Trip Itinerary
Cape Town
On Day 1, you’ll arrive in Cape Town, where you’ll spend three nights at Kensington Place. This is a small luxury boutique hotel in the quiet suburb of Higgovale. As it’s located close to Table Mountain National Park, you’ll have prime access to the Cableway. All of the city’s highlights are close by, including Robben Island, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and the Cape Peninsula. Kloof Street is also a must-visit for its selection of trendy restaurants, café culture, boutique shops, and small galleries. Art lovers should visit the V&A Waterfront and stop at the highly acclaimed Zeitz MOCAA, the world’s largest museum dedicated to contemporary African art. For wine enthusiasts, the Cape Winelands region is only a short drive away, ideal for day trips. Kensington Palace offers great value for such an exclusive property, and we love the special touches, including in-room spa treatments and breakfast served on your balcony.
Okavango Delta/Mababe Concession
Today, you swap Cape Town for the wilds of the Mababe Concession, where you’ll spend three nights at Wilderness Mokete. For sheer remoteness, few places can compete with this crowd-free area between the Delta, Moremi, and Chobe. You’ll fly in and out by helicopter, which is a real highlight as you’re able to take in the scope of the landscape before you even arrive. Mababe’s wildlife thrives during the dry season, when you’ll see enormous herds of buffalo, often with giant lion prides hot on their trails! This is game-drive territory, and it's not uncommon to spend full days out in the field, continuing with a spotlight after dark in search of hunting predators. Wilderness Mokete is a great-value camp, where tents come with private plunge pools on the deck and retractable roofs for stargazing. Photographers will love the sunken hide, where you can come heart-racingly close to the animals, unbeknownst to them!
Okavango Delta
Shinde Footsteps is your next stop, a wonderfully secluded Delta camp in the Shinde Private Concession. Its setting, within woodlands and facing a permanent lagoon, means you’ll have access to both land and water-based activities, including twice-daily game drives to seek out lion, leopard, and African wild dog. Spotlight-lit night safaris introduce you to life after dark, when all the big predators are out hunting, and animals such as porcupines, genets, civets, and bush babies reveal themselves. Another highlight is the walking safaris led by armed guides, which allow you to track game on foot and closely examine the details of this ecosystem. The boating activities are just as enticing, particularly between June and September, when the water levels are at their highest. You can join boat safaris, coming close to hippo pods and spotting elephants coming to drink, or venture out on a mokoro to glide along the reed-lined channels for which the Delta is known.
Victoria Falls
Today you’ll depart Botswana for Victoria Falls. Pioneers Lodge is a fantastic-value boutique property located on the Zimbabwean side of the falls within lush, tropical gardens. This friendly base has two swimming pools, indoor and outdoor dining options, and a saloon-style bar that serves locally brewed craft beers. There’s also a newly renovated spa. Just 2.5 kilometres from Victoria Falls, you have easy access to the town and all the most popular activities at your fingertips. Your time here is completely customisable and tailored to your interests. Take a guided tour of the falls to find the best viewing spots, embark on a canopy tour, track big game on 4×4 drives, or visit the termite-mound-shaped Siduli Hide for some close-up wildlife photography. Adventurous travellers can add a horse-riding safari, white-water rafting, gorge swings, or a spectacular helicopter flight over Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘The Smoke That Thunders’.
Nairobi
Now it’s time to fly into Nairobi for a night at the Crowne Plaza, a short drive from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. This is a hassle-free stopover to reset before the next leg of your journey. Your suite has everything you need, including fast Wi-Fi, a smart TV, and a dedicated workspace if you need to clear a few emails between safari destinations. The Aroma Coffee Shop is open 24 hours every day for snacks and drinks, or head to the Sky View Pool Bar for a light supper and drinks outside. If you have an early flight the next morning, Kitchen 9 Restaurant opens for an early-bird continental breakfast starting at 4:30 am, followed by their full buffet. Time permitting, you can work out at the 24-hour gym or enjoy a few laps in the rooftop pool. There’s also a spa for steam and sauna sessions, along with a range of soothing massages and beauty treatments.
Ngorongoro / Karatu
Next, fly from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro International Airport, where you’ll be met by your private guide for the next few days and transferred to your next stay. Plantation Lodge is a peaceful former farmstead within landscaped grounds near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Lake Manyara National Park. Surrounded by lush coffee plantations, this comfy base is the perfect place to slow down and unwind for a couple of days. The gardens are a paradise of tropical plants and fruit trees, popular with birds such as Fischer’s lovebirds and lilac-breasted rollers. During your stay, you’ll have a private guide and vehicle for flexible, full-day excursions, making it easy to combine Lake Manyara with the Big Five wildlife of the Ngorongoro Crater. Take a dip in the swimming pool, curl up on a sunlounger with a book, or enjoy sunset drinks. Lunches are best enjoyed outside as picnics in the bush, while evenings feature three-course dinners, complemented by an impressive wine choice from a cellar filled with international bottles.
Serengeti
Today’s adventure begins before you even land, as you’ll fly into the Serengeti with an aerial view of the Ngorongoro Crater. Arriving at Wilderness Usawa, you’ll be in a quieter part of the park. Usawa moves between nine sites throughout the year, so you are always close to the most interesting parts of the Great Migration cycle, whether that’s the dramatic river crossings or the calving season with all the predators it attracts. Beyond the Great Migration, the Serengeti is home to incredible resident wildlife. At Usawa, the experience is centred on being in the bush and connecting with nature on the deepest level. Wake to a Serengeti sunrise, enjoy breakfast cooked over an open fire, and venture out to explore the plains both on foot and on guided game drives. We can also add a sunrise hot-air balloon flight, where you’ll drift above the plains watching game grazing beneath, before landing for a champagne breakfast. Each evening, you’ll settle in around the campfire for a starlit bush dinner and stories of the day’s sightings.
