The perfect way to begin your African journey is to spend 3 nights in the picturesque Cape Town. Then fly to Kasane, Botswana to begin your 4-night Zambezi Queen safari cruise on the Chobe River. Explore the banks of Chobe National Park, home to one of the densest populations of wildlife on the African continent. Encounter elephants, leopards, lions, gazelles and buffalos on excursions by boat or open-air vehicle. Your journey continues with two nights at the legendary Victoria Falls, one of the world’s great natural wonders. From here, join the Rovos Rail train to enjoy a 3-night luxurious train journey as you travel almost 1,000 miles through breathtaking scenery from Botswana to South Africa.
Highlights
Enjoy a cable car up Table Mountain for great views
Discover renowned local vineyards and sample their wine
Visit Kasenu Village and experience the local culture
Safari through Chobe National Park in search of wildlife
Activity options vary depending on destination and operator. Activity level is determined by the range and intensity of activities you choose to participate in. Discuss with your Trip Planner which options are best for you.
Situated amidst majestic mountains and lined with pristine white-sand beaches, Cape Town is home to a rich cultural and historical heritage. After your airport greeting, transfer to your hotel. Your Tour Director hosts a Welcome Reception at 6:30 pm.
Your full-day exploration on one of the world’s most beautiful drives takes you southeast along the Atlantic seaboard past the 12 Apostles, Hout Bay, and Chapman’s Peak. Stop at the Cape of Good Hope, first rounded in modern times in 1488 by the Portuguese in their attempt to establish trade in the Far East and still a significant landmark for sailors today. Also visit Boulder Beach, home to thousands of African penguins. Lunch today is fine dining with drinks overlooking False Bay.
Choose from two sightseeing options today. The first option is to take a cableway up Table Mountain for spectacular views from the summit. Then head out to the scenic Cape Winelands, which comprises the Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl valleys. Visit two renowned vineyards and sample their wines. A sumptuous regional lunch is included along the way. Or you can choose to board a ferry to Robben Island, once used as a prison for many political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. Your tour is led by a former inmate before returning back to Cape Town. After lunch, board the cableway to the summit of Table Mountain followed by a drive through some of the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
Fly to Kasane, Botswana (via Johannesburg) and board the Zambezi Queen. This afternoon, enjoy the view as you settle in on the Chobe River before a Welcome Cocktail and Dinner.
This morning embark on a boat safari to explore the Chobe River’s spectacular game viewing. Then journey back to the Zambezi Queen for lunch and time to relax on board. Later today, enjoy a slightly different version of a river safari aboard a special double decker barge which allows you to venture into the southern channels. This excursion offers you an unusual viewpoint to observe hippos and elephants in their natural habitat.
Join a full-day safari of Chobe National Park in open-top 4x4 vehicles. Chobe National Park is home to one of the most dense populations of wildlife in Africa. Be on the lookout for elephants, giraffe, zebra, sable, warthog and cape buffalo. Prides of lions, hyenas, and (more rarely) cheetahs are normally visible along the way. Lunch includes a delicious picnic served up under the trees.
This morning, enjoy an unforgettable visit to a typical African village to experience the local culture first hand. Spend time with the children of the village as well as its elders and learn about their day-to-day life. After lunch on board, you can choose your afternoon activity including an afternoon safari by boat, bird watching or fishing. Tonight your crew hosts an African-themed dinner complete with singing and dancing.
Day 8: Zambezi Queen | Disembark
1 Breakfast
During breakfast, watch for wildlife as you cruise the Chobe River. Later, transfer to Victoria Falls. Enjoy a leisurely afternoon, and in the evening, join a cocktail reception aboard a vintage steam train.
Day 9: Victoria Falls
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
A local guide will take you on a tour of the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls. In the evening, embark on a private sunset cruise along the Zambezi River, observing a variety of game while enjoying a delicious mix of tapas with drinks.
Day 10: Victoria Falls | Rovos Rail
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Enjoy a leisurely morning before touring the town of Victoria Falls and being treated to a home-hosted lunch. Later in the day, head to the Victoria Falls colonial-era rail station where you’ll board the Rovos Rail.
Day 11: Rovos Rail
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Start the morning with a safari to the Hwange Game Reserve, Zimbabwe’s largest national park, boasting a tremendous selection of wildlife with over 100 species of mammals and nearly 400 different birds. The elephants of Hwange are world famous and the park’s elephant population is one of the largest in the world. After your safari, return to the train for a lovely brunch as you travel through the vast landscapes of central Zimbabwe on the way to the border town of Beitbridge. Take in the southern African landscape from the lounge, observation cars or your deluxe suite.
Day 12: Rovos Rail
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Leave baobab tree country and South Africa’s northern wilderness as you cross the Tropic of Capricorn, traveling alongside the Magaliesberg Mountains.
Day 13: Pretoria, South Africa | Johannesburg
1 Breakfast
Disembark the train in Pretoria where you will be transferred to the airport in Johannesburg for your onward flight home or extend your trip with four nights in Rwanda. Note: Please do not schedule your onward flight until after 4:00 p.m.
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The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
Jack Charney
TrustScore 4.9 | 333 reviews
TrustScore 4.9 of 5
Based on 333 reviews on
1 day ago
Erin is such a fabulous resource! She helped us bring our target destinations to life by suggesting activities that match our interests, fabulous lodging and excursion options, and patiently coordinating a seamless experience.
Debra D - RI USA
2 days ago
I don’t have the words to describe it but the last week has been one of the best I can remember. 6 days of adventure in South East Alaska including trekking through lush rain forest, sitting in silence listening to glaciers calving, up early to see the northern lights, kayaking and stupidly swimming in iceberg frozen waters ! (That actually hurt).
Animal sightings including black and brown bears, Minke and hundreds of Humpack Whales, porpoises, sea lions, mountain goats, harbour seals, bald eagles, salmon and more birds than I can count. Wonderful friends and connections made. A huge shout out to Trevor and his totally amazing crew on the Admiralty Dream whose energy and enthusiasm made this most incredible experience.
DAVID JAMES
3 days ago
Excellent safari trip with Adventure Life and Albatross Travel. Special shout out to our guides Eric Turasha (Kenya), and Blasi Shirima (Tanzania) from Albatross Travel. Both were world class!!! The trip went off without a hitch; all the camps were amazing…worth mentioning...one of the camps we were going to stay in on the Tanzanian side was damaged by high winds so we ended up in a different camp (Mara under Canvas Camp). Can't say enough good things! A great experience and superb service!!
Brenda Cox
4 days ago
very easy to deal with kassandra. she listened to what our interests were and planned a great trip for us. nothing to worry about!
carole therisod
4 days ago
Always professional knowledgeable and efficient. Jess H. is great.
