A Day-by-Day Guide to Experiencing Southern Africa

Dreaming of visiting Africa? We don’t blame you.

The Beyond Traveled team was fortunate to visit Southern Africa last April with our knowledgeable safari partner, Piper and Heath. There aren’t enough words to describe the beauty, majesty, power, and deep sense of place that we discovered in Southern Africa as we toured through Cape Town, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.

Guided by Piper and Heath at every turn, we strolled through vineyards, cruised down the Zambezi River, visited Victoria Falls, spent hours up close and personal with wildlife, and bonded with the incredible and knowledgeable staff from Matetsi River Falls Lodge and the Belmond Safaris team. We left in tears of both joy and sadness, vowing to return to Africa again.

Until then, our love for Africa—its places, its animals, and most importantly, its people—remains strong as we continue to plan trips for our clients.

Curious about what a trip to Africa would look like? Here is our day-by-day itinerary from our trip to Southern Africa, designed by Piper and Heath. This is just to give you some inspiration, but if you have a wish list for Africa, our job is to make those wishes become reality!

Day 1

After waking up from a long day of travel in the gorgeous One&Only hotel, our travel partners Piper and Heath, along with the lovely team at Angaza Travel, took us on an amazing journey around the peninsula. From hiking around Cape Point to penguin spotting at Boulders Beach, enjoying a delightful lunch in Noordhoek, and having a picnic atop the iconic Table Mountain, it was the best first full day in Cape Town. We ended the night at the iconic Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel and one of the most renowned properties in all of Africa. Thank you! Excited for what's next!

Day 2:

Cottage Goals Achieved! For a relaxing Saturday, we headed to the Stellenbosch wine region for wine-tasting at Plaisir, followed by lunch, more wine, and gorgeous cottage tours at Babylonstoren, before ending the night with dinner at The Silo Hotel back in Cape Town.

Day 3:

This is what you came for. We flew to Zimbabwe to stay at Matetsi Victoria Falls, a private game reserve lodge about 25 miles upstream of Victoria Falls. In just our first afternoon on the property, we saw elephants, baboons, hippos, warthogs, and giraffes. Each of the rooms is modern and luxurious, yet very much safari style. We ended the evening as every guest here does—with a dinner by the Zambezi River.

Day 4:

We started the day with a game drive at Matetsi Falls Private Game Reserve before taking a day trip to Victoria Falls, one of the 7 wonders of the world. Words cannot do this natural beauty justice, but the 200 or so photos we took probably can! We dried off and made it back in time for an evening game ride and ice cream! All in all, a lovely last day in Zimbabwe. Next up, Botswana!

Day 5:

We hopped on Mack Air to Botswana to spend the next few nights with Belmond Safaris at the Savute Elephant Lodge, aptly named because elephants are right outside your room door. On our first game drive, we saw a leopard enjoying a kill and lions dozing in the grass, plus my favorite bird, the lilac-breasted roller. Our first night here also ended with a magical outdoor dinner served by the kind and welcoming staff. Not a bad way to begin the Botswana leg of our trip! Thank you, Piper and Heath, for continuing to delight us on safari!

Day 6:

We kicked off the morning with African wild dog spotting and a little education from Wilden Trust about just how important this apex predator is to the ecological system here. We cruised by some lazy lions again and had more zebra, wildebeest, and bird sightings before ending the night with a spectacular birthday sundowner for Beyond's fearless leader, Diane Sherer, atop white sand as the moon rose behind us. Just when we thought the day couldn't get any better, a leopard walked in front of our car, grunting and marking his territory. Belmond Safaris in Savute really pulled out all the stops, and we still had one more morning game drive left. Stay tuned for that!

Day 7:

This morning's game drive at Savute was all about lions. We saw probably four or five different lions walking around, but the real sighting was a lioness who found a spot in the shade and was instantly joined by a male admirer. After the morning game drive, we hopped back on Mack Air and flew off to Belmond Eagle Island Lodge, also in Botswana but on a private concession instead of a public range. The first sundowner took place in an open part of the bush, and the feeling of being in the middle of this majestic animal kingdom with a nearly full moon on the rise, surrounded by friends, was a moment I'll never forget.

Day 8:

The morning game drive was a little sleepy, but Belmond Safaris and Piper and Heath had a surprise waiting for us at lunch—the chance to see Eagle Island from above in a helicopter ride! This is when Africa made sense for me, from above, studying the landscape, knowing the circle of life was continuing as usual below. What's even crazier is that in a few weeks, the floods from Angola will fill up the Okavango Delta with water, and it will look very different. So I'll have to go back! Later on, the very full moon rose as soon as the sun set during our last sundowner, and I will hold onto that memory, that visual, that feeling, for the rest of my life. Oh, and on our way home, we caught some lionesses stopping for a drink and an (unsuccessful) kill.

Day 9:

On our last morning in Africa, a few of us opted for a walking safari. It was nice and educational, but we missed a cheetah trying to catch an impala, a few angry hippos, and some lions. The oft-quoted safari maxim “Never miss a game drive” proved to be true. Oh well! After that, we got ready to leave, and there wasn't a dry eye in the group. I felt a strange emptiness in my stomach as I left. I was excited to go home and see my family, but how could I be leaving Africa already? That strange/sad/homesick feeling stayed with me for more than a week after getting back to LA. Africa is magical, and so are my traveling companions. Thank you, Piper and Heath, for the experience of a lifetime, and thank you, Matetsi Victoria Falls and Belmond Safaris, for making us feel so welcome in your homes, to Angaza Travel, One&Only, and Mt. Nelson for showing us the best of Cape Town, and of course to the incredible women at Beyond Traveled who inspire me every single day, in the bush and out. I can't wait to go back!

Is a safari on your radar? Here are the top things to consider:

➡️ Start planning 12-16 months in advance. Most safari lodges are small and intimate, so if you have a very specific one in mind, planning in advance will get you what you want. There are lots of places to “safari,” so planning your adventure can also be flexible.

➡️ Be choosy with your dates. We work with our clients around the rainy seasons and weather patterns to pick the perfect time to go.

➡️ Narrow down your region. Would you prefer East Africa, Southern Africa, or South Africa? Narrowing down the area makes it so much easier to move forward in the process of picking the best country, lodges, etc.

Ready to finally check that safari off your bucket list? Contact us today to chat about your adventure!

Juliana Shallcross, Beyond Traveled
Juliana@beyondtraveled.com