Southern Africa Safari

Day 1  Cape Town, South Africa
The adventure begins. Drop off your bags at the hotel and meet your Trip Manager and new Contiki fam in the lobby. Walk across to the food market next door for your choice of dinner along with some drinks to get to know the crew.            

Day 2  Cape Town          
Start at the very top with a cable car ride up Table Mountain, followed by a city tour of Cape Town so you can navigate your way around this coastal city. The rest of the day is at your leisure. Tonight, go to a restaurant in the city followed by a night on the town.            

Day 3  Cape Town            
This is your day to take advantage of the abundance of local excursions available to Cape Town. You could choose a scenic drive down to the most South-western tip of Africa - Cape Point. This is followed by a stop at Boulders Beach, home to a colony of African penguins. For the perfect afternoon activity, you can't go wrong with a classic wine tasting tour of the Cape Winelands, sampling some of Africa's best.            

Day 4  Cape Town to Kruger National Park      
Today fly to Johannesburg, the city of Gold, where you jump in a vehicle for the trip up to Kruger National Park. The Park is a sprawling wilderness of bush and terrain that houses the famous Big Five along with hundreds of species of native birds, ancient trees and meandering rivers.

Day 5  Kruger National Park          
Wake up early for your first taste of the fresh morning air that tells you you're deep in the African bush. Venture to the Park gate and enter at sunrise, just the right time to see some of Africa's elusive predators finishing off their nocturnal hunts. Lunch will be at one of the main camps in the park and we'll relax here in the midday heat. In the afternoon we depart for another game drive and exit the park for sunset.            

Day 6  Kruger National Park to Johannesburg      
The game of hide and seek continues as you traverse into the park, keeping your eyes open for any wildlife that evaded you the day before. Around midday, depart the park for the final time and stop in at the Protrack Anti-Poaching Centre to learn about wild animal conservation with a local ranger. Fully schooled, hop back in the vehicle and drive back to Johannesburg.

Day 7  Johannesburg to Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe    
Catch a morning flight to Victoria Falls. From January to June you will be staying on the Zambian side of Vic Falls and from July to December you will be staying on the Zimbabwean side. Set off on a hike along the Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders and the largest waterfall in the world.  The evening will end with a magnificent sunset cruise on the Zambezi including drinks and snacks.    

Day 8  Victoria Falls    
Today is all about adventure. In the morning you can raft down the Zambezi, one of the world's best white water rapids, or alternatively opt to take a walking safari in a national park with a local guide. To get that adrenaline really pumping you can jump, zip line or swing off the famous bridge connecting Zimbabwe and Zambia over the Zambezi River.          

Day 9  Victoria Falls to Chobe, Botswana
Opt to finish off your time at the falls in style with an incredible helicopter flight above the thunderous waters below, then leave the spray of the Falls behind you as we travel across the border to Botswana. Enjoy lunch at your lodge before taking overnight bags into open Safari vehicles and driving to the famous Chobe National Park. This is the night where you get to truly experience the wilderness with a night out in the middle of the African bush. A private Contiki site is exclusively set up just for you, with your own guides, cooks and a bonfire set under the stars.            

Day 10  Chobe
Wake up to watch the sunrise over the African bush with a light breakfast, before departing on a morning game drive to hopefully see some of the wildlife you may have heard the night before. Arrive late morning to check into your new lodge and spend the rest of the day relaxing around the pool. For the last evening of the tour you can opt for a wildlife cruise on the Chobe river.    

Day 11  Chobe
Head south to Gweta Lodge on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt pans. Opt to cruise the salt pans in open safari vehicles in search of a meerkat colony while getting some funky perspective photos in one of the largest salt flats in the world.          

Day 12  Makgadigadi Salt Pans to Okavango Delta        
With a mind already blown by this unique natural landscape, it's off to the Okavango Delta, where you'll take an awe-inspiring game drive before settling into your exclusive Contiki Safari Camp. How about a campfire meal as you swap tales under a star swept sky?      

Day 13  Okavango Delta    
After a quick bite to eat head out on an early morning game drive in the Okavango Delta in hopes of spotting elephants, hippos and if you're lucky, some predators. Return to camp for a tasty lunch and siesta. Chill in the camp or opt for a Mokoro boat trip along the gorgeous waterways of the delta. In the afternoon you’re back on another jaw-dropping game drive before a traditional campfire dinner. This evening you have a once in a lifetime opportunity - a night drive in the bush with spotlights seeking out elusive nocturnal animals you can't find during the day.            

Day 14  Okavango Delta to Maun
After breakfast it's time for another morning game drive before heading to Maun and your lodge for the night. Opt to take an unforgettable helicopter flight over the delta, or to watch a heart-warming community theatre performance.    

Day 15  Maun to Windhoek, Namibia        
Traverse two countries today as you leave Botswana and head into Namibia. Cross the border and get into Windhoek this evening, then go straight into town for your first Namibian dinner together at the legendary Joe's Beerhouse.          

Day 16  Windhoek to Sossusvlei    
After a hearty breakfast it’s time to hit the road, seeing this beautiful country and hearing about its stories until you check into your lodge tonight. Enjoy an included buffet dinner after the long drive.    

Day 17  Sossusvlei to Swakopmund          
Get up early today to explore the desert before it gets too hot! Discover Sossusvlei by taking the iconic shots of Deadvlei, and wander around Big Daddy sand dune. Later on, make your way down to the German coastal town of Swakopmund.        

Day 18  Swakopmund          
Swakopmund is an adventurers’ paradise. Start on a marine boat cruise looking out for seals, dolphins, pelicans and more as you slurp on fresh oysters and champagne. This afternoon, hit the dunes to try out some dune quad biking and sand boarding in the Namib Desert. Finish off the day with a dinner in town, reminiscing the day’s activities.  

Day 19  Swakopmund to Etosha          
Leave the coast behind and head inland to visit an indigenous bushmen village. Here, the bushmen will welcome you into their lives, show how they've lived in these harsh desert. From here, head up to Etosha for an included dinner.    

Day 20  Etosha  
Get up early for your first Namibian game drive in Etosha! The Etosha Pan is so large it can be seen from space, but it's the natural waterholes lining the edge that attract the wildlife. During the heat of day, relax at the pool or sit at the waterhole watching wildlife come and go before opting to go on another afternoon Etosha Game drive.            

Day 21  Etosha to Windhoek
After breakfast, drive back down to Windhoek to catch the afternoon flights back home.