Northern Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe 19-Day Tour

19-Day Tour

Windhoek – Sossusvlei – Swakopmund – Spitzkoppe – Okonjima – Etosha (East and Central) – Wildacker – Bwabwata – Savuti – Chobe – Kariba – Victoria Falls

Sneak Peek of Tour

Tour Information

Mammals:

Brown Hyena, African Wild Dog, Cheetah, Temminck’s Ground Pangolin, Aardvark, Black Mongoose, Dassie Rat, Sitatunga, Aardwolf, Caracal, Cape Fox, African Wild Cat, African Civet, Bat-eared Fox, Cape Porcupine, Meerkat, Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra, Gemsbok (Southern African Oryx), Yellow Mongoose, Sable Antelope, Roan Antelope, Klipspringer, Namib Round-eared Sengi, Congo Rope Squirrel, Puku, Red Lechwe, Damara Ground Squirrel.

Birds:

Bare-cheeked Babbler, Violet Wood Hoopoe, Carp’s Tit, Black-faced Babbler, Souza’s Shrike, Rockrunner, Rüppell’s Parrot, Rüppell’s Korhaan, Pygmy Falcon, Red-necked Falcon, Stark’s Lark, Pink-billed Lark, Fawn-colored Lark, Monteiro’s Hornbill, Southern White-faced Owl, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Rufous-cheeked Nightjar, Green-capped Eremomela, Copper Sunbird, Swamp Boubou, Dwarf Bittern, Rufous-bellied Heron, Baillon’s Crake, Wood Pipit, Temminck’s Courser, Western Banded Snake Eagle, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Square-tailed Nightjar, Shelley’s Sunbird, Half-collared Kingfisher, Slaty Egret, Lesser Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Souza’s Shrike, Sharp-tailed Starling, Rufous-bellied Tit, Arnot’s Chat, Ross’s Turaco, Schalow’s Turaco, Brown Firefinch, Bradfield’s Hornbill, Hartlaub’s Babbler, African Golden Oriole, African Finfoot, White-backed Night Heron, African Skimmer, Slaty Egret, African Barred Owlet, African Cuckoo-Hawk, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Rock Pratincole, Wattled Crane, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Greater Painted Snipe, Long-toed Lapwing, African Rail, Grey-rumped Swallow, Shaft-tailed Whydah, Tinkling Cisticola, Chirping Cisticola, Luapula Cisticola, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, Cut-throat Finch.

Private wildlife and birding guide;
Accommodation in semi-luxury private lodges and resorts (may change subject to availability, in which case similar will be found);
All ground transport in a 7-seater 4×4 luxury Toyota Fortuner (or similar) vehicle;
Specialist guided tours and activities:
- 16 x Guided open safari vehicle day and sunset drives – 1 x Sossusvlei, 4 x Okonjima, 2 x Etosha Village, 2 x Onguma, 1 x Bwabwata (Mahango), 2 x Savuti, 2 x Chobe, 2 x Hwange;
- 3 x Guided open safari vehicle night drives – 1 x Okonjima, 1 x Wildacker, 1 x Hwange;
- 2 x River boat cruises – 1 x Okavango River, 1 x Chobe River in Kasane.
All road tolls and parking fees;
3 Meals per day – Breakfast, lunch and dinner;
Bottled water in vehicles whilst travelling per person per day;
All entrance fees, conservation and community levies to parks and reserves;
Trip guide;
Personalized species checklist.

Airport departure taxes or visa fees
Travel and medical insurance (incl. personal equipment and repatriation)
All snacks and drinks (except bottled water)
Optional excursions
Specialist guide fees and activities not specified
Items of a personal nature
Laundry and telephone charges
Tips and gratuities
Anything else not mentioned in “Tour Includes”

Test

Distance:

Total driving distance (including around sites) = About 4,700 km.

Scheduled Dates:

27 April − 15 May 2025.

12 – 30 November 2026.

Or alternate dates on request.

Validity:

01 January – 31 December 2025.

01 January – 31 December 2026.

Duration:

19 days, 18 nights.

No. of Pax:

Maximum 7 guests per vehicle and per guide.

Tour Starts:

At Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek, Namibia.

Tour Ends:

At Victoria Falls International Airport in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Price:

2025 Price:

ZAR 132,750 per person sharing.

ZAR 142,100 per person single.

2026 Price:

ZAR 143,500 per person sharing.

ZAR 153,500 per person single.

Terms and Conditions apply
Accommodation may change subject to availability, in which case similar accommodation will be found.
Total driving distance (including around sites) = about 3,300 km.
Minimum of 3 participants per vehicle required to undertake the trip – should the number of guests change, the cost of the tour and the per person cost will change accordingly.
The species mentioned in the itinerary represent only some of those we may view on the tour, however, none of these can be guaranteed even though every effort will be made where possible to locate them. A full list of possible species appears on your checklist, although vagrants and rarities may also surprise us.
This itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions at the time and other factors beyond our control.
All images taken on tour with Sustain Safaris.

Tour Insight

This guided 19-day wildlife safari tour package with Sustain Safaris will lead you to some extraordinary and iconic destinations within central and northern Namibia, along the Caprivi Strip to Chobe National Park in Botswana, and along the mighty Zambezi River into Zimbabwe, ending at the spectacular Victoria Falls.

The journey includes 8 unique reserves renowned for amazing mammal, bird and all-round wildlife sightings, including some of the very best in Southern Africa. The tour will move through these regions at a moderate pace, but we have focused on optimizing your chances of encounters with large game, big predators and thriving herds, exceptional bird diversity, wild waterways, dramatic landscapes, extraordinary scenery, tremendous beauty and some fascinating cultures.

On this special safari you can expect to see many rare, cryptic, special, endemic and nocturnal mammals and birds, as well as other large and small carnivores that some people only dream of finding. The tour has strategically selected certain key destinations that provide some of the very best chances for discovering these treasures in the time available. In addition, probabilities are good for discovering the Big 5 and a multitude of other diverse wildlife and birdlife.

Each destination we visit en-route offers unique habitats, extraordinary scenery, and breath-taking beauty, providing you with fantastic photographic opportunities. Habitats we explore include woodlands, savanna, wetlands, salt pans, river systems, grassland, mountains and cliffs, scrubland, and rocky slopes. These host numerous regional endemics, threatened and endangered mammal and bird species, as well as great floral diversity. The route caters to a large mammal list in excess of 75 species, with a very good hit rate on many of the rare species. The bird list is also very impressive, totaling over 650 species in the region we tour through, and we can expect to find about half of these species (including many raptors, owls and endemics).

Tour Overview

Semi-luxury private lodges. Luxury accommodation can be arranged at your request (additional cost).

The northern Namibia to Zimbabwe region enjoys a steppe (or semi-arid) climate with a yearly average maximum temperature of 31°C (ranging from 27°C in July to 37°C in October). Annual rainfall is 1353mm, with a minimum of 1mm in August and a maximum of 363mm in January. Rain usually falls in the form of heavy thunderstorms. There is a Wet season, which coincides with the summer months of November to April. During the dry winter months, from May to October, there is virtually no rain at all and it gets very cold in the morning. January and February are the wettest months, and afternoon thunderstorms are common, but it is mostly sunny during the day. It usually cools down after rain and average daytime temperatures are around 31°C.

Woodlands, savanna, wetlands, grassland, mountains and cliffs, scrubland and rocky slopes, which host numerous regional endemics, threatened and endangered mammal and bird species, as well as great floral diversity. Each destination offers extraordinary scenery, providing you with unparalleled photographic opportunities.

Optional extension
An 11-day birding and wildlife tour of Zambia, commencing in Victoria Falls and ending in Ndola.

Tour variation
This set-departure tour is also available as a private or custom tour on request. Kindly submit an enquiry with your preferred dates and group size.

Safari Highlights include:

This safari commences in Windhoek, Namibia and ends at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. We explore:

The gigantic dunes of Sossusvlei for 2 nights.
The quaint coastal town of Swakopmund for 1 night.
The granite inselbergs of Spitzkoppe for the day.
The unique conservation research focused Okonjima Private Game Reserve for 2 nights.
The world-renowned wildlife haven and salt pans of the thriving Etosha National Park for 3 nights.
The remote semi-arid wilderness of Wildacker for 1 night.
The birding and game mecca of the Mahango Core Area in the Bwabwata National Park, along both banks of the Okavango River for 2 nights.
The length of the famed Caprivi Strip, as we pass through to the famed Savuti and Chobe regions of Chobe National Park for 4 nights.
Through Zambezi National Park into the magnificent Hwange National Park for 2 nights.
Ending in the world-renowned and spectacular Victoria Falls National Park in the Zambezi River Valley for 1 night.

The tempo of our tour will be medium paced, with opportunities to pause in key areas and optional midday breaks (advisable on hot days). If you are a keen photographer, well so are we, and we will offer several opportunities to capture the moments that will make you the envy of your wildlife-watching friends.