From Kruger to Victoria Falls

Who it is for

For travellers who can go in the southern winter and want Johannesburg’s history, a safari and Victoria Falls on a single trip.

Not for anyone after beaches or warm nights: from June to August Johannesburg’s nights drop to between 2 and 7 °C, Kruger’s fall to about 6 °C, and Livingstone, on the Zambian side of the falls, has an average July low of 7.6 °C.

The strategy

Johannesburg gets two days: the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and the centre on the first, Soweto with a local guide on the second; almost every journey needs a car or a ride-hailing app. For Kruger there are daily flights from Johannesburg to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) and Airlink flights to Skukuza, inside the park; by car, SANParks puts Phabeni Gate at 430 km. The park gets three days, with two nights in the southern camps, Skukuza and Lower Sabie, and drives starting at gate opening, 6:00 in these months. Gates close at 17:30 from May to July and at 18:00 in August, and latecomers are locked out. From Kruger, fly back to Johannesburg and on to Victoria Falls, whose airport is 18 km south of town. The falls get three days, sleeping on the Zimbabwe side: the rainforest trail early and the Zambezi cruise late in the afternoon; the bridge to Zambia and Livingstone; and the day trip to Chobe, in Botswana. Visas change at every border: check Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana for your passport. From June to August all three stops are in season: it is the dry season in Kruger, with animals near water, and the Zambezi still carries plenty of water, with the spray revealing more of the curtain than in flood season.

What you will see

• Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg. Opened in November 2001 in Ormonde, next to Gold Reef City.
• Skukuza Rest Camp, Kruger. The park's largest camp and its administrative headquarters, on the south bank of the Sabie River, 12 km from the Paul Kruger Gate.
• Victoria Falls National Park, Victoria Falls. The rainforest trail on the Zimbabwe side is the main visit: about two kilometers of path with viewpoints facing Devil's Cataract, Main Falls and Rainbow Falls, and the statue of David Livingstone, with the motto he championed engraved on it.

Day by day

Johannesburg

1. 1
   Day 1: From the Apartheid Museum to Constitution Hill and downtown

   1. 1Apartheid MuseumOne to two hoursEssential
   2. 2Constitution HillEssential
2. 2
   Day 2: Soweto, from Orlando West to Kliptown

   1. 3Hector Pieterson Museum and Orlando WestEssential

Kruger

1. 3
   Day 3: From Hazyview to Skukuza through the south of the park

   1. 9Stevenson-Hamilton Memorial LibraryUp to half an hourIf there is time
   2. 3Lake Panic Bird HideUp to half an hourWorth a visit
2. 4
   Day 4: The Sabie River road to Lower Sabie

   1. 7Nkuhlu Picnic SpotUp to half an hourIf there is time
   2. 2Sunset DamUp to half an hourEssential
3. 5
   Day 5: One last morning in the south and departure
4. 6
   Day 6: Panorama Route and Blyde River Canyon (day trip) · if you have more time

Victoria Falls

1. 7
   Day 7: The Zimbabwe side and the river above the falls

   1. 1Victoria Falls National ParkOne to two hoursEssential
   2. 3Victoria Falls BridgeUp to half an hourWorth a visit
2. 8
   Day 8: Across the bridge: Zambia and Livingstone

   1. 3Victoria Falls BridgeUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   2. 2Mosi-oa-Tunya National ParkOne to two hoursEssential
   3. 4Livingstone IslandOne to two hoursWorth a visit
   4. 9Livingstone MuseumOne to two hoursWorth a visit
3. 9
   Day 9: Chobe National Park (Botswana) (day trip)
4. 10
   Day 10: Batoka Gorge or a safari on the Zambezi · if you have more time

   1. 7Zambezi National ParkHalf a day or moreWorth a visit
   2. 8Victoria Falls HotelUp to half an hourWorth a visit