Compare Discover South Africa and Victoria Falls by Indus Travels vs Southern Africa Family Journey: In Search of the Big Five by G Adventures

Make your own way to your International Airport to board your international overnight flight to Johannesburg via Enjoy inflight meals and services.

Continue your journey to Johannesburg

On arrival in Johannesburg, you will connect for your flight to Victoria Falls. On arrival at Victoria Falls, guests will be met by your representative and transferred to lodge. Rest of the afternoon at leisure to relax. This afternoon embark on a relaxing sunset cruise that departs from the lodge. Guest will be transferred from the hotel to the mighty Zambezi River.  The Zambezi River cruise is a superb way to relax and enjoy the beauty of the river. Guests may have the opportunity to see a variety of game; including hippo, crocodile, and elephant and sometimes even rhino in their home environment, as well as enjoy the many different bird species.  There are great photo opportunities against often-spectacular African sunsets. Dinner and overnight in Victoria Falls

After breakfast the group will be collected and transferred to the Victoria Falls for a guided tour of the falls. On the opposite cliff, facing the falls, you can take a well-marked and paved walk through the rain forests. Every so often the path will open out into a clearing for a view of the falls. Further along this path is the Knife Edge Bridge which affords an impressive panorama depending on the time of year. Although less can be seen of the width of the Falls during the wet season, the intense spray provides welcome relief from the heat, but don’t carry anything you don’t want to get wet! The rest of the afternoon will be at leisure to relax at the lodge. Later this evening the group will enjoy their dinner at the lodge.

Overnight in Victoria Falls

After breakfast transfer by road to Victoria Falls Airport for the outward flight to Johannesburg. Upon arrival, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Check-In and enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure or perhaps take the following optional city tour.

Overnight in Johannesburg

This morning enjoy an orientation tour of Soweto. SOWETO an acronym for South Western Township, is home to over 2 million people, who, despite living in crowded and chaotic conditions, have a tangible sense of community, one which ironically, the ordered, walled, northern suburbs lack. Drive past the Hector Pieterson Museum and Mandela House before leaving the commercial hub to travel into the Mpumalanga region. Continue on through Graskop to Hazyview, just outside Kruger National Park.

Overnight in Hazyview

The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. There are approximately 147 mammal species here, including the `Big 5': lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino (black & white). Spend your day game viewing from your coach in this unspoilt 20,000 square kilometer park. You may be lucky and spot Africa’s ‘Big Five’ - the exhilaration of seeing wildlife at close range is a truly unforgettable experience! 

Overnight in Hazyview

This morning travel back to Johannesburg and board a flight from OR Tambo International Airport to Cape Town. Upon arrival at Cape Town International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Stellenbosch. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Overnight in Stellenbosch

Enjoy your day at leisure or perhaps take the following optional winelands tour.

Overnight in Stellenbosch

After breakfast drive back to Cape Town where you will enjoy a half day orientation tour of the city. You will see iconic buildings, snatches of history, and experiences the uniqueness of this city. Drive past the country’s oldest building, the Castle, and a short distance away, the Company Gardens, both historically fascinating and well conserved. Our drive continues past the Parliament Buildings, City Hall and the Slave Lodge; you’ll sense the depth of history via their distinctive architecture. Colonial then changes to colourful, as you move up the cobblestoned hills to the Malay Quarter, and marvel at the ice-cream colors of the quaint Bo-Kaap homes. Return to the hotel or alternatively you can do an optional Robben Island Tour.

Overnight in Cape Town

Enjoy your day at leisure or perhaps take the following optional full day Peninsula Tour.

Overnight in Cape Town

Enjoy your morning at leisure. This afternoon you will be transferred back to Cape Town International Airport for your overnight flight Home.

(Standard check out time is 11:00am. Late checkout is subject to availability of the hotel)

Day 1 Cape Town

Arrive in time to meet your fellow travelers for a welcome gathering this evening. Your arrival transfer is included.

Day 2 Cape Town

This morning, set out on a daylong tour of the Cape Peninsula, a rocky headland jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. At Boulders Beach, watch thousands of African penguins waddle about their business. Then visit the notorious Cape of Good Hope—where many an unfortunate ship met its watery doom during the Age of Exploration—and climb up to the lighthouse at Cape Point for fantastic views. Head back to Cape Town via the spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive, which snakes its way along the Atlantic.

Chapman’s Peak Drive is weather dependent, an alternate route will be driven should conditions appear poor.

Day 3 Cape Town

Spend the day at leisure, discovering the charms of Cape Town on a variety of optional excursions. Choose to hop on the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway for a quick ride to the summit, taking in incredible views of the Atlantic seaboard. Pay an eye-opening visit to the Iziko Slave Lodge—a museum devoted to the history of slavery in South Africa. Wildlife lovers can head to the Two Oceans Aquarium to gush over the variety of its marine residents—from adorable clownfish to translucent jellies.

If you are interested in visiting Robben Island - you must book it directly with the museum on their website prior to travel: http://www.robben-island.org.za Due to high demand, it is common that this tour can be sold out over one month in advance.

Day 4 Cape Town/Greater Kruger Area

Fly from Cape Town to the Greater Kruger National Park and settle into your lodge, located at the gateway to the famed wildlife reserve.

Day 5 Kruger National Park

Rise early and climb aboard an open jeep for a safari in Kruger National Park—home to a mindboggling array of large mammals. Spot trumpeting elephants, swaggering lions, graceful giraffes, and perhaps elusive leopards as you ride through this epic wilderness. We’ll criss-cross savanna, scrubland, and riverbanks on our daylong excursion, following the tracks of the majestic creatures that inhabit the park.

At over 19,000 sq km (7,500 sq mi), South Africa’s Kruger National Park is one of the largest and most impressive animal reserves in the world. With 147 species, Kruger has more species of large mammals than any other park on the continent.

Day 6 Greater Kruger Area

Venture out on another early morning safari drive, looking for the creatures you didn’t get a chance to spot the day before. The afternoon is free to explore the Kruger region as you choose. Relax by the pool at our lodge, or opt to experience the area by zip-line.

Day 7 Greater Kruger Area/Johannesburg

After breakfast, head to Chimp Eden for an encounter with our closest relatives in the animal world. Run by the Jane Goodall Institute of South Africa, Chimp Eden is the first and only chimpanzee sanctuary in the country, and harbors more than 30 rescued chimps. Legendary ethologist and National Geographic grantee Dr. Jane Goodall devoted her life to the study of chimpanzee behavior; at Chimp Eden, we’ll get an opportunity to see rescued chimps living in a safe and secure sanctuary and learn why Jane was so captivated by them when she first began her research in 1960. Later, settle in for the drive to Johannesburg, arriving in the evening.

Today is a long driving day; but we will make stops along the way at the Chimp Eden Sanctuary and for lunch.

Day 8 Cradle of Humankind

Step back millions of years in time on a visit to the Cradle of Humankind, where the fossils of some of our earliest known human ancestors were discovered. Here, National Geographic Explorer-at-Large Lee Berger excavated the Homo naledi, a recently defined species of hominin. Descend into the otherworldly Sterkfontein Caves, where the remains of “Mrs. Ples” and “Little Foot”—both more than two million years old—were found; then venture to the Maropeng Visitors Centre to gape at the actual skeletal remains and embark on an immersive journey through the evolution of our species. This evening, feast on a traditional South African braai (barbeque).

Day 9 Johannesburg/Victoria Falls

Catch a flight to Zimbabwe and check in to your hotel. Set out with a local guide for a tour of Victoria Falls, one of the largest waterfalls on Earth. Scottish explorer David Livingstone named them after Britain’s Queen Victoria, while their older, indigenous name is Mosi-oa-Tunya—“the smoke that thunders.” You can hear the falls’ mighty roar from up to 24 miles away; and standing at one of the cascade’s overlooks, you’ll be drenched by its powerful spray.

Day 10 Victoria Falls

The day is free to explore Victoria Falls and its surroundings. Embark on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River; or embark on a canoeing excursion on the river. You can also take a day trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana to seek out its resident elephants. This evening, celebrate your journey with fellow travelers at a farewell dinner featuring a performance of local music and dance.

If you plan to participate in the Full Day Chobe Excursion, you will be travelling into Botswana. Please be aware that for Botswana, minors under the age of 18 must present their unabridged birth certificates to travel into the country.  Any minor traveling with a non-legal guardian must also present an affidavit outlining consent for the minor to travel, in addition to the birth certificate.

Day 11 Victoria Falls

Depart at any time.