the Kazungula border to Victoria Falls town (~1.5-2 hrs, ~US$15-25 shared). Enter Zimbabwe side ($30 visa on arrival for most nationalities, check yours). Afternoon: walk the Victoria Falls rainforest trail (US$50 park entry) and cross the Knife Edge Bridge. Splurge option: 12-13 min helicopter flight over the falls (~US$205, book via GetYourGuide or on site). Dinner in town.

🚌Shared shuttle Kasane–Vic Falls ~£18

🛏Backpackers or guesthouse, Victoria Falls — ~£25

• →Victoria Falls rainforest hike (US$50 entry)
• →Knife Edge Bridge & Devil's Cataract viewpoints

Re-cross into Botswana and travel south to Nata (~5 hrs by shared shuttle/bus via Kasane). Afternoon or next-morning: 4x4 trip onto the Makgadikgadi salt pans (~BWP 700-900 pp with a Nata operator, or ~£55 via GetYourGuide) — surreal white horizon, baobabs, and if lucky meerkats and flamingos. Nata Lodge and nearby camps have budget rooms.

🚌Shared shuttle Kasane–Nata ~£22

🛏Nata lodge/camp — ~£22

• →Makgadikgadi salt pan 4x4 excursion with guide
• →Bird watching at Nata oasis

Travel south via Francistown to Selebi-Phikwe (~5-6 hrs by bus/shared minibus, ~BWP 150-200). This is a working mining town and an authentic, untouristed slice of Botswana. Use it as a comfortable stopover with a simple guesthouse and a local restaurant dinner — the tour's own itinerary does the same.

🚌Bus/shared minibus Nata–Francistown–Selebi-Phikwe ~£15

🛏Local guesthouse, Selebi-Phikwe — ~£20

• →Francistown market stop
• →Local dinner in town

Head south towards the Limpopo Valley and Mapungubwe. Book a night at a lodge or camp bordering Mapesu Private Game Reserve or the Tuli Block (book direct — prices ~£30-45 for a bush camp). Two-hour open-4x4 safari in Mapesu in the late afternoon looking for elephant, eland and leopard.

🚌Shared taxi + arranged lodge transfer ~£25

🛏Mapesu/Limpopo Valley bush lodge — ~£35

• →Mapesu Private Game Reserve 4x4 safari

Cross into South Africa at Platjan or Pont Drift border and enter Mapungubwe National Park (SANParks entry ~ZAR 250 pp/day plus vehicle). Explore the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape — iron-age royal settlement, rock art and the famous golden rhino (the original is in Pretoria; the site interpretation centre is excellent). Do a 2-3 hr guided walk with a SANParks guide to the summit, and stop at the Shashe-Limpopo confluence viewpoint where three countries meet.

🚌Border transfer + self/park transport ~£20

🛏Mapungubwe-area lodge or SANParks camp — ~£30

• →Mapungubwe Hill guided walk & cultural landscape
• →Confluence viewpoint (Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa)
• →SANParks afternoon game drive

Drive/transfer south to the Kruger lowveld (~4-5 hrs). Stay in a guesthouse or safari camp near Guernsey/Orpen Gate or Hoedspruit. Afternoon guided walking safari in Guernsey Private Nature Reserve (~ZAR 550-750 pp) — a good way to stretch your legs and spot plains game before Kruger itself.

🚌Shared shuttle/transfer ~£30

🛏Kruger-area safari guesthouse — ~£30

• →Guernsey walking safari

Full-day open-4x4 game drive in Kruger with a local operator (approx ZAR 1,500-2,000 pp shared, incl. park entry) or self-drive with a SANParks Wild Card if you're renting a car. Cover the central/southern plains — expect the Big Five, wild dog if lucky, and superb birdlife. Pack a picnic for a rustic picnic-site breakfast, as the tour does.

🚌Safari operator pickup

🛏Kruger-area safari guesthouse — ~£30

• →Full-day Kruger open-vehicle safari
• →Picnic breakfast at a bush picnic site

Morning game drive out of Kruger (or a final sunrise loop from a southern camp), then drive west via the Abel Erasmus Pass to Ohrigstad (~2 hrs). Stay in a budget guesthouse or backpackers in the Panorama Route foothills — this positions you perfectly for tomorrow's scenic drive.

🚌Shared shuttle/transfer ~£20

🛏Ohrigstad guesthouse/backpackers — ~£22

• →Sunrise game drive
• →Abel Erasmus Pass drive

Do the Panorama Route today — either with a day tour booked via GetYourGuide (~£70-90 pp from Hoedspruit/Graskop) or by renting a car for the day (~£35 plus fuel). Stops: Pilgrim's Rest gold-mining town, God's Window, Pinnacle Rock, Bourke's Luck Potholes (ZAR 100 entry), and the Blyde River Canyon viewpoint — one of the largest green canyons on Earth. Local craft market at Graskop.

🚌Day tour or rental car ~£40

🛏Ohrigstad or Graskop guesthouse — ~£22

• →Pilgrim's Rest
• →God's Window
• →Pinnacle Rock
• →Bourke's Luck Potholes
• →Blyde River Canyon viewpoint

Transfer or bus to Johannesburg (~5-6 hrs; Intercape/City to City bus ~ZAR 400-550, or a shared shuttle). Check into a hostel in Maboneng or Melville. Afternoon: optional visit to the Apartheid Museum (ZAR 150) or a Maboneng street-art walk. Final group dinner and braai.

🚌Intercity bus ~£22

🛏Johannesburg hostel — ~£22

• →Apartheid Museum or Maboneng street art
• →Farewell dinner

Gautrain or shuttle to OR Tambo International for your flight home. If your flight is late, squeeze in a morning at Constitution Hill or the Neighbourgoods Market (Sat). Book international flights separately — the operator's price bundles a Frankfurt return flight, so compare against your own departure city.

🚌Gautrain to OR Tambo ~£10

🛏—

• →Constitution Hill or Neighbourgoods Market (optional)