Kruger, Matobo & Victoria Falls — Self-Launched Overland Adventure

Start early in Pretoria (Gauteng) after a night in a backpackers or budget hotel near Hatfield/Pretoria East. Take the City to City or Intercape coach to Nelspruit (Mbombela), roughly 4.5–5 hours, ~£18–25. From Nelspruit pick up a bus or shared taxi to Hazyview (~1.5 hrs, ~£5), or hire a compact car in Nelspruit for 3 days (~£35–45/day incl. basic insurance) if you want the freedom of the Panorama Route. With a car, drive the escarpment in the afternoon: Blyde River Canyon viewpoint and the Three Rondavels, Graskop and God's Window if time allows. Overnight in Hazyview — hostels and guesthouses cluster around the R40.

🚌Intercape/City to City coach Pretoria–Nelspruit ~£20; shared taxi or hire car Nelspruit–Hazyview ~£5–10

🛏Hazyview hostel or budget guesthouse, dorm/private room £14–20

• →Blyde River Canyon viewpoint & Three Rondavels
• →Graskop and God's Window (self-drive, small entry fees ~£3 each)

Buy a Kruger day permit at Phabeni or Numbi Gate (international visitor conservation fee around £30–35 per person per day) and drive yourself into the park at gate opening — self-drive is the cheapest way to see Kruger. Pack water, snacks and lunch (rest camps like Skukuza and Lower Sabie have shops and a restaurant if you'd rather eat there, ~£8–12). Alternatively book a guided open-vehicle morning game drive via GetYourGuide or a Hazyview operator for ~£45–65 if you'd prefer a ranger doing the spotting. Drive the southern circuits slowly, be back at the gate before closing, and return to Hazyview for the night.

🚌Self-drive hire car (fuel ~£12) or guided game-drive transfer from Hazyview

🛏Hazyview hostel or budget guesthouse, £14–20

• →Self-drive game drive in Kruger NP (or guided morning drive ~£50)
• →Kruger conservation day fee ~£32
• →Lunch at a rest camp

Return the hire car (or take a taxi to Nelspruit) and head north. The easiest DIY route is a bus/shuttle from Nelspruit or Hazyview to Polokwane (~4–5 hrs, ~£15–20) — check Intercape, Greyhound-replacement services and local shuttles the day before. In Polokwane, take a taxi or rideshare out to Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open-Air Museum just outside town (entry ~£3–5, guided tour of the reconstructed homestead usually included) — the same cultural stop the tour makes. Stay in a Polokwane guesthouse or backpackers close to the centre.

🚌Bus/shuttle Hazyview–Polokwane ~£15–20; local taxi to museum ~£5

🛏Polokwane guesthouse/backpackers, £16–24

• →Bakone Malapa Open-Air Museum guided visit
• →Polokwane town wander and supermarket stock-up for Zimbabwe

This is the long travel day the tour does in its own truck. DIY options: (1) an overnight Intercape/cross-border coach Polokwane–Johannesburg–Harare–Bulawayo (long, ~£35–50, check schedules and border hours carefully), or (2) the more comfortable route — bus to Johannesburg, fly Jo'burg–Bulawayo with Fastjet/Airlink if fares are low (~£70–110 one way), or (3) a pre-booked cross-border shuttle via Beitbridge (~£35–45). Carry USD cash for the Zimbabwe visa on arrival (roughly £25–45 for most Western passports — check your nationality) and for tips and fees inside Zimbabwe, as card acceptance is patchy. Arrive Bulawayo, check into a guesthouse in Hillside or the city centre, and stretch your legs past the colonial-era City Hall and old Victorian buildings in the evening.

🚌Cross-border coach ~£40 or Jo'burg–Bulawayo flight ~£90; Beitbridge border formalities

🛏Bulawayo guesthouse/hostel, £15–22

• →Self-guided walk of Bulawayo city centre and Victorian architecture
• →Railway Museum if time allows (~£2)

Book a Matobo day trip direct with a Bulawayo operator (e.g. via GetYourGuide, Klook or a local lodge) for ~£55–80 per person including park fees, 4x4 and guide — this replaces the tour's included Matobo safari. Spend the morning walking with guides tracking white rhino on foot (conditions permitting), then visit San (Bushman) rock-art caves and the granite kopjes of this UNESCO-listed landscape, with a stop at Cecil Rhodes' grave viewpoint. Bring your own lunch or ask the operator to include it (~£5). Back in Bulawayo for dinner — the Bulawayo Club or a local braai spot is a good budget feed (~£8).

🚌Operator 4x4 pickup from Bulawayo included in day-trip price

🛏Bulawayo guesthouse/hostel, £15–22

• →Guided walking rhino safari in Matobo NP
• →San rock art caves
• →Rhodes grave / World's View viewpoint

Take the overnight sleeper on the National Railways of Zimbabwe Bulawayo–Victoria Falls train if it's running (2nd class ~£5–10, 1st class ~£15–20; check current service status locally) — a brilliant slow-travel alternative to the tour bus. Otherwise use the overnight bus (~£15–20) or a shared taxi/ shuttle. Arrive in Vic Falls, check in, then head to Chinotimba township for dinner at Dusty Road — the same open-fire, community-run Zimbabwean restaurant the tour includes; book a table directly and budget ~£12–18 for a generous set meal. Optionally add the Simunye – Spirit of Africa theatre show (~£15–25) if it's playing.

🚌NRZ overnight train ~£10–20 (or overnight bus ~£18)

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers/budget lodge, £18–28

• →Dusty Road township open-fire dinner
• →Optional Simunye theatre show

Walk into Victoria Falls National Park on your own (~£25–30 entry) and follow the rainforest trail past the Devil's Cataract, Main Falls and Livingstone Island viewpoints — allow 2–3 hours and rent a poncho in the wet season. In the afternoon, book a Zambezi sunset cruise direct or via GetYourGuide (~£35–55 including drinks and snacks) — the same experience the tour includes, minus the group. Dinner in town at a budget restaurant (~£10).

🚌Walkable town; taxi to cruise jetty ~£5

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers/budget lodge, £18–28

• →Victoria Falls National Park rainforest walk
• →Zambezi River sunset cruise

Pick your adventure à la carte instead of a fixed group plan: white-water rafting on the Zambezi (~£90–120), gorge swing or bungee (~£60–90), canoeing (~£50–70), horseback trails (~£45), or a 15-minute helicopter flight over the falls (~£120–160). Cheaper options: cross the border into Zambia at the Vic Falls bridge for the Livingstone/Knife Edge view of the falls (Kaza visa if eligible, ~£40–50; check nationality rules) and visit the Mukuni Park curio market. If you'd rather give something back, ask your hostel about half-day volunteer placements with local projects. Book any activities a day ahead through GetYourGuide, Klook or the activity desks on Livingstone Way.

🚌Local taxis ~£3–8 per hop; optional border crossing on foot

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers/budget lodge, £18–28

• →Choose 1–2: rafting, bungee/gorge swing, scenic flight, canoeing, horse riding
• →Optional Zambia day trip to see the falls from Livingstone side

Breakfast at the hostel and onward travel: Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) has flights to Johannesburg, Harare and Nairobi, or you can cross to Livingstone (Zambia) and pick up the bus network south, and from there the route continues to Chobe/Botswana, the Okavango or Cape Town if you want to extend. Sort your USD cash out before you leave — Zimbabwe's multi-currency system means USD is king. Add a buffer day here if your international flight isn't until the next morning.

🚌Airport transfer ~£10; onward flights/buses self-booked

• →Breakfast and departure
• →Optional extension planning (Chobe, Okavango, Livingstone)