14-Day Kruger, Matobo, Victoria Falls, Chobe & Okavango Delta (Self-Launched)
14 days · Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe & Botswana
Acacia Adventure Holidays charges £3,400
No-markup version: ~£1,225 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Acacia Adventure Holidays' classic 14-day accommodated safari across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana — same big-hitting highlights (Kruger game drives, Blyde River Canyon, Matobo rhino tracking, Victoria Falls, a Zambezi sunset cruise, Chobe boat cruise and game drive, and a mokoro expedition into the Okavango Delta) but booked independently using local buses, shared shuttles, cross-border minibuses and a handful of locally run safari operators. Accommodation is a mix of hostels, guesthouses and budget lodges with comparable comfort to the tour's accommodated standard. Note that park fees, entrance fees and safari activities dominate the budget in this region — they aren't cheap anywhere — but you skip guide salaries, operator margins and group-vehicle overheads. All figures are approximate per-person GBP estimates.
Day-by-day
Arrive Pretoria → Blyde River Canyon & Hazyview
Pretoria / Hazyview, South Africa
Land at Johannesburg OR Tambo and take the Gautrain or a shared shuttle into Pretoria (~£8-12). From Pretoria, book the Baz Bus or a shared shuttle/budget coach to Hazyview (~£25-35, 5-6 hrs) — this is the traveller corridor to Kruger's southern gate. On the way (if self-driving via a hired car, or with a shuttle that stops) pull into the Blyde River Canyon viewpoints: God's Window and the Three Rondavels are the classic stops and cost only a small conservation fee (~£3-5). Tonight settle into a Hazyview backpackers or guesthouse and buy supplies for tomorrow's game drive.
🚌Gautrain + shared shuttle/coach (~£35-45 total)
🛏Hazyview backpackers/guesthouse, dorm or private room (~£15-25)
- →Gautrain/shuttle transfer from OR Tambo to Pretoria
- →Shuttle or coach to Hazyview via Panorama Route
- →Blyde River Canyon: God's Window & Three Rondavels viewpoints
Full-day self-drive or guided game drive in Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Kruger's Kruger Gate / Phabeni Gate is ~45 min from Hazyview. Book a spot on a shared open-vehicle day safari through GetYourGuide or directly with a Hazyview operator (~£55-75 including park entry), or hire a car and enter self-drive (~£30-40 car hire/day split, plus ~£25/day park conservation fee). Self-drive with a map of the southern loops (Skukuza, Lower Sabie) is excellent for sightings and far cheaper if you're a group. Pack lunch and water; leave at first light.
🚌Shared safari vehicle or self-drive (~£55-75)
🛏Hazyview backpackers/guesthouse (~£15-25)
- →Full-day game drive in Kruger National Park (self-drive or shared day safari)
- →Big Five spotting around Skukuza/Lower Sabie loops
Hazyview → Polokwane (Bakone Malapa open-air museum)
Polokwane, South Africa
Take a local bus or shared taxi/shuttle north to Polokwane (~£12-18, 3-4 hrs). Drop bags at a budget guesthouse and visit Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open-Air Museum, a small, inexpensive cultural site with reconstructed homestead and local guides (entry ~£3-5). A good low-key cultural contrast day between the wildlife highs.
🚌Local bus/shared shuttle (~£12-18)
🛏Polokwane budget guesthouse/backpackers (~£18-28)
- →Travel north to Polokwane
- →Bakone Malapa cultural open-air museum
Cross into Zimbabwe → Bulawayo
Polokwane → Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Long overland day: shared taxi or bus to Musina near the Beitbridge border (~£10-15), walk/hand-carry across Beitbridge (allow 1-3 hrs, $55 visa on arrival for many nationalities), then a cross-border minibus or coach to Bulawayo (~£12-20, 5-6 hrs). Alternatively fly Polokwane/Joburg to Bulawayo or Vic Falls cheaply if you'd rather save a day. Check in at a Bulawayo backpackers (Burke's is the classic) and eat at a local braai/takeaway.
🚌Shared taxi + cross-border minibus (~£25-35)
🛏Bulawayo backpackers/guesthouse (~£12-22)
- →Overland border crossing at Beitbridge
- →Arrive Bulawayo; evening at leisure
Matobo National Park rhino tracking
Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe
Book a Matobo day trip directly with a Bulawayo-based operator or your hostel (~£50-70 including park fees, guide and 4x4) — it's the cheapest way to get walking rhino encounters in the region. Combine with the granite kopjes, San rock art, Cecil Rhodes' grave viewpoint and, if you want, a short historical loop with a local guide. Back in Bulawayo for the evening.
🚌Shared 4x4 with operator (~£50-70)
🛏Bulawayo backpackers/guesthouse (~£12-22)
- →Matobo National Park game drive & rhino walk
- →San rock art and granite kopje viewpoints
- →Optional extended historical tour with local guide
Bulawayo → Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Take the overnight or daytime train (NRZ) or a coach/minibus from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls (~£10-20; the train is slow and atmospheric if running). Arrive and check into a Victoria Falls backpackers (Shoestrings is the traveller institution). Tonight eat at Dusty Road, the Chinotimba township restaurant famous for open-fire Zimbabwean cooking (~£8-12) — book ahead, it fills up. Skip the pricey dinner-theatre shows and enjoy the town instead.
🚌Train or coach (~£10-20)
🛏Victoria Falls backpackers (~£15-25)
- →Train or coach Bulawayo to Victoria Falls
- →Dinner at Dusty Road township restaurant
Victoria Falls + Zambezi sunset cruise
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Walk into Victoria Falls National Park first thing (entry ~£25-30 for international visitors) and follow the rainforest trail through the spray — go early for rainbows and fewer crowds. Afternoon: book a Zambezi sunset cruise directly through a local operator or your hostel (~£35-45 with drinks) — the cheaper 'standard' boats are just as scenic as the luxury ones. Optional add-ons: the gorge swing, white-water rafting (~£85-100) or a day-trip over the bridge to Livingstone, Zambia.
🚌Walking/local taxi (~£3-5)
🛏Victoria Falls backpackers (~£15-25)
- →Victoria Falls National Park rainforest walk
- →Zambezi River sunset cruise
- →Optional: white-water rafting, gorge swing, or Livingstone day trip
Cross to Kasane — Chobe River boat cruise
Kasane, Botswana
Shuttle or shared taxi across the Kazungula border to Kasane (~£12-18, 1.5 hrs). Check into a Kasane guesthouse or campsite. Afternoon: book a Chobe River sunset boat cruise directly with a local operator (~£30-40) — the elephant herds coming to drink at dusk are the highlight of the whole trip. Botswana uses Pula, so draw cash.
🚌Shared shuttle/taxi (~£12-18)
🛏Kasane guesthouse/campsite (~£15-25)
- →Kazungula border crossing into Botswana
- →Chobe River sunset boat cruise
Chobe game drive → Nata
Nata, Botswana
Morning 4x4 game drive in Chobe National Park with a local operator (~£40-50 including park fees — the Savuti/Serondela plains are elephant central). Then take an afternoon bus or shared minibus south to Nata (~£15-20, 3-4 hrs). Overnight at a Nata lodge or campsite near the pans.
🚌Bus or shared minibus (~£15-20)
🛏Nata lodge/campsite (~£15-25)
- →Morning game drive in Chobe National Park
- →Bus/minibus to Nata
Nata → Maun (village visit en route)
Maun, Botswana
Morning walk into a nearby village with a local guide from your lodge, or visit Nata Bird Sanctuary pans viewpoint if water levels allow. Then the long haul south-west to Maun by bus/shared minibus (~£18-25, 4-5 hrs). Maun is the gateway to the Delta — get to Maun Backpackers or a budget lodge and book your mokoro trip for tomorrow.
🚌Bus/shared minibus (~£18-25)
🛏Maun backpackers/budget lodge (~£15-25)
- →Local village walk/tour
- →Travel to Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta
Okavango Delta mokoro expedition
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Head out with a local Tswana poler and guide on a 1-night/2-day mokoro (dugout canoe) trip — book directly through Maun Backpackers, a local safari operator or the Delta's community trusts (~£150-200 per person including 4x4 transfers, guide, food, camp and park fees). Glide through reed channels, then camp on an island with a fire and a night sky you won't forget. This is far cheaper than the fly-in Delta lodges.
🚌4x4 transfer + mokoro (included)
🛏Delta bush camp (included in trip cost)
- →4x4 transfer to mokoro station
- →Mokoro journey through the Okavango Delta with local polers
- →Overnight island tented/bush camp
Delta nature walk → Maun
Maun, Botswana
Early morning guided nature walk on the island (flat, easy terrain — birdlife, elephant tracks, plants used by local people), then mokoro back to the station and 4x4 to Maun. Shower, then optionally take a scenic light-aircraft flight over the Delta (~£80-110) — reviewers of the original tour consistently rate this the single best add-on. Back to Maun Backpackers for the night.
🚌4x4 transfer (included in Delta trip)
🛏Maun backpackers (~£15-25)
- →Guided nature walk in the Okavango Delta
- →Return mokoro and 4x4 transfer to Maun
- →Optional: scenic flight over the Okavango Delta
Maun → Khama Rhino Sanctuary
Serowe / Khama Rhino Sanctuary, Botswana
Long travel day by bus or shared minibus to Serowe (~£15-22, 5-6 hrs). Stay at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary's own rest camp (chalets or camping, ~£20-30) and take the late-afternoon ranger-led game drive (~£20-25 including entry) — this is the country's best place to see white rhino and it's run directly by the sanctuary. Book the drive on arrival or by email ahead.
🚌Bus/shared minibus (~£15-22)
🛏Khama Rhino Sanctuary rest camp (~£20-30)
- →Bus to Serowe
- →Afternoon game drive at Khama Rhino Sanctuary with local rangers
Cross back into South Africa → Pretoria
Serowe → Pretoria, South Africa
Bus from Serowe to Gaborone (~£10-15), cross the Tlokweng border and take a minibus/coach from Gaborone to Pretoria (~£15-22, 4-5 hrs). Alternatively, bus to Martin's Drift for a more direct route. Arrive Pretoria in the evening — or push on to Johannesburg for onward flights. If time allows, stop at the Voortrekker Monument or Union Buildings for a last bit of South African history.
🚌Two buses/minibuses (~£25-35)
🛏Pretoria backpackers or hostel near the Gautrain (~£18-28)
- →Overland return via Gaborone/Tlokweng border
- →Arrive Pretoria / Johannesburg
Self-launched vs. Acacia Adventure Holidays
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Acacia Adventure Holidays | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,225 | £3,400 |
| Duration | 14 days | 14 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £2,175 per person (64%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Acacia Adventure Holidays-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,225
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 14-Day Kruger, Matobo, Victoria Falls, Chobe & Okavango Delta (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,225 per person for 14 days in Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe & Botswana. 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 Acacia Adventure Holidays?+
Yes — Acacia Adventure Holidays charges around £3,400 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,225 — a saving of roughly £2,175 (64%) per person.
How long is the Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe & Botswana trip?+
This itinerary runs 14 days, covering 14 day-by-day stops through Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe & Botswana.
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, backpacker trip through Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe & Botswana, 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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