Come along with us as we visit Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa on OAT’s Ultimate Africa Adventure.
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We took this trip in September 2025. While there are differing opinions on the best time of year to visit these countries, we decided on September since it was late winter there, there would be no rain, the leaves were down for better animal viewing, the Okavango Delta would still be full from the rains, and the temperatures would not yet be “scorching” hot. It turned out to be a fabulous time to go and we would recommend this time of year for these reasons. That being said, we loved it so much we would go back again, but this time we would probably go in May for a completely different experience (and to avoid 97 deg F heat!). This article is a complete trip review with advice and recommendations based on our experiences. For the blog posts I wrote each day while traveling, with more detailed information of the day’s activities, please see the blog page. For convenience, I have linked each day’s blog post in this article also. You can see lots more photos on our Gallery Page.
The Itinerary
Overseas Adventure Travel’s Ultimate Africa Adventure is one of their most popular trips and takes you to four countries: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. We spent one night in Johannesburg upon arrival in South Africa, three nights in each of four different camps in the bush, and two nights in Victoria Falls. We chose to extend our trip to Cape Town, with OAT’s post trip extension, so we spent four nights there, plus one additional night on or own. Except for the last night on our own, all the overnight stays are included in the price of the trip. There are pre trip and post trip extensions available for this trip, depending on which date you choose to travel. To learn more about the trip from the OAT website, click here.
Weather
September is late winter in southern Africa, as our seasons are reversed due to Africa being in the southern hemisphere. We did some extensive research on the weather since I am a huge hot wimp, and I’m admittedly not a lot of fun in extreme heat. The historical temps and the forecasted temps were in the high 80’s F in Zimbabwe and Zambia, and in the high 90’s F in Botswana, with lows at night being in the 40’s and 50’s F. This turned out to be very accurate and exactly what we experienced. Plan your trip around your comfort level and tolerance for heat and cold.
Trip Experience Leader
On every OAT adventure, you will be well cared for by a knowledgeable Trip Experience Leader. TELs are local guides contracted by OAT. The TEL will either meet you at the airport, or at your hotel on the night or the morning after you arrive, and be with you every step of the way for the entire duration of the trip. They are responsible for coordinating your daily itinerary, offering suggestions for what to do in your free time, and taking care of any issues that may arise along the way. In addition, the TELs are highly experienced guides that share their knowledge of local culture and customs, and really make the countries you visit come alive. They have in depth stories to tell, local customs of their own to share with you, and they facilitate every part of the itinerary from inviting speakers to visiting local villages. The TEL will typically contact you via email or Whats App, about a week or two prior to your trip, to introduce themselves and allow you to ask any questions you may have. Our TEL for this trip was Wonder Siamudoda, a local gentleman from the Tonga Tribe in Zimbabwe, and he was an amazing resource.
Communication
You will need to download the WhatsApp app for this trip. After the TEL contacts you prior to the trip, he or she will set up a WhatsApp group chat and will use that to communicate with the group. It is very common for tour guides outside the US to use this app. WhatsApp runs on Wifi or cellular data and is free to set up and use. Download it before you leave the US, and turn on notifications, so you will be notified of any new messages. Our group used this app extensively to share photos and information throughout the trip. In fact, we are still communicating with the app as I write this, and we’ve been home over a week. You will bond with your fellow travelers on this trip!
Buses, Porters, and Safari Trucks
OAT has dedicated bus drivers, as well as porters available at all hotel locations to handle your luggage. The buses we used were comfortable 20 passenger buses for our group of 15 (this trip has a maximum size of 16 guests), and were stocked with coolers of complimentary bottled water. The air conditioning was a nice plus for all us Americans who are used to our AC. Your bags will be transported in a small trailer behind the bus, so you will need to keep your backpack or personal item with you on the bus for your passport, money, etc. The bus ride on day three from Victoria Falls to Hwange National Park is over three hours on very bumpy roads with a comfort stop. (Tip: always keep a tissue and hand sanitizer in your pocket as the public restrooms often lack these.)This is the longest bus ride of the trip. In the camps, the camp staff takes your bags to and from the tents for you.
The game drives are all done in open air safari trucks. The trucks are heavy duty, all-wheel drive vehicles that set up high off the ground for clearance when off roading. The trucks we used were made by Land Rover or Toyota, most had three rows of three seats (the back row of some had two sets), with each row setting a bit higher than the row in front. Some of them had cup holders and seatback pockets. They all had a railing in front of each row to hang on to, and trust me, you will need it, as some of the rides are shall we say…thrilling? We’ll let you discover the African Massage for yourselves. They are not difficult to get in and out of, but you do need to be able to climb in and out by yourself. They do provide a step stool to make it a bit easier. The seats are cushioned, and there is a warm blanket folded on each seat for you to use. We took advantage of the warm blanket on most mornings, as the wind can be quite cold. There are no doors, so the trucks are entirely open. They are covered with a canvas top, but you will definitely need to wear sunscreen, as you move around to different seats and are exposed to the sun quite a bit. You will spend about three hours each morning and each evening in the trucks on the twice daily game drives, so you will get to know them very well.
Drinking the Water
Those of us not from Africa cannot drink the tap water there. We lack the gut microbes to handle the native flora in the water, and it can give you pretty bad diarrhea. Complimentary bottled water is provided in all the hotels, and filtered water is provided at all the camps to fill your water bottles. Filtered water is used for ice in the camps, and the food is also prepared with filtered water, so everything is safe to eat, not to mention absolutely delicious. It is OK to use the tap water in the hotels and camps and to brush your teeth, but it is recommended that you try not to swallow it or the shower water.
Put a sticker on your OAT supplied water bottles, because everyone will have the same bottle. We failed to do that at home, so we both put a bandaid on ours to identify them. They will get dropped and banged around in the trucks, so don’t bring a fancy expensive water bottle that you adore.
Medication
I’ll preface this section by saying I am an RN, so I always travel well prepared for what-ifs in the medication department. I am in no way giving medical advice in this article. My normal routine for traveling with meds is to put my four daily prescription meds into pill bags (tiny zip locks that are widely available), peel the labels from the bottles and stick them on the bags. If you cannot peel the label, ask your pharmacy for duplicate labels for travel, they are happy to provide these, unless you have a narcotic. For the few supplements and vitamins, none of which are life sustaining, I package them all together in an individual pill bag for each day, so each pill bag has about 5 supplements, and I have a bag for each day of my trip. I do not label these. If customs confiscates my non labeled supplements, I will just live without them, but this is very unlikely and has never happened to me, so I don’t worry about it. Once at my destination, I add the prescription meds to the supplement bags and stick this in my day bag to take when scheduled each day. I have a chronic pain condition, so I do carry a letter from my doctor for the narcotic pain relievers that I take occasionally.
In addition to my prescription meds, I always travel with Excedrin, ibuprofen, and Benadryl. I put a few of each in a pill bag without a label and carry these in my day bag. They are distinctive and easy to tell apart, and this does not affect the efficacy of the product for the duration of the trip. (I would not store them long term this way.) Extras I packed for the bush, that I would likely not pack for a trip to a city where things are readily available, included cough drops, Sudafed, Mucinex, Zyrtec, Imodium, Zofran, Pepto Bismol, antibiotics (Z pack), Paxlovid, hydrocodone, Flexeril, and Malarone (antimalarial). I recommend seeing your doctor or a travel clinic to assess what meds you might need for this trip. Our doctors provided prescriptions for the antibiotics, Paxlovid, and Malarone. (Malarone is a daily pill that you take for the duration of the trip, plus a few days after returning.) We never got sick, but a few in our group did, and one person needed a trip to the ER in Cape Town for dehydration. I ended up doling out some Imodium, and giving my Z pack to another traveler, who forgot to bring antibiotics, when she was suffering from intractable diarrhea. Steve also had a Z pack with him, so we didn’t mind sharing. As far as vaccinations, we did not get any special vaccinations, such as yellow fever or typhoid, for this trip. Your doctor may recommend a different plan based on your medical history, your travel locations, and time of year, so this is highly variable and personal. We have both been vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B. Hep A is a food borne virus.
Money/Tipping
Gratuities are included in the cost of your trip for local guides, drivers, lodge and camp staff, driver-guides, and luggage porters on your main trip, extensions, and all optional tours. You are expected to tip your Trip Experience Leader for a job well done. Each trip has different tipping guidelines, and they are spelled out in your trip handbook, of which you will receive a copy before you depart and which you can access online at anytime. For this trip, the recommended tip for the TEL was $10 to $12 USD per person, per day. If you take the highest recommend amount for two people, and multiply that times 17 days, it comes to $408. That is the starting point for most travelers, and you can then add from there.
When the TEL contacts you prior to the trip, it is recommended you ask them which currency they prefer for their tip. We brought our tip for the TEL with us from home in USD, as the official currency in Zimbabwe at the current time is the US dollar. While the tips for all the camp staff are included, we felt they deserved an additional amount. This is controversial, if you read about tipping in OAT forums online, so it is a highly personal decision. Long time OAT travelers will tell you they worked really hard to get OAT to add the tips to the pricing so they could pay one price and be done, and some of them are very adamant about it in the forums. Again, it’s a very personal decision. We sought out the camp manager in each of the four camps and gave them a 50 dollar bill as we were departing. Any tips they receive are shared among the camp staff and guides. If we had this to do over again, we would have planned to give each camp $100 for the amazing kindness and service. In hindsight, we should have dipped into our tip money we had reserved for the TEL, in order to give more to the camp staff. We could have replenished this money at an ATM in Victoria Falls, so we did not think this through. I’m letting you know so you can plan better than we did, if you choose to add to the tips.
US dollars are also the required currency in all the camps we visited. You will need USD to settle your bar tab and souvenir purchases at each camp. There are opportunities to purchase beautiful hand made items at all the camps. We took $700 for tips in 100’s and 50’s, and an additional $500 in smaller bills for purchases and incidentals (but again should have planned better.) If you need more money, you can access an ATM in Victoria Falls for USD (the ATMs only dispense USD) on day three and day 15, but there is no access to additional funds in the camps. There were possibly ATMs at the Kasane or Livingstone Airports, but we did not consider this. Every trip is a learning experience. (Please see our article for tips on using an ATM while abroad here.) In Victoria Falls, the expected tip is around 10% for bars and restaurants. Tips for the included meals at the hotel are also included, but tips for housekeeping staff are not, so you will need small bills for this.
In Cape Town, South Africa, the official currency is the ZAR, or South African Rand. We used Apple Pay for our meals and purchases in Cape Town, so never needed any cash. (We left the hotel staff USD.) We also accessed an ATM while on our Stellenbosch winery excursion for tips for our TEL. (We had a different local TEL for the extension than we did for the main trip.) The expected tip for good service in bars and restaurants is 10-15%. Some places will add this directly to your bill.
Vendors
There are a few places on this trip where you will encounter vendors, but this is nothing like Egypt. We visited the Dambwa Market on our first day in Botswana before heading to the camp. The market is a large and sprawling open air market where you will find food, spices, clothing, souvenirs, and just about anything else you might want to purchase. The market is used extensively by the locals and we were just about the only tourists there. Many of us spoke to the locals and made purchases. The vendors were all kind and not aggressive in any way.
In Victoria Falls, it is a different story. Around our hotel, the Shearwater Explorer’s Village, the streets are full of vendors selling anything and everything. They can be very aggressive, shoving things into your hands and blocking your way. I know they are trying to make a living, but this is a huge turn off for me, and I had to stop and say “leave me alone and let me think.” They did that for about 30 seconds, then started in again, and I very politely but firmly said “no thank you” and left. Just be prepared for this type of behavior. We had no problems, but we had to be firm. The vendors do expect you to deal with them, so don’t be afraid to make a counter offer. This is part of the culture and not considered offensive. We did make a couple of purchases at the market right outside the hotel. Vic Falls also has many boutiques, galleries, and higher end shops where you can purchase art, jewelry, clothing, and other items.
Clothing/Packing
OAT has a recommended packing list, and there are many resources available online for safari packing, so I won’t reinvent the wheel here. On the bush portion of the trip in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana, you need lightweight, quick dry clothing and layers. (More info on colors of clothing in the packing article, linked at the end of this section.) On the early morning game drives that begin around 0630, it can be quite chilly, in the 30’s to 50’s F, depending on what time of year you are there. We packed Columbia and Eddie Bauer nylon hiking pants, merino wool tee shirts in short and long sleeve, a lightweight long sleeve top for sun protection, and a hoodie and long johns for warmth. We also packed a warm hat, a ball cap, a sun hat, and Buffs for dust. You will definitely need all of this.
We did not pack, nor did we need, warm puffer jackets, although some people did wear them. In the afternoon, it was quite warm, in the high 90’s F. Steve took shorts, and I just rolled up my pants. You will need some shoes that you don’t mind getting very dirty. We took older sneakers and many of us wore sandals in the afternoon and evening. You will not need hiking shoes or boots for this particular trip. Your own cold and heat tolerance will dictate what you are comfortable packing.
For the extension in Cape Town, you won’t need anything super dressy, even for the nicer restaurants. While the locals tend to dress up a bit, they are used to tourists who come to Cape Town as part of a longer safari trip, and expect you to be in casual clothing. That being said, I did pack and wear two maxi skirts (which I also wore in the bush), a pair of wide leg linen pants, a casual pullover black blouse that I wore with my gray safari pants, and two scarves. Steve packed a couple casual polo shirts and one collared button up shirt.
OAT will gift you a frameless rolling duffle bag to use on this trip, along with a reusable water bottle. It is highly recommended that you use the duffle. If you choose to bring your own bag, it is required to be a frameless bag to fit into the bush planes and safari trucks. Everyone on our trip brought the OAT supplied bag. It is quite awkward to roll through the airport at home, and in Cape Town, but your luggage is handled by OAT staff on the rest of the trip. Put something colorful on it to easily identify it from the rest of the identical bags. Please see my complete packing list for this trip here.
Accommodations
The accommodations for this trip are tented camps in the bush. You will stay for three nights at each of four different camps. The camps are all owned by the Wilderness Company, with whom OAT contracts for this trip. The tents are all very nice with a large covered porch, private attached bathroom, a storage area, big beds with mosquito nets at most camps, linens, soap, shampoo (conditioner is not provided), washing powder for clothing, filtered water provided, outlets to charge your devices, and a big fan which you will definitely need. With the exception of Baobab, the camps all run on solar power (and generator when needed), and have individual water heaters for each tent. You will not be able to run a hair dryer. I did not even pack one, but was happy to have them in the hotels.
The tents in all the camps have no heating and no air conditioning, so plan your trip and your packing around your comfort level and tolerance for heat and cold. While the tents were fabulous, they turned out to be completely uninhabitable during the heat of the day, as the thick canvas retains the heat and doesn’t let it go until the sun goes down. We tried to go back to our tents a couple of different days, but soon realized we were better off staying in the lounge areas under the big fans during our free time. Most of our group did the same.
The floors in the tents are concrete or tile. There will be some bugs and spiders that inhabit your tent from time to time, so be prepared for that. Keep slippers and a small flashlight beside the bed for getting up in the middle of the night so you don’t step on something (also check inside the slippers!). The outlets and charging stations are located on the desk and not near the bedside tables. If you need your phone or other electrical items such as a CPAP near you at night, you will need a very long extension cord, which we packed. You will also need a Universal Outlet Adapter for this trip, as well as a Type M outlet adapter, and possibly a type D. We had all three, but didn’t need the Type D in our camps. Some of the camps had standard US Type A and B outlets on a multiplug cord, some had universal outlets, some had European Type C outlets on a multiplug, and some had Type M plugs in the wall. Most had a combination of these. Come prepared. See our article on outlet adapters here.
You will be escorted to your tent by guides and camp staff with flashlights each night. I also carried my own small flashlight. Some of the guides carried firearms. You are not allowed to walk to your tents alone or leave your tent after the sun goes down due to, well…wild animals. (There are emergency procedures in place.) In the morning, the guides do a thorough check of the camp, including looking at tracks and any overnight animal activity, then walk to each tent and give you a wake-up call. Once they’ve done the wake-up call, you are allowed to walk to the lodge on your own. If you are not comfortable walking alone, just be ready to go at the designated wake up time, and you can walk back with the guide. Animals in the camps are very common. We had elephants, warthogs, lions, and baboons in our camps, along with lots of antelope that don’t want to kill you. One morning, the lions were lurking, so the guides came to pick us up in the trucks.
All the camps have a large lounge area with fans where you can access the free Wifi. The Wifi signal would not reach the tents, except on rare occasions in the closest tents. The lounges have comfortable seating where a few people took naps during the hot afternoon. Each camp has a large dining area where you will have all your meals. Each camp also has bar with a nice selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The typical price for a glass of wine was $3, liquor was $4, and cokes were $2. You will settle your bill on the morning you leave each camp, and again, will need USD at all camps. There is also a restroom available at each camp near the lodge.
The OAT website lists certain camps for this itinerary, with the caveat that you may be in a similar camp. We actually ended up at two of the advertised camps, and one of the sister camps. Your stay at each camp is three days, and the day you leave, another group comes in that afternoon. They have multiple camps for each location, and they run this tour from March through November. It is a very well-oiled machine. We stayed at Makalolo Camp in Zimbabwe (advertised is Kashawe Camp), Lufupa River Camp in Zambia (advertised is the sister camp Lufupa Tented Camp), Baobab I Camp in Botswana (advertised as Baobab Camp and there is Baobab I and II next to each other), and Santawani Camp (advertised) in the Okavango Delta. All had amazing staff and provided a stellar experience.
After all that, what can I say about the hotels? They are typical 3 star hotels in Pretoria, Vic Falls, and Cape Town. Comfortable beds, decent food, free WiFi. Breakfast is included at all the hotels, and some lunches and dinners are also included. This will be spelled out in your final documents. We stayed at the Anew in Pretoria, the Shearwater Explorer’s Village in Vic Falls, and the Sun Square City Bowl in Cape Town.
The Flights
We like to have full control over our flights, so we booked the international flights at our own expense. We booked the Delta non-stop from Atlanta to Johannesburg, and the non-stop from Cape Town to Atlanta, and were very happy with this decision. While the flights were long, we felt it was a better option to have one 15 hour flight than to take a seven hour flight to Europe, then a 10 hour flight to SA. Your tolerance may vary.
We also purchased the airport transfer from OAT for $100 per person (we purchased the transfer one way, but both ways are included if you purchase your airfare through OAT). With the transfer, an OAT representative will meet you at the airport in Joburg after you have collected your bags, and take you to the hotel in a private car or van. This was very nice to have after a long flight and arriving in Joburg around 7 pm. OAT recently changed the hotel from the Anew at the airport in Joburg to the Anew in Pretoria, about a 45 minute drive. The Pretoria location offers more amenities near the hotel and people seem happier with that. We were not able to fly in early due to Steve’s schedule (someone has to pay for these trips!), so we met our group the next morning at the hotel for breakfast and our trip back to Joburg for our flight to Vic Falls.
The internal flights are all arranged by OAT and are included in the cost of the trip. There are six internal flights, with four of them being on small 12 passenger bush planes with open cockpits. Some of the bush planes may have other passengers that are not part of your group. The TEL will assist with everything and facilitate getting your boarding passes.
- Day 3: Joburg to Vic Falls, Zimbabwe
- Day 6: Livingstone Airport, Zambia to Lufupa dirt airstrip, Zambia (bush)
- Day 9: Lufupa to Livingstone Airport (bush)
- Day 12: Kasane Airport, Botswana to Santawani dirt airstrip, Botswana (bush)
- Day 15: Santawani to Kasane Airport (bush)
- Day 17: Vic Falls to Cape Town or Joburg, depending on the extension
Now, on to the trip! OAT considers the day you leave the US as day 1 of the trip. You will see this reflected in the info on their website, so I have labeled the days here to match the website. If you would like to read detailed accounts of each day, please see the blog section of the website, where I posted each day’s activities in depth. I have also linked the individual blog posts on each day below.
Day 1 Friday 8/29/25 Depart US/Day 2 Saturday 8/30/25 Arrive in Joburg
We arrived in Johannesburg about 7 pm after our long flight. After retrieving our bags, we were met by an OAT representative who drove us to the Anew Hotel in Pretoria. We checked in, showered, and went straight to bed. Had we not purchased the transfer through OAT, we would have been responsible for our own transportation to the hotel, so it was a good purchase. You can purchase the transfer one way or both ways, but we stayed an extra day at the end of the trip, so we caught an Uber to the airport on that day.
Day 3 Sunday 8/31/25 Fly to Vic Falls/Drive to Hwange
Today was a long travel day. We met our TEL and the rest of our group at breakfast and headed back to Johannesburg to catch our flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Once at the airport, we experienced some delays and ended up leaving over two hours late. When we arrived at the Vic Falls airport, we loaded into a small bus and headed for Hwange National Park. The roads in Zimbabwe are quite challenging, to say the least. It was about a three hour drive, with one comfort stop, to the entrance of the park. (Remember the tissue and hand sanitizer.) Our guides, Douglass and Victor, were very happy to see us, as they had been waiting on us since they dropped off the previous OAT group earlier in the day. It’s a 2.5 hour drive from the park entrance to Makalolo Camp inside the park, all on dirt and thick sand roads, so no sense returning to camp and coming back again to get the next group. They served us some drinks, we climbed into the open air safari trucks, and off we went on a very dusty, bumpy, fun, chilly, and thrilling ride to the camp.
Once we arrived, we had a lovely dinner, had a drink by the fire pit, and headed to our tents for showers and beds. Our tent was #8 (there are 9), but because of the way the path was set up, it was the longest walk to the lodge…but that’s OK, I needed the steps to counteract the food! Here’s the complete blog post for today. https://twotravelover50.com/welcome-to-zimbabwe/
Day 4 Monday 9/1/25 Makalolo Camp and Game Drives
The itinerary today includes two game drives, one early morning around 0630, and one in the afternoon around 4:30 pm. At this time of year, expect your early morning game drive to be quite chilly in the low 50’s F, and your afternoon drive to be quite warm, around 90 F. You will want your warmest clothing in the morning, including a warm hat and a buff or face covering for the dust. Steve actually wore his long johns this morning, and while I packed mine, I never wore them.
After the wake up call, the camp staff will serve a light breakfast before the game drive. Breakfast turned out to be a nice spread of coffee, juice, fruits, yogurt, muffins, and pastries, so more than we were expecting. Cokes are available if that’s your thing. We all gathered around the fire pit and had our breakfast (well…most people did, I drink coffee and fast every day until noon because breakfast does not agree with my tummy). You will have 30 minutes for coffee and breakfast, as you need to get going pretty early, so don’t plan on having a leisurely breakfast. Steve and I carry collapsible coffee cups with us on every trip so we always got a refill for the road. They are the Stojo 16 oz cups from Amazon and we love them.
There will be a short stop on the morning game drive for coffee and tea each day. In addition, plan on using the loo with a view, checking the tires, picking a rose, bushy bushy, or whatever you want to call squatting down behind a bush to pee. The guides check the areas and make sure it’s safe. Always keep some hand sanitizer and some tissue in a snack size zip lock bag in your pocket, and plan to discard it when you return to the camp. On occasion, the guides had tissue and brown paper bags for you to keep your used tissue until returning to camp. While I have seen female urinary devices like the “Go Girl” or “Tinkle Belle” recommended, no one used one on this trip. I actually purchased one, practiced with it at home, brought it with me, but never used it.
When you return from the game drive around 1030 or 11 am, you will be served a beautiful brunch. Often the brunches included eggs made to order, as well as salad, fruit, cheese, meats, sides, bread, and dessert with coffee and tea always complimentary. This is the time for the leisurely meal. We had free time after lunch. It had really warmed up by then and our tents were miserably hot, so many of us hung out in the lounge under the big fans for the afternoon. This is commonplace throughout the trip.
In the afternoon, our TEL Wonder, gave a very informative talk on Zimbabwe history and local culture. OAT has a lot of educational offerings such as this, and we really enjoy them. During the afternoon presentations around 4 pm, the camp staff will serve complimentary tea, juice, or iced coffee, and a snack. After the talk, we loaded up for our afternoon/early evening game drive, where we saw lots of elephants, a few skeletons, learned about elephant poop, and had our first sundowners. Sundowners are complimentary drinks served while on the game drives at sunset for beautiful photos. Non-alcoholic drinks are also available. Occasionally, they take your order and pack it specifically for you, other times, there is a variety of drinks from which to choose.
Dinner was waiting for us when we returned to camp. It is usually around 7 or 8 pm by the time you return from the game drive. The service, the chefs, and the food are amazing at all the camps. Meals are served at a beautifully adorned long table that seats everyone, and often the guides, TEL, and camp managers will eat with you for lovely conversations. Food is often locally sourced and you get to try things you’ve never had. If you have any dietary restrictions, the camp staff are happy to help.
After dinner, we sat out by the fire pit, had some wine, and watched African bush television. There is a watering hole right outside all the camps that attract lots of animals. Wonder and the guides gave a talk about the constellations in the southern hemisphere and we learned a lot. It was a fabulous day. Here’s the link for today’s blog post to read more about the animals and the activities: https://twotravelover50.com/day-2-game-drives/
Day 5 Tuesday 9/2/25 Ngamo Village and Lions
Today was our “A Day in the Life” adventure. OAT provides this excursion once per trip and it’s an opportunity to spend some time in a local village. We started our day with the same breakfast and coffee, then headed out to Ngamo Village for the day. It’s about a 2.5 hour drive in the safari trucks to the village, with a game drive and animal viewing along the way. We got our first glimpse of three lions resting under a tree this morning. You will have the opportunity for a “comfort stop” (read: pee behind a bush) with coffee and tea along the way.
The visit to Ngamo Village was fun and informative. We met some amazing local people, got to observe and participate in village activities, had interesting conversations with some of the locals, had a chance to purchase some handmade items, and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. If school is in session while you are here, your itinerary will include a visit to a village school. We did not have the school visit on our trip. You can read more about our village visit in the blog, link at the bottom of this article.
On the way back to camp, we had a picnic lunch and more game viewing before returning around 2 pm. We then had a bit of free time before our scheduled presentation before dinner. However, the lions had other plans. When we gathered in the lodge for our talk around 4:30 pm, the lions we had seen this morning were gathered out by the watering hole with a few friends and we could see them from camp with binoculars. We did not have another game drive scheduled for today, but the camp staff loaded us up into the trucks and took us out to see the lions up close. It was amazing to sit quietly, about 20 feet away, and observe them in their natural habitat. They were just lounging around, waking up from their naps. We watched them until the sun went down and they got up to hunt down their dinner.
Before dinner, we hosted a local ecologist at the camp for a talk about trophy hunting. OAT provides an opportunity to learn and talk about controversial topics that are important issues in the countries you visit. Our speaker’s name was Innocent, and he was a local Zimbabwean. It was quite interesting and informative and we certainly learned a lot.
Dinner was another lovely affair with delicious food. One of our group members had a birthday today, so the camp staff made a cake and served it with all the fanfare and singing you would expect. It was quite a fun evening for all of us. After dinner, we headed back to the tent to get packed up for our early morning departure to the next camp in Zambia. The time went waaaaaay too fast here. Here’s a link to today’s blog post with more in depth information about the animals we saw and the village we visited: https://twotravelover50.com/ngamo-village-and-lions/
Day 6 Wednesday 9/3/25 Goodbye Zimbabwe, Hello Zambia
Today, it was time to say goodbye to our lovely camp staff at Makalolo in Zimbabwe and head to our next camp in Zambia. We woke up to lots of lion tracks in the camp as the pride we had seen last night came to visit. They were busy overnight trying to dig up a water pipe (even though there is plenty of water in the watering holes) and drinking out of the bird bath. We said our goodbyes and loaded into the trucks for our 2.5 hour drive out of Hwange NP. It was quite chilly this morning with the wind and we all bundled up in the blankets. We saw lots of animals along the way, including the lions again. The guides sure are good at navigating those thick sand roads! Not to mention, all the crossroads and intersections look the same, and it’s amazing how they know where they’re going. Of course, it’s just a normal drive to work for these skilled folks.
At the park entrance, we transferred to a bus for our one hour drive across the border into Zambia. The border crossing was quite an interesting experience. You will need your passport on you for this crossing, so don’t leave it in your duffle. The TEL will remind everyone. We stayed in the bus while Wonder collected all our passports and took care of the formalities. It was a bit of a wait with lots of traffic and very little organization. More info on the border crossing in the blog entry, linked below.
Once across the border, we switched buses and drivers and made our way to Livingstone Airport for our flight to Kafue National Park. Livingstone is a very small, but regular airport, and this flight was our first on the small bush planes. Your TEL will take care of dividing you up into two groups for the ride, and securing your boarding passes, which, incidentally, you don’t actually have to scan or show to anyone, so not sure why we got them. 😊 You will go through a regular security screening with X ray here, so liquids need to be packed into the zip lock bag as is normal procedure, and all batteries (lithium and alkaline) must be in your carry on. Your TEL will remind you of the necessary procedures. The flight was surprisingly smooth and comfortable, even though we had been told by the pilot to expect some rough spots. We have no problem with motion sickness, but if you do, you may want to be prepared with whatever remedies work for you.
From the air, we could see that Kafue NP was on fire and it was very sad. When we arrived at Lufupa dirt airstrip, the camp guides were waiting in the open air safari trucks. They drove us to the camp (only about a 30 min drive) and explained they had been up all night fighting the fire that was threatening the camp. There are no dedicated firefighters in Kafue NP, so the camp staff and the locals are the only line of defense. All the men in the camp had been fighting the fire all night, while the OAT group that came before us was asleep in their tents. You would have never known how exhausted they all were, as they greeted us with song and dance and acted like we were the first group of travelers they had ever hosted. You will be greeted like this at all the camps by the fabulous, hard-working staff.
Our accommodations were at the Lufupa River Camp on the confluence of the Lufupa and Kafue Rivers in Zambia. There is a sister camp located here also, Lufupa Tented Camp. Our tent, #9, was again the farthest one from the lodge (I think they are trying to tell us something at this point…) and it was right next to a tent from the sister camp, with a hippo ramp in between. In this camp, as in all the others, you are again not allowed to walk to your tent without an escort after dark, and you are not allowed to leave the tent after dark. Even when walking to and from your tents during the day, you need to stay vigilant and look around. More on that in tomorrow’s entry.
When we arrived, they had snacks and drinks set up for us, and we had a short orientation meeting with the camp staff, then a little free time before our early evening game drive. We made our way to our tent, where we saw beautiful views of the river, as all the tents here are on the river’s edge. We set out on our game drive as the sun was setting, and saw some of the devastation from the fires. It was very sad to see a small herd of Puku antelope bedded down for the night on a small patch of grass between two burnt fields. The devastation was heart breaking. When we returned, the camp staff had dinner set up for us in the lodge. I wish I had taken more photos of all the beautiful dinners we had, but alas, I was too busy eating and talking! Here’s a link to today’s blog post to read more: https://twotravelover50.com/goodbye-zimbabwe-hello-zambia/
Day 7 Thursday 9/4/25 Kafue NP Game Drives
We started out again this morning with a light breakfast before our game drive. Our game drive was eye opening and heart wrenching. Our guides, Akim and John, explained a lot about the wild fires, the National Park Service, and the challenges they are all facing in Kafue. Both are native Zambians, and their love for their country and their jobs was evident. The fires are devastating, and seeing the animals trying to navigate the burnt landscape was hard to watch. The smoke here was thick and dark, and made breathing difficult at times. Our Buffs came in super handy for the three days we spent here. We felt really bad for the camp staff and the locals, who were breathing this air all day, every day, as we would be able to escape it in a couple days. We saw mainly a lot of different kinds of antelope here. According to our guides, antelope have horns and deer have antlers. Each type of horn is very unique to that species. We saw Blue Duiker here, the smallest species of antelope, which our guides said were rare to see. Much more about the park and the fires in the blog post linked below.
The landscape here is much different than what we experienced in Zimbabwe. The roads are less sand and more dirt, and because we are right on the river, we are seeing tons of beautiful birds and lots of hippos. The hippos sure are noisy in the evening. We did experience a few Tsetse flies while we were here, but they weren’t bad. Black and navy attract them and we saw Tsetse fly traps made of black and navy cloth, so they don’t recommend you wear those colors while on the game drives.
When we returned from the morning game drive, they had brunch ready for us. Eggs to order, plus lots of other different choices were available. We had a few hours of free time in the afternoon, and it was quite warm, so most of us hung out in the lounge area. There is a large deck that overlooks the river at Lufupa, with trees that provide lots of shade, so it was a perfect spot to rest, nap, and use the Wifi. Lufupa also has a beautiful new swimming pool right next to the lodge. The old swimming pool was frequented by the elephants, and when people were ready to use it in the afternoon, the elephants would be drinking the water. So they just built a new pool here, much closer to the lodge with a sort of fence around it to deter the elephants. However, we did have a family of warthogs come into our camp this afternoon. It was a mama and three cute little babies with little beards, and they made themselves right at home all around the camp, on the trails, under the stairs, by the pool, etc. As I was about to head to the tent to retrieve some things for the evening, I checked to see that the coast was clear, but then mama came out from behind a bush and blocked the trail to let me know not to come any closer. I said nope, not going to the tent, and ran back up the stairs to the lodge.
In the afternoon, Akim gave a very informative talk about the history of Zambia and the political changes that have happened over the years since Zambia gained its independence from the UK in 1964. They have worked very hard to combat corruption, raise the standard of living, and provide needed services for their people. It was interesting to hear a local perspective on national issues.
On our evening game drive, we saw lots of fires still burning. They guides were hopeful that most of the smaller fires would burn themselves out by not crossing the roads or the rivers. That being said, we did see fires burning on both side of some roads and on portions of the Lufupa and Kafue rivers. It really made us want to get out of the trucks and try to put them out. Most of the fires we came across were just burning the grass, and the trees were not burning, so they didn’t look like the big infernos we see at home in forest fires. Nonetheless, it was sad to see. We also saw quite a few hippos who had come on shore to feed after the sun went down, a very smelly hyena, and a few other animals. We enjoyed our sundowner stop, where we took some fun photos.
Dinner was lovely and we finally had a chance to sample the Amarula, which we had read so much about. The liqueur is delicious, smells like caramel, and tastes a bit like Irish Cream. Try it over some ice, you will not be disappointed. We went to our tents, still breathing the smoke from the fires, but looking forward to our next day on the river. Here’s a link to today’s blog post to read more about Kafue NP: https://twotravelover50.com/kafue-national-park/
Day 8 Friday 9/5/25 Boat Tours Lufupa and Kafue Rivers
Today our game drives were game floats. We loaded up into two pontoon boats and headed up the Lufupa River, the smaller of the two rivers located here. We encountered crocs, tons of birds including storks and fish eagles, a few antelope, and several pods of hippos just entering the water after feeing on land overnight. We kept a distance from them, as hippos can be quite dangerous. More people are killed by hippos than any other animal in Africa, no joke. The babies sure are adorable though. The hippos stay in shallow water all day as they cannot actually swim. They spend a lot of time standing around, bobbing up and down, enjoying the mud, and napping. They are the biggest creatures in the river, and can be quite territorial and aggressive, and therefore are not threatened by the crocs, although crocs have been known to snatch up a baby here and there. We also encountered an old elephant, standing on the edge of the river feeding on the green vegetation. The guides explained that this elephant was well known to the camp, was quite old, and now lived a solitary life away from his herd, which is common elephant behavior.
After brunch and free time, our camp manager, Julian, gave a talk on Zambian culture and coming of age for girls and boys. It was quite informative and we asked lots of questions. Julian was just as interested in our culture as we were in the Zambian culture. Some of the topics we discussed were birth control, teenage pregnancies, and adoption. Adoption is unknown in Zambia, and she had never heard the word. They do have orphanages, but no adoptions. I’ll let you read more about Zambian culture in the blog post, linked below. Our evening game float was along the Kafue River at sunset. The weather was warm, and the sunset with our sundowner drinks was amazingly beautiful on the river.
Our final dinner at Lufupa was this evening when we returned from the river. After dinner, we all gathered by the firepit for a cultural exchange. The camp staff did some wonderful singing, dancing, and playing instruments, and it was beautiful. We were expected to offer something cultural also, but struggled to come up with something that would be as fitting as the wonderful performance they gave us. You can read more about our feeble attempt on the blog. After dinner, we headed back to our tents to get packed up for our early morning departure. The time went waaaaaaaay too fast again. Here’s a link to read today’s blog post:https://twotravelover50.com/lufupa-and-kafue-rivers/
Day 9 Saturday 9/6/25 Goodbye Zambia, Hello Botswana
Today we left Lufupa River Camp, flew back to Livingstone Airport on bush planes, and boarded a bus for the trip across the border to Botswana. On the way, we stopped at the Dambwa Market in Zambia, where we had free time to shop for souvenirs and chat with the locals. We then crossed the Kazungula Bridge over the Chobe river, which is the only place in the world where you can see 4 countries: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia.
The border crossing was much more organized, albeit a bit bizarre to us. There is a lot of getting in and out of the bus for passport control, shoe disinfecting, and health checks to screen for M Pox. Your TEL will let you know what to do and how to be prepared.
After the border procedures, we finally loaded up onto the new bus with a new driver and headed to our camp. The is a remarkable difference in the roads in Botswana. They are much nicer, owing to the infrastructure benefitting from the diamond industry, no matter how controversial it may be. The drive was under two hours to Baobab I. There are two camps located here, Baobab I and II, again owned by Wilderness, and used exclusively by OAT. This time, we were in tent #3, yay! Not the longest walk, and we could occasionally access the Wifi from the tent. I suppose they thought someone else had been eating too much by this point, so they gave us a break. Truly, we have no idea how they assign the tents, but I am sure if you have some physical limitations you can ask to be placed in the nearest tent. Your TEL would facilitate this for you. This camp is located right on the border between Botswana and Namibia, with the delta of the Chobe River separating the two countries. Our camp was located on a ridge and we could look out over the delta and see locals from Namibia walking about, fishing, canoeing, etc. right alongside the herds of animals that had gathered here to drink, and that crocs that had gathered here to eat the animals.
After checking in and having an orientation to the camp, we had a bit of free time in the afternoon. The lodge area is beautiful, with a small pool and a seating area that overlooks the delta. While it was quite hot in the afternoon in the previous camps, it was much hotter in Botswana, as we were farther south. Be prepared to melt in Botswana. Temps were in the high 90’s F here and at our next camp, also in Botswana. It was starting to cool down a bit as we were heading out for our evening game drive. Our guides, Tyson and PG, took us down into Chobe NP where we were lucky enough to see a pride of lions, lots of giraffes, and tons of other animals. We enjoyed another beautiful African sunset with our sundowners before heading back to camp. The camp staff had another beautifully prepared dinner waiting on us when we returned. We had dinner and enjoyed some free time in the lounge with drinks before heading to our tent. Lots more info and photos on today’s blog post: https://twotravelover50.com/goodbye-zambia-hello-botswana/
Day 10 Sunday 9/7/25 Baobab Camp and Game Drives
Today we set out on an early morning game drive through Chobe National Park. The setting is much different here in Chobe. While we felt like we had the other two parks all to ourselves, there are more people in Chobe and more self drivers who are not on an organized tour. There is lots of construction going on here with new camps and infrastructure being built. The camps in this area are all on regular electricity as opposed to solar power, so if you brought a hair dryer, you can use it here. Many of the roads in the park are paved, so the driving is a bit more comfortable. We saw large herds of different antelope, zebra, Cape buffalo, more giraffes than we had seen before, and a pride of lions. I’ll let you read the blog post for the R rated photos of giraffes and a show off elephant.
We had brunch upon returning to our beautiful camp. Baobab Camp is so named due to the abundance of Baobab trees in this area. We saw trees that were likely over 2000 years old. They are very majestic and quite recognizable with their unique shape. Because it’s very late winter here, they look quite distinctive without their leaves. More on that in today’s blog post, linked below.
We had a bit of free time in the afternoon and it was Africa hot today, 97 deg F. Most of us stayed in the lounge under the big fans. Our TEL, Wonder, gave a demonstration on how to make Baobab juice, something he did as a young man growing up in a village in Zimbabwe. We all got to try it and it tasted surprisingly good, like a tangy yogurt. Afterward, the ladies in the camp gave a demonstration on basket weaving and we got to try our hand at it. I sucked, but that’s not a big surprise. I’m not at all crafty. They had tons of beautiful handmade baskets, wall art, bowls, handbags and jewelry to purchase if you so desired. Many of us made purchases, including me. You will settle up your bill in USD, including these purchases, on the morning you depart.
Our evening game drive brought us more giraffes and some very unhappy elephants who trumpeted very loudly to let us know to move on. In our defense, the large herd of elephants was crossing our road to reach the water. Returning to camp, we had another lovely dinner in the lodge, again with delicious food and wonderful service. We also got to witness a total lunar eclipse that was not visible from the northern hemisphere. It was quite a treat to see something that could only be see here, and we were here to witness it. Here’s the link for today’s blog post for more info and photos of the camp activities and animals: https://twotravelover50.com/baobab-camp/
Day 11 Monday 9/8/25 Chobe All Day Game Drive
Today we set out on an all day game drive with a picnic lunch in Chobe NP. All the NPs we have visited have had their own characteristics that make them unique. Chobe is known for the vast herds of thousands of animals that come to the delta area to graze and drink the water. We saw huge herds of zebra, various antelope, Cape buffalo, elephants, and giraffes, as well as baboons, vervet monkeys, two prides of lions, and tons of beautiful birds. We also go to see lots of babies! Baby elephants, giraffes, buffalo, and zebras, plus lion cubs. They were all so adorable. Also saw a lot of cows and calves grazing in the delta. We still have not seen any leopard or cheetahs, but remain hopeful.
When we stopped for our picnic lunch, the vervet monkeys were quite entertaining. They jumped into the trucks to see what they could take and actually grabbed one of the ladies’ sandwiches right out of her hand. The picnic lunch was a nice spread of monkey approved sandwiches, sides, cheese, desserts, wine, beer, and soft drinks that had been made and packed up by the camp staff and loaded into the trucks this morning. Overall, it was a lovely and very enjoyable day in Chobe NP.
When we got back to camp around 2 pm, it was waaaaaay too hot to go to our tents. It was 97 deg F again here today, so most of us just hung out in the lounge under the fans again. Our guide Tyson gave a talk on poaching and the shoot to kill law in Botswana. It is controversial and nearly caused a war between Botswana and neighboring Namibia. However, the number of poached animals has also greatly decreased. It was a very eye opening and interesting conversation that really made you consider all the pros and cons of the shoot to kill policy. There are no easy answers, to be sure.
Our dinner tonight was outside around the fire pit. Our camp manager, Tsephie, had a birthday today, so we got to celebrate with her. She was missing spending her birthday with her two year old daughter. The camp staff did some singing and dancing and we tried our cultural exchange song again, but it still paled in comparison to what they did. In our defense, we really didn’t have much time to practice, whereas the camp staff does this every three days! We were again sad to be leaving this beautiful camp and all the wonderful people we had met here. The guides and staff at all the camps have been extraordinary. Here’s a link to today’s blog post for more photos and information: https://twotravelover50.com/chobe-game-drive/
Day 12 Tuesday 9/9/25 Welcome to the Okavango Delta
Today we left Baobab Camp, took a bus to Kasane Airport in Botswana, then another bush plane ride to Santawani dirt airstrip in the Okavango Delta. Once again, your TEL will coordinate dividing you up into two groups, securing boarding passes, etc. Kasane is a small regular airport also, with typical security procedures and X rays. We had a very smooth ride to Santawani. The Okavango Delta is a famous inland delta that fills up each year from the rains in neighboring Angola to the north, attracts thousands of animals to the waters, and recedes again at the end of the season. We timed our trip to be here when the delta was still full. While we were happy with this decision, this trip only gives you a very tiny glimpse of the delta. For a more in-depth delta experience, you will need to plan on staying at a camp that concentrates more on the delta itself. We would love to fly over to see the whole delta, and spend more time on the water. While this trip is fabulous, you won’t get that on this trip. Santawani Camp is located on the edge of the delta, so on the flight over, we could see only a very small portion of the waters.
When we landed at Santawani, our guides Ona and Fannah were waiting to pick us up in the trucks. We loaded up and headed toward the camp, only about a 15 minute drive. We saw a pride of 11 lions on the way, resting under a tree. The pride is well known to the guides. When we arrived, we were greeted with the usual fanfare, and it never gets old. The camp staff all act like we are the first group they have ever hosted and they roll out the red carpet every time. You will meet the most amazing people on this trip! This camp is also owned by Wilderness, and has a “convenient” watering hole right outside the camp to attract animals. Of course, all the watering holes at the camps are created or at least enlarged and maintained for the camp visitors. This camp has the best restroom of all the camps, known as the loo with a view. You can watch the animals at the watering hole while you use it, compliments of an open back wall. See the photos on today’s blog post.
After having our camp orientation, we had our free time in the afternoon to rest and use the Wifi, and again it’s Africa hot here, so most of us hung out in the lounge under the fans. It really seemed as if the fans didn’t help much here, it was very hot. The only (barely) saving grace here in this part of Africa is the lack of humidity. It’s been around 11%, which, if you are familiar with the eastern half of the US, you know our humidity is oppressive in the summertime, often over 70%.
We set out on our afternoon game drive around 4:30 pm and Bam! Leopards!!! We had been waiting the whole trip to see them, and the way we understand it, this camp never disappoints. The guides radioed to other guides who might be in the area to come join us, as they usually do when spotting elusive animals. Share the wealth! In addition to the adorable leopards, we also saw a jackal family with babies, impalas, elephants, giraffes, and a herd of Tsessebe antelope, which we had not seen before, with the pride of 11 lions spreading out to hunt one down for their dinner. Unfortunately for the lions, the birds spooked the Tsessebe, so don’t know if they fed their babies today. Better luck tomorrow, ladies. The ladies do all the hunting while the males supervise. Typical…
When we returned, the camp staff had a beautiful dinner set up outside for us. The camp staff work so very hard to make your trip memorable and enjoyable, and this was no exception. The table was beautifully adorned with lantern light, the service was impeccable, the food was delicious, and the whole meal was just lovely. Today was our guide Ona’s birthday, so we all got to celebrate with him. We are so very appreciative of all the hard working folks we have met on this trip. You will definitely not be disappointed with this trip of a lifetime. Here’s today’s blog post to read more about lions and leopards: https://twotravelover50.com/welcome-the-okavango-delta/
Day 13 Wednesday 9/10/25 Santawani Cats and Dogs
Today was cat and dog day at Santawani! On our early morning game drive, we were lucky enough to track a leopard with a fresh kill, and watch her rest from the hunt before she started feeding on it. We did not see her take down the small impala, but it was a beautiful thing just to observe her in her natural habitat. She didn’t even care that we were there. As if that weren’t enough, after quite a bit of off roading, next our guides tracked four young cheetahs to their morning resting spot under a tree. They also had full bellies from a kill. It was a group of young males that were familiar to the camp guides. Our guide Ona said that he had never seen five cheetahs in one day, so we felt very fortunate to have seen all of them today. We were so very impressed with knowledge and skills of our guides, as well as their kindness, their humor, their willingness to share personal stories, and educate and enlighten us, while at the same time appreciate us being there, which allows them to do the jobs they so love.
After the cheetah fest, we also saw a pregnant giraffe whom the guides said could give birth at any time, and herds of several types of antelope. We also came across a dead giraffe, and our guide allowed us to get out of the truck to see it up close. We felt incredibly fortunate to be able to do that, as it is rare that the guides allow you out of the safari vehicles, except for coffee breaks and sundowners.
When we returned from our morning game drive, we had a big brunch at the lodge, then some free time in the afternoon. Our TEL Wonder gave an informative talk about termites. We have seen thousands of termite mounds across all three countries we have visited. We had no idea how integral they were to the landscape and the environment. We were then supposed to have an educational talk about the Okavango Delta at 4 pm, but Ona and Fannah had received word about a pack of painted dogs in the area, so we hopped in the trucks a bit early and set out to locate them. After about an hour of expert tracking, we found them, puppies playing and adults resting in the shade of some brush. We were able to watch them for a bit before they all got up and headed out to hunt. They are adorable! You can read more about them on today’s blog post.
On the way back to camp, we had the most beautiful sundowners. Two of the camp staff packed everything up and drove out to meet us in the bush. The staff truly puts so much time, effort, and care into everything they do. As we made our way back, we encountered some spring hares and a very elusive wild cat. She got away before we could get any photos. They had another beautiful and delicious dinner ready for us when we returned. It was a great day. Here’s a link to today’s blog post for more on cats and dogs: https://twotravelover50.com/santawani-game-drives-and-cats/
Day 14 Thursday 9/11/25 Lion Delay, Mokoro Trip, and Kgotla Dinner
Today started with a lion delay. Each morning, the guides check the camp for tracks and animal activity before walking to each tent to wake you. As mentioned earlier, you will not be allowed to leave your tent in the morning before the wake up call. Today our usual wake up call did not come at the designated time. We were up, as we like to head to the lodge for our coffee the minute we get the call. We immediately knew something was up, and we had heard heavy lion activity most of the night. So they guides came to the tents in the trucks to pick us up. They explained the lions had been roaming the camp all night and were still close by, so it was not safe for us to be walking to the lodge on our own, especially those of us they kept putting in the farthest tents. 😉 I think I failed to mention, we were back to having the longest walk at this camp, tent #10! However, don’t be fooled by thinking #1 is the closest, as this camp is split with five tents on one side of the lodge and five tents on the other! Gotta get those steps in! When we headed out on our early morning game drive, we found two of the large male lions quite close to the camp, one resting on a termite mound, and one resting under a tree, on opposite sides of the camp. They had us surrounded for the kill, apparently.
Our early morning game drive took us to the delta today for our Mokoro excursion. Mokoros are dug out canoes, made from the ebony or sausage tree, and used extensively in the Okavango Delta and the Chobe River. Ours looked and felt suspiciously like fiberglass… We were quite impressed with the guides who manned these Mokoros for us. We got in, mostly two to a canoe, with a guide standing behind us to navigate using a long pole. They are quite narrow, felt incredibly unstable, and any little movement felt like we were going to tip right over. Mind you, we had seen hippos and crocs in the water right before we got in, so we felt super safe. But our guides were calm and skillful, we soon got the feel for it, and we enjoyed the 45 minute float along the shallow waters of the delta’s edge. We saw some interesting tiny frogs, birds and bird eggs, plants, and several colorful insects. It was an interesting perspective to see the water from water level. Come to find out, our guide had actually sat down and stood up a couple times while were out there and we didn’t even know it, that’s how skillful these guys are. You definitely won’t fall in.
On the way back to camp, we saw the pride of 11 lions again, plus some aquatic antelope, which we had not seen before. It was super hot again, so just be prepared for the heat in Botswana if you are here during this time. We had a tour of the kitchen, laundry facilities, mechanical shops, water treatment, and solar energy systems in our “back of the house” tour this afternoon. The hardest working people in any camp are in the hot kitchen and laundry rooms. Wow, was it hot in there, and I would have died without a fan to at least move the hot air around.
In the afternoon, Ona gave his talk on the geology of the Okavango Delta and it was quite interesting. The huge delta was formed over millions of years as the geological process of plate tectonics caused the ground to shift, leaving the Okavango River no way to run to the sea through Mozambique, as it had done before the shifting. Botswana and the delta now sit in a sort of bowl, with the thick Kalahari desert sand covering more than 70% of its land, most of it a former inland sea. In some places, the sand is over 1500 feet in depth.
In the early evening, we set out on our last game drive of the trip. We saw the leopard cubs, the jackal family, and the pride of 11 lions again, this time with the addition of another large male, for a total of 12. We did not have sundowners this evening, as the camp staff had a special farewell dinner planned for us that included complimentary drinks. We ate outside in a circle around the fire pit in the kgotla area. A kgotla is a round fenced gathering place where local Botswanans have celebrations, public meetings, and hold councils and court. Dinner was traditional Botswanan food that included beef, chicken, polenta, potatoes, and vegetables, and was quite delicious. The camp staff did some dancing and singing of traditional songs for us, and we went around the group to say what we were thankful for regarding the trip. As I have mentioned, I am a huge cry baby, and anything emotional will cause me to tear up, but I tried to choke out my thanks before I lost it completely. You can read more about the dinner and the amazing people we have met on this trip in today’s blog post linked here: https://twotravelover50.com/lion-delay-mokoro-trip-kgotla-dinner/
Day 15 Friday 9/12/25 Welcome to Victoria Falls
This morning we packed up to leave our beautiful Santawani Camp and all the fabulous camp staff and amazing guides. As we were heading to the airstrip, we came across the leopards again, and this time we got to see all three of them, mama and her two cubs, whom she has been slowly weaning over the past couple weeks. It was a treat to see them all together finally.
Today will be your last ride on bush planes for this trip. You will fly back to Kasane Airport in Botswana, then take a bus to the Zimbabwe border, switch buses and drivers, and drive on to Victoria Falls for a two day stay. Once there, you will check into the Shearwater Explorer’s Village (or similar accommodation), have your included lunch, and then some free time in the afternoon to rest, shop, enjoy the pool, etc. Several different OAT groups were here when were here. The resort is spacious and beautiful, with lots of seating areas in the lodge, two bars, and a lovely pool. Quite a few in our group took advantage of the pool as it was still quite hot while we were here. If you’re like me, you will be very happy to have AC again! Incidentally, we were the farthest room from the lodge…again…I really need to stop eating so much! 😉
This evening will be your Home Hosted Dinner, which OAT provides once per itinerary. Our group was divided up by the TEL, and split between three host families. Our family was a couple with three children, two of whom were grown, who lived in a new house in a new neighborhood in Vic Falls. The family was warm and welcoming, served us a beautiful traditional dinner, and we really enjoyed visiting with them and sharing our cultural differences and similarities.
Much has been discussed in online forums about the practice of giving a gift to the families who host the dinners. You will read advice that says yes, you definitely need to bring a gift, and advice that says no, the families are compensated for hosting the dinners, and every piece of advice in between. Here’s our take: yes the families are compensated by OAT, but we like to bring a small gift of appreciation. For this trip, we did not bring gifts from home like we did for our Egypt trip, where we took legos and nail polish for the children. Instead we asked our TEL about an appropriate gift and one of his suggestions was a bottle of wine. While this can be controversial in online discussions, Wonder said it was quite appropriate and if the family didn’t drink alcohol, they would be happy to re-gift it to someone who does. So we purchased a bottle of wine in our free time this afternoon, and the family was quite happy to receive it. Some people like to bring soap, nuts, honey, or maple syrup from their hometowns, and one person in our group brought a Polaroid camera to take and share photos with the family. While they have all the modern amenities like cell phones, big TV’s, and internet, they had never seen a Polaroid, so it was a big hit. Our best advice is to not bring magnets or trinkets, as the families tend to receive tons of these and eventually they pile up. You can read more about the visit on today’s blog post linked here: https://twotravelover50.com/welcome-to-victoria-falls/
Day 16 Saturday 9/13/25 Victoria Falls
Today was our visit to the falls. Victoria Falls is one of the original 7 Natural Wonders of the World, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had a chance to grab some coffee at the hotel before we took a short bus ride to the entrance. Once inside, our TEL Wonder gave a short presentation on the history and geology of the falls. We then walked the paved trails to all 16 viewpoints. There are restrooms at the beginning and at the end of the trail, and a gift shop and small restaurant and a refreshment stand at the end. It was quite warm the day we were there, so take some water with you, as you will be out walking for about two hours, some of it in the sun. You are welcome to walk as much of or as little of the trails as you wish. The walk is easy and mostly level all along the trail. Everyone in our group walked the trail in its entirety. At a couple of the viewpoints, you will be able to see crazy people hanging over the edge of the Devil’s Pool, and at one of the last viewpoints, you get a great view of the bridge over the Zambezi River.
We had the included breakfast at the hotel when returned around 10 am. We then set off on the optional Through the Eyes of an Elephant Tour. Several of us participated, and we enjoyed the excursion and the chance to see, pet, and feed elephants up close. Some of the folks in or group chose to use the pool or do some shopping. When we returned from the elephant excursion, we had lunch at the hotel and did a little shopping. Vic Falls is also a perfect opportunity to use an ATM to get cash or your tip money for your TEL if you didn’t bring it with you from home. There is a super easy to access ATM just a couple blocks from the hotel. ATMs dispense money in USD, which is the official currency in Zimbabwe.
We had our sunset cruise on the Zambezi River this evening. Before we boarded the boat, we stopped to see the Big Tree, which is a giant 1200 year old Baobab tree located near the falls. We then loaded up onto a boat with a covered top, they provided a small snack and a complimentary drink (non alcoholic drinks are always available), and we cruised up and down the river for about an hour. We saw some elephants playing in the water, and a few hippos. When we returned, they had dinner set up for us on the shore of the river. We had our farewell dinner by lantern light and it was a beautiful evening.
The farewell dinner wraps up around 7:45 pm, so we had a chance to catch the Simunye: The Spirit of Africa show at the Vic Falls Theater Company. We love the theater, so had purchased our tickets the day before, but you can purchase tickets at the door also. It is general admission seating and there is not a bad seat in the 195 seat theater. It’s an outdoor amphitheater, but it is covered. The theater is located right next door the Shearwater Explorer’s Village, so when you leave after the show, just go out the back gate and you will be at the hotel. From the website, the show is described as “a captivating fusion of puppetry, dance, music, and visuals, delivering a powerful message of love and community.” While we had a bit of trouble understanding all the words perfectly, we had no trouble understanding the love story and the love for the continent of Africa. We truly enjoyed it, then headed back to the hotel to have a drink and get packed up and prepared to leave the following morning. We were sad to be leaving this part of Africa, but were looking forward to seeing Cape Town. Here’s a link today’s blog post for some more in depth information: https://twotravelover50.com/vic-falls/
Day 17/Extension Day 1 Sunday 9/14/25 Welcome to Cape Town, South Africa
Toady will be last day of the regular trip. If you are going home from here, you will fly to Johannesburg this morning. From there, you will fly back to your home. We had two people on our trip who headed home today. If you are taking the post trip extension, you will fly to Cape Town today.
Before our flights, breakfast was available at the hotel, and then we had the chance to attend a lecture on David Livingstone, given by a local educator. The lecture was given in the theater where we had seen the show the night before. We found the speaker to be a joy and her passion for Livingstone was evident. Livingstone is a very popular and loved figure in Africa today, owing to his contributions to exploring and mapping, but especially for helping to abolish the slave trade from Mozambique in east Arica. You should read more about him if you have a chance. After the lecture, we were treated to a performance by a local singing group, and they were fabulous.
Soon after, we took a bus to Vic Falls International Airport, where we boarded a three hour flight to Cape Town. Again, the staff will handle your bags, and the TEL will arrange for the boarding passes and help you navigate the airport for checking bags, then leave you at the security checkpoint. This will be the last internal flight for this trip. A light lunch is served on this flight, and the only other opportunities for food are in the airport before the flight, or grabbing a quick snack in the Cape Town airport after you arrive. This is also where you will say goodbye to your fabulous Trip Experience Leader. If you haven’t already tipped your TEL, now is the time do so, as the TEL will not be joining you for the extension. OAT will provide a local guide from SA for the extension.
When we arrived, we met our TEL Juan at the airport after claiming our bags. You will need to claim your own bags here, and there are of course baggage carts available if you need them. You will still be with your group from the main trip, so lots of folks are also willing to help. Once you meet the TEL, you will all put your bags onto a cart and be taken to a bus for the 45 minute drive to the city center. We stayed at the Sun Square City Bowl. It was a great location within walking distance to bars and several nice restaurants. The rooms are nicely appointed with a coffee maker (yay! and a hair dryer, also yay! because I’ve had safari hair for two weeks) and a big buffet breakfast is included each morning.
After checking in, Juan took us on a short walk around the city center and pointed out the location of some bars and restaurants he recommended, followed by the included dinner at the hotel restaurant. After dinner, Juan and a few of us went up to the bar on the top floor of the hotel to have a drink and admire Table Mountain all lit up behind us. The weather in Cape Town in September is much cooler that what you will experience on the bush portion of the trip. Daytime highs were forecast in the 60’s F, so it was a very welcome break for me. Here’s a link to today’s blog post: https://twotravelover50.com/welcome-to-cape-town-south-africa/
Cape Town Extension
You will spend three more nights on the Cape Town extension. Your activities may vary by day, since the weather in Cape Town is highly variable. For example, we had planned to visit Table Mountain on day two of the extension, but we woke to heavy fog that day, so Juan changed the itinerary around to hopefully get us a clear day to visit. With OAT’s small group of no more than 16 travelers, this is easy to do. For a more detailed account of each day’s activities, please see the daily blog posts linked below.
Extension day two, Monday 9/15, included a trip to Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden with a beautiful walk, a visit to the District Six Museum, and a walking tour of the harbor area with lunch, which is at your expense. We all ate together at the Time Out Market at the waterfront, which has several choices for food. There is also plenty of free time for shopping and relaxing. If you are interested in diamonds, your TEL can arrange a visit to some reputable diamond merchants, as well as a trip to the diamond museum. We chose to walk around the harbor for a bit before walking back to the hotel on our own. It’s a bit of a walk, about 40 minutes, and you can also take an Uber. Your dinner on day two of the extension is on your own, and your TEL can recommend some fabulous places, as Cape Town is a foodie town with tons of amazing choices. Reservations are highly recommended. The prices are surprisingly affordable compared to the prices at nice restaurants in the US. We had dinner at Bo-Vine Wine and Grill House, as did a few in our group. It’s only a block from the hotel. Here’s a link to today’s blog post: https://twotravelover50.com/botanical-garden-and-district-6-museum/
On day three, Tuesday 9/16, we woke to sunny weather so we did the trip up Table Mountain in the gondola. Take a jacket, as it was cold at the top. Your TEL will secure tickets and take care of the logistics. Day three also included our full day of driving around the entire Cape of Good Hope with a stop at the southwesternmost point of the African continent for photos at the famous sign. There will be several photo stops this day, as well as a stop at the Cape Light House with a trip up the funicular and some free time at the top, a stop in Simon’s Town for the included lunch, and a stop at Boulder’s Beach to see the African Penguins. Lunch on this day was quite late, around 2 pm, as we added Table Mountain on this morning, so plan to take a snack from breakfast if needed. When we returned, we had a birthday celebration at the hotel for one of the members in our group, and Juan arranged cake and Champagne. After our long day, we were quite tired and not at all hungry when it was time for dinner, which is on your own on this day, so we skipped it entirely and went to bed early. Here’s a link to today’s blog post: https://twotravelover50.com/table-mountain-and-cape-of-good-hope-sept-16-tuesday/
Day four, Wednesday 9/17, was our last day of the extension. We took a trip to the Stellenbosch Winelands. This included a stop in the town of Stellenbosch for some shopping and free time. We accessed an ATM here for tip money for our TEL, as the official currency is the South African Rand, or ZAR. Today also included a stop at two wineries with tasting and a light meal at one, and a tasting with chocolates at another. Our two stops were L’Avenir and Muratie, and we really enjoyed this beautiful day in wine country. Every member of our group opted for this tour, which is offered at your own expense and can be booked on the OAT website prior to your trip, or booked with the TEL directly once you arrive in Cape Town. If you choose not to go on this excursion, your TEL will help you with things to do on your last day in Cape Town. Here’s a link to today’s blog post: https://twotravelover50.com/stellenbosch-winelands-sept-17-wednesday/
Dinner on your final night in Cape Town is at your expense, but Juan reserved a table for all of us at Bouchon Bistro, also a block from the hotel, for our farewell dinner. The food was fabulous, the wine was delicious, and the evening was thoroughly enjoyable. Our final included night at the Sun Square City Bowl hotel was Wednesday night 9/17. If you are leaving the next day, you will have your room at the hotel until it is time to leave for the airport, even if it is after normal checkout time. If you have booked your flights through OAT with the included airport transfer, or if you have an airport transfer booked with OAT with flights on your own, your TEL will have all of that information and will coordinate your transportation from the hotel to the airport. If you have booked your own flights without a transfer, you will need to plan your own ride to the airport. Juan recommended leaving the hotel 3.5 hours prior to your scheduled flight to allow for traffic.
If you are staying on your own after today, as we did, you will need accommodations for this night. We had already booked a room at this same hotel before leaving home to start this trip, and we let them know when we checked in that we wanted to stay in the same room. We reminded them this morning, and they gave us new keys for the same room, since the OAT stay had concluded and we were now here on our own dime. We said our goodbyes to everyone at breakfast, and spent Thursday 9/18 day visiting Robben Island, one of the locations where Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned during Apartheid. Tickets are easy to purchase online, but we recommend doing it a few days in advance to get your desired time. You will also need to get to the ferry either by walking the 40 minutes to the harbor, or by taking an Uber, which is what we did. People start lining up to board the ferry about an hour prior to departure, but there are plenty of seats, and the boarding process is quick and easy, so no need to do that. When you get on the ferry, don’t be afraid to walk to the front section for more comfortable padded seats, as there are no reserved seats. All the seating is inside the ferry where it’s covered. There are restrooms and a small snack bar on the ferry. It’s a 30 minute ride to Robben Island. When we returned from Rbben Island, we had some free time at the harbor before catching an Uber back to the hotel. Before dinner, we had some lovely drinks at The Gin Bar, which was a short walk from the hotel. For dinner, we made reservations at Nikkei Japanese and Peruvian Fusion, also just a couple blocks from the hotel, which was fabulous, and we highly recommend it. Again, it was surprisingly affordable compared to similar restaurants in the US. We spent our final night at the hotel and got packed up to head out in the morning. Here’s a link to today’s blog post: https://twotravelover50.com/robben-island-and-nikkei-sept-18-thursday/
We spent our last morning, Friday 9/19, visiting the Heart of Cape Town Museum, located in Groote Schurr Hospital, where the first human to human heart transplant took place. I’m a retired cardiac surgery nurse, so it was fascinating to me. We then had lunch reservations at FYN, which is an experience not to be missed in Cape Town. It was a bit more than the other restaurants we had tried, but worth every penny, and we would highly recommend you try to get a table. Lunch was all we could get when we made the reservation on short notice, but it was amazing. Finally, we took an Uber to the airport for our 8 pm flight back to Atlanta. Here’s a link to today’s blog post: https://twotravelover50.com/heart-of-cape-town-museum-and-fly-home-sept-19-friday/
Our best advice after taking this trip
- Don’t get too excited on your first day in the bush. Of course, we were all so thrilled to see our first giraffe and elephant through the window of the bus that we were yelling Stop! to the driver so we could take photos. You will see tons more and have way better opportunities for photos. Truly, it’s hard not be super excited the whole time, and we were no exception, so take this advice with a grain of salt. 😊
- Do not overpack. Please read the packing advice I gave above, and in the packing article linked here. Definitely take a pair of sandals you don’t mind getting dirty and don’t be afraid to wear them on game drives. My MVP of the entire trip was the Birkis EVA material sandals. You can get them here.
- Take more tip money than you think you will need, or plan to use an ATM. See my advice under tipping, above. You will be overwhelmed with the kindness and the service from the camp staff. I also wish I had brought thank you cards to put tip money in for the TELs and the camp staff.
- Definitely take a small flashlight. You will want it for the walk back to the tents, as well as when you wake up in the middle of the night to check for critters on the floor. Also comes in handy on overnight flights. You will not need a headlamp. The tiny flashlight I carry is similar to this one.
- Take a day bag you don’t mind getting dirty. Our go to day bag is a nylon packable backpack that we throw in the washer when we return from a trip. You will need a bag on game drives for jackets, hats, sunscreen, water bottles, etc. and it will set on the floor of the truck. Here’s a link that’s similar to the one we use.
- Don’t bother packing bug spray. It is available at all the camps in the lodges, your tents, and the safari trucks.
- Take a small fan. You can thank me later. I never leave home without two packable fans, either battery powered or rechargeable. On two occasions, I loaned my fan/charger combo to another traveler for her phone. You can get the one I have from Amazon here.
- Pack some electrolyte powder to add to your water if you are worried about dehydration. It. Was. Hot.
Final Thoughts on OAT’s Ultimate Africa Adventure
This was a fabulous trip that we highly recommend. Visiting Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana are eye opening and life changing experiences that are not to be missed. Cape Town is a lovely cosmopolitan city with lots to offer. We travel for the culture, the people, and the experiences. Without a doubt, this will be one of the best trips you will ever take. From the amazing local staff and guides, to the beauty of the plains, the desert, the delta, and the animals, to the food, the wine, and the conversations, we cannot say enough good things about this trip. You will witness amazing moments in nature, you will bond with people half a world away, you will laugh, you will cry, and you will feel every emotion in between, all while making lifelong friends from total strangers in 17 days. If this trip has even remotely been on your radar, do not hesitate to book it. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, and we will do our best to answer them honestly.
I have been to Africa twice and am getting ready for my 3rd trip BUT my first OAT Africa trip. I was reminded and learned a lot from your blog. It was full of good information and insight about what to prepare for, what to expect and what to look forward to. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Jo! Enjoy your third trip. We’d love to go back!