Victoria Falls to Cape Town - Camping

An adventure through the heart of southern Africa's dramatic scenery in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe

Cape Town to Victoria Falls is one of the world’s great classic journeys, and we do it in reverse. Starting from the mighty Victoria Falls on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia, this trip travels through wildlife-rich game parks in Namibia and Botswana, Namibia's spectacular desert landscape and finally Cape Town, South Africa’s most cosmopolitan city. This is an adventure through the heart of southern Africa’s dramatic scenery, with rich culture, diverse wildlife and the opportunity to partake in numerous activities along the way.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:  

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• Read more about our other initiatives here.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for re-usable bottles.
• The payment of entrance fees to natural reserves generates income which is used for upkeep and development of these important sites. On this trip we travel to the Okavango Delta and Chobe and Etosha National Parks.
• Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices regarding working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
• We rewild 100 square metres per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• As this is a camping holiday the carbon footprint is minimised.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: we do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: please bring a re-usable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Visa

Botswana

Currently British and Commonwealth and European passport holders do not require visas for Botswana.

If you are transiting through South Africa and are a non UK passport holder you may require a transit visa. Please check before travelling.

Please be aware that children under the age of 18 must provide a full birth certificate (a short one won’t be accepted) as well as a valid passport. If the child is travelling with only one parent or with another adult, the missing parent (or parents) will have to provide an affidavit giving their consent for the child to travel. If flying via S. Africa you may have to pass immigration between flights and the same regulation is needed for entry into S. Africa.

Namibia

Visas for Namibia are not required for UK or Commonwealth passport holders. Other nationalities should check before travelling.

Please ensure you have a one full blank page in your passport. If you are transiting through South Africa and are a non UK passport holder you may require a transit visa. Please check before travelling. Please note that if flying via South Africa you will probably have to pass immigration there. New regulations, as of the 1 Oct 2014, mean that children under 18 will have to have an unabridged birth certificate showing the names of both parents. If the child is travelling with only one parent they will need to have an affidavit from the other parent, of no more than 3 months, confirming the child can travel with the other parent; a court order granting full legal guardianship of the child; or a death certificate of the deceased parent.

South Africa
British passport holders and most European and Commonwealth Passport holders do not require a visa to travel to South Africa.

Please note that all travellers to South Africa who do require a visa are required to have a minimum of 2 blank consecutive pages in their passport i.e. a left hand page and a right hand page to enable an entry visa to be issued.
Please note that new regulations from the 1 June 2015 mean that any child under 18 travelling to South Africa needs to be in possession of an unabridged birth certificate with the names of both parents.
If a child under 18 is only travelling with a single parent, they will also have to have an affidavit, no less than 3 months old, from the absent parent confirming the child can travel with the other parent; a court order granting full legal guardianship of the child; or a death certificate of the deceased parent.

Zimbabwe

Most nationalities, including British require a visa to visit Zimbabwe.  This can be obtained from the Zimbabwean Embassy in London but it is a lot easier to get it on arrival in Zimbabwe. 

The current charge for a single entry visit visa issued on arrival in Zimbabwe is £35.00 or US$55.00, although this could change. If you have not obtained a visa before travelling, you should bring enough cash with you to pay for your visa on arrival. You should ensure you have small notes as immigration officers may not be able to provide change.

If you plan on visiting Zambia as well then there is the UNIVISA (a shared visa for Zimbabwe and Zambia) that will allow you multiple entries into Zimbabwe.

Please note that if flying via South Africa you will probably have to pass immigration there. New regulations, as of the 1 Oct 2014, mean that children under 18 will have to have an unabridged birth certificate showing the names of both parents. If the child is travelling with only one parent they will need to have an affidavit from the other parent, of no more than 3 months, confirming the child can travel with the other parent; a court order granting full legal guardianship of the child; or a death certificate of the deceased parent.

Vaccination

Botswana

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for hepatitis A, polio, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, rabies and tuberculosis. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you have travelled from (or transited through) a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic. We also suggest you seek advice from your doctor or travel clinic about which malaria tablets to take.

Namibia

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, rabies and tuberculosis. Malaria prophylaxis is essential, seek advice from your doctor about which malaria tablets to take. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you're arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Please confirm all requirements and recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.

South Africa

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, rabies and tuberculosis. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you're arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Malaria prophylaxis is essential if travelling in the greater Kruger area; seek advice from your doctor or travel clinic about which tablets to take. The rest of South Africa, including the Garden Route, has a low risk of malaria.

Dengue fever, a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes, is also a known risk in places visited. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so we recommend taking the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Zimbabwe

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, rabies and tuberculosis. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you're arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Malaria is also a known risk. Please seek advice from your doctor or travel clinic on the best course of action for all the above.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts, 7 lunches, 12 dinners

We suggest you allow about US$170 for meals not included in the itinerary. Camp meals should be wholesome and plentiful, but do not expect cordon bleu cooking. Please note sometimes it is not easy to get fresh meat. However, the general standard of food is good and vegetarians are well catered for. Please notify Exodus of specific dietary requirements.

The water provided on this trip is safe and clean drinking water, normally coming from bore-holes. It is not bottled water, however. If you would rather have bottled water then this will be at your expense, though we would encourage you to make use of the safe drinking water provided as this helps diminish plastic consumption.

Weather

The Southern Hemisphere essentially has the opposite weather to the UK. The summer months of June, July and August, whilst clear and warm during the day, can drop down to single figures and even below freezing at night. Between September and May it is considerably warmer with the time between October and March being the hottest, getting up to the high 30sºC and sometimes above. However it is always a dry heat and the temperature does drop at night. The wet season is between November and February, but this is not a bad time to go, as it generally does not rain for very long.

Weather Charts

Cape Town

Victoria Falls

Is this trip for you?

We run both Camping and Lodge/Hotel departures for this trip, both following a very similar itinerary.

All of the camping departures involve participatory camping. This means that you are expected to help with putting up and taking down your own tent and camping gear and carry your own bags to/from the bus. The rest of the camping chores, however, such as cooking and cleaning are done by the crew.

We will be camping everywhere except Swakopmund and Cape Town, in well-equipped campsites that are common to Southern Africa. Please note, however, that whilst camping in Africa is one of the best ways to experience this amazing continent, some people may find camping almost every night for 3 weeks quite tiring, especially considering the long distances covered on this trip.

Transport for all departures is in a specially modified safari vehicle. All vehicles carry a reference library, fridge and/or icebox. 80% of Namibian roads are good gravel roads. However, the road conditions are completely dependent on how they are being maintained at the time and on occasion conditions can be poor. This can have an impact on journey times as well as comfort, and can be punishing on the vehicles. Distances are long on some days as this 21 day trip is 5000km long, but it does take in an amazing variety of landscapes from desert to swampland and wildlife with scenic views. Game drives are completed in the vehicle that we use throughout the tour (with the exception of optional game drives). Drive times below are only approximations and do vary with road conditions and the number of stops.

Where we travel to in South Africa is safe, and the risk of crime is generally low. However, there are important steps that can be taken to minimise the risk of theft and these include leaving valuables in your hotel's safe, at home, or concealed in the vehicle when not needed. Do not carry more cash than you need, as cards are widely accepted in South Africa. If using an ATM, do not do this alone and be mindful of your surroundings. It is not advisable to walk around after dark, particularly in the city of Cape Town where you can easily and inexpensively take an Uber, or ask your hotel to arrange a taxi.

Legal Note: all group members joining this tour will be asked to sign an indemnity form at the start of the holiday. This indemnity form is a requirement of the South African Tourism Service Association which our local supplier is a member of. As a client of Exodus Travels Ltd, your rights under the Package Travel Regulations (1992) are unaffected, and Exodus remains liable for the actions of our sub-contractors.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.