Southern Africa Trip - Looking for input (1 Viewer)

[GF99-99]

Hi All,

Sorry in advance as I am not to sure if this is the correct area to post in but it seems like the closest category.

My girlfriend and I are looking to do a 5-6 week DIY wildlife sight seeing road trip in the southern portion of Africa around July are were looking for any tips, tricks, input, must see things, must avoid things, etc.

Tentatively this is the route we were thinking but we are very flexible and open to just about anything.


Basically we will hire a 4x4 Toyota with a roof top tent and all the camping supplies in Joburg and make our way to Windhoek where we will drop the car off. Plan is to camp along the way and try and spend as much time in the National Parks as possible and see as much wildlife as possible. Out main hitlist items are Kruger/Limpopo, Gonarezhou, Hwange, Vic Falls, Chobe, Moremi (Chobe and Moremi are were we will spend most of out time I think), Caprivi, Etosha, Skeleton Coast, Sossusvlei.

Also we are budget travelers (still need to get airfare from the US) so we cant afford all the luxurious hotels, and tours that you see on social media. So as much as we would love to be wined and dined any recommendations for resorts and tours are appreciated but I don't think its going to be out of our budget. We are more DYI kind of people and were not really into being jammed in a car with 5 other people on a schedule tour. Or herded around by a tour guide.

For some background we are very seasoned world travelers and know all the basic do's and don'ts and we do have a experience traveling by car in Africa. Last year we did a 5 week road trip starting in Kenya with Maasai Mara, then across Uganda, with an amazing unplanned trip last minute deal to see the gorillas in Bwindi National Park, then down through Rawanda, then into Tanaznia through Serenget, Maswa, and Ngorongoro Parks onward to Kilimanjaro and finished with a relaxing week on the beaches of Zanzibar.

Also pre Covid we did a shorter 3 week road trip through Namibia and Botswana.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

I'd recommend getting a book called Southern African Birdfinder by Cohen, Spottiswoode and Rossouw. We used it on a five month road trip trying to see as many birds as possible in South Africa and Namibia, and it was extremely useful. It covers a huge number of sites.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Given that you've visited the region before, it would be helpful to know which species you haven't seen that you would particularly like to see.

 

[Steve Babbs]

You want to be in information wanted really. Anything in particular you wish to know? Driving in SA and Namibia very easy. I can't comment on Zimbabwe.

One thing to think about is Kruger cna get very very full: book in advance even with camping. Get a Gold Card; it pays for itself in a few days. Food dirt cheap in South Africa even in Kruger and park shops good. Namibia much more expensive for camping than SA - Or it was when I was there, which was some time ago now.

You are covering a lot of ground. I've spent almost three times that time wildlife watching in South Africa and could happily go back. I'd totally agree with getting Southern African Birdfinder.

 

[temmie]

I wouldn't neglect lodge recommendations: in many cases, lodges have campgrounds, and for a very decent price you can enjoy all lodge facilities.

 

[Antik]

Could the mods move this to Information Wanted as suggested by Steve Babbs above? I'm planning a somewhat similar trip in 2026 and would like to thank all who've chimed in so far! I would presume more input to this thread could be gained in the other section as this one is for Trip Reports of already completed trips.

 

[Dave Howes]

I did a similar trip some years ago from Cape Town, back to Cape Town, but did it over 4 months and went into Zambia as well.

There is so much to see in the region, but one thing I would recommend, would be to try and spend some time in the Caprivi - the birding is sensational and depending on how long you take to get there, you may be in time to see the Carmine Bee-eaters arrive.

I think the comment about getting a copy of the SA Birdfinder is also great advice

 

[Andy Adcock]

I'd recommend getting a book called Southern African Birdfinder by Cohen, Spottiswoode and Rossouw. We used it on a five month road trip trying to see as many birds as possible in South Africa and Namibia, and it was extremely useful. It covers a huge number of sites.

Best book of it's type IMO.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I don't think you can take a South African car in to Zimbabwe unless things have changed since we did it?

This is what we did in 2010/11 over six weeks, c12000KM, numbers refer to sites in Southern African Birdfinder by Cohen, Spottiswoode and Rossouw

South Africa
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (1), Cape of Good Hope Nature reserve (5), Boulder's beach (6), Strandfontein sewage works (7), West coast National Park (19), Lamberts Bay (23), Kransvleipoort(25), De Hoop Nature reserve (37), Koa Dunes (54), Augrabies Falls National Park (62), Witsand (63)

Namibia.
Ros Pinah (194), Sossusvlei (198),Walvis Bay (201), Cape Cross, Spitzkoppe (204), Erongo Mountains (205), Kunene (208), Etosha National Park (209), Rundu area (213), Poppa Falls (214), Mahango Game Reserve (215), Katima Mulilo (219),

Botswana
Drotsky's Cabins, Chobe National Park.

Zambia
Choma, Nkanga River, (301). We stayed at 'Bruce Miller' part of a conservation area and we hired a local farm hand to how us Zambia's only endemic bird species, Chaplin's Barbet.

Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls (252)

 

[Jos Stratford]

I don't think you can take a South African car in to Zimbabwe unless things have changed since we did it?

Not all rental companies allow their cars to be taken into Zim, but several do, eg Europcar.

 

[DMW]

One thing I would suggest considering, if you have the time, is making this a loop starting and finishing in Joburg. This would allow you to add the Bushmanland area of SA, then cross into southern Namibia and do Sossusvlei before heading north. Although it's a fair distance, the roads are excellent in this part of SA and Pretoria to Uptington is basically a day's drive.

I'd also look to fit in the Sani Pass up to Lesotho and adjacent areas in the Drakensburg Mountains.

 

[Andy Adcock]

One thing I would suggest considering, if you have the time, is making this a loop starting and finishing in Joburg. This would allow you to add the Bushmanland area of SA, then cross into southern Namibia and do Sossusvlei before heading north. Although it's a fair distance, the roads are excellent in this part of SA and Pretoria to Uptington is basically a day's drive.

I'd also look to fit in the Sani Pass up to Lesotho and adjacent areas in the Drakensburg Mountains.

Upington is the way we came back in as we came back down through Nambia after gone up on the notorious C13 road and we did find one car on it's roof with four, dazed occupants at the roadside, the driver having become too confident on the gravel road. When we stayed at Witsand, there's a woman who feeds wild Porcupines if anyone wants to see them.

The truth is that there are so many ways to do a trip to Southern Africa, we've done two trips and there's still stuff we haven't seen.

 

[Samyndza]

Your hitlist is fantastic. Kruger and Limpopo are must-sees. Gonarezhou was a highlight for us, so much less crowded and the wildlife was spectacular. We spent a lot of time in Chobe and Moremi as well – you’ll love the diversity of landscapes and animals. Etosha is another gem, the waterholes are just teeming with wildlife. For budget-friendly campsites, we found some great ones in Namibia and Botswana.

 

[Samyndza]

Your hitlist is fantastic. Kruger and Limpopo are must-sees. Gonarezhou was a highlight for us, so much less crowded and the wildlife was spectacular. We spent a lot of time in Chobe and Moremi as well – you’ll love the diversity of landscapes and animals. Etosha is another gem, the waterholes are just teeming with wildlife. For budget-friendly campsites, we found some great ones in Namibia and Botswana.

Etosha is another gem, the waterholes are just teeming with wildlife. For budget-friendly campsites, we found some great ones in Namibia and Botswana. Also, don’t miss the Skeleton Coast and Sossusvlei – the dunes are otherworldly at sunrise. Since you’re experienced travelers, I’m sure you’ll handle the camping aspect like pros, but always keep an eye on your surroundings – the wildlife can be closer than you think! It’s awesome that you’re planning such an adventurous and DIY trip. If you’re looking for more detailed info, the trip reports visit site are super helpful – I’ve picked up some great tips from them. There’s nothing like setting your own pace and discovering hidden gems along the way.

 

[opisska]

Not sure if you already now, but parks in Namibia and Botswana work very differently than in Kenya - you can't just turn up at the gate in Chobe or Moremi, you need a prior campsite reservation and these campsites sell out quickly, because they are organized in a completely silly way - the whole camping is split into just a few "sites", which are huge, but you have to book them as a whole, which reaaaallly wastes space when people are in small groups. This is really the most challenging part of traveling independently in this region - because it is notoriously difficult to get in touch with someone who takes the reservation. And while you can stay in Kasane and do day trips to Riverfront, the rest of Chobe and Moremi don't even allow day visitors as far as I know.

On the other hand, both Namibia and Botswana are so safe that once you are somewhere in the middle of nowhere, far from the parks, you can actually wildcamp with no worries.

 

[Tomeitsparadise]

Not sure if you already now, but parks in Namibia and Botswana work very differently than in Kenya - you can't just turn up at the gate in Chobe or Moremi, you need a prior campsite reservation and these campsites sell out quickly, because they are organized in a completely silly way - the whole camping is split into just a few "sites", which are huge, but you have to book them as a whole, which reaaaallly wastes space when people are in small groups. This is really the most challenging part of traveling independently in this region - because it is notoriously difficult to get in touch with someone who takes the reservation. And while you can stay in Kasane and do day trips to Riverfront, the rest of Chobe and Moremi don't even allow day visitors as far as I know.

On the other hand, both Namibia and Botswana are so safe that once you are somewhere in the middle of nowhere, far from the parks, you can actually wildcamp with no worries.

Hi All,

Sorry in advance as I am not to sure if this is the correct area to post in but it seems like the closest category.

My girlfriend and I are looking to do a 5-6 week DIY wildlife sight seeing road trip in the southern portion of Africa around July are were looking for any tips, tricks, input, must see things, must avoid things, etc.

Tentatively this is the route we were thinking but we are very flexible and open to just about anything.
View attachment 1563752

Basically we will hire a 4x4 Toyota with a roof top tent and all the camping supplies in Joburg and make our way to Windhoek where we will drop the car off. Plan is to camp along the way and try and spend as much time in the National Parks as possible and see as much wildlife as possible. Out main hitlist items are Kruger/Limpopo, Gonarezhou, Hwange, Vic Falls, Chobe, Moremi (Chobe and Moremi are were we will spend most of out time I think), Caprivi, Etosha, Skeleton Coast, Sossusvlei.

Also we are budget travelers (still need to get airfare from the US) so we cant afford all the luxurious hotels, and tours that you see on social media. So as much as we would love to be wined and dined any recommendations for resorts and tours are appreciated but I don't think its going to be out of our budget. We are more DYI kind of people and were not really into being jammed in a car with 5 other people on a schedule tour. Or herded around by a tour guide.

For some background we are very seasoned world travelers and know all the basic do's and don'ts and we do have a experience traveling by car in Africa. Last year we did a 5 week road trip starting in Kenya with Maasai Mara, then across Uganda, with an amazing unplanned trip last minute deal to see the gorillas in Bwindi National Park, then down through Rawanda, then into Tanaznia through Serenget, Maswa, and Ngorongoro Parks onward to Kilimanjaro and finished with a relaxing week on the beaches of Zanzibar.

Also pre Covid we did a shorter 3 week road trip through Namibia and Botswana.

 

[Tomeitsparadise]

After seeing this trip as part of your Kruger trip and your total trip is 5-6 weeks, I wouldn’t recommend 3 weeks in Kruger if you are going to all these places. It’s quite a lot of km for 6 weeks birding. You would probably be best limiting Kruger to a few days based on what species are you still looking for when you get there.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Not sure if you already now, but parks in Namibia and Botswana work very differently than in Kenya - you can't just turn up at the gate in Chobe or Moremi, you need a prior campsite reservation and these campsites sell out quickly, because they are organized in a completely silly way - the whole camping is split into just a few "sites", which are huge, but you have to book them as a whole, which reaaaallly wastes space when people are in small groups. This is really the most challenging part of traveling independently in this region - because it is notoriously difficult to get in touch with someone who takes the reservation. And while you can stay in Kasane and do day trips to Riverfront, the rest of Chobe and Moremi don't even allow day visitors as far as I know.

On the other hand, both Namibia and Botswana are so safe that once you are somewhere in the middle of nowhere, far from the parks, you can actually wildcamp with no worries.

Botswanan yes, but there is generally no issue turning up at Namibian parks and getting permits on the gate, especially if camping where there are generally spaces.

 

[opisska]

Botswanan yes, but there is generally no issue turning up at Namibian parks and getting permits on the gate, especially if camping where there are generally spaces.

Really? We actually only did Etosha from the bigger parks - we reserved it a few days in advance and most camps had camping sold out.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Really? We actually only did Etosha from the bigger parks - we reserved it a few days in advance and most camps had camping sold out.

Can be full if coinciding with South African school holidays for example, but I have not had trouble in regard camping sites (probably bigger issue for chalets, etc).

I have booked once or twice in advance, but also have often not booked at all on other occasions or have decided to stay longer while already there.

Overall I would say for folks that have the opportunity to book (i.e. are following a fixed schedule), then online booking is never a bad idea - even if only a few days before as in your case.