Grand Tour of Southern Africa: South Africa, Victoria Falls, Botswana

Upon arrival, you will take a private transfer to your hotel in Johannesburg, spend the afternoon settling in and enjoy dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast, you are slated for a relaxing spa treatment, with the afternoon at your leisure to explore Johannesburg. The city is an international center for street art and has a number of fascinating walking tours dedicated to its incredible murals.

Today, you transfer to the Johannesburg airport for a safari flight to the Sabi Sands concession where you will spend 4 nights at Singita Ebony. Morning and evening game drives deliver the Big Five – lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards, and rhinos. Other animals within these regions include the cheetah, hippo, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, and hyena.

Downtime at the luxurious Singita Ebony is a contemporary safari experience, comprising delicious gourmet meals, afternoon spa treatments, and glorious starry nights. Enjoy private decks, plunge pools, river views, and a true connection with your surroundings.

After a final morning game drive, you take a private flight to Singita Lembombo Lodge for three nights of more safari magic, right on the border between South Africa and Mozambique. This sister Singita property also delivers unparalleled morning and evening game drives, and you will see many mammal species, including the Big Five, plus the wild dog, wildebeest, giraffe, and zebra.

The pampering continues at the Singita Lembombo, with afternoon spa treatments, grand vistas of the N’wanetsi River and the surrounding euphorbia trees, and time spent in the lap pool, interactive kitchen, wine studio and more.

After breakfast at the Lembombo, you fly to Kruger airport and take a commercial flight to Livingstone, Zambia, the hub for visitors to the famous Victoria Falls, which itself is in Zimbabwe. A spectacular private helicopter tour of the falls concludes with the pilots dropping you off at your next lodge, the award-winning Royal Chundu on the Zambia side of the Zambezi River. Afternoon relaxation is followed by a sunset cruise and a gourmet dinner.

After a hearty breakfast, you take a kayak trip down the Zambezi River, enjoying a private picnic at lunchtime. Zambia’s first and only Relais & Châteaux property, Royal Chundu is filled with little nests created for peaceful seclusion and close interaction with the environment. The level of service and touches of luxury are both a surprise and a delight.

After a visit to a local village, you transfer to the airport in Kasani (Botswana) for a safari flight to the andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge. Two fabulous nights in this ultra-luxury setting deliver exceptional game viewing on a private Big Five concession, the encounters with wildlife on foot and from customizable safari vehicles. This authentic lodge is designed to resemble an anteater, with the suites resembling cozy birds nests. Dinner served under the stars in a traditional boma or gathering place. A helicopter ride over the Okavango Delta – with a stop for a sundowner – headlines your last day in this part of the Delta.

The next three nights are spent at one of Botswana’s most engaging luxury encampments – the Xigera Safari Lodge. Game drive outings take in the Moremi Game Reserve and encounter the Big Five, plus the zebra, hyena, jackal, impala, and giraffe. The lodge posts a monthly blog of wildlife sightings, as each month brings new experiences. You also have the opportunity to enjoy a canoe-like mokoro ride through the wetlands to get even closer to the action.

Xigera Safari Lodge champions an aesthetic dedicated to celebrating African art and design, the lodge is filled with handcrafted furnishings and artworks. You even have the opportunity to spend a night in the Baobab Treehouse.

A safari flight to Maun and a second to Cape Town sets you up for three final nights in South Africa’s most scintillating city. You check into Ellerman House, a luxury boutique resort replete with local art, Indigenous gardens, a soothing spa and a tremendous wine cellar. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure and a relaxing dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast, you set out on a full day of exploration in Cape Town, with fast-track tickets to Table Mountain. Visit Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum and discover the city center before heading to lunch at a winery in Constantia, a wine-producing suburb of Cape Town. The afternoon is spent at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, with dinner later on at 12 Apostles.

Today brings a private day tour of Cape Point Nature Reserve, a biodiverse section of the Table Mountain National Park. Enjoy the extraordinary vistas from the rocky cliffs, the sandy beaches, the penguins at Boulders Beach, a funicular ride, and more than a thousand species of endemic plants. Your farewell dinner tonight is back at the Ellerman.

We say goodbye today, with a private transfer to the Cape Town airport for your return flight home.