Ultimate South Africa & Victoria Falls Luxury Travel Itinerary

Upon arrival at Cape Town International Airport, you will be met by our representative at the jet bridge as you get off the plane and they will assist you through customs and immigration. After customs, they will assist you with your luggage and into the arrivals hall to connect you with your driver, who will be waiting for you after baggage claim. Your driver will drive you from the airport to the hotel for check-in. As you drive toward the city, your view from afar will be Table Mountain, two oceans and the beautiful city of Cape Town. After a quick ride into the city, you’ll be checking into The Silo Hotel.

The Silo Hotel is a sanctuary in the city celebrating art, style and design. This architectural masterpiece towers above the V&A Waterfront. The luxury accommodation occupies six floors above the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), which houses Africa’s largest collection of contemporary African art. This place is a design lover's dream and is the perfect hotel to recover from jetlag. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there and could have easily stayed there for days on end.

The hotel is full of history; it operated as a grain silo for nearly 80 years starting in the 1920s. The grain silo played an important role in South Africa’s international trade economy. It became a hotel in 2017. The gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows take advantage of the unique architecture of The Silo building, offering tons of natural light and epic views across Cape Town, stretching from Table Mountain to the Table Bay harbor. All rooms feature bathtubs overlooking the stunning views. Getting to soak in the tub while watching the sunset after my long flight was one of the highlights of my stay at The Silo. Guests also get access to a guest-only part of the Rooftop, which features a cocktail bar with delicious cocktails, the best views facing Table Mountain and a rooftop infinity pool. The staff at The Silo Hotel are one of the factors distinguishing this hotel above other five-star hotels in the area. I can personally attest that all the staff members at the hotel were incredibly warm and helpful. It’s one of only two hotels in all of South Africa to receive the five-star premium distinction from the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa.

As your flight will likely land around mid-morning, spend your midday relaxing in your hotel room, perhaps in your gorgeous bath tub. Enjoy a bite to eat in The Granary Café, which, depending on the time of day, will be serving a delicious brunch or lunch featuring everything from burgers to salads to pasta.

In the afternoon, you’ll head out on a sidecar tour to help you stay awake and get acquainted with Cape Town. On this two-hour adventure, you’ll enjoy a motorcycle ride along the city’s Atlantic Seaboard, all while safely riding along in a sidecar attached to a motorcycle. After your meet and greet with your driver, where you will be given a helmet, leather jacket and other safety instructions, you will board your sidecar and head out of the city. Travel along the Atlantic Seaboard via the coastal suburbs of Sea Point, Bantry Bay and Hout Bay and check out the Chapman’s Peak Drive lookout point. Keep an eye out for dolphins and other wildlife as you look out across the water! On the way back, you’ll head back through Constantia, the beautifully lush and leafy wine-producing suburb of Cape Town. You will then end up back at the city waterfront via Nelson Mandela Boulevard. Pro tip: If you are an animal lover, you can request that the owner’s dog join you in the side car.

Tonight, head for a casual dinner at Cape Town. Walk over to Time Out Market, a food and cultural market that allows you to sample the best of the city’s food, chefs and drinks together under one roof. The first to open on the African continent, Time Out Market Cape Town is home to some of the city’s award-winning chefs, local gems and up-and-coming talents offering a taste of Cape Town’s diverse food scene within a communal food hall, featuring 13 kitchens, three bars and a dedicated wine bar, located in The Old Power Station Building in the V&A Waterfront.

After you’ve had your fill of delicious food, head to bed early to help you recover from jetlag. You’ve got a busy trip ahead of you!

Once you wake up, head to The Granary Café for a delicious breakfast. Our clients receive complimentary breakfast at The Silo Hotel and this is not one you will want to miss out on! The breakfast tray that accompanies your breakfast entrée is beautiful and features everything you could possibly want. Go early to enjoy the epic breakfast spread and beautiful views before you head out on your adventures for the day.

Your guide will meet you in the lobby for your tour for the day. Begin your scenic tour of Cape Town at the iconic Table Mountain. Our clients will be taken to the Fast Track entrance, which will allow you to skip the two-hour lines and head straight to the cable cars to head to the top of Table Mountain. Enjoy the gorgeous views from the top and enjoy a walk around; keep an eye out for dassies, a super cute animal that enjoys sunning itself on top of Table Mountain. We always recommend booking Table Mountain for your first day because, if Cape Town’s notoriously fickle weather shuts down the cable car, it’s better to have some wiggle room to reschedule this experience.

After you head back down to the city, browse Greenmarket Square, one of the city's oldest markets, and take a walk through Company Gardens, the oldest garden in South Africa established by Dutch settlers in 1652. Don’t miss the beautiful rose garden when it’s in bloom! Drive past the Houses of Parliament and the historical Castle of Good Hope, as well as the Slave Lodge, which used to house thousands of slaves belonging to the Dutch East India Company. Next, visit the traditional Malay Quarter in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood, with its brightly colored houses dating back to the 17th century. Pause to listen to the firing of the noonday gun from the world's oldest cannons at Signal Hill. Originally intended to provide a time signal for ships anchored in the bay, this maritime tradition continues to this day. Your guide will take you to a delicious lunch spot where you can try traditional Cape Malay cuisine.

Next, hop on your ferry ride to Robben Island, best known as a jail for political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela. You will tour the island with a former political inmate and will hear first-hand stories of life in the prison. Leaving the island, there is a brief stop to witness the complicated legacy of apartheid at District Six, where a vibrant and colorful community was forcibly removed and relocated onto the barren Cape Flats in the 1970s and many historical buildings were leveled to the ground.

After breakfast, your guide will pick you up at your hotel for a full-day tour of stunning scenery and exploration of the Cape Peninsula. You will see the trendy beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay, before crossing over to the quaint fishing village of Hout Bay. Continuing along Chapman’s Peak, one of the world’s most breath-taking coastal drives, you will make your way to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.

Stop along the way at an ostrich farm for a hilarious experience feeding ostriches and make sure to keep an eye out along the drive for wild ostriches, dassies and baboons!

Once you arrive at the Reserve, board the funicular for a trip to the top of the peninsula for incredible panoramic views over the meeting point of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

Next up, you will head to the naval base of Simon’s Town, a richly historic destination with museums and home to Boulders Beach, which is renowned for its African Penguin breeding colony. Pro tip: Ask your guide to drop you off a bit south at Link Beach and take the boardwalk path — about a 15-minute walk — to Boulders Beach. This will give you the opportunity to possibly see some penguins under the trees guarding their nests or babies without the crowds.

Once you arrive at Boulders Beach, take some time to wander along the boardwalks, marveling at the waddling of these amusing creatures. You will have worked up an appetite by this point so your guide will suggest a stop where you can have a delicious seafood lunch along the coast.

Your final stop is Kirstenbosch Gardens, one of the best botanical gardens in the world, set right at the base of Table Mountain. It is part of the Cape Floristic Region Protected Area that was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Once you are done exploring, your guide will drop you back off at your hotel.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the helipad for an unforgettable experience. You’ll take off and fly up the West Coast to an exclusive location where you will be met by your local hosts when you land. You’ll head out to the beach, weather permitting, for an incredible day of champagne and seafood.

Mussels and oysters are farmed right in front of the property here so they are incredibly fresh and delicious. Your delicious meal of mussels and oysters will be prepared in a boma — over a fire in a traditional African fashion — and served with champagne, bread, smoked fish and soft drinks on the beach. After lunch, go for a swim on the beautiful beach, before hopping back into the helicopter for your ride back to Cape Town.

Don’t like shellfish? Don’t worry! You can also take the helicopter to a secret location in South Africa for an epic picnic — a location that is not accessible by foot or car.

You will be collected from your hotel by your guide and driven to your next hotel. The duration of the transfer is approximately three hours so, depending upon your preferences, your travel advisor can build in stops along the way to break up the drive. These stops could include a penguin colony, a liquor distillery, a cheese factory, a brewery, hiking trails or one of the top wineries in South Africa.

Check in for your three-night stay at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. Grootbos is made up of 27 luxury one- and two-bedroom suites plus two private villas spread across two lodges. The lodges will welcome you with unparalleled, panoramic views over the pristine flora and fauna and glimmering coastline. The freestanding suites all have private decks, fireplaces, soaking tubs and rain showers, fully-equipped minibars and ocean views. Grootbos is the second of only two hotels in all of South Africa to receive the five-star premium distinction from the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa. The staff are incredible and will all know your name and room without you telling them.

After you get settled into your suite, head to the restaurant for lunch. Your stay includes all your non-alcoholic drinks, all your meals and snacks as well as many activities on the reserve. The food at Grootbos is incredible and, dare I say it, some of the best in South Africa. Eating meals at Grootbos is a genuine pleasure that you will look forward to with each meal. The restaurants are not open to the public, only to guests, so you will get to enjoy something exclusive during your stay.

After lunch, you’ll have a few hours to relax. Enjoy some time in the infinity pool overlooking the beautiful coastline, go for a hike on one of the many trails that weave throughout the reserve, relax by the fireplace in your suite or enjoy a spa treatment or the sauna at the spa.

In the late afternoon, you’ll head out on your afternoon activity: horseback riding through the 8,600-acre nature reserve! There’s something special about seeing the beautiful flower-filled reserve and ocean views on horseback. Horse riding at Grootbos is suitable for anyone, whether you’re a complete novice or a more experienced rider as their 18 horses are expertly trained and the guides have years of experience in dealing with the animals.

Head to dinner when you are ready. Every meal will be different at Grootbos and it will always be a delightful culinary experience. The five-course dinner could feature anything from homemade pasta to Thai soup. Many of the ingredients come directly from the reserve, from the eggs produced from the free-range chickens that produce 4,000 organic eggs a month to the 70% of herbs and 100% of micro herbs that are grown onsite. This not only reduces their carbon footprint but also provides employment to local families.

After another delicious breakfast, you’ll hop into the open-air Land Rover for the 4x4 botanical safari through the reserve. Feel the wind in your hair as you drive through fields of flowers and over mountain peaks. Your guide will teach you all about the unique flora and fauna in the Grootbos Reserve, which is quite unique and can only be found in .04% of the world. The flora and fauna of North America, by contrast, can be found in 42% of the world. As you offroad through the reserve, you’ll get to touch, smell, see and even taste some of the over 900 native plant species recorded on the reserve. Keep your eyes peeled; you may also see some wildlife, from bee hives to local birds to various kinds of antelope.

After your drive through the reserve concludes, you’ll head to the Grootbos Florilegium. What is a florilegium you ask? A florilegium aims to record all of the living plants and flowers in a particular place. This botanical art gallery contains drawings by local artists depicting the local flora and fauna and the rare and endangered plants of the Nature Reserve. There are less than 10 florilegiums in the world and Grootbos is one of the largest. After you explore the gallery, you may get to participate in a local tea and honey tasting. The reserve is large enough that they have numerous hives that produce various different types of honey, including Erica honey, which is found nowhere else in the world. You’ll pair the honey tasting with a tasting of local South African teas, which you can enjoy with some delicious cookies.

Today, for lunch, enjoy a special picnic set up in a beautiful location. Grootbos specializes in creating fine dining culinary experiences that are not restricted to the restaurants. The picnic may be set up among the flowers or on the beach, depending on the season and the weather.

This afternoon, you’ll head out on an exclusive luxury boat cruise down the local river towards the Hermanus Estuary. You’ll cruise through the surrounding mountain ranges, while the experienced guides point out a wide variety of birdlife. The boat is fully equipped with relevant birding books and checklists, binoculars, blankets and even an eco-friendly toilet. As the sun sets, you’ll enjoy a glass of bubbly and some fun snacks before heading back to the hotel.

Tonight, enjoy your five-course dinner in the Boma area, where you’ll dine under twinkle lights and the stars among milkwood trees.

After breakfast today, you’ll be headed out on a marine safari! Grootbos is perfectly positioned to go out on an adventure searching for the "Marine Big Five" in their natural habitat, including whales, seals, penguins, dolphins and sharks. You’ll head out into the ocean on a boat specifically designed for this mission with a team of marine biologists and experienced guides. Hold on tight and make sure to bring seasickness remedies if you need them; you will likely experience some wild waves when you are crossing the open ocean. It’s all worth it though when you arrive at an island full of thousands of Cape Fur Seals basking in the sun and playing in the water or when you see a penguin raft — the term for a group of penguins — swimming in the open ocean!

On your way back to the hotel, stop by the penguin sanctuary for some adorable cuteness. Here, the center rescues penguins and birds that need some help rehabilitating to hopefully be reintroduced into the wild one day. You can observe the animals in the sanctuary, adopt an animal or make a donation or buy an item in the gift shop or cafe.

Once you get back to the hotel, enjoy another delicious lunch. You’ll then have your afternoon free to relax. Consider scheduling a spa treatment or taking a hike throughout the reserve.

I also recommend checking out their boutique, which is stocked with lots of fun products made from artisans from all over South Africa. It’s a perfect place to pick up some souvenirs or gifts for those back home.

After a relaxing afternoon, you’ll jump back in the car for the cave and coastline tour! Klipgat Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of only three sites in South Africa where remains were found that were as old as 70,000 years old. These findings are among the oldest remains of modern Homo sapiens in the world, which reinforces the theory — largely debated by archaeologists — that humans as we know them today originated in southern Africa. These caves were formed millions of years ago via erosion. Your guide will introduce you to how the Khoi bushmen lived here during the Stone Ages and teach you about the local marine life, such as the rare black oystercatcher, sea otters and other coastal creatures. This is one of the best places in South Africa to go swimming as the water quality is excellent due to the fresh water stream that connects to the ocean here; you will often see locals swimming here when the sun is out. Bring your swimsuit to enjoy the beach and ocean when the weather cooperates!

Tonight, you are in for a real treat for your final culinary experience. Head down to the wine cellar for a botanical food and wine pairing dinner. This menu will focus on ingredients that can be found on the Grootbos Nature Reserve, each of which will be paired with a local South African wine. Our menu featured everything from cured linefish and sea pumpkin tartar — our favorite of the night — to charred kudu loin to local mushroom tortellini, paired with five wines from wineries that were all from the immediate vicinity.

After a final delicious breakfast, your driver will pick you up for a leisurely drive along the coast. You can either head straight to your next destination or stop along the way for a wine tasting in the Hemel-en-Aarde, a lesser known, but absolutely gorgeous, wine region overlooking the ocean.

Stretch your legs at a coffee shop with a fun surprise — alpacas! Enjoy some caffeine and then go for a hike with the friendly alpacas. This experience is hilarious as each alpaca has a different personality. If you are there at the right time of year, you may get to meet some baby alpacas too!

After you’ve had your fill of the adorable furry creatures, your driver will drop you off at your next hotel, Babylonstoren. Babylonstoren is one of the oldest Cape Dutch farms in existence in South Africa, dating back to 1692, and is now a working farm and winery. Located in the middle of the Winelands, less than an hour from Cape Town, this historic fruit and wine farm underwent a significant renovation and restoration to reimagine the historic Cape Dutch-style as an authentic yet contemporary hotel. This luxury farm stay is perfect for relaxing: lounge at the numerous outdoor swimming pools, get in a workout in the gym and relax in the hot spa area, which includes a sauna, indoor heated vitality pool and a Himalayan salt room. Hang out in the gardens with the adorable farm creatures, including donkeys, turkeys, peacocks and more. Enjoy incredible farm fresh cuisine; the menu is always seasonal and guided by what's available from their extensive gardens and farm. So many experiences are included in your rate and are only accessible to guests that stay at the hotel; outside visitors can only access the restaurant and wine cellar or tours of the grounds.

After you check in, relax by one of the numerous pools on property. When you are ready for a dip in the infinity pool, don’t miss a chance to float on the tractor tube. If something active is more your speed, walk or cycle to the dam on the grounds. The view of the grounds from there is gorgeous and you can try your hand at paddling in a canoe while observing the 78 bird species recorded on the property. There is also guided seasonal fly and bass fishing at specific times throughout the week.

Later in the afternoon, it’s time for your cellar tour and wine tasting at Babylonstoren. This two-hour experience has won awards as the best Innovative Wine Tourism Experience in the country and is not to be missed! Babylonstoren grows 13 different grape varieties on their 232 acres of vines. The tour will start by taking you through some of the vines to learn about how they cultivate the various styles of wine. Next, you will head underground, into their working wine cellar, where they use a variety of vessels to make various types of wine, from amphorae clay pots to open cement fermenters and concrete eggs. The tour will conclude with a tasting of all of the wine varieties in the underground cellar, paired with various bites to bring out the flavor in each individual wine.

After you’ve had your fill of wine, head to dinner at Babel. Housed in an old cow shed, Babel Restaurant is a mix of old meets new: Cape Dutch architecture with contemporary glass walls. The food is simple, tasty and often unconventional. Given the large farm on property, they focus on a farm-to-fork philosophy, serving food that is seasonal and guided by what's currently available from the garden. Expect freshly baked bread from the wood-fired oven, show stopping salads and hearty mains, all featuring produce grown on the grounds.

This morning, you’ll be up bright and early for an unforgettable experience! Hop into the open-air off-roading vehicles and be driven through the grounds as the sun rises. It’s time to meet the reserve's collection of over 100 water buffalo! Witness the daily milking process and watch the buffalo play and bathe. The highlight of the morning is bottle feeding the water buffalo calves, which is the most adorable experience. The dairy at Babylonstoren, from the cheese, yogurt, butter and ice cream, is all made from 100% water buffalo milk, giving it a tangier taste than cow or goat milk. Water buffalo dairy is said to be the healthiest of all the animal dairies and even contains compounds that may help prevent cancer! When you are on property, make sure to stop by the ice cream shop to try the ice cream or the yogurt, both made from water buffalo milk!

After you return to the property, head to Babel for an incredible breakfast. The fruit buffet is set up with an incredible display of fruit picked fresh from the farm and you’ll even get a chance to try some fruit you’ve never heard of before! The breakfast will include everything you could ever want; seasonal cold-pressed juice, fresh garden crudites, fresh baked goods served with farm butter, honey and preserves, local cheese, charcuterie of the day, granola served with buffalo milk yogurt and fresh grown almonds, fresh-baked breads from the bakery and free-range Babylonstoren eggs prepared to your liking with all the fixings.

After breakfast, you can take part in a variety of workshops and tours offered on the farm and throughout the grounds. Experts in their fields host these workshops to teach guests about various crafts. Consider the essential oil tour, where you head out onto the farm to see how the farm converts flowers into essential oils and then try your hand at making your own product. Participate in the daily garden tour to see more of the grounds or join the gardeners to see the succulent collection, the cycads or clivias, or the Healing Garden. Participate in an olive oil tasting, make your own butter, scones or flower crowns, try your hand at beekeeping, make your own gin, learn to make pasta or bake bread with the experts in the kitchen. Or, simply meet the Chianina cows, donkeys, turkeys and roosters while you wander through the gardens and farm. The options on the property are endless!

Enjoy lunch in the glass Greenhouse underneath the oak trees in the garden. Greenhouse offers a lovely ambiance for a light lunch in an outdoor setting, with food served picnic-style, highlighting fresh and seasonal ingredients inspired by the garden.

Spend your afternoon relaxing at the spa. The spa features an indoor and outdoor pool, sauna, salt room, two vitality pools and an authentic Turkish hammam. Simply relax and enjoy the facilities or indulge in a treatment; offerings include massages, facials, wraps, a hammam cleansing experience and manicures and pedicures.

When golden hour approaches, it’s time to head out on the iconic experience: the mountain drive. Hop into the open-air off roading vehicle and take a drive through Babylonstoren’s 500 acres. Head up one of their private mountains, driving through vineyards and orchards, until you reach the summit, from which you can see all the way to Table Mountain on a clear day. Relax at the peak with blankets, wine and snacks as you watch the sunset.

Tonight, dine at the Old Bakery for an Italian-inspired meal. The four-course set menu starts with an antipasti and salad offering, then homemade pasta followed by wood-fired pizza, and finished with dessert, all enjoyed family-style with your fellow diners.

Today, head out into Franschhoek to explore the Winelands! The Franschhoek Wine Tram, a vintage open-air train car, will take you from winery to winery along a curated itinerary. The orange line, which stops at eight wine estates in the picturesque Franschhoek Winelands valley, is ideal as it stops directly at Babylonstoren, making for an easy journey without additional transfers needed. There are multiple options available, from hop-on hop-off day passes to a curated tour of food and wine-pairing experiences. You can also enjoy a meal at one of the wineries as many also have delicious restaurants.

Today, your driver will pick you up bright and early for your transfer to Cape Town airport. You’ll board your flight to your safari lodge; both commercial flights to nearby airports as well as private charter flights directly to lodge airstrips are available. Your travel advisor will talk you through the pros and cons of each option. After your flight lands, you’ll be picked up and taken to your safari lodge. You’ll check into one of the three lodges at Royal Malewane. Royal Malewane is a luxury safari lodge that is different from all the rest. Located within the Thornybush Private Game Reserve, a lesser known Private Reserve than Sabi Sands with equally great game viewing opportunities. Royal Malewane’s guides are some of the best in the business. While most safari lodges lean hard into the traditional brown and green muted designs, Royal Malewane is comprised of three safari lodges, each personally designed by Liz Biden in a unique style ranging from modern clean lines to classic bush-style to whimsical and colorful.

After enjoying a snack and a drink at afternoon tea, embark on your first game drive! Hop into the open-air safari vehicle with a guide and tracker and head out into the Thornybush Private Game Reserve in search of Africa’s wildlife. Royal Malewane’s guides and trackers are renowned for being the best in Africa due to their exceptional qualifications, extensive experience and deep passion for the African bush. They hold some of the highest qualifications in the industry, including FGASA Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) certifications and advanced rifle handling certificates. This ensures that guests receive a safe and informative safari experience. Collectively, the guiding team has over 350 years of experience in the African wilderness.

For an extra-luxe touch, consider booking a private safari vehicle just for just you and your group. Having a vehicle for your own exclusive use with your own dedicated guide and tracker allows you to enjoy the safari at your own pace, customized specifically to what you would like to see and experience.

When you return from your safari, enjoy dinner at your leisure. At Royal Malewane, you will have control over your dining schedule and options to customize what you eat. The food is delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed eating my meals while watching the resident hippo family in the watering hole. Your meals will be enjoyed at different locations throughout the property during your stay, allowing you to enjoy some variety in both what and where you eat.

After dinner, you’ll be escorted safely back to your room for a good nights rest.

You’ll be up before the sun to embark on your next game drive. Enjoy some caffeine and light bites before heading out again with your guide and tracker. Depending on where the animals are, your game drive could head in many different directions and the duration can vary depending on how long you spend watching the animals. After you return from your game drive, enjoy a delicious breakfast.

The middle of the day is yours to spend at your leisure. You can enjoy the incredible spa at Royal Malewane, complete with a heated lap pool, spa treatments, a fully equipped gym, a steam room, hot and cold African baths, a hair salon and four shaded casitas. You can go golfing on courses where wild animals from Kruger National Park sometimes wander onto the course. Pro tip: If you are an avid golfer, make sure to let me know so I can pair you with a guide who used to be a pro golfer.

You can go on walking safaris to experience some wildlife up-close or visit schools in the neighboring villages of Sigagule and Langutelani Crèches, which Royal Malewane supports through their Foundation. Alternatively, you can relax at the lodge in your private heated plunge pool or in the communal pool of the lodge.

Late in the afternoon, it’s time to head out on another game drive. Enjoy never knowing where the drive will take you or where you will end up that evening. One of the advantages of staying on a private game reserve is that you can offroad, allowing you to get much closer to the game viewings — you are not allowed to do this in National Parks) — and you can stay out on game drives after dark, when the animals are most active. The Thornybush Reserve, where Royal Malewane is located, only allows two game vehicles per animal sighting, which means there will never be crowds of vehicles vying for a glimpse of a leopard or a lion. While animal sightings in nature can never be guaranteed, most guests who visit Thornybush do see the Big Five, making it a great alternative to the more crowded Sabi Sands reserve.

You’ll be up early again for another game drive! You never know what nature has in store for you or what you will see on each game drive. Every single one will be different from the last.

After your morning game drive and breakfast, head out to the air strip for today’s adventure! Board your helicopter for a scenic flight over the gorgeous Greater Kruger area. You’ll land on another airstrip and take a vehicle transfer to the unique Graskop Gorge Glass Lift.

This exclusive excursion combines the serene beauty of a helicopter flight with the adrenaline thrill of the Graskop Gorge Lift. From the Royal Malewane Airstrip, you’ll fly directly to Graskop Airstrip, where you’ll connect with a vehicle transfer to the unique Graskop Gorge Glass Lift. You’ll board the Viewing Lift, a first-of-its-kind experience in Africa: a glass elevator that descends 167 feet into the ancient Afromontane Forest. On the one-minute ride down, the glass-fronted elevator provides stunning vistas of the Drakensberg Escarpment as you smoothly glide down the cliff face. Once you reach the bottom, you can explore the indigenous forest and ecosystem as you stroll along the raised boardwalk. You will get to walk over a 170-foot suspension bridge over a gorge that will lead you to the iconic Panorama Waterfall, before you make your way back to the lift for the ascent and return flight.

This evening, head back on your evening game drive before heading back to camp for dinner.

Today, enjoy a day customized to your preferences, combining game drives with activities, spa time or relaxing.

This morning, wake up bright and early to enjoy a final game drive as the sun rises. Enjoy an extra special breakfast surprise today as well to finish off the perfect stay at Royal Malewane.

After you return, your driver will take you and your luggage to the local airport in time for your flight. This direct flight only operates several days a week so your travel advisor will make sure your itinerary is planned so you can enjoy a direct flight on the best local airline. After you land, your driver will pick you up and take you to the boat dock. You will board a boat along the Zambezi River for the final portion of the journey before checking into Victoria Falls River Lodge in Zimbabwe. Nestled upstream from the iconic Victoria Falls, amid lush indigenous bush on the Zimbabwean side of the mighty Zambezi River, Victoria Falls River Lodge was the first private game lodge within Zambezi National Park. Thirteen Luxury Tented Suites and two Villas are situated on the banks of the river while six exclusive Island Treehouse Suites are on their own island. The Island Treehouse Suites are set on a private island in the middle of the river, reachable only by boat ride from the mainland, ensuring guests have a completely exclusive and private experience. The treehouses jut out over river and jungle and are elevated over the island via timber decks and walkways to allow hippos and elephants, who use the island as a resting point on their swims across the river, to pass through uninterrupted. No matter which room category you choose, each has a private plunge pool that you can lounge in while watching the wild animals graze and swim in the river.

The rates at Victoria Falls River Lodge include a comprehensive range of amenities and activities to ensure a luxurious and immersive experience, including shared transfers to and from Victoria Falls Airport, meals, local beverages, a tour of Victoria Falls, morning and afternoon game drives in the Zambezi National Park, sunrise and sunset river cruises, bird watching, afternoon tea and snacks and local beverages during activities.

Check in and enjoy a relaxing afternoon relaxing by the pool and enjoying watching the animals stroll by.

This evening, get ready for your sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, arguably one of the best ways to soak in the surroundings of this iconic river. Sit back and relax while sipping on a sundowner while watching the sun go down. You may get a chance to see some hippos, crocodiles and some of the more than 400 bird species recorded in the area.

This morning, get up bright and early to beat the crowds and allow for a peaceful experience. You’ll hop in an open-air safari vehicle and head into town to take a tour of Victoria Falls with your experienced guide. A visit to the iconic Victoria Falls is a truly awe-inspiring experience and one for the bucket list. Nothing can quite prepare visitors for the sheer splendor of the breathtaking spectacle, which is one of Africa’s most famous landmarks, and it’s best seen from both the land and the sky – you’ll accomplish both today!

Your guide will take you through the rainforest, stopping at various viewing points to view the World Heritage Site so that you can see it from multiple perspectives. You will get wet from the intense power of the falls and the surrounding mist but your guide will provide you with a poncho to keep you dry.

After you’ve had your fill of walking around Victoria Falls, your guide will drive you to your next stop. It’s time for a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls! This is an absolutely incredible experience that should not be skipped. Having another perspective to see the entirety of Victoria Falls, above the mist, with the sun shining through and creating rainbows, will take your breath away. There are multiple options for helicopter flights, including a quick 15-minute flight over the falls or longer flights that can include views of Batoka Gorge and Zambezi National Park.

After you’ve been sufficiently amazed at the spectacle come back for a hearty breakfast and time to relax. You’ve earned it!

Later in the afternoon, head out on an afternoon game drive in Zambezi National Park. For the ultimate Victoria Falls safari experience, head out in a game-viewer to explore the 150,000 acres that make up the Zambezi National Park. You’ll track animals with your expert guides before stopping to admire the sunset with a drink and a snack. Afterwards, you’ll return to the lodge for dinner and a well-deserved rest.

You’ll be up early again for a final morning game drive in Zambezi National Park. Alternatively, you can choose to go bungee jumping, white river rafting, ziplining or even a day-trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana, which boasts the Big Five and the world’s largest elephant population.

Later in the day, take your boat and car transfer back to the airport and continue your onward journey home or to your next destination.