This 15-day Zimbabwe & Botswana Safari offers excellent value-for-money as a budget-friendly lodge safari with superb game viewing and unique wilderness experiences in Southern Africa.
Botswana safari highlights include Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans, Khwai River, and Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta. Zimbabwe safari gems include the famous Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, Lake Kariba, and Matobo Hills.
A high-quality Budget African Safari to Botswana and Zimbabwe with comfortable safari lodge accommodation and expert guides.
During this safari tour, you are likely to come across activities that encourage tourists to participate in lion, elephant, or other wildlife interaction. This includes walking with lions, riding elephants, and any other tourist operation putting travelers in close contact with animals that would normally live wild and separate from human contact.
We absolutely do not encourage or endorse this type of wildlife interaction operation. For more information on why this is not good for Africa's wild animals, please see our detailed blog post on the subject.
Our affordable Zimbabwe & Botswana Safari begins in the adventure capital of Victoria Falls. When you arrive at Victoria Falls Airport, our driver welcomes you to Southern Africa and transfers you to your first overnight safari lodge in Zimbabwe.
The remainder of the first day is free for you to do as you like. Get active and do one of the many adventure activities on offer at Victoria Falls, or rest and dip into the pool at the safari lodge. A pre-safari meeting is held at 18h00 to fill you in on the details and introduce you to your guide and fellow travelers.
Wake up and have breakfast at the safari lodge before we set off for the spectacular waterfall - Victoria Falls.
Your guide takes you to viewpoints along the river, below the falls, so that you can admire the full scale of this natural wonder. The local Kololo name for the waterfall is Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning “the Smoke that Thunders”.
Leaving Victoria Falls we cross into neighboring Botswana and head to Kasane. This is the closest town to Chobe National Park, situated near the borders of Botswana and Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. This afternoon you can set off on optional activities (own account) in and around Kasane and Chobe, or laze by the pool at the riverside lodge.
Day three of our lodge safari begins with a game drive in Chobe National Park - one of Africa's best game reserves and Botswana's top wildlife park. Chobe hosts an exceptional number of elephants, along with big predators such as crocodiles, lions, leopards, and hyenas. After spotting wildlife and birds in scenic Chobe Park, we return to the safari lodge for brunch.
Later we embark on a boat cruise along Chobe River, watching a beautiful sunset from the water and spotting a variety of animals, birds, and reptiles up close.
From one elephant stronghold to another - we drive from Chobe Park down to Hwange Park on day four. Our next safari lodge lies inside a wildlife concession in the North West corner of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe's top safari destination. If time allows, you can go an optional game drive in the concession in the afternoon.
The whole of day five is set aside for exploring Hwange National Park on game drives. Frequent sightings include the elephant herds Hwange Park is famous for, and numerous buffalos, zebras, and giraffes, as well as predators, other herbivores, and birds.
On day six of our Budget African Safari, we drive to the Milibizi area on Lake Kariba, where we will board a luxurious houseboat for a tranquil two-night excursion. Nestled amidst mountains, Lake Kariba is a vast man-made reservoir teeming with wildlife, characterised by its stunning interplay of sun and storms, earth and water. Our voyage will take us between Milibizi and the Masuna River, beginning with a sunset cruise featuring game viewing, followed by drinks and dinner on board.
The following morning, we will start early for leisurely fishing, guided walks, or more game viewing, tailored to your preferences. Upon our return, brunch will be served as we cruise to Elephant Bay, where we will anchor near one of the islands boasting a sandy beach. Here, we can unwind watching the sunset over the lake, relax around a campfire, and savor a beach barbecue under the starry sky.
Upon disembarking from Msuma, we proceed on an early morning journey from Msuna to Matapos, venturing into the majestic Matobo Hills—a region celebrated for its stunning beauty, rich tribal history, and striking rock formations. This national park has earned UNESCO World Heritage status and is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including both white and black rhinoceros, as well as sable antelope.
Matobo Hills National Park is an important wildlife sanctuary, home to an exceptionally dense leopard population The area also boasts abundant birdlife, with the highest concentration of black eagles found anywhere in the world. Once inhabited by the San (Bushman) people, it holds the most extensive collection of rock art globally. Notably, it serves as the final resting place of the Ndebele king, Mzilikazi, and Cecil John Rhodes, whose grave lies atop the "Hill of the Benevolent Spirit," also known as "World's View," a name he personally bestowed upon the site.
Our itinerary for the following day unfolds within the national park, commencing with morning rhino tracking by both vehicle and foot. In the afternoon, we continue our exploration of the park's landscapes and wildlife through exhilarating game drives, culminating in a visit to Rhodes' historic grave site.
Today our Budget Zimbabwe & Botswana Safari travels across the grassy plains of southern Matabeleland, as we make our way back into Botswana.
This afternoon we go to Nata Bird Sanctuary. If time and conditions allow, we visit the wide-open terrain of Sowa Pan, which forms part of the Greater Makgadikgadi Pans. If water levels and road conditions are favorable we experience the vast and barren saltpan before continuing to our next safari lodge.
We set off in the early in the morning towards Planet Baobab near Gweta, beginning our expedition to Ntwetwe Pan, where we will encounter Botswana's unique landscapes and remarkable wildlife. We explore Ntwetwe Pan to take in the otherworldly scenery and see the unusual creatures found out here.
Ntwetwe Pan is one of the two main pans in the Makgadikgadi Pans network in northern Botswana. This is one of the largest saltpans on earth. Ntwetwe is known for its lunar scenes - rocky outcrops, pale dunes, rugged islets, and deep channels. Keep your eyes open for desert-adapted animals, like bat-eared foxes, springbuck, kori bustards, and meerkats. With some luck, we get up close to the semi-habituated meerkats inhabiting the pans.
After lunch, you can visit a nearby village to get a feel for the local culture and learn about the Batswana people. Stop and meet the children at a school with outdoor classes and visit a traditional court. Find out about Batswana traditions and history from your local guide who shares age-old knowledge inherited from his forefathers.
Later this afternoon we visit a grove of big, old baobab trees on foot. The guide can tell you more about the baobabs growing here and baobabs (the world's largest succulents) in general.
We continue westwards to Maun, the tourism hub closest to the Okavango Delta.
This afternoon is free for you to rest and relax at the safari lodge, cooling off in the pool and taking it easy.
Alternatively, you can take an optional (own account) scenic flight over the Okavango Delta - Botswana's most prized natural treasure! Flying over this UNESCO World Heritage Site gives you breathtaking views over the winding channels and lush plains dotted with elephants, giraffes, and other animals.
After breakfast, we drive to a nearby mokoro station where mekoros (dug-out canoes) are launched.
Continuing in mekoros we glide into the pristine Okavango Delta soaking up the tranquil and wild scenery as our guides pole us along. Keep a lookout for wildlife and birds, along with the other weird and wonderful creatures of the diverse delta ecosystem.
Our mokoro trip is followed by lunch and then we head to our safari camp in a private concession of Greater Moremi. Settle in and have a hearty dinner at the camp before embarking on a thrilling night game drive in the Khwai Concession area of the Okavango Delta. The night drive is a great chance to spot the nocturnal animals of Africa, including leopards.
On day 14 of our Budget Zimbabwe & Botswana Safari, we explore the prestigious Moremi Game Reserve, on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta. One of Africa's best game reserves, Moremi is famous for its natural beauty, habitat diversity, and high concentrations of wildlife.
We spend the whole day experiencing the African bush in the untamed Moremi Game Reserve, looking out for the rich array of wildlife and birds living here.
Our Budget African Safari to Botswana & Zimbabwe finishes after breakfast at our safari tented camp today.
You can take the included transfer to Maun Airport and continue your adventures from there.
For up-to-date and confirmed pricing info for optional items, please drop us an enquiry.
This tour does take children.
Minimum Age limit 12 years. Please contact African Budget Safaris for further information, should you be travelling with children.
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