Plan your safari
Red dunes curving around a white clay pan in the Namib Desert, Namibia

Southern Africa Safaris

A Southern Africa safari spans the Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls, the Cape and the dunes of Namibia.

Plan your safari Where to go

Above all, Southern Africa is some of the most varied safari country in Africa: the watery wilderness of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, the thunder of Victoria Falls, the Big Five of South Africa’s private reserves, and the otherworldly dunes of Namibia.

It also pairs effortlessly with cosmopolitan Cape Town, the Winelands and the beaches of Mozambique, making it ideal for a sophisticated, wide-ranging journey.

In short, a Southern Africa safari trades the great herds of the east for exclusivity and variety: private concessions in the Okavango, leopards in the Sabi Sand, Victoria Falls thundering between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and Cape Town’s food and wine to finish. In addition, flights connect it all easily, and the dry-season viewing from May to October is among the most reliable in Africa.

Where to go in Southern Africa

Signature experiences

The Okavango Delta

Glide by mokoro through Africa’s great inland waterway.

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Victoria Falls

The smoke that thunders, between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

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Walking safaris

On foot with legendary guides in South Luangwa and Mana Pools.

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Cape Town & the Winelands

One of Africa’s most beautiful cities to finish the journey.

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Best time to visit Southern Africa

May–Oct

Dry season, with superb game viewing because wildlife gathers at the water.

Nov–Mar

Green season: dramatic skies, newborn wildlife and the Cape summer.

Quieter seasons, considered

In the green months, however, rates ease at many of these camps, the plains empty of vehicles and the light turns dramatic. We also set out what each season gives, and what it trades, in our Safari Planning Guide.

Planning & cost in Southern Africa

Safari cost

Priced to your budget, and built around your camps, the season and how you like to travel. In other words, there are no fixed packages.

How we travel

Instead, we design every journey privately, with private guides and vehicles arranged where specified, the finest lodges, and a specialist on call throughout. However, at fly-in camps, game drives may be shared unless a private vehicle is reserved.

Practical details,
in one place

Because money, health, connectivity and packing work the same way on every safari we plan, they live in one place rather than on every page.

Southern Africa FAQs

Above all, greater variety: water-based safaris in the Okavango, desert-adapted wildlife in Namibia, the Big Five in South Africa, plus Victoria Falls and world-class cities and beaches.

May to October is the dry season and best for general game viewing; however, November to March suits Cape Town, the Winelands and green-season landscapes.

Yes. In fact, most Southern Africa journeys combine a safari with Cape Town, the Winelands and a beach finish in Mozambique or Mauritius.

Plan your Southern Africa safari.

So tell us how you like to travel and start with a complimentary consultation.

Plan your safari

Finally, before you travel, check the latest CDC travel health advice and the entry rules published by the US State Department.