South Africa / Zambia/Namibia / Botswana / Zimbabwe
African Safari: A Close-up on Wildlife
Program No. 13938RJ
Take the adventure of a lifetime as you explore parks and reserves on a southern Africa safari, spotting some of the world’s most iconic animals and learning about conservation efforts.
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Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone?
800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
May 30 - Jun 13, 2024
Starting at
8,099Jun 7 - Jun 21, 2024
Starting at
8,099Jul 18 - Aug 1, 2024
Starting at
8,099Jul 26 - Aug 9, 2024
Starting at
8,099Aug 18 - Sep 1, 2024
Starting at
8,099Sep 6 - Sep 20, 2024
Starting at
8,099Sep 27 - Oct 11, 2024
Starting at
8,099Oct 30 - Nov 13, 2024
Starting at
7,899Jun 6 - Jun 20, 2025
Starting at
8,649Filling Fast!
Jun 20 - Jul 4, 2025
Starting at
8,549Jul 7 - Jul 21, 2025
Starting at
8,649Aug 25 - Sep 8, 2025
Starting at
8,649DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
May 30 - Jun 13, 2024
Starting at
8,699Jun 7 - Jun 21, 2024
Starting at
8,699Jul 14 - Jul 28, 2024
Starting at
8,699Jul 18 - Aug 1, 2024
Starting at
8,699Aug 18 - Sep 1, 2024
Starting at
8,699Sep 27 - Oct 11, 2024
Starting at
8,699Oct 11 - Oct 25, 2024
Starting at
8,699Oct 30 - Nov 13, 2024
Starting at
8,379Filling Fast!
Jun 20 - Jul 4, 2025
Starting at
9,15915 days
14 nights
36 meals
12B 2BR 10L 12D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
3
Constitution Hill, Apartheid Museum
Johannesburg
4
Fly to Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls - Zimbabwean Side
Victoria Falls
5
Elephant Encounter, Local Community Visit, Free Time
Victoria Falls
6
David Livingstone's Explorations, Hwange National Park
Hwange National Park
7
Game Drives, Importance of Termites
Hwange National Park
8
Safari Game Drives, Elephant Behavior
Hwange National Park
9
Chobe National Park, Game Drive
Chobe Riverfront
10
Sunrise Boat Ride, Safari Activities
Chobe Riverfront
11
Birding Walk, Lion Social Structure & Behavior, Boat Safari
Chobe Riverfront
12
Livingstone, Victoria Falls - Zambian Side
Livingstone
13
Local School & Market, Free Time
Livingstone
14
Program Concludes
In Flight
15
In Transit From Program
In Flight
At a Glance
Elephant, lion, blue wildebeest, vervet monkeys — just a few of the thousands of species observable in the national parks and private reserves of sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia, encounter an unimaginable diversity of wildlife and meet the people who have dedicated their lives to its protection.
Extend Your Adventure
This program includes an optional program extension.
Extension: The Best of Cape Town
Gain a deeper understanding of South Africa as you explore Cape Town with experts, learning about apartheid, exploring historic sites and enjoying local wine and cuisine.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Walking up to two miles at a time; some stairs and slick paths. Open-air safari vehicles require stamina, stability for long rides, getting in and out.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
What You'll Learn
- Explore wildlife along the wildlife-rich Chobe Riverfront.
- Search for the majestic Presidential elephant herd in Hwange.
- See Victoria Falls, discover nearby crafts markets and interact with local artisans.
General Notes
Please refer to the “Travel Information” section on the Road Scholar website, the start/end time listed in your first informational packet or contact the provider if you plan on booking your own flights for correct arrival and departure dates. Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available. The summer months of November-March are considered the green season in southern Africa; quick rain showers in the afternoon are common, and game viewing may be more difficult due to the lush vegetation and more plentiful water, which causes the wildlife to be more dispersed. Seasonal advantages this time of year: the vegetation is beautiful and green; the flowering plants are in bloom; many animals give birth at this time of year; and there are more bird species in the area due to migratory birds.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Helen Malisan
Helen Malisan’s passion for exploration began in high school when she visited Italy, her ancestral country. After completing her final year at school, she immediately joined South African Airways where she worked for 10 years. In 1993, her love for nature and South Africa inspired her to complete the necessary courses to become a wilderness excursion leader, spurring her career as a safari leader in Namibia and Zambia. Helen says her interest in people, nature and animals inspires her work.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Helen Malisan
View biography
Helen Malisan’s passion for exploration began in high school when she visited Italy, her ancestral country. After completing her final year at school, she immediately joined South African Airways where she worked for 10 years. In 1993, her love for nature and South Africa inspired her to complete the necessary courses to become a wilderness excursion leader, spurring her career as a safari leader in Namibia and Zambia. Helen says her interest in people, nature and animals inspires her work.
Johann Roscher
View biography
Johann Röscher was born in South Africa and grew up on State Forestry stations along the coastal belt of the Cape Province. He joined the military and studied at the North West University, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science. After traveling through the Middle East and Eastern Europe, he returned to South Africa to work as a socio-political researcher. Disillusioned with city life, Johann decided to change careers and lead safaris. He’s been taking groups on safaris in Kalahari and Okavango Delta for 17 years, and he’s never been more content with his choice to move to that beautiful and remote region.
Sisa Moyo
View biography
Sisa is Ndebele by tribe and grew up in Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe’s beautiful wilderness and wildlife inspired him to begin leading overland trips. In 2011, Sisa served as an Ambassador for Zimbabwe at Walt Disney World, raising awareness about conservation issues. He currently lives in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe with his wife and family. In his "office," covering thousands of miles in Southern Africa, Sisa shares his passion for the bush and his country with travelers from around the world.
Sam Mushandu
View biography
Sam was born in a small village in southeast Zimbabwe. Growing up in the village gave him an appreciation for nature, particularly during holidays when he would herd his family’s cattle in the bush. Sam attended Bulawayo Commercial College and is an award-winning safari educator. He has lead learning safaris throughout southern Africa, including top destinations like Hwange and Kafue National Parks. Sam lives with his wife and family in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and enjoys history and fishing. (Be prepared to hear some fishing stories!)
Honest Siyawareva
View biography
Growing up, Honest Siyawareva spent much of his life in close proximity to nature, thanks to his family’s passion. Fulfilling his family legacy — his father and uncle were both professional nature leaders — in 2014, Honest qualified as a professional nature leader in Zimbabwe, the only person to pass the extremely onerous examinations that year. Working for Wilderness Safaris in Zimbabwe, he has split his time between camps in Hwange National Park and Mana Pools National Park.
Mark Geraghty
View biography
Mark Geraghty was born in Ndola, Northern Zambia where his father was stationed in the British Army. He grew up in Zambia, until his family moved to Harare, Zimbabwe. Not only has Mark traveled extensively throughout Southern Africa, but he has also spent time in Kenya and the Congo. His marriage into a prominent Zimbabwean family sparked an interest in Africa’s early history, specifically the “Scramble for Africa.” Mark is a passionate storyteller with a piercing insight and great sense of humor.
Chris Chiparaushe
View biography
Chris Chiparaushe was born in Zimbabwe and exposed to the bush from an early age when he herded cattle with his grandfather over school holidays. He learned a lot about animals, birds and plants from his grandfather, and knew from an early age that he wanted to work in hospitality. He studied tourism management in Victoria Falls and has been a professional leader since 1998. He is especially passionate about birding and astronomy and loves teaching travelers about Southern Africa’s rich history and culture.
Khule Ndlovu
View biography
Mkhulekelwa Ndlovu — Khule for short — was born in Matebeleland, Zimbabwe, in 1971 and grew up in a small village as the youngest of nine children. After completing his primary and secondary education, he worked for a vet who took him to game farms where he met rangers and safari guides who inspired him. Khule qualified for Zimbabwe’s prestigious Professional Guide designation in 2001 and has never looked back. He currently resides in Victoria Falls with his family. Khule loves nature and guiding is his passion.
Suggested Reading List
(14 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
African Safari: A Close-up on Wildlife
Program Number: 13938
Out of Darkness, Shining Light
So begins Petina Gappah's powerful novel of exploration and adventure in nineteenth-century Africa—the captivating story of the loyal men and women who carried explorer and missionary Dr. Livingstone's body, his papers and maps, fifteen hundred miles across the continent of Africa, so his remains could be returned home to England and his work preserved there.
The Big Conservation Lie
This book takes the reader through Kenya’s conservation ‘industry’ and the players therein with all their prejudices, weaknesses and commitment to causes. It is a call to indigenous Africans to claim their place at the table where the management of their natural resources is being discussed, and invites well-meaning donors to look beyond the romantic images and detect the possible role of their money in the disenfranchisement of a people.
Silent Thunder, In the Presence of Elephants
In this memoir, Katy Payne relates stories of research, discovery and conservation in Africa. An acoustic biologist, Payne has worked on communication among elephant populations at Amboseli National Park, Etosha and Sengwa.
Long Walk to Freedom
An unpretentious tale of an extraordinary life. Mandela recounts the circumstances of his imprisonment and ultimately his successful drive to end Apartheid.
North of South, An African Journey
This is a great book – engaging and unafraid of controversy. It’s a sharp portrait of contemporary East Africa, as well as Zambia, sensitive to issues black, white and brown.
Southern Africa Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide
A popular, photographic guide to the mammals, birds, reptiles and habitats south of the Zambezi. With 300 color photographs and illuminating text.
Glory
Award-winning author follows the fall of the Old Horse, the long-serving leader of a fictional country, and the drama that follows for a nation of animals on the path to true liberation. Inspired by the unexpected fall by coup in 2017 of Robert G. Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president of nearly four decades, Glory shows a country's imploding, narrated by a chorus of animal voices.
The Safari Companion
An encyclopedic guide to the behavior of Africa’s mammals by a noted scientist.
Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent
So often, Africa has been depicted simplistically as a uniform land of famines and safaris, poverty and strife, stripped of all nuance. This book offers stories that bring to life Africa’s rich diversity, communities, and histories.
Rhino War
Rhino War tells how Major General (Ret.) Johan Jooste, facing an unprecedented assault on a single national park and a species, took a demoralised force of men and women and turned them into arguably the best anti-poaching unit on the African continent.
Okavango, Africa’s Last Eden
In this handsome volume, master wildlife photographer Franz Lanting captures the wildlife and habitats of the Okavango
Bradt Guide to Zambia
A detailed overview of Zambia, its history, culture, attractions and natural history with color photos, maps and travel information.
South Africa, A Traveler's Literary Companion
Including short stories from some of South Africa’s best and most renowned writers, this collection accompanies readers to a recent, but altogether different South Africa, reflecting perspectives of both the oppressed and the oppressors.
Fodor’s Complete Guide to African Safaris
This guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time.