From historical sites to natural wonders, your tour of South Africa and Victoria Falls is an adventure like no other. Start in Cape Town where you’ll ascend Table Mountain via cable car for spectacular views. At Boulders Beach, observe a colony of endangered penguins, then venture to Cape Point Nature Reserve, the Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Point at the continent’s most southwestern tip. Next, travel to a private game reserve where you’ll set out on six games drives in an open-air 4-wheel-drive vehicle with an expert Ranger. Search for Africa's “Big 5”—lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and Cape buffalo and much more. Cap off each day with refreshing sundowner drink, the perfect way to relax and reflect as the sun sets over the beautiful South Africa landscape. You’ll also visit Johannesburg’s Soweto Township to learn about its turbulent past and hopeful future. Tour the thought-provoking Apartheid Museum and Mandela House, located in the former neighborhood of Nobel Peace Prize winners, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. In Zimbabwe, stand in awe as you witness and hear the roar of stunning Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Your tour to Victoria Falls and South Africa is an adventure into historic heritage and wilderness wonder of this spectacular part of the continent.
Small-Group Discovery Dates Available
Each Cosmos Africa safari tour is limited to an average of just 20 guests per departure. There’s always room to roam with extra space between you and other travelers—while still getting up close and personal to the experiences you’ve been dreaming of. Small-Group Discoveries include all the features of a traditional Cosmos escorted tour, complete with expert Tour Director, Safari Guide/Driver, and Local Guides who ensure that your health and safety is our top priority. A Small-Group Discovery African safari vacation is the perfectly sized tour—without the crowds.
The world is within reach with everything you need for perfectly affordable touring. Cosmos includes expert Tour Directors, Local Host in Zimbabwe. hand-selected accommodations, guided sightseeing, and seamless transportation between destinations including intra-vacation flights—with value-minded travelers in mind. On safari, you’ll enjoy the knowledge and insight of a professional safari Guide aboard your open-air 4-wheel-drive safari vehicle. Enhance your free time to explore like a local with your CosmosGO mobile app!Your Tour Includes:• Guided city sightseeing of Cape Town• Admission to Table Mountain aerial cable car, Cape Point Nature Reserve, Cape of Good Hope Lighthouse funicular, and Stony Point Nature Reserve’s penguins• 6 game drives in Karongwe Private Game Reserve with sundowners to celebrate• Guided city sightseeing of Johannesburg • Soweto Township guided sightseeing• Admission and guided tour of Mandela House and the Apartheid Museum• Guided sightseeing of Victoria Falls • Sunset safari cruise on the Zambezi RiverBig experiences come in small packages, so each Cosmos Africa safari tour is limited to a maximum of just 24 guests per departure.
Meals
Meals & Itinerary
11 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners
Notes:
For approximately one month each year (typically late July to mid-September), Table Mountain Aerial Cableway is closed for annual maintenance. In these instances, a private tour of Kirstenbosch National Garden will be included in its place. All game viewing is done at your own risk and requires a signed liability waiver prior to travel. Due to rough driving on/off road and in/between game parks, this vacation is not recommended for guests with serious back problems or mobility issues.
Itinerary
Day 1 ARRIVE IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Welcome to Africa! Your hotel is available for mid-afternoon check-in.CAPE-TOWN.jpg
Day 2 CAPE TOWN
Today, enjoy a full day of sightseeing, starting with a cable-car ride up Table Mountain for stunning views of the city, Robben Island, and the Cape Winelands. Next, visit Boulders Beach to see a colony of endangered African Penguins, known for their unique sound. After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to Cape Point Nature Reserve for stops at the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. Here, ride a funicular to the steps of the old lighthouse for spectacular panoramic views. On your return journey back to Cape Town, skirt the rocky coastline as you ascend Chapman’s Peak Drive, one of the most spectacular drives in the world. Enjoy the evening at your leisure. CAPE-TOWN-TABLE-MOUNTAIN.jpg
Breakfast
Lunch
Day 3 CAPE TOWN
Enjoy a full day at leisure for your own discoveries. Your day is more than half-full with your choice of optional excursions on The Cape. Sip into something comfortable by raising a glass on an optional visit to the stunning Cape Winelands for wine tasting, or slip into something deeper on an optional whale watching cruise in nearby Hermanus (June-December). Or lift your sights on an optional helicopter flightseeing tour above Cape Town’s vast oceanscape and landmarks on shore. CAPE-TOWN-VICTORIA-AND-ALFRED-WATERFRONT.jpg
Breakfast
Day 4 CAPETOWN–HOEDSPRUIT–KARONGWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE
Fly to Hoedspruit and transfer to Karongwe Private Game Reserve, overlooking the majestic Drakensburg Mountains. This area, near Kruger National Park, is famous for its abundance of wildlife, including the “Big 5”—lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and Cape buffalo. Your visit here contributes to Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Conservation Canine Project, aimed at training dogs to patrol, detect and track poachers and to the Lion Recovery Fund who works towards the rehabilitation of Lions and their habitats. After lunch, embark on your first exciting game drive with a Shangaan tracker. Stop for a sundowner in the bush before returning to your lodge for dinner. KARONGWE-RESERVE-RHINO.jpg
Day 5 KARONGWE
Your skilled Shangaan tracker and professional Ranger work together as a team during your early morning game drive, so you can learn more about the ecosystem as you view wildlife up close. Beyond the “Big 5,” you’ll have the chance to see kudu, giraffe, hippo, cheetah, spotted hyena, and more! Return for breakfast mid-morning, followed by time to relax and enjoy the lodge and its surroundings. In the mid-afternoon, tea will be served prior to your afternoon game drive. Step out of your safari vehicle for a sundowner drink and watch as the sun sets over the Drakensberg Mountains. Return to your lodge in time to freshen up for dinner. KARONGWE-RESERVE-ELEPHANT.jpg
Day 6 KARONGWE
Rise early for coffee and tea before your morning game drive. If the timing is right, you might spot some of the big cats after a night of hunting. Spend time at leisure in the middle of the day. Perhaps take a swim in the pool, visit the wellness center for one of its many spa treatments, or simply sit back and watch the animals. Your afternoon game drive concludes with a sundowner drink as the sun sets over the bushveld! KARONGWE-LEOPARD.jpg
Day 7 KARONGWE–HOEDSPRUIT–JOHANNESBURG
Enjoy one last game drive this morning before transferring to the airport for your flight to Johannesburg. The remainder of the day is at your leisure. KARONGWE-NYALA.jpg
Breakfast
Day 8 JOHANNESBURG
Today’s sightseeing starts with a visit to Soweto (South Western Township), the largest township in the country. Along the way, see the neighborhood that was home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners: Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Visit Mandela House, where Nelson Mandela lived with his family from 1946 to around 1960, when he was forced underground to elude arrest. Also learn about the impact of his wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, known as the “Mother of the Nation” and also a formidable anti-apartheid activist. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Apartheid Museum to learn about the founding of South Africa before delving into the apartheid era. Using photos, video, and print, the museum takes you on an extraordinary journey through the apartheid years to the 1994 democratic elections that named Nelson Mandela president. SOWETO-NELSON-MANDELA’S-HOUSE.jpg
Breakfast
Lunch
Day 9 JOHANNESBURG–VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE
Today, leave South Africa and fly north to Zimbabwe where you will be met by a Cosmos representative. Later this afternoon, a cruise on the Zambezi River affords you a wonderful opportunity to photograph wildlife and a spectacular African sunset! Please note: the Tour Director does not accompany guests on extensions. Guided service is as outlined in the day by day itinerary.ZIMBABWE-ZAMBEZI-RIVER.jpg
Breakfast
Day 10 VICTORIA FALLS
Today, visit mighty Victoria Falls for an awe-inspiring experience. Enjoy a guided walk, where you will learn the history of the falls and hear fascinating details about the surrounding flora and fauna. Afterwards, enjoy free time for independent exploration or exhiliration with an optional helicopter flightseeing tour above the falls. VICTORIA-FALLS-ZIMBABWE.jpg
Breakfast
Day 11 VICTORIA FALLS
Enjoy a full day at leisure for your own discoveries. Or are you game for adventure with an optional guided 4-wheel game drive through the lake shores, basalt plains, and teak forests where the wild things are in Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve. Keep your eyes peeled for the 'Big 5' and other fantastic beasts. VICTORIA-FALLS-HELICOPTER.jpg
Breakfast
Day 12 VICTORIA FALLS–JOHANNESBURG
Your tour ends with a flight back to Johannesburg. Schedule departing flights after 7:30 pm. JOHANNESBURG-SKYLINE.jpg
Breakfast
Tour Director
With COSMOS, there’s no better way to get to know your destination than through the eyes of a Tour Director. We’d like you to meet one of our Tour Directors, who average over a decade of experience and are representative of the type of expert that will be with you on your vacation.
WENDY ATKINSON
Escorting tours for more than 20 years
Escorting tours for more than 20 years
“I am a proud South African who loves the nature, history, and culture of this beautiful land. As a Tour Director, it is my privilege to combine and share two of my passions-a love of the wilderness and of travel with you!”
Optional Excursions
No matter what you’re into: food, wine, history, art, music or anything else,
we give you the freedom to personalize your vacation with optional excursions that speak to your interests.
When you book your excursions with us, you can be assured that every optional excursion that we offer coordinates with the free time that you'll have in your destination,
so you'll never have conflicts between included and optional activities.
Our team of travel experts carefully selects each optional excursion that we offer to ensure that you receive the highest quality at a great value.
Our tried-and-true partners have a finger on the pulse of the city in which they operate so they deliver the very best experiences.
We offer experiences you cannot create on your own and because you’re booking with us, we coordinate all your transportation and timing needs.
The following optional excursions are examples only for this vacation. These may or may not be offered, and availability is subject to days of operation and seasonality. Please select a departure date to view optional excursions and pricing for a specific date (due to currency fluctuation, pricing shown is subject to change until purchased). Optional excursions are available for purchase on our MyCosmos site 90 days prior to the tour start date.
Price Ranges
$ ($50 CAD and under)
$$ ($51 - $100 CAD)
$$$ ($101 - $150 CAD)
$$$$ (Over $150)
Cape Town
Cape Winelands
Sample wine and explore the picturesque valleys and vineyards in the beautiful Cape Winelands outside of Cape Town.
Price Range: $$$$
Hermanus Whale Watching
Journey to Hermanus, one of the world's whale-watching meccas, for your chance to see the rare southern right whale.
Price Range: $$$$
Cape Town Helicopter
Soar high above Cape Town to experience great views of the Atlantic Coast, Table Mountain, and Robben Island.
Price Range: $$$$
Victoria Falls
Helicopter Flight Over Victoria Falls
Take to the sky for great views of Victoria Falls.
Price Range: $$$$
Game Drive in Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve
Journey to Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve for an exciting game drive.
Price Range: $$$$
The Boma Dinner and Drum Show
Revel in a feast of fun at The Boma Dinner & Drum show with a four-course meal featuring local dishes, and non-stop entertainment of an interactive drumming show.
Price Range: $$$
Zimbabwe Village Visit
Visit a rural village for fascinating interactions with the local people and gain insight into their life and culture.
Price Range: $$$
Chobe National Park Day Trip
Day trip to Chobe National Park including a game drive and boat trip for the opportunity to see an abundance of wildlife.
Price Range: $$$$
Dinner Cruise on the Zambezi River
Be welcomed aboard a sunset cruise and enjoy appetizers, cocktails and dinner while the sun sinks below the shimmering surface of the Zambezi River.
Price Range: $$$
The “Starting at” or listed price is based on the lowest price available to book. Price is per person based on twin occupancy and any applicable port charges, non-commissionable taxes and fees and intra-vacation flight are included in the price shown. Any included overnight stay in Canada, applicable GST/HST is also included in the price shown. International airfare, however, is not included. If price is crossed out, the new price shown includes a limited time promotional offer(s). Please review current promotions or deals for additional information.