Splendors of South Africa & Victoria Falls — Self-Launched Edition
12 days · South Africa & Zimbabwe
Globus charges £4,330
No-markup version: ~£1,855 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A do-it-yourself version of Globus's 12-day Cape Town → Kruger → Johannesburg → Victoria Falls tour, rebuilt for independent travellers. You'll cover the same ground — Table Mountain and Bo-Kaap, the Cape Peninsula, three nights of Big Five game drives in Kruger, Soweto's history, a Zambezi sunset cruise and the Falls themselves — using hostels, budget guesthouses and self-catering safari camps, domestic low-cost flights and shared transfers, and self-bookable walking tours and game drives. Expect to spend roughly a third of the packaged price while keeping the same experiences, plus the freedom to linger longer at Victoria Falls (a complaint in the original's reviews). All costs are approximate per person and exclude international flights to/from South Africa.
Day-by-day
Arrive Cape Town — settle into the City Bowl
Cape Town, South Africa
Land at Cape Town International (CPT) and take the MyCiTi bus route or an Uber/bakkie taxi into the City Bowl (about R150–250 / £7–11 by rideshare, or ~£4 on the airport bus to the Civic Centre). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Gardens, De Waterkant or Sea Point. Use the afternoon to get your bearings: walk the Company's Garden, pop into St George's Cathedral and City Hall (where Mandela gave his first free speech), and grab an early dinner on Bree or Kloof Street. Buy a MyCiTi `myconnect` card (~£2) to load as you go — it makes the whole week cheaper.
🚌Airport bus MyCiTi route ~£4, or rideshare ~£8–11
🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Gardens/Sea Point (e.g. Never at Home Green Point, Once in Cape Town) — £12–22
- →Company's Garden walk
- →City Hall & St George's Cathedral
- →Bree Street food crawl
Table Mountain + Bo-Kaap with a local guide
Cape Town, South Africa
Book the Table Mountain cable car online in advance (return ~£22) and go first thing — cloud and wind close it often, so keep a free morning as backup. Afterwards walk down into Bo-Kaap and join a community-led walking tour (~£20–25 via GetYourGuide, often led by a Bo-Kaap resident and including the Bo-Kaap Museum) — this replaces the packaged version's community-leader walk. Lunch on traditional Cape Malay curry or koesisters in the neighbourhood (~£8). Finish with the Castle of Good Hope (£5) and Parliament Gardens if time allows.
🚌MyCiTi bus / Uber around the City Bowl — ~£5
🛏Same Cape Town hostel/guesthouse — £12–22
- →Table Mountain cable car
- →Bo-Kaap community walking tour
- →Cape Malay lunch
- →Castle of Good Hope
Cape Peninsula loop: Chapman's Peak, Cape Point, penguins
Cape Peninsula, South Africa
Do this as a shared small-group day tour (bookable on GetYourGuide/Klook for ~£45–65) or, cheaper still, hire a car for the day (~£28 + fuel) if you have a few people. Route: Atlantic seaboard → Chapman's Peak Drive (toll ~£3) → Cape of Good Hope sign → Cape Point Nature Reserve (~£22 entry) with the funicular to the old lighthouse (~£4) → Boulders Beach penguin colony (~£10) → optional Kalk Bay or Simon's Town stop for lunch. Back in the city by early evening.
🚌Shared day tour ~£50, or self-drive ~£35 split between travellers
🛏Same Cape Town hostel/guesthouse — £12–22
- →Chapman's Peak Drive
- →Cape of Good Hope & Cape Point
- →Funicular to old lighthouse
- →Boulders Beach penguins
Free day: Winelands or V&A Waterfront
Cape Town / Stellenbosch, South Africa
Flexible day — exactly the freedom the packaged tour leaves for optionals. Cheapest option: take the Metro train to Stellenbosch (~£4, 1hr) and hop between two or three estates for tastings (~£5–8 each), or use the Wine Tram's budget self-guided option. Alternatively stay local: V&A Waterfront, the Zeitz MOCAA museum (~£10) and a sunset walk along Sea Point promenade. In whale season (June–Dec) a day trip to Hermanus by Baz Bus or shared shuttle is possible but makes a long day (~£35 transport + ~£55 boat trip).
🚌Metro train to Stellenbosch return ~£8, or MyCiTi locally ~£4
🛏Same Cape Town hostel/guesthouse — £12–22
- →Stellenbosch wine tasting (self-guided)
- →V&A Waterfront & Zeitz MOCAA
- →Optional Hermanus whale watching (Jun–Dec)
Fly to Kruger — night game drive
Kruger National Park (Hazyview area), South Africa
Take a budget domestic flight Cape Town → Johannesburg (FlySafair or Kulula, booked early ~£45–80), then the shuttle/coach onward to Hazyview or Kruger's southern gate (~£20–25, ~5hrs), or fly CPT → Kruger Mpumalanga (MQP) if prices are close. Check into a budget safari camp or the SANParks Skukuza rest camp (~£30–45 self-catering bungalow, shared). Join a SANParks sunset/night drive (~£18–22) with a ranger — this is the DIY equivalent of the operator's afternoon drive, and night drives are the best chance of spotting leopard, hyena and genet.
🚌Flight ~£60 + shared shuttle ~£22
🛏SANParks rest camp bungalow or Hazyview guesthouse — £30–45
- →Domestic flight to Johannesburg
- →Shuttle to Kruger/Hazyview
- →SANParks sunset game drive
Kruger: full day of game drives
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Book a morning drive (~£22) and an afternoon drive (~£22) through SANParks or your camp, or — often better value — self-drive the park roads with a map and a good bird/wildlife app (~£38/day car hire shared + £11 conservation fee). Pack a brunch for a picnic hide and plan a siesta during the hot middle of the day. Bring your own sundowner drinks and cold bag; the operator's 'bush cocktail' moment becomes a lookout-point sunset on your own terms.
🚌Park drives in camp vehicle, or shared car hire ~£25–35
🛏Same Kruger camp/guesthouse — £30–45
- →Morning guided or self-drive game drive
- →Afternoon game drive
- →Picnic at a waterhole hide
- →Sundowners at a lookout point
Kruger: drives plus stargazing
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Repeat the dawn drive when predators are most active, rest through midday, then take a second afternoon drive. In the evening swap the operator's private astronomy talk for a SANParks night drive (~£20) or simply join your camp's ranger-led bush braai/star session — the southern African sky needs no paying guide, and many Kruger camps have a small amphitheatre talk included. Sleep early; departure is early tomorrow.
🚌Park drives / shared car hire ~£25
🛏Same Kruger camp/guesthouse — £30–45
- →Dawn game drive
- →Afternoon game drive
- →Night drive or stargazing at camp
Final morning drive, then to Johannesburg
Kruger to Johannesburg, South Africa
One last early drive before checkout, then the shuttle back to Johannesburg (~£22–28, ~5–6hrs) or a cheap flight from MQP if timing suits. Check into a hostel in Maboneng or Braamfontein — both walkable, safe-by-day neighbourhoods with good food. Evening: dinner at a Maboneng market or Neighbourgoods (weekends) and an early night.
🚌Shuttle ~£25, or MQP–JNB flight ~£50
🛏Johannesburg hostel, Maboneng/Braamfontein — £18–28
- →Final morning game drive
- →Travel to Johannesburg
- →Maboneng evening
Soweto and Constitution Hill with local guides
Johannesburg, South Africa
Book a small-group Soweto tour run by a township-based operator (~£40–55, via GetYourGuide or directly with outfits like Soweto Backpackers' bicycle tours — the cycling version is excellent and ~£35). See Vilakazi Street, Mandela House (£5), the Hector Pieterson Memorial & Museum (£5) and Orlando Towers. In the afternoon visit Constitution Hill (~£7, guided tour included in entry). Note from the original reviews: the packaged Soweto day ran long — feel free to trim and add a stop at a shebeen for lunch instead.
🚌Uber/Gautrain around the city ~£8
🛏Johannesburg hostel — £18–28
- →Soweto township tour
- →Mandela House
- →Hector Pieterson Memorial
- →Constitution Hill
Fly to Victoria Falls — Zambezi sunset cruise
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Morning flight Johannesburg → Victoria Falls (VFA) with Fastjet or Airlink (~£90–140 booked ahead; the packaged tour charged ~£150+ for this internal leg). Sort your Zimbabwe KAZA visa on arrival (~£45–50 for most nationalities). Check into a budget lodge or backpackers in the town (~£18–30). Book a sunset cruise on the Zambezi (~£35–45 including drinks and snacks) for late afternoon — the shared boats are the same water and same sunset as the private ones.
🚌Flight ~£115; airport transfer shared ~£8
🛏Victoria Falls backpackers/lodge (e.g. Shoestrings, Victoria Falls Backpackers) — £18–30
- →Flight to Victoria Falls
- →Zambezi sunset cruise with drinks
Victoria Falls walk, optional helicopter, farewell dinner
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Walk the Falls yourself via the Rainforest Trail (£25 entry) — the self-guided path is signed and passes all 16 viewpoints, roughly 2hrs; a local guide at the gate costs ~£15 extra if you want the history and flora. Optional 12–15min helicopter flip (~£120–150) or the cheaper microlight. Afternoon: walk across the Victoria Falls Bridge to the Zambia side (visa permitting) or visit the Chinotimba township with a community-tourism guide (~£15). Farewell dinner at a riverside restaurant such as The Lookout Café (~£15–20).
🚌Local taxis/walking ~£5
🛏Victoria Falls backpackers/lodge — £18–30
- →Victoria Falls Rainforest walk
- →Optional helicopter flight
- →Bridge walk / community visit
- →Riverside farewell dinner
Final morning and onward travel
Victoria Falls to Johannesburg
Slow breakfast by the river, then either fly back to Johannesburg for onward international connections (~£115) or, for the adventurous, cross into Botswana/Zambia overland for onward travel (Kazungula or the Victoria Falls Bridge). Extra nights here are cheap — the original reviews said they wished they'd had more time at the Falls, and a backpackers bed is only ~£20.
🚌Flight VFA → JNB ~£115, or overland kombi/shuttle ~£10
🛏None (or extra backpacker night ~£20)
- →Riverside breakfast
- →Optional extra night at the Falls
- →Onward flight or overland crossing
Self-launched vs. Globus
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Globus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,855 | £4,330 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £2,475 per person (57%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Globus-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,855
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Splendors of South Africa & Victoria Falls — Self-Launched Edition cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,855 per person for 12 days in South Africa & Zimbabwe. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Globus?+
Yes — Globus charges around £4,330 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,855 — a saving of roughly £2,475 (57%) per person.
How long is the South Africa & Zimbabwe trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 day-by-day stops through South Africa & Zimbabwe.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, wildlife, culture trip through South Africa & Zimbabwe, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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