Southern Africa Overland Safari: Self-Launched Camping Circuit (Johannesburg to Johannesburg)

Land at O.R. Tambo and take the Gautrain to Rosebank or Park Station (~£8) then a short rideshare to a hostel in Melville or Maboneng. Spend the afternoon at the Apartheid Museum (~£9) or Constitution Hill, and eat dinner at a braai spot in Maboneng. Stock up at a supermarket for the road: sleeping bag liner, water, snacks. Sort your Botswana pula and USD cash before you leave Joburg — ATMs get patchier north of here.

🚌Gautrain + rideshare from O.R. Tambo (~£10)

🛏Backpacker hostel dorm, Melville/Maboneng (~£15)

• →Apartheid Museum (self-booked, ~ZAR180)
• →Melville/Maboneng neighbourhood walk
• →Supermarket provisioning run

Long travel day. Take an early Intercape or Greyhound-style coach from Johannesburg Park Station to Gaborone (~£20, 6-7 hrs), then a local bus or shared taxi north to Serowe (~£8). From Serowe it's a short taxi to Khama Rhino Sanctuary's campsite (~£6) — the community-run reserve that funds local anti-poaching and school projects. Pitch a tent or take a basic chalet, cook on your stove, and sit around the fire.

🚌Intercity coach Joburg–Gaborone (~£20) + shared taxi/bus Gaborone–Serowe (~£8) + local taxi (~£6)

🛏Khama Rhino Sanctuary campsite or basic chalet (~£10)

• →Optional Gaborone stopover
• →Khama Rhino Sanctuary campsite evening

Join the sanctuary's own morning game drive (~£17 self-booked at the gate — rhino, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest) or walk the network of trails. Then head north: a shared minibus or local bus Serowe to Maun takes most of the day via Palapye and Serule (~£15-20, 7-8 hrs; ask at your guesthouse about shared rides as there's no fixed daily coach). Check into a Maun backpacker lodge with a pool and camp kitchen, and book tomorrow's mokoro trip directly with one of the delta polers' associations or a trusted local operator (~£45-55 for a one-night delta trip including poler, food and camping).

🚌Shared minibus/bus Serowe–Maun ~£18

🛏Maun backpacker lodge, dorm or campsite (~£15)

• →Khama Rhino Sanctuary self-drive/walking safari
• →Book Okavango mokoro trip locally in Maun

Leave the big bags at the lodge and take a light pack. A 4x4 transfer runs you and your poler to the water station (~1 hr), then you pole silently through reed channels in a traditional mokoro dugout, spotting kingfishers, herons, elephants and the occasional hippo. Do a guided bush walk on an island to learn tracking, then set up a simple bush camp and cook over the fire while your poler and the local crew sing. No facilities at all tonight — bring a headtorch and a sleeping bag.

🚌4x4 transfer + mokoro (included in delta trip, ~£50 total)

🛏Basic bush camp in the delta (tent supplied by operator, ~£45 tour incl. camp)

• →Mokoro excursion into the Okavango Delta
• →Guided island bush walk / animal tracking
• →Delta bush camping

Wake for sunrise over the water and pole out mid-morning. Back in Maun by early afternoon for a real shower, then take a shared taxi or local combi towards Gweta (~£12-15, 3 hrs), the baobab country just west of the Makgadikgadi pans. Camp under enormous baobabs at one of Gweta's campsites or the quirky baobab lodge, eat at the camp bar and watch the stars — this stretch is one of the best value nights on the whole route.

🚌Mokoro return + local combi to Gweta (~£15)

🛏Gweta campsite or budget lodge (~£12)

• →Sunrise in the Okavango Delta
• →Baobab camping near Makgadikgadi Pans
• →Optional meerkat/pans excursion if arriving early

Take local transport north via Nata to Kasane (~£18-22, 5 hrs, often a mix of shared combi and minibus with a change at Nata). Kasane sits on the Chobe River, with Africa's largest elephant concentration. Book a Chobe sunset boat cruise directly at the jetty (~£30-35) — same experience the tour sells as optional, and much cheaper booked locally. Overnight in a Kasane backpackers.

🚌Local combis/minibus Gweta–Nata–Kasane ~£20

🛏Kasane backpacker lodge, dorm (~£16)

• →Chobe River sunset cruise (self-booked ~£32)
• →Optional Chobe game drive at dawn if you add a night

Cross the Kazungula border (a shared taxi to the border ~£6, walk through, then a shared taxi or local bus to Victoria Falls town ~£5). Have lunch at the Lusumpuko Women's Club kitchen in the township — the G for Good project G Adventures uses, open to independent diners and a genuine community income stream. Check into a Victoria Falls backpackers, then catch the falls at golden hour using the Zimbabwe-side Rainforest entrance (~£25 entry).

🚌Shared taxis across Kazungula border ~£11

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers, dorm (~£18)

• →Lusumpuko Women's Club lunch (community project)
• →Victoria Falls Rainforest walk, Zimbabwe side (~£25)

Pick one big-ticket adventure. Whitewater rafting on the Zambezi is ~£100 (shop the operators in town or via GetYourGuide); the bungee jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge is ~£130; the 15-minute helicopter flip is ~£190. Cheaper alternatives: the Bridge Swing, a sunset Booze Cruise, or walking the bridge and exploring the craft market. Pre-book if you want the morning slots — they sell out in high season.

🚌Walking / local taxis ~£5

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers, dorm (~£18)

• →Whitewater rafting or bungee (self-booked ~£100-130)
• →Victoria Falls Bridge walk & craft market
• →Optional sunset cruise

Retrace your steps: shared taxi to Kazungula, cross back into Botswana, then a bus or shared combi down to Francistown (~£20-25, 6-7 hrs with changes). It's a functional border-and-bus day, so keep a book handy. Overnight at a simple guesthouse or campsite north of Francistown and cook dinner yourself.

🚌Shared taxis + bus Kazungula–Francistown ~£24

🛏Simple guesthouse/campsite near Francistown (~£14)

• →Border crossing admin day
• →Free evening in Francistown

Cross at Martins Drift (shared taxi to the border ~£8, then a local taxi/minibus towards Alldays/Musina ~£15). Base yourself at a camp or guest farm bordering the Mapesu Private Wildlife Reserve in the Mapungubwe area — several do guided bush walks for ~£20-25 per person, the same activity the tour includes. Evening walk learning spoor, tracks and the ecology of the Limpopo valley.

🚌Shared taxis/bus across Martins Drift ~£23

🛏Safari camp or guest farm, Mapungubwe area (~£22)

• →Guided bush walk in Mapesu Private Reserve (~£22)
• →Limpopo valley sunset

Take a taxi or arrange a transfer into the park (~£12). Visit the Interpretation Centre and Museum — the self-guided exhibit and short film on the 800-year-old Kingdom of Mapungubwe gold and trade is excellent — then do a self-drive (hire a car in Musina if you didn't bring one, ~£30/day split between two) or join the park's own guided game drive (~£20). Look for elephant, eland and the Limpopo confluence viewpoints.

🚌Park transfer/taxi ~£12

🛏Safari camp or guest farm, Mapungubwe area (~£22)

• →Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre & Museum (~£6 park entry)
• →Game drive in Mapungubwe NP (~£20)

Travel south-east to Hazyview, the backpacker gateway to Kruger (~£20-25, 5-6 hrs by bus/shuttle via Tzaneen or Phalaborwa). Book a full-day open-vehicle safari for tomorrow through your hostel or directly with a Hazyview operator (~£65-75 including park fee) — cheaper than the tour's optional add-on and with the same guides who know the southern circuits. Evening braai at the lodge.

🚌Bus/shuttle to Hazyview ~£22

🛏Hazyview backpackers, dorm or safari tent (~£18)

• →Travel day
• →Book Kruger open-vehicle safari locally

Up before dawn for a full day in Kruger's 5 million acres. An open 4x4 with a licensed guide takes you along the Sabie and Skukuza loops, past Hippo Pool, the Kruger Tablets and Red Rocks, hunting for the big five. Bring water, sun hat, binoculars and a packed lunch — park food is pricey. Alternatively, self-drive in a hired car with the park's excellent map (~£35/day split plus £25 entry) if you're confident behind the wheel.

🚌Open safari vehicle (included in safari cost)

🛏Hazyview backpackers, dorm or safari tent (~£18)

• →Kruger full-day open-vehicle safari (~£70 incl. park fee)
• →Big five spotting at Hippo Pool, Kruger Tablets, Red Rocks

Either take a half-day safari (~£40) or do the Panorama Route — Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window and the Blyde River Canyon — via a shuttle or DIY car hire. In the afternoon start heading back west: shuttle to Nelspruit/Mbombela (~£12) and an evening or overnight bus towards Johannesburg (~£20). Alternate: stay a night in Graskop and take the first bus next morning.

🚌Shuttle to Nelspruit + bus to Johannesburg ~£32

🛏Overnight bus or Joburg hostel on arrival (~£16)

• →Panorama Route: God's Window, Blyde River Canyon (~£15 entry/shuttle)
• →Optional second Kruger half-day

Arrive Joburg in the morning, drop your bag at a hostel or the station lockers, and spend a couple of hours at the Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein or a last-minute curio shop. Gautrain to O.R. Tambo (~£8) for your flight. If you've got a spare day, the Soweto tour by bike or the Cradle of Humankind make good add-ons.

🚌Gautrain to O.R. Tambo ~£8

🛏None (departure day)

• →Braamfontein/Maboneng wander
• →Soweto or Cradle of Humankind if time allows