The Climax Zone — Namibia Botswana & Victoria Falls
Experience the ultimate southern African circuit, from the vast Namibian desert through the Chobe River and Okavango Delta to the roaring Victoria Falls.
Self-Drive
10 day journey
Duration
10 days
Group size
2–6 travellers
Style
Self-Drive
From
NAD 65,000 / pp
Departures
Year-round
Nights
9 nights away
The journey
Explore at your own pace.
Experience the ultimate southern African circuit, from the vast Namibian desert through the Chobe River and Okavango Delta to the roaring Victoria Falls.
This 10-day self-drive odyssey begins in Windhoek, tracing the Caprivi Highway to the Kavango River and the wildlife corridors of Bwabwata National Park. The journey continues into Botswana’s Chobe National Park and across the Zambezi to the majestic Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, before concluding with a deep-immersion fly-in safari in the Okavango Delta.
Designed for the intrepid traveller, this route connects Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe through a high-stakes adventure. You will explore riverfront plains, basalt gorges, and delta channels, experiencing the dramatic transition from desert landscapes to lush, water-rich wilderness.
Times are flexible — we'd rather you stop for a long lunch than rush to the next viewpoint.
01
Day 1 · B/D
Windhoek to Rundu — Caprivi Highway Begins (~640 km)
An early 05:30 departure is essential for this long but straightforward drive north on the B1 to Otjiwarongo, then northeast on the C38 through Grootfontein and the B8 across the flat communal bushveld to Rundu. Pack a picnic breakfast and eat en route — stopping for fuel at Otjiwarongo and Grootfontein. The drive becomes progressively more interesting as you approach Rundu: the road passes through cattle herding communities, mopane forest, and eventually the first glimpse of the Kavango River floodplain. Arrive Rundu late afternoon for a sundowner on the elevated deck of the Kaisosi River Lodge, overlooking the wide green Kavango River with the Angolan bank just 300 metres across the water. Dugout canoes, papyrus beds, and the distant sound of drumming set the scene for the wilderness that lies ahead.
Windhoek
Overnight—
Drive640 km
Meals
What's included.
From NAD 65,000 per person
Included
Vehicle hire for Namibia–Botswana sections
All national park and conservation fees (Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe)
9 nights accommodation (lodges and tented camps)
One Chobe River boat cruise
One Okavango mokoro excursion with guide
GPS route maps and pre-departure briefing
All border documentation assistance
24/7 Kenakare emergency support line
Not included
International flights to/from Windhoek
Cancellation policy+
Cancellations made 90 days or more prior to departure will receive a 75% refund. Cancellations made between 60 and 89 days prior to departure will receive a 50% refund. Cancellations made 59 days or less prior to departure are non-refundable.
Frequently asked questions.
Is this a guided tour?
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This is a self-drive tour. While we provide complete planning and coordinator support, you will be responsible for driving between destinations.
What is the best time for this journey?
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Chobe and the Okavango Delta are best visited between May and October. Victoria Falls offers peak flow from February to May, while September to January provides clearer gorge views.
Best: February to May for peak flow; September to January for clear views
5
Okavango Delta
Best: June to October
Total drive1,230 km
Breakfast, Dinner
02
Day 2 · B/D
Rundu to Divundu — Popa Falls & Bwabwata National Park (~200 km)
Continue east along the Caprivi Highway through the increasingly lush Kavango floodplain terrain. The B8 road bisects Bwabwata National Park — a fully functional wildlife corridor where game frequently crosses the road. Elephant, buffalo, red lechwe, and roan antelope are regularly seen from vehicles on this section; the Kwando and Linyanti rivers support substantial lion, leopard, and spotted hyena populations in the park's core areas just north of the road. Stop at Divundu and drive south to Popa Falls — the Okavango River's spectacular rocky descent over a wide basalt shelf, surrounded by papyrus and filled with fish eagles, African skimmers, and hippo pods. The surrounding Bwabwata National Park offers excellent afternoon mokoro trips on the Okavango channels for those arriving early enough. Overnight at a Divundu riverside camp.
Overnight—
Drive200 km
MealsBreakfast, Dinner
03
Day 3 · B/D
Divundu to Kasane, Botswana — Four Corners Crossing (~310 km)
The most dramatic border crossing of the tour. Drive east along the final section of the Caprivi Strip through Kongola and Ngoma, where Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia converge on a single point in the middle of the Zambezi River. The Ngoma Bridge border crossing spans the Chobe River itself — look down from the bridge railing for hippo, crocodile, and the occasional elephant wading across. Cross into Botswana and enter Chobe National Park immediately. Drive the scenic Chobe Riverfront road to Kasane, watching game all the way: elephant herds come to the river in enormous numbers along this section in the dry season, and lion and spotted hyena regularly hunt on the floodplain verge right alongside the tar road. Check into your Kasane lodge for your first night in Botswana.
Kasane
Overnight—
Drive310 km
MealsBreakfast, Dinner
04
Day 4 · B/L/D
Kasane — Chobe Boat Safari & Land Game Drive
A full day in Chobe National Park — home to over 100,000 elephants, the highest density of African elephants on Earth. Dawn: the signature experience of any Chobe visit is the sunrise boat safari on the Chobe River. Board the pontoon boat as the first light turns the water to liquid gold, and spend 3 hours watching elephants wade and swim across the river, buffalo herds come to drink on the bank opposite, hippos yawn and display in their river pools, and the extraordinary birdlife of the papyrus margins goes about its morning business. Pied kingfishers hover over the water; fish eagles scream from the fig trees; saddle-billed storks stand in the shallows like living sculptures. Return to the lodge for breakfast, then depart on an afternoon land game drive through the Chobe floodplains and mopane woodlands. Lion, wild dog, and cheetah are all present in Chobe; the park's spotted hyena clans are among the largest on the continent. Sundowner on the Kasane waterfront as the Chobe sky performs its evening colour show.
Chobe National Park
Overnight—
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
05
Day 5 · B/D
Kasane to Victoria Falls — Crossing into Zimbabwe (~80 km)
Transfer from Kasane to the Zimbabwe border at Kazungula — a short drive that crosses the Zambezi River by ferry (or via the new Kazungula Bridge) into Zimbabwe. The border crossing at Kazungula is straightforward; your coordinator ensures all documentation is prepared in advance. Arrive Victoria Falls town and check into your lodge — the roar of the falls can be heard from almost everywhere in town, and a permanent spray cloud hangs over the rainforest on both sides of the gorge. Afternoon: walk into the Victoria Falls Rainforest for your first encounter with the falls in person. The 1.7 km walkway through the spray-drenched rainforest moves through 16 viewpoints overlooking different sections of the falls — Main Falls, Rainbow Falls, the Danger Point, and the Knife Edge Bridge where you stand directly above the second gorge with the full width of the falls roaring before you. At peak flow (March–April) you will be drenched in spray within metres of entering; in the dry season (September–November) the falls narrow but the gorge views open up dramatically.
Victoria Falls
Overnight—
Drive80 km
MealsBreakfast, Dinner
06
Day 6 · B/L/D
Victoria Falls — Full Day Adventure Activities
Victoria Falls is Africa's adventure capital, and today is a full day of extraordinary activities above, on, and beside the Zambezi River. Choose your level of adrenaline: The bungee jump from the Victoria Falls Bridge (111 metres above the Zambezi) is widely rated as the world's finest bungee location — you leap from the exact border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and free-fall toward the churning river far below. White water rafting on the Zambezi below the falls is rated among the world's top 5 whitewater experiences: 23 Grade 3–5 rapids in a 25 km stretch of deep basalt gorges, between October and January (low water season). For those preferring elevation, the helicopter 'flight of angels' (named after Livingstone's famous description) provides a 15-minute bird's-eye view of the full width of the falls at gorge level and from above. Gentler alternatives include sunset river cruises on the Upper Zambezi with hippo and crocodile sightings, elephant-back safaris in the adjacent Zambezi National Park, or a guided rainforest walk in the early morning mist. Farewell dinner at a Victoria Falls waterfront restaurant.
Victoria Falls
Overnight—
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
07
Day 7 · B/D
Victoria Falls to Okavango Delta — Flight & Mokoro Arrival
Morning transfer to Victoria Falls Airport for the connecting flight to Maun, Botswana — the gateway to the Okavango Delta. Maun is a small but energetic bush town, with light aircraft buzzing overhead at all hours as the Okavango's wilderness camps service their guests. A further light aircraft flight from Maun takes you deep into the Delta interior — the aerial view reveals the extraordinary patchwork of channels, islands, and floodplains that make up this 15,000 km² inland water system. Arrive at your wilderness tented camp, set on a small island in the Delta channels. Afternoon: your first mokoro (dugout canoe) experience — the traditional way of moving through the Delta's shallow floodplains. Standing at the stern, your poler navigates silently through water lilies, papyrus, and reed beds. Hippos snort in the distance; jacanas walk across lily pads; the papyrus towers 4 metres overhead. The silence and intimacy of the mokoro is a complete contrast to the roar of the falls you left this morning.
Okavango Delta
Overnight—
MealsBreakfast, Dinner
08
Day 8 · B/L/D
Okavango Delta — Full Day Game Walk & Water Safari
A full day of immersive Okavango experiences from your island camp. Dawn: mokoro departure just before first light, when the Delta is at its most magical — morning mist on the channels, the sky shifting from indigo to pink, and the Delta waking up around you. Your poler navigates to a large island for a guided game walk on foot — the most intimate way to experience the Okavango's remarkable wildlife. Walking in the bush with an experienced guide is a completely different experience from a vehicle: you are at eye level with the grass, you can hear every sound, and the guide reads the landscape continuously — pointing out lion spoor, identifying elephant feeding trails, and calling your attention to the movement in the grass that reveals an approaching herd of red lechwe. Midday lunch on the island — a simple but perfect bush meal while listening to the calls of fish eagle, woodland kingfisher, and coppery-tailed coucal. Afternoon: extended mokoro excursion into the Delta's main channel system, followed by a sunset paddle back to camp with hippos surfacing in the last light. Night sounds from the Delta's island are extraordinary — lion calling across the channels, hippos grazing on the island lawns.
Okavango Delta
Overnight—
MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
09
Day 9 · B/D
Okavango — Morning Walk & Flight to Windhoek
One final early morning in the Okavango — a short game walk on the island at dawn to say goodbye to the landscape. Transfer by light aircraft back to Maun for the connecting flight to Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport. Arrive Windhoek mid-afternoon with time to shower, debrief, and enjoy a final Namibian dinner. Your Kenakare coordinator meets you at the airport for the final tour administrative handover and gathers your feedback on the experience.
Windhoek
Overnight—
MealsBreakfast, Dinner
10
Day 10 · B
Windhoek — Departure Day
Final morning in Windhoek. Depending on flight times, a morning stroll through the city centre is possible — the Craft Centre, the central Post Street Mall, or a final coffee at one of Windhoek's excellent German-heritage bakeries. Transfer to Hosea Kutako International Airport for your international departure. Your 10-day Climax Zone journey has covered three countries, two major waterfalls, three wilderness systems, and an extraordinary arc of southern African experience.
Windhoek
Overnight—
MealsBreakfast
Travel insurance (mandatory — required for all three countries)
Fuel costs (Namibia–Botswana sections)
Daily meals unless specified
Victoria Falls activities (bungee, rafting, helicopter — optional)
