Cape Town to the Serengeti: Deserts & Wilderness — Self-Launched

Land at CPT, take the MyCiTi bus or a ~£15 Uber into the city centre and check into a hostel in the City Bowl or Green Point. Spend the afternoon walking the V&A Waterfront and Bo-Kaap, then join your hostel's bar night or head to Long Street after dark. Solo travellers: most Cape Town hostels run free walking tours each morning — sign up tonight for tomorrow.

🚌MyCiTi bus or ride-hail from airport ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm, City Bowl/Green Point (~£18)

• →V&A Waterfront walk
• →Bo-Kaap photo wander
• →Long Street bars

Hike Platteklip Gorge up Table Mountain (free, ~2hrs) and take the cable car down (~£19 one way, R420) or reverse it if the weather's hot. Afternoon: free walking tour of the city centre, then a cheap minibus taxi (~£1) to Camps Bay for sunset. Book your Intercape coach ticket to the Cederberg/Clanwilliam tonight.

🚌Walking + minibus taxi ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm (~£18)

• →Platteklip Gorge hike
• →Table Mountain cable car (optional, £19)
• →Free city walking tour
• →Camps Bay sunset

Book the !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre directly — it runs guided San heritage experiences and a museum (roughly £15-20 for the guided tour, bookable by email/phone the day before). Reach it via a West Coast shuttle or a cheap intercity coach to Yzerfontein junction. Then continue north by coach to Clanwilliam and stay at a Cederberg backpackers with vineyard views. Book this stretch on Intercape/Greyhound-style coaches in advance.

🚌Intercape coach Cape Town–Clanwilliam ~£18

🛏Cederberg backpackers/campsite (~£16)

• →!Khwa ttu San cultural tour (~£17)
• →Cederberg wine tasting (~£6)

Coach or shared minibus north to Vioolsdrift on the Namibian border. Stay at one of the riverside camps (they rent pre-pitched tents and dorm beds). Swim in the river, and if you've got energy, rent a canoe for a couple of hours (~£20). Cross the border on foot tomorrow morning — Noordoewer is a 10-minute walk/ride over the bridge.

🚌Intercape/shared minibus ~£20

🛏Riverside camp dorm/pre-pitched tent (~£14)

• →Orange River swim
• →Canoe rental (optional ~£20)

Walk through the Vioolsdrift/Noordoewer border post (have your £/N$90 Namibian visa-on-arrival pre-applied for). Get a shared taxi to Karasburg or Ai-Ais, then a pre-arranged budget transfer (many Fish River lodges run shuttles ~£25) to the canyon viewpoint at Hobas. Pre-book a Hobas campsite pitch or a nearby budget lodge; a driver can run you to the main viewpoint for sunset.

🚌Shared taxi + lodge shuttle ~£30

🛏Hobas campsite/cheap lodge (~£15)

• →Fish River Canyon sunset viewpoint (park fee ~£8)

This is the hard transport day — Namibia's roads are long and empty. Book a seat on a shuttle or shared minibus through Keetmanshoop, Bethanien and Helmeringhausen to Sesriem (many Sesriem lodges and Windhoek-based shuttle companies run scheduled transfers, roughly £45-60). Arrive late afternoon, set up at Sesriem Campsite (inside the park gate, book via NWR) or a nearby backpacker camp.

🚌Scheduled shuttle ~£55

🛏Sesriem campsite/backpacker camp (~£15)

• →Desert stargazing

Doors open at the Sesriem gate before dawn. Hire a local guide/driver with a 4x4 (the last 5km to Sossusvlei is deep sand — ~£35-45 per person when shared, book in Sesriem the night before). Climb Dune 45 for sunrise, then shuttle to Deadvlei for the dead-camelthorn photo spot. Walk Sesriem Canyon in the afternoon shade. Park fee ~£10/day.

🚌Shared 4x4 with guide ~£40

🛏Sesriem campsite (~£15)

• →Dune 45 sunrise climb
• →Deadvlei walk
• →Sesriem Canyon
• →Sossusvlei park entry ~£10

Full-day transfer across the Namib to the coast (scheduled Swakopmund shuttle/bus, ~£40-50, book ahead — seats are limited). Check into a Swakopmund backpackers (dorm ~£18). Evening stroll along the German-colonial streets and the pier; grab a fish-and-chips dinner at the jetty.

🚌Scheduled shuttle ~£45

🛏Backpackers dorm, Swakopmund (~£18)

• →Swakopmund town walk
• →Jetty sunset

Book direct with the local operators on the beachfront strip: sandboarding (~£35), skydiving (~£200+), a Skeleton Coast scenic flight (~£210), or the Mondesa township tour (~£35). Quad-biking in the dunes is the cheap thrill (~£30). Swap numbers with other backpackers in the hostel — sharing a 4x4 tour or a flight cuts the cost.

🚌Walking

🛏Backpackers dorm (~£18)

• →Sandboarding (~£35)
• →Township tour (~£35)
• →Skydiving or Skeleton Coast flight (optional, £200+)

Take a shared taxi or a cheap shuttle north to Usakos and hitch/arrange a lift the last 30km to Spitzkoppe (or book a backpacker shuttle in Swakopmund for ~£30). Camp at the community-run Spitzkoppe campsite among the granite boulders, scramble up to the rock arch for sunset and settle in for genuinely world-class stargazing.

🚌Shuttle/shared taxi ~£30

🛏Spitzkoppe community campsite (~£12)

• →Rock arch hike
• →Sunset over the boulders
• →Milky Way stargazing

Head north via Omaruru/Khorixas to Okaukuejo (shared minibus or pre-booked budget transfer, ~£35). Pay the park entry (~£10/day) and stay in the NWR Okaukuejo campsite or a budget camp outside the Anderson Gate (~£15). Drive or walk to a waterhole at dusk — the floodlit Okaukuejo waterhole is one of Africa's best night wildlife shows.

🚌Shared minibus ~£35

🛏Okaukuejo campsite (~£15)

• →Etosha park entry ~£10
• →Floodlit waterhole at dusk

Join an organised game drive from your camp (Etosha's own camps run morning and afternoon drives, ~£30-40 per person) or split a 4x4 hire with other campers (~£45/day plus fuel, shared four ways). Work the waterhole circuit — Okaukuejo, Halali and Goas — during the dry season the wildlife density is extraordinary.

🚌Shared game drive vehicle ~£40

🛏Okaukuejo campsite (~£15)

• →Full-day Etosha game drive
• →Waterhole circuit

Drive south-east to Waterberg Plateau (shared minibus via Otjiwarongo, ~£20, or a camp shuttle). The NWR Waterberg campsite sits beneath the plateau and has a pool. Hike one of the marked trails to find the plateau's buffalo and giraffe and the odd plunge pool, then take the afternoon easy.

🚌Shared minibus ~£20

🛏Waterberg NWR campsite (~£13)

• →Waterberg trail hike
• →Camp pool

Bus to Windhoek (~£15) and check into a city hostel or budget guesthouse. Walk the Independence Memorial Museum, the Christuskirche and the craft markets. Have lunch at Penduka Village (the women's cooperative G Adventures supports — it's public, just book direct) or drop in for the craft shop. Sort your Botswana transport tonight.

🚌Bus ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm, Windhoek (~£16)

• →Independence Memorial Museum
• →Penduka Village lunch & crafts
• →Craft market

Long travel day: bus/shared transfer Windhoek–Ghanzi/Maun on the Trans-Kalahari corridor, roughly £35-45, or take the overnight bus and sleep on it. Arrive in Maun late and check into a backpacker lodge on the river. Maun is the gateway to the Okavango — plan the next two days with your lodge tonight.

🚌Cross-border bus/shared transfer ~£40

🛏Maun backpackers (~£16)

• →Trans-Kalahari crossing

Book a two-day/one-night budget mokoro excursion direct with a Maun operator (~£110-140 including guide, poler, food and camp equipment) or via GetYourGuide in advance. Paddle out in a dugout canoe through the reeds to a remote island, walk with your guide, and sleep wild under the stars — no showers, no electricity, the whole point. Tip your polers (50-100 BWP).

🚌4x4 transfer + mokoro canoe (included)

🛏Wild bush camp in the Delta (~£0, included in excursion)

• →Mokoro canoe trip
• →Guided island walk
• →Wild bush camping

Mokoro back to the trailhead in the morning, then back to Maun for the afternoon. Clean up, then take an optional scenic flight over the Delta (doors-off helicopter or light aircraft, ~£100-180, share if you can). Sort your Chobe/Kasane transport for tomorrow.

🚌4x4 return (included) ~£0

🛏Maun backpackers (~£16)

• →Delta scenic flight (optional ~£120)
• →Maun river walk

Shared minibus/shuttle Maun–Kasane (~£30, 6-7hrs). Check into a Kasane budget lodge. In the late afternoon join a Chobe sunset cruise (~£28, bookable at almost any Kasane lodge — this is the classic elephant-at-the-waterfront experience), or save it for tomorrow and go straight to the riverbank.

🚌Shared minibus ~£30

🛏Kasane budget lodge/campsite (~£18)

• →Chobe River sunset cruise (~£28)

Do an early-morning Chobe game drive in an open 4x4 (~£30, book direct with Kasane operators), then cross the Kazungula border into Zimbabwe on foot/shared taxi and continue to Victoria Falls town (~£12 total). Buy the KAZA Uni-Visa at the border (~£40). Stay at a Victoria Falls backpackers.

🚌Shared taxi across border + minibus ~£14

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers (~£18)

• →Chobe 4x4 game drive (~£30)
• →KAZA Uni-Visa (~£40)

Walk to the falls entrance (~£25 park fee) and follow the circuit of viewpoints — in high water the spray is biblical. Afternoon: book a Zambezi sunset cruise (~£35 via any activity desk or GetYourGuide), or go bigger with the 111m bungee jump (~£130) or whitewater rafting (~£95). Evening: drinks at the campsite bar with the crowd you've picked up along the way.

🚌Walking

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers (~£18)

• →Victoria Falls park entry ~£25
• →Zambezi sunset cruise ~£35
• →Optional bungee/rafting

Slow day. Laundry, repack, and sort onward transport. Cheap option: the Chinotimba township walk or the local market. Lunch at the Lusumpuko Women's Club (public — book direct, ~£6 for a home-cooked plate) or another community eatery. Cross to Livingstone on the Zambian side tomorrow morning.

🚌Walking

🛏Victoria Falls backpackers (~£18)

• →Township walk
• →Community lunch (~£6)

Walk or minibus across the Victoria Falls bridge into Zambia (your KAZA Uni-Visa covers this). Check into a Livingstone backpackers. Do the falls from the Zambian side (~£15) — different, wilder angle. Sort your bus ticket to Lusaka for tomorrow — Mazhandu/Juldan buses run this route.

🚌Border crossing minibus ~£4

🛏Livingstone backpackers (~£15)

• →Victoria Falls Zambian side (~£15)

Coach to Lusaka (~£15, 6-7hrs, pre-book online or at the depot). Lusaka is a transit city, not a highlight — stay near the bus station, eat at a local grill and get an early night ahead of the Malawi leg.

🚌Coach ~£15

🛏Budget guesthouse, Lusaka (~£15)

• →Local market wander

Take the day bus to Chipata (~£12, 8-9hrs) on the road that G Adventures' overland trucks drive in the other direction. You could push straight through to Mfuwe for South Luangwa, but Chipata is cheaper to sleep in and there are buses/collective taxis onward in the morning.

🚌Coach ~£12

🛏Budget guesthouse, Chipata (~£12)

• →Road trip day

Minibus/shared taxi Chipata–Mfuwe (~£8). South Luangwa is famously one of the best parks in Africa for walking safaris and night drives. Book a game drive direct with your camp (~£35) or a walking safari (~£45) — private parks charge separately, so confirm park fees (~£15). Stay at a budget camp outside the gate.

🚌Minibus ~£8

🛏Budget safari camp, Mfuwe (~£18)

• →South Luangwa game drive (~£35)
• →Park fees (~£15)

Border crossing at Mchinji. Shared taxi to Chipata border, walk through, then a coach/shared minibus to Lilongwe (~£15 total). Malawi is famously laid-back; check into a hostel and ask about bus times down to the lake.

🚌Shared taxi + coach ~£15

🛏Lilongwe hostel dorm (~£12)

• →Malawi border crossing
• →Craft market

Long bus day north along the lake to Nkhata Bay (~£14, 7hrs). Check into one of the lakeside backpackers (Kande Beach is 30km south if you prefer, and is where the overlanders stay). Swim, watch the fishermen, eat chambo (lake fish) cooked on the beach.

🚌Coach ~£14

🛏Lakeside backpackers dorm (~£12)

• →Lake swim
• →Chambo dinner (~£4)

Rent a kayak (~£8/hr) or a mask and snorkel (~£4) and explore the coves. Take a local village walk with a guide (~£12) — Malawians genuinely are among the friendliest people in Africa. Afternoon: read, swim, repeat.

🚌Walking

🛏Lakeside backpackers (~£12)

• →Kayaking (~£16)
• →Village walk (~£12)
• →Snorkelling (~£4)

Border crossing at Songwe. Shared taxi to the border, then onward transport to Mbeya (~£14). Tanzania entry visa/insurance sorted at the border (~£40 combined, Tanzania's NIC insurance is now mandatory). Sleep in a cheap Mbeya guesthouse. Tambia buses run Mbeya–Dar es Salaam tomorrow.

🚌Shared taxi + bus ~£14

🛏Guesthouse, Mbeya (~£12)

• →Songwe border crossing

Big bus day to Dar (~£20, 12hrs, Tambia/Hood or the Tazara railway if you're patient and lucky). Arrive in the evening, stay near the ferry terminal or in the Kariakoo area. Buy your Zanzibar ferry ticket for tomorrow morning (~£22-30 one way, Azam Marine or Kilimanjaro ferries).

🚌Coach ~£20

🛏Budget hotel, Dar es Salaam (~£15)

• →Kariakoo market

Morning fast ferry to Zanzibar (~£25, book online or at the port). Check into a Stone Town hostel. Afternoon: free-form wander through the alleys, the Darajani market and the Old Fort. Book a spice-farm tour direct with a small operator (~£15-20, includes lunch) rather than through a hotel.

🚌Public ferry ~£25

🛏Stone Town hostel dorm (~£14)

• →Stone Town walk
• →Darajani market

Half-day spice plantation tour (~£18 with lunch) — vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, and a genuinely good lunch at the end. Afternoon: the former slave market and the Anglican cathedral (~£5), and the House of Wonders. Evening sunset dhows off Forodhani Gardens and street food at the night market (~£4).

🚌Daladala/vala vala ~£3

🛏Stone Town hostel (~£14)

• →Spice farm tour ~£18
• →Slave market museum ~£5
• →Forodhani night market ~£4

Public daladala or shared taxi up to the northern beaches (~£6-10). Check into a budget guesthouse or beach bungalow. Afternoon swim at the beach where the tide never fully drops — best swimming on the island.

🚌Daladala ~£6

🛏Budget beach bungalow (~£16)

• →Beach swim
• →Sunset

Book the Safari Blue dhow sailing day trip (~£55-85 depending on operator, includes snorkelling and a seafood lunch) direct with a beach operator, or scuba dive the Mnemba reef (~£110). Cheaper alternative: kayak rental and a beach day (~£10).

🚌Walking

🛏Budget beach bungalow (~£16)

• →Safari Blue dhow trip ~£65
• →Snorkelling
• →Optional scuba ~£110

Ferry back to Dar (~£25) then an overnight or afternoon bus to Arusha (~£20, 9-10hrs, Kilimanjaro Express/ABC). This is a long day; sleep on the bus if you take the night option. Arrive and check into an Arusha backpacker camp.

🚌Ferry + coach ~£45

🛏Arusha backpackers (~£14)

• →Travel day

Spend the day sorting your safari. Budget camping safaris to Serengeti + Ngorongoro run ~£350-450 for 3-4 days all-inclusive (park fees, 4x4, guide, cook, camp) — book directly with a local Arusha operator or through GetYourGuide in advance. Solo travellers can join a group departure and split vehicle costs. Spend the rest of the day at the Arusha Cultural Heritage centre and the clock tower.

🚌Walking/daladala

🛏Arusha backpackers (~£14)

• →Arusha cultural centre
• →Safari booking consultations

Early start with your safari crew, through the Ngorongoro highlands and down onto the plains. Game drives en route — buffalo, elephant, lion, and if you're lucky a cheetah on a termite mound. Camp in the Serengeti (basic public campsite, bring a torch; wildlife genuinely walks through camp at night).

🚌4x4 safari vehicle (included)

🛏Serengeti public campsite (included in safari, ~£0 extra)

• →Serengeti game drives

Full day of game drives across the Seronera valley. Splurge option: the Serengeti balloon safari (~£450-520 direct with Serengeti Balloon Safaris, including champagne breakfast) — genuinely spectacular but the single biggest optional extra on the trip. Cheaper: a second guided game drive day.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle

🛏Serengeti campsite (included)

• →Full-day Serengeti game drive
• →Optional balloon safari (~£480)

Descend into the crater at dawn — the single densest wildlife day of the trip. Rhino, lion, the whole clatter of zebra and wildebeest. Lunch by the hippo pool, then drive back to Arusha for the night.

🚌4x4 safari vehicle (included)

🛏Arusha backpackers (~£14)

• →Ngorongoro Crater game drive
• →Hippo pool

Zamzibar/Imara Daima-style luxury coach or shared shuttle Arusha–Nairobi via the Namanga border (~£20-25, 6-7hrs, Kenya eTA sorted in advance ~£25). Arrive Nairobi late afternoon. If you fly home today, book a departure after 21:00; otherwise stay a night in a Westlands hostel and decompress.

🚌Cross-border bus ~£22

🛏Nairobi hostel (optional, ~£16)

• →Nairobi arrival