South Africa and Victoria Falls

​Come along and spend 13 days exploring Africa with my friend and I. We explored South Africa, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, which took my country count to 48!

My travels have taken me to Africa before when I visited Morocco and Egypt. This time I would be exploring Southern Africa. Once I decided where I wanted to go I started my research online and watched many YouTube videos which helped to build my itinerary.

Things to Know:

• ​Currency: All the countries we traveled to accepted US dollars but each has their currency. We never pulled their currency and used our US dollars. I would recommend bring small bills like $ 1 or 5, since everyone wants to help you with your luggage and wants a tip. We never pulled any local currency, but if you plan on exploring more areas than we did or staying in the local areas, than local money would be a good idea.
• ​Electricity: Most of the places we stayed had USB charging points but you may also need the 2 prongs European plug or the 3 point (not UK type). This adapter can be purchase at the airport, lucky for us a friend from work had one, so we borrow it and it came in handy! 
• Visa: For US citizens: South Africa, Zambia and Botswana didn’t require at the time of our visit. Double check the length you can stay in these countries.  Zimbabwe does require a visa. You can get the Kaza visa which is for the 3 countries of Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana for those that need visas. Make sure to have a whole page free, since the visa sticker takes the whole page.  It was $30 for single entry and $50 for multiple entries. We got ours when arriving at the airport but you can get it at the land crossing point too.
• Time: All the places we visited were in the same time zone as Germany, so no time difference. 
• Language: English is spoken everywhere. 
• Water: I would recommended drinking bottle water which was given at every hotel we stayed in. I did drink from the faucet from most of the hotels through, but would stay with water bottles.
• Weather: Africa is in the southern hemisphere, so June is their winter. When in South Africa, the morning and evening were chilly where you need a small jacket and pants and during the day was a little warmer.  When we arrived in Zambia it was sunny and warm around mid 70's, which is cold to them since it gets super hot in their summer.  Since it is winter, it gets dark early about 5:30-6pm.

 Africa, here we come!

Our adventure started on an evening flight from Stuttgart heading towards Johannesburg, South Africa with a layover in Frankfurt flying with Lufthansa. We decided to make Johannesburg our hub. Since this was an overnight plane, we arrived the next morning. The flight was around 10 hours. The flight we took to Johannesburg from Frankfurt was a double decker plane, so we decided to sit up on top in seat 86. We had a late dinner and got to bed after midnight and tried to sleep for a few hours.

​After a quick breakfast on the plane, we arrived the next morning in Johannesburg. After deplaning, we went through custom which took about 20 minutes. Then grab our bags and headed towards the exit. Before exiting there is recheck bag counter for our next domestic flight, Airlink. It was nice because we didn’t have to go to the main check in desk.

​Then we went through security and then ate a quick lunch. This airport was very nice and clean. All the staff we interacted with were friendly.

​We took an Airlink flight to Hoespirit which took about 35 minutes in a super small plane, which landed into an even smaller airport. This is where we started our African safari!

Safari: 4 days, 3 nights

We stayed at the Kapama Private Game Reserve  which was established in 1986 and is 13,000 hectares of land,  located in the north east side of South Africa. Inside the Kapama Private Game Reserve are four lodges called Kapama River Lodge, Kapama Karula, Kapama Buffalo Camp and Kapama Southern Camp. We would be staying at the Kapama River Lodge. Our lodge entrance was right across from the airport. After getting our luggage,  we met our guide, Respect and then boarded the safari jeep. We traveled about 15 minutes before arriving at the lodge.

We stayed in a luxury room which had a balcony located on the ground floor. Included in our package was all meals and a variety of drinks, 2 games drive daily (morning and evening), access to the gym and pools, yoga classes and a bush walk. For our meals we were assigned a server for our whole stay. Our server was Valencia, who was amazing! We learned that the staff work and live on property for 3 weeks and then get one week off to see their families. After getting checked in, we headed to lunch. Every meal, every day had a different menu of choices.  Then we checked out our room.

At 4:00pm, we headed towards our jeep parked at bay 9 to start our first game drive. We were joined by a family of 3 from California. All pictures or video were either taken from my Iphone 16 pro max or my Canon EO3 R5 with my 100-500 len.

Big 5 Animals :
Lion
Leopard
Elephant
Rhinoceros
African buffalo

5 Ugly Animals:
Warthog
Wildebeest
Vulture
Marabou Stork
Hyena

Animals I ate while in Africa:
Ostrich
Ox Tail
Salmon Trout 
Springbook
Kudu
Kingklip fish

During our travels we were able to see each animal on the above lists!

Cool fact about Zebras: There strips tell if it is male or female. Thinner strips are male while female have thicker stripes. If there mane hair is standing up they are healthy. They kick and run fast and enjoy eating grass.

After our 3 hour game drive we came back to the lodge for dinner. I forgot my camera so no pictures of the menu or food. 

Our Daily Schedule:
Wake up call @ 5:30
Morning tea and coffee at 6
Morning game drive 6:30-9:30
Breakfast @ 8:30-10:30
Free Time
Lunch @ 1-2:30
Afternoon Tea and Snacks 3:30
Afternoon game drive 4-7
Dinner  @ 7pm

Morning Game Drive:

Breakfast

Lunch

Afternoon/Evening Game Drive:

Dinner

Morning Game Drive:

Breakfast and Lunch

Afternoon/Evening Game Drive:

Our Last Morning Game Drive

Our Last Breakfast

After breakfast, we checked out and headed to the airport. On the way we saw a kudu.​

Cape Town

We arrived in Cape Town around 4:25pm where we got our luggage and rental car. South Africa drives on the left side of the road.  We drove to our hotel which was about 25 minutes from airport. We stayed at the Canopy Hotel which is a Hilton property. It was on a busy side street with lots of restaurants and bars, so it was very busy and noise when we were trying to find the parking  garage. It was a nice hotel which recently opened. There are hydration stations on every floor which offered either still or sparkling ice cold water, which I though was super cool. We ate dinner at the hotel and had flat bread, Waldorf salad, sirloin with butter. Then the next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel before heading to our new adventure.

We left Cape Town and drove east along the coast. We stopped at a few look out points to get some pictures, but it was a rainy day. Our first stop in Betty’s Bay or BettysBaai was at the Stoney Point Penguin. It was pouring down rain, but that didn’t stop us. We paid our admission and walked along the boardwalk to see the penguins.

Our next stop was at Luiperds Kloof Antique's & Decor where I picked up a few things. There were baboon walking along the road. Our hotel was  The Marine which is part of Hilton property and located in Hermanus. It is located right next to a cliff path that walks along the shore. It is part of the small luxury hotels of the world.  It was beautiful, has that old charm and the staff were super nice. When checking in we were given a tour of the hotel and then offered a room upgrade to huge suite, which was beautiful! Definitely wished we stayed here longer. After checking in, we went swimming in the outdoor heated salt water pool in the pouring rain. Then got ready for dinner at the hotel dinner called the Pavilion.

The next morning after breakfast, we walked along the coast on the Cliff walk. The views were amazing. We went down to explore the tidal pool. Then we walked the Main Street back to our hotel and  did some window shopping. Hermanus was once a cow pasture but later become a fishing village located on the South Ocean. Hermanus is also known for whale watching which starts in June. 

If I had more time, I would have continue driving along the coast heading east and explore more of South Africa. I would have stop at the southern tip sign and lighthouse, explored Mossel Bay and visited the meerkats and ostriches in Oudtshoorn to list a few 

After lunch, we heading back to Cape Town and checked into AC hotel which is a Marriott property. Then, we took an Uber to V & A Waterfront. It has a large shopping center with tons of shops around, museum and restaurants. We ate at Cape Town Fish Market. Then took an Uber back to our hotel. 

The next day, we drove to southern point to see the Cape of Good  Hope and Cape Point where 2 oceans meet. It was such a beautiful day and we even saw an ostrich and baboons. 

On the way back to Cape Town we stopped in Simonstown. We had lunch and explored some shop one being a leather shop where we were given a tour of the workshop. Then we headed back to the hotel to have dinner. 

AS you know, the weather isn't always your friend. Next day was rainy and foggy so we couldn’t take the cable car and go visit Table Mountain and Robben island which where the prisoner Nelson Mandela was held is closed till August for renovation. So we took the water taxi from our hotel to the waterfront and walked around. Then took an uber back to the hotel and had dinner.

Zambia

After taking a 7am flight from Cape Town to Livingstone airport with a layover in Johannsburg we arrive early afternoon in Zambia. One can also fly into Victoria Falls airport. After going through passport control, getting our bags and then passing customs, we looked for our driver. I booked a round trip pick up from the airport to our hotel from Bushtracks which was $20 per person per way which was a little pricy, but I didn’t have to think about how to get it the hotel. Along the way, the driver shared information about the area.

We stayed at the Radisson Blu-Mosi-Oa-Tunya. It is know locally as Mosi-Oa-Tunya which means The Smoke that Thunders. Our room had a balcony which provided an amazing view of the Zambezi River.

Our hotel was on the outskirt of the city Livingstone. A little bit about why the town is called Livingstone. David Livingstone was a Scottish physician who became the first European to cross the width of southern Africa.  In 1855 while exploring the Zambezi River he came across the falls which were already known by the locals. He name Victoria Falls in honor of Queen Victoria.

After our continental breakfast we got ready for our tour with Green Safari. We would be doing the Angel’s Fall Living Life on the Edge Tour where you are able to get into the water and look over the edge. Our driver, Raymond, took us to the landing site and returned us to the hotel. 

Once we arrived we did some waiver paperwork. They provided towels and water shoes if you didn’t have any. Then we  got our life jackets on and boarded the speed boat which would take us to Livingstone island. The current of the river was strong. Once we arrived we dropped off our stuff in a locked box. We wore bathing suits and water shoes which was helpful when walking around and in the falls. 

The main falls always have water and is close to Devil’s Pool which is the alternative spot to hang over the edge when water is low and less strong which is normally mid August to mid January. But due to the water volume and currents it was closed during our visit. From the Zambia side you can look across and see Zimbabwe, which we would visit later in the trip. In September and October when the falls are dry,  one could walk along the edge of the falls., which  I think would be cool to see since I saw it with lots of water. Since Devil’s Pool was closed we were suppose to do Angel’s Pool but there was too much current so we did Rock Pool instead. It was an amazing experience and the views over the falls were awesome!! Disclaimer: Two guides were holding my legs when I was hanging over the edge.

After our tour we had breakfast. I chose a bacon wrap.Then took the speed boat back to the launching site.

​On the way back to the hotel, Raymond, our driver, stopped at a market and then stopped at a tree which gave views of the falls. As we were driving we saw baboon and herds of elephants in distance. If you’re in Zambia and need a tour guide or driver I recommend Raymond. He was amazing and would highly recommended! Attached is his business card. 

The next day,  we would travel to three counties to explore more of Africa. We left Zambia and headed to Botswana, from our hotel it was about an hour. After cleaning our shoes and getting our stamps we arrived in Botswana. 

At the border we meet our guide and driver who drove us to Chobe National Park for our river cruise on the Zambezi River. It was a windy day so water was super choppy. Since it was windy and I am still learning about my camera, so some of the videos aren't the best. 

Here are some things we learned:

• We saw some hippos in shallow water eating grass. Male hippos are bigger than female and males have scars on their backs from defending their territory.
• As we rode we saw the reeds on Namibia side which shows how the water level is dropping, as it does in the winter.
• We saw Kingfishers who hover above the water and dive in to caught fish. Their homes are holes in cliff walls. They gave yellow beaks with lime green legs.
• Along the shore we saw Impalas and Waterbuck. Waterbucks are quick swimmers and their coats are oily to repel off the water.
• Then we saw the Marabou Stork is a vulture. Their feathers are black and white which them to absorb and reflect the heat.
• There were tons of Crocodiles sunbathing. We learned the darker in color they are means they are older.  They are normally brown. They can live 80 plus years. Crocodiles scales are similar to our nails.
• ​Baobab trees trees are soft wood and hollow in the middle. Sometimes it hold things such as grain or water.

We had a buffet lunch at a local resort and were able to see warthogs on the lawn as we were leaving.

From there we drove to the Zimbabwe border where we met our next guide and driver, who would be giving us a tour of Victoria Falls. You get the best view from the Zimbabwe side and can only see a small part from Zambia. Our guide told us touring the falls in the afternoon is less packed, which was great for us. We maybe saw like 20 people. 
​
There are 16 viewpoints of the falls. The last few viewpoints will get you soaked! So, bring a poncho and sandals. Sadly I had the on tennis shoes and pants which got soaked. At some of the viewpoints you couldn't see the falls due to the water vapor off the falls. 

The views were amazing of the falls and it is crazy to believe that half of it dries up during the dry season. The main falls always have water through.

The next day we fly back to Johannesburg arriving around 3pm. I wasn't sure if we would have enough time to make our 7:30 pm flight, we would have had tons of time, so I decided to stay the night at the Intercontinental right at the airport. The next day we left on an evening Swiss Air flight arriving in Stuttgart the next morning with a layover in Zurich. Another great trip in the book!