Southern Africa Southbound: Dunes, Deltas & Falls — Self-Launched

Fly into Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) and take a shared shuttle or local taxi into town (~£6). Check into a hostel dorm near the main strip — Shoestrings and Victoria Falls Backpackers are both solid, sociable options. Spend the afternoon walking the craft market and sorting your onward transport. In the evening head to Shearwater Village or the Victoria Falls Brewery for a beer and to meet other travellers heading the same way.

🚌Airport shared shuttle ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, Victoria Falls (~£14)

• →Settle into hostel
• →Craft market wander
• →Beer at Shearwater Village

Walk to the Victoria Falls Rainforest entrance (15 minutes from town) and pay the ~$50 USD park fee on the gate — go early to beat the crowds and the heat. Bring a poncho; you will get soaked on the observation bridges. In the afternoon pick your adrenaline: whitewater rafting on the Zambezi (~£95 through Shockwave or Shearwater), a 15-minute helicopter flip (~£95 with Zambezi Helicopter Co) or the Zambezi bungee off the Victoria Falls Bridge (~£130). Book direct at the operators' town offices the day before — no middleman needed. Sunset drinks at the Lookout Café over the gorge.

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel dorm, Victoria Falls (~£14)

• →Victoria Falls Rainforest walk ($50 USD entry)
• →Optional: whitewater rafting (~£95)
• →Optional: helicopter flight (~£95)
• →Optional: bungee jump (~£130)

Take a shared taxi from Victoria Falls to the Kazungula border (~£10, 1hr), walk through immigration (Botswana tourism levy $30 USD payable on entry), then another short shared taxi to Kasane (~£4). Drop your bag at a lodge camp or the Chobe Safari Lodge campsite. Book a Chobe safari drive or the sunset river cruise directly with a local operator in town — both run around £35-40 and the river cruise is the better value for elephants, hippos and crocodiles at golden hour.

🚌Shared taxis ~£14 total + $30 USD Botswana levy

🛏Safari tent / campsite, Kasane (~£15)

• →Kazungula border crossing
• →Chobe River sunset cruise (~£38)
• →Optional: Chobe National Park game drive (~£35)

Public transport here is minibus-shaped: catch a shared minibus from Kasane to Nata (~£12, 4-5hrs, leaving early morning from the main taxi rank). Nata is a one-road town built around the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans. Camp at Nata Lodge (they have a campground as well as rooms) or a local guesthouse. Late afternoon, hire a local guide to drive you onto the pans for sunset — around £20-25 per person shared, and the emptiness is the whole point. If the rains have come, the birdlife explodes.

🚌Shared minibus Kasane–Nata ~£12

🛏Campsite / guesthouse, Nata (~£14)

• →Makgadikgadi Pans sunset drive (~£22)
• →Baobab photography

Another shared minibus or combi south to Maun (~£14, 4hrs). Maun is a proper frontier town with supermarkets, ATMs and a lively backpacker scene. Check into Old Bridge Backpackers or Sedia Riverside Hotel — Old Bridge has a campsite, dorms and the best bar in town. This afternoon, compare Delta tour prices in town (operators like Delta Rain, Okavango Delta Tours and local poler cooperatives all run 1-2 night mokoro trips). Book for tomorrow. Optionally, a scenic flight over the Delta is ~£120-150 if you want the aerial view.

🚌Shared minibus Nata–Maun ~£14

🛏Hostel dorm / campsite, Maun (~£14)

• →Book Okavango Delta mokoro trip
• →Optional: scenic Delta flight (~£130)
• →Sundowners at Old Bridge

Head out with a local poler cooperative for the classic two-day Delta trip — a mokoro (dugout canoe) ride through the reeds, a guided bush walk on one of the islands, and a night sleeping in a basic fly-camp with no running water and no wi-fi. It's the same experience the overland trucks deliver, just booked direct and typically at about £90-110 per person including food, transport out and the polers. Listen for hippos after dark and don't wander off.

🚌4x4 transfer to Delta station, then mokoro

🛏Bush camping in the Delta (included in trip)

• →Mokoro canoe excursion
• →Guided bush walk
• →Bush camping under the stars

Return to Maun mid-morning. Catch the afternoon bus or a shared combi west along the Trans-Kalahari towards Ghanzi (~£15, 4-5hrs) and get off at D'kar, the Kalahari settlement at the heart of San country. Stay at the Dqae Qare San Lodge & Camp — the community-run camp G Adventures uses — or book directly through the Kuru Development Trust in Ghanzi. Pre-book a San bushman walk for the evening or next morning (~£15-20) to learn tracking, plant medicine and fire-making from the people who invented survival in this landscape.

🚌Shared combi Maun–D'kar ~£15

🛏Community camp, D'kar (~£18)

• →San bushman walk (~£18)
• →Kalahari sunset

Take a shared taxi to the Mamuno/Buitepos border post (~£8), clear immigration (Namibia's new visa-on-arrival is USD $90 — apply online in advance to avoid border delays), then continue by shared taxi or combi to Gobabis and on to Windhoek (~£18 total). Windhoek is a clean, compact capital: check into Chameleon Backpackers or Joe's Beerhouse-adjacent budget guesthouses. Sort your onward transport at the Intercape or Welwitchia bus offices, then eat a proper dinner — game steak at Joe's Beerhouse is the local rite of passage.

🚌Shared taxis & combi ~£26

🛏Hostel dorm, Windhoek (~£16)

• →Mamuno border crossing
• →Joe's Beerhouse dinner
• →Book Namibia bus tickets

Take an early shared taxi or shuttle to Otjiwarongo (~£12), then a local taxi to the Waterberg Plateau Park gate (~£8). NWR runs the plateau campsite and rest camp — book ahead in peak season. Spend the afternoon hiking the plateau trails (the 3-4hr loops are free once you've paid the small park fee) in search of buffalo, giraffe, sable antelope and the famous Waterberg plunge pools. Alternatively, stop at the Penduka women's craft project near Windhoek for a packed lunch before you leave — it's the community enterprise the tour visits.

🚌Shared taxi + local taxi ~£20

🛏NWR campsite / rest camp, Waterberg (~£15)

• →Waterberg Plateau hike
• →Penduka craft project stop
• →Swimming pool at rest camp

Take a shared taxi back to Otjiwarongo (~£8) and pick up the northbound bus or a shared combi towards Outjo and Okaukuejo (~£14). Enter Etosha at the Anderson Gate and check into an NWR camp — Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni all have campsites and self-catering bungalows, bookable directly on the NWR website. Do a self-drive or guide-shared afternoon game drive along the waterholes; Okaukuejo's floodlit waterhole is the classic evening spot for rhino and elephant after dark.

🚌Shared taxi/combi ~£22

🛏NWR campsite, Okaukuejo (~£17)

• →Etosha entry (park fee ~£14/day)
• →Afternoon waterhole game drive
• →Night wildlife watching at Okaukuejo waterhole

A full day in the park. The cheapest and most flexible way is to hire a car in Okaukuejo for the day, but if you're solo, join a shared game drive through your camp or a local operator (~£45-55). Either way, drive the waterhole circuit between Okaukuejo and Halali — over 100 mammal species live here and in the dry season (May–Oct) they crowd the waterholes. Carry water, snacks and sunscreen; there's a shop at the camp but it's limited. Back to camp for another night at the waterhole.

🚌Shared game-drive vehicle

🛏NWR campsite, Okaukuejo (~£17)

• →Full-day game drive (shared, ~£50)
• →Waterhole circuit Okaukuejo–Halali

Drive south and west towards Usakos and the granite peaks of Spitzkoppe (~£25 by shared taxi/hitch-share, or join a backpacker shuttle from Outjo). Pay the small community gate fee at Spitzkoppe and camp at the community campsite at the base of the peaks — it's basic, stunning, and you'll have the Milky Way overhead. Scramble the rocks for sunset, find the natural rock arch, and don't be surprised if a dassie shares your campfire.

🚌Shared taxi ~£25

🛏Community campsite, Spitzkoppe (~£12)

• →Spitzkoppe rock scramble
• →Sunset photography
• →Community campsite night

Continue west to Usakos, then catch the shared combi or bus down to Swakopmund on the coast (~£15). Swakopmund is German colonial architecture, cold Atlantic fog and adventure sports. Check into a backpackers — the Alternative Space or Swakopmund Backpackers both have dorms and are central. This is your first proper bed in days: resupply, launder your clothes (most hostels offer cheap laundry), and book your activities for tomorrow.

🚌Shared combi ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm, Swakopmund (~£16)

• →Arrive Swakopmund
• →Laundry & resupply
• →Seaside walk

Pick your adventure: sandboarding on the Namib dunes (~£30-35 with Alter Action or Dune 7), a township tour of Mondesa with a local guide (~£35), or a skeleton coast scenic flight if you want the splurge (~£200). Most operators are on the main street and can be booked the day before. Alternatively, spend the day free: walk to the Swakopmund jetty, eat cake at a German bakery, or take the local minibus to Walvis Bay to see flamingos.

🚌Local minibus / operator pickup

🛏Hostel dorm, Swakopmund (~£16)

• →Sandboarding (~£32)
• →Optional: Mondesa township tour (~£35)
• →Optional: Skeleton Coast flight (~£200)

This is the tricky leg. From Swakopmund take the coastal bus or shared combi back to Walvis Bay and on to the Sesriem turn-off (~£20), then a local taxi or arranged shuttle into Sesriem (~£10). Book into an NWR camp at Sesriem (campsite or self-catering bungalow, direct on the NWR site) — camping is the only affordable option inside the gate. Alternatively join a backpacker shuttle offered by Namibian tour operators in Swakopmund (~£45 each way, most convenient if you're solo). Sunset at Elim Dune just outside the gate is free and beautiful.

🚌Coastal bus + local taxi ~£30 (or ~£45 backpacker shuttle)

🛏NWR campsite, Sesriem (~£15)

• →Long travel day
• →Sunset at Elim Dune

Be at the gate for sunrise (or as soon as it opens) and drive the 60km into the dunes — if you don't have a car, book a seat on a shared sunrise tour from your camp (~£30-40). Climb Dune 45 for the classic shot, then take the 4x4 shuttle into Deadvlei for the iconic dead camel-thorn trees against the orange dunes and white pan (~£8 shuttle). Spend the day between Sossusvlei and Sesriem Canyon. Refill water at the Sesriem petrol station. A guided desert walk is optional but the dunes are best done on your own pace.

🚌Shared sunrise tour / 4x4 shuttle

🛏NWR campsite, Sesriem (~£15)

• →Dune 45 sunrise climb
• →Deadvlei & Sossusvlei (park fee ~£10 + shuttle ~£8)
• →Sesriem Canyon

The long southern haul: shared taxi or combi from Sesriem to Keetmanshoop (~£20), then the shuttle or local taxi to Hobas and Fish River Canyon viewpoint (~£15). Budget the whole day for the driving. Camp at the Hobas campsite (NWR) or the nearby Canyon Roadhouse if you prefer a bed — both are characterful. Catch sunset at the main viewpoint over the second-largest canyon in the world; it's free once you've paid the park fee (~£6).

🚌Shared taxi/combi ~£35

🛏Hobas campsite / budget guesthouse (~£17)

• →Fish River Canyon sunset viewpoint
• →Long desert drive

Head west to the Vioolsdrif/Noordoewer border (~£12 shared taxi) and cross into South Africa. Continue by minibus taxi or the Intercape/Translux coach via Springbok and Vanrhynsdorp towards Clanwilliam (~£25) — this is the classic Cederberg approach. Check into a backpackers or farm-stay cabin around Clanwilliam or Algeria (~£18). Late afternoon you can paddle on the Orange River (~£18) or, if you've arrived later, just walk into the Cederberg foothills and watch the rock glow at sunset.

🚌Shared taxi + coach ~£37

🛏Backpackers / farm cabin, Cederberg (~£18)

• →Vioolsdrif border crossing
• →Optional: Orange River paddling (~£18)
• →Cederberg foothill walk

Spend the morning tasting at the small Cederberg wineries that dot the valley — Cederberg Wines and Klawer are the easiest to reach without a car (~£8 for a tasting). If you can arrange a lift, the Stadsaal rock-art caves are spectacular. Catch the afternoon coach or minibus from Clanwilliam down the N7 to Cape Town (~£18, 3.5hrs). Check into a hostel in the City Bowl or Observatory — Long Street Backpackers, Never at Home, or Ashanti Lodge all work well for solo travellers.

🚌Coach Clanwilliam–Cape Town ~£18

🛏Hostel dorm, Cape Town (~£20)

• →Cederberg wine tasting (~£8)
• →Optional: Stadsaal Bushman rock art
• →Coach to Cape Town

Book a GetYourGuide or local operator Cape Point / Cape of Good Hope day tour (~£45-55) — it's the easiest way to see the peninsula without a car, and includes stops at Boulders Beach penguins and Chapman's Peak. Alternatively, take the cable car up Table Mountain (~£22) and hike the contour paths at the top. Finish the day with sundowners at Camps Bay or a wine tasting in Constantia if you swing it. Long Street in the evening for a final group-style night out with whoever you've collected along the way.

🚌Day tour van / local taxi

🛏Hostel dorm, Cape Town (~£20)

• →Cape Peninsula day tour (~£50)
• →Optional: Table Mountain cable car (~£22)
• →Camps Bay sunset

A slow morning: Bo-Kaap for photos and a coffee, the Old Biscuit Mill market if it's a Saturday, or a last walk along the Sea Point promenade. If you're staying on, the Garden Route (Knysna, Wilderness, Tsitsikamma) is an easy onward backpacker extension on the Baz Bus. Otherwise, the MyCiTi bus or an Uber to Cape Town International Airport (~£12) for your flight out.

🚌MyCiTi bus / Uber ~£12

🛏None (departure day)

• →Bo-Kaap walk
• →Optional: Old Biscuit Mill market
• →Airport transfer