Ultimate Southern Africa Journey — Self-Launched

Land at Cape Town International and take the MyCiTi bus or an Uber (~£14) into the City Bowl rather than a pre-booked transfer. Check into a hostel in Gardens or Green Point — the once-a-week Saturday night braai at most Cape Town hostels is a great way to meet other travellers before heading out on the road.

🚌Uber/MyCiTi bus from airport ~£14

🛏Hostel dorm or private room, City Bowl (~£18/night)

• →Self-arranged airport transfer
• →Orientation wander around Bree Street / Long Street

Book a small-group Cape Peninsula day tour through GetYourGuide (~£45) — it covers Bo-Kaap's colourful streets, Kirstenbosch entry, Boulders Beach penguins and the Cape Point/Cape of Good Hope boardwalk. Alternatively hire a car for the day (~£30 + fuel) and buy Kirstenbosch tickets direct for ~£9 and Cape Point SANParks entry ~£18. Book the day tour and it's the cheapest way to tick off all four.

🚌Shared day tour minibus

🛏Hostel, City Bowl (~£18/night)

• →Bo-Kaap walking loop (free)
• →Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
• →Boulders Beach African penguin colony
• →Cape Point & Cape of Good Hope

Cable car up Table Mountain (book online ~£19, cheaper if you hike Platteklip Gorge up and ride down one-way). Alternatively, take the Metrorail train to Stellenbosch (~£3) and join a backpacker wine-tasting shuttle (~£25 for 3 estates) or rent a bike on the R310 wine route. Evening: sunset at Signal Hill.

🚌Metrorail train to Stellenbosch ~£3

🛏Hostel, City Bowl (~£18/night)

• →Table Mountain cable car or Platteklip Gorge hike
• →Stellenbosch wine estates (optional)
• →Signal Hill sunset picnic

Fly Cape Town to Johannesburg on FlySafair or Lift (~£50–£70 if booked a few weeks out). Take the Gautrain from OR Tambo to Park Station (~£7), then an Uber to your hostel in Maboneng or Melville. In the afternoon do a self-guided Soweto walk from Orlando West — the Mandela House Museum entry is ~£6, and Hector Pieterson Museum is ~£3. Take an Uber back after dark rather than the minibus taxis.

🚌Domestic flight ~£60; Gautrain + Uber ~£12

🛏Backpacker hostel, Maboneng or Melville (~£18/night)

• →Gautrain ride
• →Soweto self-guided walk
• →Mandela House Museum
• →Hector Pieterson Museum

The most scenic and cheapest way is a shared shuttle from Joburg to Nelspruit (Mbombela) on the CityBug/Greyhound (~£22) and then a local shuttle to Hazyview (~£10). To see the Panorama Route (Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window) the practical budget option is a small-group Panorama Route tour departing Hazyview (~£35), or hire a car for two days with another traveller (~£60 shared). Stay in a Hazyview backpacker lodge.

🚌Shared shuttle + local transfer ~£32; or split car hire

🛏Hazyview backpacker lodge (~£22/night)

• →Blyde River Canyon viewpoints
• →Bourke's Luck Potholes
• →God's Window

Join a full-day open-vehicle safari from your Hazyview lodge (~£70 including park fees) or book a SANParks-guided morning drive from Phabeni Gate (~£35) plus self-drive rest-of-day if you've hired a car. Kruger entry for foreign visitors is ~£22/day. Early start (05:30) for the best cat sightings; pack a water bottle and sunblock.

🚌Open safari vehicle included in drive price

🛏Hazyview backpacker lodge (~£22/night)

• →Full-day open-vehicle game drive
• →Phabeni/Skukuza rest camp stop

Transfer to a private reserve in the Greater Kruger area (~£35 shared transfer). Several reserves near Hoedspruit host cheetah and carnivore research talks through the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Cheetah Metapopulation Project — ask your lodge to arrange or contact EWT directly. Evening game drive with the resident ranger.

🚌Shared transfer ~£35

🛏Budget safari tent/camp in a Greater Kruger reserve (~£45/night with self-catering)

• →Carnivore conservation/research talk
• →Afternoon game drive

Morning and afternoon game drives with the reserve's ranger (~£35 each or included if you're on a two-night camp package). Look out for the Big Five — the private reserves offer off-road sightings and night drives that SANParks doesn't. Self-cater a braai in the evening.

🚌Reserve vehicle

🛏Budget safari tent/camp (~£45/night)

• →Morning game drive
• →Afternoon game drive
• →Self-catering braai

Early morning drive, then a shared shuttle back to Johannesburg via Hoedspruit (~£30) or a cheap regional flight if booked early. Evening in Maboneng's food market or Melville's 7th Street.

🚌Shared shuttle ~£30

🛏Backpacker hostel, Maboneng (~£18/night)

• →Sunrise game drive
• →Maboneng night market

Fly Johannesburg to Windhoek (Windhoek Hosea Kutako) on FlyNamibia/Kulula (~£85–£110 booked early). Airport shuttle to town ~£10. Wander Independence Avenue, the Christuskirche, and pick up a Namibian SIM at the MTC shop (~£3). Book your onward shuttle to Sesriem tonight — the country's cheapest safaris are run as multi-day shuttle safaris departing Windhoek.

🚌Domestic flight ~£95; airport shuttle ~£10

🛏Backpacker hostel, Windhoek (~£20/night)

• →Independence Avenue walk
• →Christuskirche
• →SIM card + shuttle booking

Take a shared shuttle safari from Windhoek to Sesriem (~£45 one-way, or book a 3-day Sossusvlei safari through a Windhoek backpacker operator for ~£160–£200 including two nights' accommodation and food). The drive passes Remhoogte Pass, camel-thorn plains and the Naukluft mountains — watch for oryx, springbok and kudu. Sunset at Elim Dune if you arrive in time.

🚌Shared 4x4/safari shuttle ~£45

🛏Sesriem backpacker camp, self-catering (~£25/night)

• →Scenic drive over Remhoogte Pass
• →Elim Dune sunset

Gate opens at sunrise — pay the Namib-Naukluft entry (~£7) and take the park's 4x4 shuttle from the 2WD car park into Sossusvlei (~£6 return). Climb Dune 45 or Big Daddy, walk across to Deadvlei's dead camel-thorn trees, and finish with a short walk into Sesriem Canyon. Most Windhoek shuttle-safari packages include this, or hire a car in Windhoek if you want freedom.

🚌Park 4x4 shuttle ~£13 incl. entry

🛏Sesriem backpacker camp (~£25/night)

• →Dune 45 / Big Daddy climb
• →Deadvlei walk
• →Sesriem Canyon

Drive/shuttle north via Solitaire and the Namib gravel plains to Walvis Bay and Swakopmund (~£50 on a shared shuttle; the route passes the Tropic of Capricorn sign and the Kuiseb Pass). Swakopmund is a German-colonial seaside town with the best-value backpacker hostels in Namibia — book into a hostel near the waterfront.

🚌Shared shuttle ~£50

🛏Swakopmund backpacker hostel (~£22/night)

• →Solitaire stop for the famous apple pie
• →Tropic of Capricorn photo stop
• →Waterfront wander

Book a community-run Mondesa Township walk (~£25 with Kudu Tours or the Mondesa Youth Development Trust) — market, craft shop, a shebeen, and usually a home-cooked meal with a local family. Afternoon options: sandboarding in the dunes (~£28, cheaper than the guided version if you book direct), kayaking among the seals at Walvis Bay (~£35), or a half-day 4x4 to Sandwich Harbour (~£60).

🚌Local minibus/taxi ~£5

🛏Swakopmund backpacker hostel (~£22/night)

• →Mondesa township walk
• →Sandboarding option
• →Walvis Bay kayaking option

This leg requires either self-drive (hire a car in Windhoek for the Namibia loop, ~£40/day split two ways) or a shared shuttle safari. Twyfelfontein's rock engravings are a UNESCO site — SANParks entry is ~£4 and a local guide-led walk ~£8. From Twyfelfontein continue towards Khorixas or Outjo for the night.

🚌Self-drive car share ~£25/day per person, or shuttle safari

🛏Guestfarm/camp in Damaraland (~£28/night)

• →Twyfelfontein ancient petroglyphs
• →Organ Pipes and Burnt Mountain

Drive via Outjo to Etosha's Anderson or Okaukuejo gate. Buy park entry and a two-day permit at the gate (~£12/day for foreign visitors). Stay inside the park in Okaukuejo's campsite or waterhole bungalow (~£28 camping per site, shared two ways), then sit at the floodlit waterhole after dark — rhinos and elephants come to drink through the night.

🚌Self-drive ~£25pp/day

🛏SANParks Okaukuejo campsite (~£14pp shared)

• →Etosha park entry and permits
• →Night waterhole watching at Okaukuejo

Self-drive game loops between Okaukuejo and Halali along the waterholes (Nebrownii, Gemsbokvlakte, Chudop). Alternatively, join a SANParks guided open-vehicle sunset drive (~£40). Etosha is one of the best-value self-drive safari parks in Africa — you'll see more animals per dollar than a private reserve.

🚌Self-drive

🛏SANParks Halali or Namutoni campsite (~£14pp shared)

• →Self-drive game loops
• →SANParks sunset drive (optional)

Drive south to Otjiwarongo and stay at the Cheetah Conservation Fund's own lodge or campsite. The CCF guided tour + cheetah drive costs ~£25 (cheaper than the tour-operator markup on the original itinerary) — you'll hear about Dr. Laurie Marker's research and see cheetahs in the 40,000-hectare reserve. Book direct through CCF's website.

🚌Self-drive ~£25pp

🛏CCF Babson Guest House or campsite (~£30/night)

• →Cheetah Conservation Fund tour
• →Cheetah drive

Drive back to Windhoek (~£25pp shared), then fly Windhoek to Victoria Falls on FlyAfrica or via Johannesburg (~£180–£230 booked early). Alternative overland route (cheaper but slower): bus Windhoek → Katima Mulilo (~£30, 18 hrs), then Kasane (Botswana) into Zimbabwe. Overnight in Victoria Falls town.

🚌Flight Windhoek→Victoria Falls ~£200

🛏Victoria Falls backpacker lodge (~£20/night)

• →Return transfer to Windhoek
• →Flight to Victoria Falls

Walk to the falls yourself — Zimbabwe-side entry is ~£25 — and spend 2–3 hours on the rainforest trail. Skip the £50 guided tour; a self-guided walk with the information boards is plenty. In the evening, most reputable sunset cruise operators (Ra-Ikane, Wild Horizons) charge ~£55–£60 for the classic Zambezi sunset cruise with drinks — the equivalent of the tour's 'Riversong' cruise.

🚌Walk / local taxi ~£4

🛏Victoria Falls backpacker lodge (~£20/night)

• →Victoria Falls rainforest walk
• →Zambezi sunset cruise (optional)

Pick one: white-water rafting on the Zambezi (~£90 with Wild Horizons, cheaper if booked direct in town than online), bungee off the Victoria Falls Bridge (~£130), or a 15-minute helicopter flip (~£110). The famous Devil's Pool is Zambian-side and seasonal. Or simply laze at your lodge and save your budget for Hwange.

🚌Local taxi ~£5

🛏Victoria Falls backpacker lodge (~£20/night)

• →White-water rafting
• →Bungee jump or helicopter flight (optional)

Take the daily bus/train or a shared taxi from Victoria Falls to Hwange town (~£10, 2–3 hrs — the old Zimbabwe train is slow but scenic), then arrange a lodge transfer. Hwange is Zimbabwe's largest national park and one of the best places in Africa to see painted dogs and elephants at pumped waterholes. Book a budget lodge inside or at the edge of the park.

🚌Bus/shared taxi ~£10 + lodge transfer

🛏Hwange budget safari lodge (~£40/night half-board)

• →Scenic bus to Hwange
• →Lodge arrival and sundowner drive

Join morning and afternoon open-vehicle drives with your lodge (~£20 each). Ask the lodge to arrange a talk with the Painted Dog Conservation project near Hwange Main Camp — a short visit and donation to PDC (~£8) replaces the guided conservation experience in the original tour. After dark, sit at a pumped waterhole — Hwange's elephant herds number in the hundreds.

🚌Lodge open 4x4

🛏Hwange budget safari lodge (~£40/night half-board)

• →Morning game drive
• →Painted Dog Conservation visit
• →Afternoon game drive

Bus back to Victoria Falls (~£10), get your Botswana yellow-fever documentation ready, then cross to Kasane by shared taxi (~£8, plus Kazungula border). Kasane is the gateway to Chobe — backpacker lodges on the riverbank offer basic chalets and campsites. Evening boat cruise ~£30 or simply watch elephants on the Chobe riverfront from town.

🚌Bus + shared taxi ~£20

🛏Kasane backpacker lodge/campsite (~£25/night)

• →Cross Kazungula border
• →Chobe River sunset cruise (optional)

Book a full-day Chobe safari direct with a Kasane operator (~£100–£120 including park fees — Chobe park fees are steep for foreign visitors, ~£25/day). Morning game drive for lions and leopards on the floodplains, boat safari in the afternoon for the huge elephant herds along the Chobe River. Self-book on Klook or direct with a Kasane operator; it's the same guides the tour operator uses.

🚌Operator 4x4/boat

🛏Kasane backpacker lodge (~£25/night)

• →Open-vehicle game drive
• →Chobe River boat safari

The original itinerary visits the Okavango Wilderness Project in the panhandle — that requires a charter or a long bus journey. The cheaper self-launched option is: bus Kasane → Maun (~£25 via the new Nata–Kazungula road, roughly 8 hrs) and stay in Maun's famous backpacker lodge belt. From Maun, book a 3-day mokoro trip into the Delta (~£180–£250 including food, guides and polers).

🚌Bus Kasane→Maun ~£25

🛏Maun backpacker lodge (~£25/night)

• →Long-distance bus to Maun
• →Arrive and book mokoro trip

Take a 2–3 day mokoro trail booked through your Maun lodge: a poler guides you through the reeds to a fly-camp island where you pitch tents and eat dinner around a fire. Days are spent poling, birdwatching (Nile cranes, fish eagles, kingfishers) and short guided walks. Bush-camp nights have no power — bring a headtorch and a battery pack.

🚌4x4 transfer + mokoro

🛏Delta fly-camp / bush camp (~£60 including meals, guide, poler)

• →Mokoro canoe excursion
• →Guided island walk
• →Bush camp overnight

Morning motorised boat/4x4 back to Maun (~£25 if not bundled in your trail price). Evening: join the bonfire storytelling session at your backpacker lodge (~£18 including a traditional Setswana dinner) — the self-launched version of the tour's Botswana storytelling highlight. Maun lodges (Old Bridge Backpackers, Thamalakane) run these regularly.

🚌Boat + 4x4 ~£25

🛏Maun backpacker lodge (~£25/night)

• →Return boat/4x4 to Maun
• →Traditional storytelling and dinner

Use the buffer day for laundry, a shower, and recharging before departure. Optional: scenic flight over the Delta (~£90–£120 with one of Maun's small charter operators — cheaper if you share), a visit to the Nhabe Museum, or a self-drive to Moremi's South Gate if you've rented a 4x4.

🚌Local taxi/on foot

🛏Maun backpacker lodge (~£25/night)

• →Scenic Delta flight (optional)
• →Nhabe Museum
• →Rest/sort onward travel

Fly Maun to Johannesburg on Airlink (~£100) and connect home, or continue on to Namibia/Kasane for another leg. No included airport transfer in the self-launched version — a local taxi is ~£5, or the lodge shuttle ~£10.

🚌Airlink Maun→Johannesburg ~£100

🛏—

• →Departure flight