Victoria Falls, Botswana Safari & Cape Town

There is something almost haunting about Africa and everyone should visit it at least once during their lives. Its sense of vastness and isolation, whilst at the same time a unique closeness to nature, leaves an indelible mark on its visitors and on this incredible three-country tour, you see some of the very best it has to offer. We see one of the finest natural wonders on the planet, the amazing Victoria Falls as well as one of its most naturally beautiful cities, Cape Town, with its surrounding winelands, plus we visit one of the world’s finest and least visited game reserves, all set in the beautiful countries of Botswana, Zambia and South Africa. 

Our tour starts in Zambia, adjacent to the spectacular Victoria Falls, or as the locals call it - ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’, the Smoke that Thunders! It may be a cliché, but the falls really do take your breath away and it is at places such as this, that visitors realise just how powerful mother-nature really is. The statistics are awesome: three times as long as Niagara and twice as high, this is the largest single body of falling water in the world! At times of peak flow, the spray rising from the abyss is too thick to even see the foot of the falls, whereas during the dry season (generally Sep-Dec) the more adventurous can walk to the edge of the vast chasm or even bathe in one of the pools next to the rim itself!

Nearby Botswana is a wild and beautiful country and remains one of the few places on earth that really is unspoilt – a true wilderness where animals are free to roam and migrate freely along their traditional routes. Botswana’s Chobe National Park, a huge reserve of over 10,500 unfenced square kilometres is renowned for having the greatest concentration of game, particularly big cats, in the whole of Southern Africa, and a safari here is a truly exceptional experience. The Chobe River, an integral part of the ecosystem, allows for superb close-up viewing of a huge variety of animal and indigenous bird species. Fish eagles are common and can often be seen swooping low over the waters, their stillness broken only by families of hippo. However, it is the world’s largest concentration of elephants, well over 100,000 of them and protected for over a hundred years, which make Chobe so exceptional. It is a moving and an almost humbling experience to see them inter-acting with each other: playing, bathing and splashing in the blue river as depicted on countless TV documentaries. You also have the opportunity to cross into Namibia or fly to the astounding wilderness of the Okavango Delta, another world-class wildlife environment. 

Then for a complete contrast, it’s on to South Africa and stunning Cape Town set in a breathtaking location. Backed by ever-present blue skies and the iconic ‘Table Mountain’, fringed with white sand beaches and the nearby fertile never-ending valleys of the Winelands, it is blessed with a surfeit of world-class natural attractions. South Africa’s ‘Mother City’, it was the first settlement founded by Europeans and now it’s a lively, cosmopolitan and bustling centre, with superb restaurants and excellent shopping, especially within the tastefully restored Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Explore the Bo Kap district with its unique Cape architecture, home of jazz clubs, artisans and one of the city’s most vibrant quarters. Take the revolving cable car to the top of Table Mountain, visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for much of his life and visit the Cape of Good Hope, southernmost point on the African continent.  

Our tour offers incredible variety: the amazing natural wonder of Victoria Falls, the enthralling safari experiences of Botswana and the sophisticated style of Cape Town. You will return home with some wonderful photographs and incredible memories: an invigorating and uplifting reminder of how wonderfully diverse and beautiful our planet really is.

Fully escorted price includes:

• Return scheduled flights from London Heathrow, regional flights at a supplement
• Excellent, hand-picked three and four-star hotels
• Experience one of the world’s most spectacular natural wonders, the stunning Victoria Falls plus an optional helicopter or micro-light flight
• Watch the fire-red sunset over the mighty Zambezi River during our sundowner cruise on the ‘African Queen’
• Explore Botswana’s vast Chobe National Park, one of the world’s most outstanding game reserves with some of the best game in Africa and home to the world’s largest elephant herds: the real heart of Africa.
• Opportunity to visit to the unique ecosystem of the Okavango Delta
• Stay four nights in cosmopolitan Cape Town
  See where two oceans meet on our full-day tour to the Cape of Good Hope
• Tour the Western Cape’s Winelands with a visit and tasting at a 300-year old vineyard
• Escorted by an experienced Tour Manager

Please click here to view prices for specific departures.

Follow this link to view a sample Victoria Falls, Botswana Safari and Cape Town itinerary.

Prices based on two people sharing a twin room. Single rooms are subject to availability at a supplement of £279 per person. Optional insurance available at a supplement.

Please click here to request your Fully escorted tour of Victoria Falls, Botswana Safari and Cape Town brochure & booking form, or alternatively please call 01283 523423.

Visas and Health:

British passport holders do not currently require a visa to enter South Africa or Botswana but must have at least three empty pages in their passport and at least a six-month validity from date of travel.
Multiple-entry visas to Zambia are required for all British passport holders and cost £60 per person from the Zambia High Commission at Zambia House, 2 Palace Gate, London W8 5NG, tel: 0207 5896655. Visa forms may be downloaded from www.zambiahc.org.uk and you will need to enclose a completed form, your passport, 2 passport photos and a photocopy of your Riviera confirmation invoice - no other documents are necessary for normal tourist visas. Postal applications normally take 5 working days to process. Other passport holders should check with the relevant embassies well before departure. Visa fees can change without notice and once issued, any costs are non-refundable.
Zambia and Botswana are malarial areas and your GP can recommend the appropriate precautions that should be taken. Whilst the travelling schedule shall pose no problems for people of any age in normal physical condition, we should like to point out that we often enjoy walking tours of the various places of interest and these may involve a number of steps and uneven ground. Therefore this holiday may not be suitable for clients of greatly impaired mobility. Please bear this in mind before considering this holiday.To make the most of your trip, we recommend you check the Foreign office website at www.fco.gov.uk/travel

This holiday is operated by, and your resulting contract will be with: Riviera Travel, New Manor, 328 Wetmore Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffs, DE14 1SP, fax: 01283 742301, ABTA V4744 ATOL 3430 protected, a company wholly independent of The Mirror Group Limited.