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Victoria Falls

8 Day Victoria Falls & Botswana Safari (Overland Camping…

Tour Length8 days
Priced from pps $1804 R34400 £1431 1673 A$2781 C$2453 NZ$3026 Full pricing info
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Summary of this Camping Overland Tour

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  • Max. Group Size 20 Travellers
  • Departs from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
  • Ends at Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Accommodation Lodge & Camping Combo
  • Transport Large Overland Vehicle / Boat / Open 4x4 Game Viewing Vehicle
  • Wildlife Big 5, Elephant, Leopards, Lions & More
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Quick Itinerary Overview

This exciting Victoria Falls & Botswana Safari packs a big wildlife and adventure punch at a great price! Experience the natural wonder of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, before traveling overland to the banks of the Chobe River in Botswana. Spend time exploring the renowned Chobe National Park, where you embark on a relaxing boat cruise at sunset.  

Enjoy a night in Makgadigadi Pans en route to the untamed Khwai River Conservation Area of the Okavango Delta. Experience the pristine wilderness on a mokoro canoe trip and bush walk, before enjoying a game drive in the Moremi Game Reserve. Then venture into the arid Kalahari Desert. Lastly, cross the border into South Africa and drive to Johannesburg, where the affordable Africa Overland Camping Tour comes to an end.

Responsible Travel Note

During this trip, 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.

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Itinerary for this Tour

Day 1: Victoria Falls – Zimbabwe

Your Victoria Falls & Botswana Safari starts at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe where you will spend the first night at a campsite located very close to the magnificent Victoria Falls. Your overland tour guide will give you a brief overview of what to expect on this budget-friendly African safari.

Today you have the chance to visit the world-famous Victoria Falls. Take the opportunity to experience the thundering roar and impressive spray that give Victoria Falls its local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means 'the Smoke that Thunders'. Witnessing the mighty Falls is an awe-inspiring experience as the Zambezi River plummets over 100 feet into a gorge below forming the largest curtain of falling water in the world, 1,7 kilometers (1 mile) wide at the height of the rainy season.

On the first day of this Botswana Camping Safari, you are free to spend the time as you wish. Explore the historic town of Victoria Falls or relax at the camp pool and bar. There is an impressive choice of other activities to choose from. This part of the Zambezi River is famous for offering top grade rapids making some of the best Whitewater rafting in the world. Other optional adventures include helicopter and microlight flights over the Falls, bungee jumping, zip-line rides, sunset boat cruise or boat trips to Livingstone Island.

  • Optional Activities: Victoria Falls National Park entry fees, bungee jump, gorge swing, sunset cruise, helicopter flights, boma dinner experience, sunset cruise, and more
  • Meals: No Meals

Overland Tour Note:

This budget Botswana Safari departs from Victoria Falls on Day 2 of the overland safari. We recommend that you arrive a few days before the overland tour departs to give you time to explore Victoria Falls and participate in some of the numerous adventure activities available. Adding a few days before the overland tour gives you extra time to enjoy optional activities such as White-Water Rafting, Flights over the Falls, Bungee Jumping, Zambezi Sunset Cruises, Tram and Bridge Tours, Game Viewing, and more at Victoria Falls.

Day 2: Victoria Falls to Kasane – Botswana

This morning you are free to explore more and enjoy the many optional adventure activities in Victoria Falls. White water rafting, bungee jumping, and helicopter flights, to name a few. Tamer options include visiting the craft markets, taking a tram ride, or doing a treetop zipline tour.

After lunch, our overland tour crosses the border into Botswana and we make our way to the town of Kasane, near Chobe National Park. On night two of our Africa Overland Tour, we camp at a campsite on the banks of the Chobe River right next to Chobe National Park.

Later this afternoon we head out to explore the Chobe River by boat. We glide past hippos and crocs keeping a lookout for the variety of animals and birds drawn to the lush riverbanks.

  • Included Activity: Chobe River boat cruise
  • Optional Activities: Victoria Falls National Park entry fees / Adventure and sightseeing activities
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3: Kasane to Nata – Botswana

Day 3 of our Victoria Falls & Botswana Safari sees us leave the lush banks of the Chobe River and head into the Kalahari Desert. Our destination for the night is Nata Pan, one of the string of salt pans making up Makgadigadi Pans, the salty remnants at the center of a depression that once held a vast lake spanning most of northern Botswana. One of the world's largest salt pans, the Makgadikgadi Pans transform from a shimmering white desert to a lush green fertile area with the first rains, attracting wildlife onto the plains.

We overnight at a campsite located in the palm-lined fringe of Nata Pan.

  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: Nata to Maun & Khwai River Conservation Area (Okavango Delta) – Botswana

On Day 4 of our Overland Camping Tour, we continue west skirting the Makgadigadi Pans and stopping to take in the surreal vistas of the salt pans. We head to the town of Maun, the gateway for visiting the legendary Okavango Delta.

In Maun, and if there is time, you have the option to book a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta to see this miracle of nature from the air and see what wildlife you can spot. The delta is created by the great Kavango River which rises in the highlands of Angola and empties into the desert sands creating a network of water channels and lush islands. This incredible area of waterways and islands covers up to 15,000 square kilometers during the wet season. None of this water reaches the sea, but instead, evaporates or transpires from the delta itself. As a largely watery paradise, the Okavango is home to plenty of hippos, crocodiles, and fish. Many other of Africa's favorite animals call the Delta home, too. Zebra, rhino, buffalo, wildebeest, and a number of buck species also live there, some seasonally, others permanently. And, the birdlife is incredible!

We leave our overland truck in Maun and transfer to smaller 4x4 safari vehicles for a two-day trip into the heart of the Okavango Delta. (You will need to pack a smaller overnight bag for this excursion due to the luggage restrictions of the smaller vehicles.) The drive takes us through the Okavango Delta back roads towards the Khwai River Conservation area located in the northeastern part of the delta. We will spend two nights camping at a tented camp with sweeping views over the Khwai River floodplains which attracts hosts of grazing animals.

After settling in, we drive to a nearby polers station where we meet our local guides who will take us into the delta waterways on traditional mokoro boats. Your guide will stand and pole the boat through the water channels as you sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of this serene place. You will stop on one of the islands for a walking tour where your guide will show you the smaller details of this fascinating habitat. Enjoy a spectacular Botswana sunset as you are paddled back to base.

  • Included Activity: Makgadigadi Pans viewpoint, Sunset Mokoro trip
  • Optional Activities: Scenic Okavango Delta Flight
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: Moremi Game Reserve – Botswana

Today we explore the wild Okavango Delta of Botswana on our exciting Camping safari with a full-day, game-viewing adventure in the Moremi Game Reserve. Covering more than 4,800 square kilometers of the east part of the delta and extending north to join Chobe National Park, Moremi National Park was named after Chief Moremi of the BaTawana tribe and was established by the local community in 1963.

Moremi Game Reserve is often cited as one of the most beautiful wildlife reserves in Africa. It combines mopane woodland and acacia forests, floodplains, and lagoons. This varied habitat is home to nearly 500 bird species and a vast array of other animals, including elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal, impalas, and red lechwe antelope that are specially adapted to living in marshy conditions. The reserve is also home to the African wild dog, a species whose numbers are rapidly diminishing elsewhere.

  • Included Activity: Full Day Game Drive
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Khwai to Maun – Botswana

Day 6 of our Overland camping safari we leave the delta behind and make the return drive to Maun in our 4x4 safari vehicles. We will overnight in Maun at a centrally located campsite. In Maun, you are free to spend the time as you wish, either relaxing at the camp or exploring the town. You also have the chance to join an optional scenic flight over the Okavango Delta (time and weather permitting).

  • Optional Activities: Scenic Okavango Delta Flight
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Maun to Palapye – Botswana

We join our overland vehicle once more and head out of Maun and through the Central Kalahari Desert. We'll skirt the southern perimeter of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, keeping a lookout for any wildlife around the watering holes that dot the area. We pass the significant Orapa Diamond Mine, a testimony to Botswana's rich mineral resources, and drive past various small towns and villages that offer a sneak peek into the everyday life of Botswana's people before we finally reach our destination, Papapye. Our final night is spent two per room with an en-suite bathroom at a comfortable hotel in Palapye.

  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8: Palapye to Johannesburg – South Africa

Our southbound Victoria Falls & Botswana Camping Safari continues southeast through rural Botswana towards the South Africa border post. Once border formalities are complete, we drive through the North-West Province of South Africa. farms and fields turn to cities and industry as we reach Gauteng Province, the economic powerhouse of southern Africa.

This wildlife and wilderness camping adventure ends in the dynamic and bustling city of Johannesburg.

  • Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Victoria Falls & Botswana Safari Note:

This budget Victoria Falls & Botswana Safari (South) is also available in the opposite direction as the Botswana Safari & Victoria Falls Tour (North). For more details about the various overland tour options and versions, contact African Budget Safaris.

This Overland Camping Tour is also available as a Lodge Overland Tour which follows the same itinerary and stays at comfortable lodges instead of camping.

For more details contact African Budget Safaris

Optional Extras and Excursions

For up-to-date and confirmed pricing info for optional items, please drop us an enquiry.

Zimbabwe Safari Activities 

  • Visit Victoria Falls
  • Zambezi Sunset Cruise
  • Morning Tram & Bridge Tour 
  • Bungee Jumping
  • Helicopter Flights
  • White Water Rafting

Botswana Safari Activities:

  • Tips for Polers - Clients Discretion
  • Chobe National Park game drive
  • Scenic Okavango Delta Flight
  • Kalahari San Guided Walk

Child Policy

This tour does take children.

There is a minimum age limit of 8 years of age, for travellers on scheduled departures, however, children aged 8 and 9 years of age are accepted on a request basis only.
A maximum of 4 children, aged between 10 - 15 years will be allowed per scheduled tour departure date.
Should there already be 4 children confirmed on a tour, any further children requests will be dealt with on a request basis only.

Age restrictions may apply to certain items listed in the respective tour activities and it is important that you are aware of these restrictions prior to confirming children on tour.

Please contact African Budget Safaris for further information.

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Zimbabwe Safari Activities 

  • Visit Victoria Falls
  • Zambezi Sunset Cruise
  • Morning Tram & Bridge Tour 
  • Bungee Jumping
  • Helicopter Flights
  • White Water Rafting

Botswana Safari Activities:

  • Tips for Polers - Clients Discretion
  • Chobe National Park game drive
  • Scenic Okavango Delta Flight
  • Kalahari San Guided Walk
+Included in the Tour Price
  • Overland tour transport
  • Camping Accommodation
  • Registered safari guides
  • Meals as per the itinerary
  • Activities as indicated
+Not Included in the Tour Price
  • Travel insurance
  • Drinks and snacks
  • Personal items and tips
  • Optional safari activities
  • Sleeping Bag & Pillow
+Departure Dates

Scheduled Tour Departures
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If you do not see departures listed for your dates, please do contact us for further info.

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1. Okavango Delta, Botswana

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