A three-nation journey through Africa

Touching down in Cape Town International airport, we’ll drive you, by private transfer, out of the city to the Cape Winelands, where you can rest your travel-weary brain and body at Babylonstoren for two nights. This historic Cape Dutch farm dates back to 1692, and lives on today as a luxurious hotel-restaurant-farm-spa hybrid. Tucked amongst the flowers and gardens are 30 or so white-washed, light-flooded rooms with a seriously inviting pool just outside. Interiors are minimalist, yet feel restful and cozy with jute rugs and open fire places. Forget what you think you know about staying on a farm – this is something entirely different.

Today we’re taking you to Grootbos Garden Lodge, where you’ll be slumbering in a suite with floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing you to take in that unforgettable view. The luxurious eco paradise is set in the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. Tucked between mountains and sea, it’s a one-of-a-kind stay thanks to the opportunity to witness the Marine Big 5 – that’s whales, sharks, dolphins, seals, and penguins. Breakfast buffets, three-course lunches, and six-course suppers use organic herbs and vegetables from the lodge’s own farm. Settle in and head to the pool, spa, or your spacious sun deck (yes, that is a breaching whale in the distance).

Sit back and enjoy the view, it’s just a couple of hours in your private car from Grootbos Garden Lodge to your home for the next three nights, One&Only Cape Town. Its location, right on the V&A Waterfront, means you’re close enough to take in the buzz of some of the city’s best sites and restaurants, but you have the tranquility of what very much feels like a resort hotel, with its peaceful pools, serene spa, and Table Mountain views. Rooms are comfortable and elegant, with statement marble lamps and abstract African artwork, and egg-shaped tubs for post-sightseeing soaks.

Today you’re experiencing Cape Town’s dramatic coastline. First up, meet the resident seals and fishing community at Kalk Bay, before traveling on to Simon’s Town to see the hundreds of penguins that call this sunny spot home. You can observe them going about their morning from Boulder’s Beach, or watch them from a respectful distance on a stand-up paddle board or kayak. How about a wild peninsula picnic at Cape Point for lunch, before swinging by Noordhoek Farm Village for an ice cream? Next, it’s the scenic drive of Chapman’s Peak, which skirts the Atlantic Ocean. That evening, we’ll have drinks while taking in even more views of the vibrant Cape Peninsula.

Today we’re shifting gears, traveling by plane from Cape Town to Maun, Botswana, before hopping on a small prop plane to Tsigaro airstrip, where you’ll transfer to Jack’s Camp. Located in the heart of the Kalahari Desert, on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans, Jack’s Camp is a luxury safari camp like no other. Inside, interiors are eclectic and colorful with antique touches (including a vintage pool table), with rust-red fabrics, floral cushions, and leather couches. Outside, the scallop-edge, sage green tent is surrounded by hundreds of glowing lanterns – the camp is run entirely on solar power. Any kids in your group will be warmly welcomed here.

Today, you’re wrapping a kikoy scarf around your head, securing your shades, and hopping on a quad-bike and pressing pedal to metal to explore the saltpans at pace. It’s one of the best – and most thrilling ways – to take in the vast lunar-like landscape of the Makgadikgadi Pans. Back at camp, wash the dirt away in your open-air shower and leave some time to check out the artefacts of Natural History Museum cabinets, curated by camp founder Ralph Bousfield.

You’ll be one of a handful of people on the short propeller plane flight from Tsigaro airstrip to Santawani airstrip, gateway to Tawana Camp. Surrounded by floodplains and swaying sausage trees, Tawana is an intimate camp where eight villas (three of which are perfect for families) are linked by a wooden, elevated walkway. Wall-to-wall windows allow for elephant and warthog viewing from your draped four-poster bed. The camp’s location, on the edge of the perennial Gomoti River, means there’s year-round water for the region’s wildlife. There’s time for an afternoon game drive. Then, for an authentic Tawana experience, that evening’s meal is in an open-air dining kgotla around a flickering fire.

Surrounded by waterways and woodlands of ebony and wild fig trees, on its own private island known locally as Xuxuga, is North Island Okavango. Few camps in the Okavango Delta are surrounded by floodplains all year round – but North Island is, and that’s exactly why we’ve chosen it. On your arrival afternoon you could choose to spot hippo and thirsty impala from your private plunge pool, or bird watch from the bath tub, but we’ll have you here in time for an afternoon game drive. Hop in your open-air 4X4 and drive through lagoons and water in search of herds of elephants or whatever else is on your safari wish list – the guides here are the best of the best.

Today we’re transferring you by helicopter from Kasane airport to Matetsi Victoria Falls, a concession with 15km of private Zambezi River frontage. You’re within 40km of the thundering Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s also a hotbed of adrenalin-fuelled activities (bungee jump, gorge swings, white-water rafting, and Devil’s Pool plunges are just some of the options that the young and young at heart in the group may love). Back at camp, things are much more relaxed. The river-facing suites (with their own pools) are wonderfully private, with options for families, too.

By now, on your penultimate day of your vacation, you may think you’ve seen it all. But the bush always delivers the unexpected, so sit back and ready yourself for more thrilling sightings of lions, leopards, and maybe even a hunt. There’s still plenty of time to learn about the more gentle species that live out there in the wild, including kudu, waterbuck, and impala. You’ll peer at footprints in the sand, discover you have a new found ability to spot a snoozing lion from a surprising distance (just look for the flick of the tail). Then, as the sky shifts from blue to apricot, you’ll hop in a private boat for a sundowner cruise, seeing crocodiles slide beneath the surface as wallowing pods of hippo honk and grunt.