Self-Launched Cape Town, Kruger & Zimbabwe Adventure

Arrive in Cape Town at any time. Cape Town International Airport is well connected by the MyCiTi bus service (~£1.50) or the Uber/Bolt app (~£8-12) into the city centre. Check into your hostel in the vibrant De Waterkant or Long Street area. Grab a bite at the Old Biscuit Mill market area or explore the V&A Waterfront. No agenda — just get settled and meet fellow travellers.

🚌MyCiTi Airport Bus (~£1.50) or Bolt/Uber (~£10)

🛏Ashanti Lodge Gardens or The Backpack Hostel, Cape Town (~£18-25/night dorm, ~£40-55/night private)

• →Explore V&A Waterfront
• →Walk Long Street and De Waterkant
• →Pick up a local SIM card for data

A full free day to explore Cape Town's iconic highlights. Take the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway for sweeping views over the city (book online to avoid queues, ~£20 return). Alternatively, rent a car for the day (~£30-40) and drive the Cape Peninsula to Cape Point and Boulders Beach to see the African penguin colony. In the evening, consider a Stellenbosch wine tour via shared minibus taxi or a self-drive (~£15-20 fuel). Countless budget-friendly restaurants line Long Street for dinner.

🚌Bolt/Uber for local trips, or self-drive hire (~£35/day)

🛏Ashanti Lodge Gardens or The Backpack Hostel, Cape Town

• →Table Mountain Cableway (self-book via tablemountain.net, ~£20 return)
• →Cape Point & Cape of Good Hope drive (entry ~£10)
• →Boulders Beach penguin colony (~£6)
• →Stellenbosch wine tasting (~£15-25)

Take an early budget flight from Cape Town (CPT) to Johannesburg (JNB) — book in advance with FlySafair or Kulula for as little as £35-60. From OR Tambo airport, take the Gautrain (~£4) to Rosebank or the city centre. In the afternoon, head to Soweto for a bicycle tour — book directly with Lebo's Soweto Backpackers, who run excellent community-led bike tours (~£20pp). Stay overnight in Soweto or Johannesburg.

🚌Budget flight (~£50), Gautrain from OR Tambo (~£4), local taxi to Soweto (~£5)

🛏Lebo's Soweto Backpackers (~£15 dorm) or Johannesburg city hostel

• →Budget flight Cape Town to Johannesburg (~£40-60, book via FlySafair)
• →Soweto bicycle tour via Lebo's Soweto Backpackers (~£20pp)
• →Visit Vilakazi Street — home of both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu
• →Optional: Apartheid Museum (~£8)

Hire a car from Johannesburg for the drive northeast along the spectacular Panorama Route (~4-5 hrs with stops). Stop at the Blyde River Canyon viewpoints, God's Window, and Bourke's Luck Potholes (entry ~£5). Self-driving into or near Kruger is highly recommended for flexibility. Alternatively, book a shared shuttle from Johannesburg to Hazyview or Hoedspruit (~£20-30 via Baz Bus or shared transfers). In the evening, enjoy a braai (BBQ) at your guesthouse.

🚌Self-drive hire (~£40/day) or shared shuttle (~£25)

🛏Kruger Park Backpackers (Hazyview) or Gecko Lodge (~£20-30/night)

• →Panorama Route scenic drive: God's Window, Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes (~£5 entry)
• →Arrive at Kruger-area guesthouse
• →Traditional braai dinner at accommodation

Spend a full day game-driving in Kruger — one of the world's best and most accessible wildlife reserves. You can self-drive inside the park in a regular hire car (gate entry ~£18pp, no 4WD needed on main roads). Alternatively, book a full-day guided open-vehicle safari direct through operators like Kruger Park Safaris or via GetYourGuide (~£70-90pp). Start at sunrise for the best wildlife sightings. Pack a picnic lunch or eat at one of the park's rest camps. Keep an eye out for lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and buffalo — the Big Five.

🚌Self-drive hire car (already rented)

🛏Kruger Park Backpackers or Hazyview guesthouse

• →Full day Kruger National Park safari — self-drive or guided open vehicle (~£18-90pp)
• →Big Five spotting: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo
• →Sunrise game drive for best sightings
• →Lunch at Skukuza or Satara rest camp

Head north towards the Timbavati private game reserve area. Book a guided bush walk directly with a local operator to search for the 'Small Five' — elephant shrew, ant lion, buffalo weaver, leopard tortoise, and rhino beetle. This immersive walking experience reveals the sounds, smells, and secrets of the African lowveld. Several lodges and community conservancies in the area offer guided walks from ~£25-40pp. In the afternoon, relax at your lodge.

🚌Self-drive hire car

🛏Timbavati area guesthouse or bush camp (~£25-40/night)

• →Guided nature walk / bush walk in Timbavati area (~£25-40pp)
• →Search for the Small Five
• →Sunset views from the lodge veranda
• →Stargazing in the lowveld darkness

A long but rewarding overland day. Return hire car in Hoedspruit or Johannesburg (check drop-off options), then cross the South Africa–Botswana border at Martins Drift or Stockpoort. Public minibuses and shared taxis run between towns near the border. Inside Botswana, local combis (minibus taxis) connect towns affordably. Serowe is a historic town — birthplace of Sir Seretse Khama. Check into a local guesthouse and relax before the next day's journey.

🚌Shared taxi / combi minibus to border (~£10-15), onward combi to Serowe (~£8)

🛏Serowe Hotel or local guesthouse (~£20-30/night)

• →Cross South Africa–Botswana border (Martins Drift or Stockpoort)
• →Arrive in Serowe — birthplace of Botswana's first president
• →Optional: Visit Khama III Memorial Museum (~£2)

Depart Serowe and head towards the Zimbabwe border at Plumtree. Cross using your pre-arranged Zimbabwe visa (KAZA UniVisa ~£35, covers Zimbabwe and Zambia). From Plumtree, take a local bus or shared taxi (~£5-8) towards Bulawayo, then onward to the Matobo Hills area (~1 hr south). Matobo National Park is UNESCO-listed for its extraordinary granite kopjes and ancient San rock art. Check into your lodge and take an easy evening walk to get your bearings.

🚌Local bus Serowe to Plumtree border (~£10), shared taxi to Matobo area (~£8)

🛏Big Cave Camp or Matobo Hills Lodge camping/budget option (~£20-35/night)

• →Cross Botswana–Zimbabwe border at Plumtree
• →Obtain/use KAZA UniVisa (~£35 if not pre-arranged)
• →Transfer to Matobo Hills area
• →Evening orientation walk around the granite kopjes

A full day exploring one of Africa's most atmospheric landscapes. In the morning, visit the ancient San (Bushmen) cave paintings at Nswatugi or White Rhino Shelter — book a guide at the park gate (~£10-15pp) to get the most from the rock art. The park is also one of the best places on Earth for white rhino tracking on foot — book a guided rhino tracking walk directly through the park or via a local operator (~£30-45pp). In the afternoon, hike the unique balancing granite boulders or relax by the pool.

🚌Local park transport / walking

🛏Big Cave Camp or Matobo Hills Lodge

• →Guided San cave paintings walk (~£10-15pp)
• →White rhino tracking on foot (~£30-45pp, book direct at park gate)
• →Hike the granite kopjes landscape
• →Cecil Rhodes' grave at World's View (optional, ~£3)

Travel north from Matobo towards Hwange National Park — Zimbabwe's largest wildlife reserve and a haven for elephants (one of the largest elephant populations in the world). Take a local bus from Bulawayo towards Victoria Falls, alighting at the Hwange Main Camp junction (~£8-12). Self-drive or book shared game drives directly at the park camp. Hwange is excellent for lion, wild dog, and of course massive elephant herds. Check into the Main Camp or a nearby budget lodge.

🚌Local bus Bulawayo to Hwange (~£10)

🛏Hwange Main Camp (Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife, ~£15-25/night) or Elephant's Eye Lodge budget option

• →Travel from Matobo to Hwange National Park
• →Afternoon game drive (book at Hwange Main Camp, ~£25-35pp)
• →Elephant and predator spotting at waterholes
• →Sundowner drinks at the lodge

Dedicate a full day to exploring Hwange. Book a morning and afternoon game drive directly through the Zimbabwe Parks office at Main Camp (~£25-30 each), or self-drive the park's network of roads in a hire car. The Nyamandhlovu Pan is famous for massive elephant gatherings — especially in dry season. Walking safaris can also be arranged at the camp. In the evening, enjoy a communal dinner with other travellers at the camp.

🚌Park game drive vehicles / self-drive

🛏Hwange Main Camp or nearby budget lodge

• →Morning game drive (~£25-30pp, book at Main Camp)
• →Afternoon game drive or self-drive safari
• →Nyamandhlovu Pan elephant viewing platform (free with park entry)
• →Optional: guided walking safari (~£20pp)

Take the local bus or shared transfer from Hwange to Victoria Falls town (~2.5 hrs, ~£8-12). Check into your hostel and head straight to the Falls — entry is ~£30pp and is absolutely worth it. The afternoon light on the spray is incredible. For the optional Chobe National Park day trip (Botswana), book directly with a local operator in Vic Falls town — day trips including boat cruise and game drive run ~£70-90pp (vs $240 via G Adventures). In the evening, explore the lively Livingstone Way restaurant and bar strip.

🚌Local bus or shared transfer Hwange to Vic Falls (~£10)

🛏Shoestrings Backpackers or Victoria Falls Backpackers (~£15-20 dorm, ~£35-45 private)

• →Victoria Falls entry (~£30pp, book direct at gate)
• →Walk the rainforest trail around the falls
• →Optional: Chobe National Park full day trip from Vic Falls (~£70-90pp via local operator)
• →Sundowner cruise on the Zambezi (~£25-35pp, book via local operators on Livingstone Way)

Enjoy a final morning in Victoria Falls before departure. If you have time, consider a white-water rafting session on the Zambezi (one of the world's best, ~£85-100pp via Shearwater or Safari Par Excellence — book direct for best prices), a bungee jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge (~£110pp), or a microlight flight over the falls (~£120pp). Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) has flights to Johannesburg, Harare, and beyond. Alternatively, cross into Zambia (Livingstone) on foot over the border bridge for onward travel.

🚌Bolt/local taxi to airport (~£5-8), or walk across border bridge to Zambia

🛏Check out — onward travel from Victoria Falls Airport (VFA)

• →Zambezi white-water rafting (~£85-100pp, book via Shearwater direct)
• →Victoria Falls Bridge bungee jump (~£110pp)
• →Microlight flight over the Falls (~£120pp)
• →Optional: walk across the border to Livingstone, Zambia for onward travel