5-DAY Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park

The big draw here is the pairing of Victoria Falls with a full day in Botswana’s Chobe National Park. You get the falls from walking trails, the Zambezi at sunset, and wildlife from both a river boat and a 4×4 vehicle. One especially memorable possibility is sitting quietly near large groups of elephants along the Chobe River.

I like the way the tour gives you a guide for the whole five days, while still mixing private sightseeing with shared activities. I also like the easy rhythm: a gentle arrival day, two full sightseeing days, a free day for optional adventures, and airport transfer on the final morning.

The main consideration is pace. Day 3 is a long border-crossing safari day, and several activities involve fixed pickup times. You also need to check exactly what is included in the $1,485.95 price, especially optional tours, lunches, park fees, and any airfare.

Key points to know before booking

• Two major African sights in one trip: Combine Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe with Chobe National Park in Botswana.
• Three kinds of wildlife viewing: See animals from the Zambezi River, the Chobe River, and an open 4×4 safari vehicle.
• A guide stays with you: Your assigned guide handles the main transfers and sightseeing throughout the tour.
• Shared activities are part of the plan: The sunset cruise, Boma dinner, and Chobe safari are shared with other participants.
• Elephant Hills is your base: Stay at the four-star Elephant Hills Resort on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
• A free day gives you choices: Add a lion walk, white-water rafting, Devil’s Pool, canoeing, horse riding, or another optional activity.

Why this five-day pairing works

Victoria Falls and Chobe suit each other well. The falls give you dramatic scenery and cultural activities, while Chobe adds the animal viewing many people hope to find in southern Africa. You are not spending five days repeating the same kind of outing.

The design also helps with your energy. Day 1 is mostly arrival, drinks, and a river cruise. Day 2 focuses on the falls and a village visit. Day 3 is the major safari day. Day 4 is open, so you can rest or add a more adventurous activity. Day 5 allows time for a final morning tour before your transfer to the airport.

The tour costs $1,485.95 per person. That is not a bargain-basement package, but the value depends on how many included services you would otherwise arrange separately. Accommodation, a continuing guide, airport transfer, local touring, the sunset boat cruise, the Chobe boat and vehicle safari, and selected meals are bundled together.

You should still read the final booking terms carefully. The information provided does not give a full line-by-line list of park fees, meals, optional excursions, or international and domestic flights. Ask before paying if those costs matter to your budget.

Day 1: settle in beside the Zambezi

Your guide meets you for the transfer to Elephant Hills Hotel, described as a four-star resort about 21 kilometers from Victoria Falls. The drive is expected to take 15 to 20 minutes, giving you a quick route from arrival to your room.

The first few hours are free for rest. That is a sensible touch after a long flight. You are not rushed directly into a walking tour, and you have time to shower, eat something, or simply adjust to the setting.

At about 4 p.m., you leave for a two-hour sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. Drinks and snacks are included, and return transportation is provided. This is a gentle introduction to the area. You can watch the river change in the evening light instead of spending your first afternoon in a vehicle.

Do not expect this cruise to replace the safari day. Its main appeal is the river setting, the slower pace, and the chance to look for wildlife from the water. The exact sightings will vary, but the cruise gives you a pleasant start without demanding much physical effort.

Dinner is scheduled at the Boma Restaurant. Traditional dancing, drumming, and fortune telling form part of the evening. Return transport is included, which matters because you do not need to arrange a taxi after dinner.

The Boma evening is also a social part of the trip. Since some activities are shared, it can be a useful time to meet the other people joining the cruise and the next day’s outings. If you prefer quiet meals and an early bedtime, note that this is a full first day after your arrival.

Day 2: walk the falls, then visit a working village

Your guide meets you at 8 a.m. for the guided Victoria Falls tour. The walk takes about two hours and includes a stop at the large Baobab tree before reaching the falls area. After the falls, the route ends at an open curio market.

The guided walk gives you more than a quick photograph. You can follow the viewpoints with someone handling the route and timing, and the Baobab stop adds a local landmark before the main sight. The curio market is a practical place to browse crafts, but you should treat it as shopping time rather than part of the natural attraction itself.

Conditions near the falls can vary, so bring footwear you are comfortable walking in and protect any camera or phone you do not want splashed. The supplied plan does not state how wet the route will be during your visit, so your guide is the best person to ask about current conditions.

At 11 a.m., you are collected for an African Village tour. This lasts another two hours and takes you to a working village where you can meet local residents, see homes, ask questions, and sample local food.

This part gives the day a human focus. The falls are powerful but easy to view as a short sightseeing stop. A village visit can help you understand daily life beyond the hotel and major attraction. You should approach it respectfully, listen more than you direct, and ask your guide about photography before taking pictures of people or homes.

You are back in town around 1 p.m. Lunch is not specified as included, and the afternoon is free. That open space is useful because you can rest after two guided activities or book one of the optional excursions offered in Victoria Falls.

Day 3: three hours on the Chobe River and three hours on safari

Pickup is set for 7:30 a.m. for the full-day trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana. The journey includes a 70-kilometer drive through Zambezi National Park before the Botswana border, so the safari experience begins before you formally reach Chobe.

This is the longest and most demanding day of the program. You should be ready for an early start, border procedures, a full day outdoors, and a late return. The reward is a useful mix of water-based and land-based wildlife viewing.

The first major activity is a three-hour game boat cruise on the Chobe River. From the boat, you can watch the riverbanks and search for animals from a different angle than you would have in a vehicle. The river is particularly associated with elephant viewing in this region, and one account of this trip describes seeing hundreds of elephants and having time simply to watch them.

That kind of sighting cannot be promised, but the schedule gives you enough time to wait and observe. Three hours is much better for wildlife than a rushed photo stop. Keep your camera ready, but also allow yourself to watch without constantly looking through a screen.

Lunch is served as a buffet at the four-star Chobe Safari Lodge. A provided lunch makes the day easier, since you do not need to carry a full meal or find a restaurant during the border excursion. Confirm whether drinks and any special dietary arrangements are included before departure.

After lunch, you switch to a custom-made 4×4 safari vehicle for a three-hour afternoon game drive in Chobe National Park. This second safari offers a different view from the boat. The vehicle can follow roads and tracks away from the water, while the boat keeps you focused on the river edge.

The combination is the strongest part of the tour for anyone whose priority is wildlife. You get six planned hours of game viewing, split between two settings. Still, this is not a private safari day. The Chobe activities are shared with other people, and the total group size for the overall tour can reach 12.

You also cross an international border, so carry the documents required for your trip and follow the provider’s instructions. The information supplied here does not list visa requirements or border fees, so check those details before booking.

Day 4: use the free day to choose your own pace

The fourth day is deliberately open. You can book another activity, shop, or stay near the resort and recover from the Chobe outing.

The listed choices cover a wide range of energy levels:

• Elephant-back safari
• Devil’s Pool swimming
• Night game drive with bush dinner
• Lion walk
• White-water rafting
• Canoeing on the upper Zambezi

You can also consider the additional choices listed for the final morning, including horse riding in Zambezi National Park, bungee jumping, and a gorge swing in the Zambezi Gorges.

This free day is valuable because the main five-day plan does not force you into every popular Victoria Falls activity. If you have already had enough early starts, use the day for rest and shopping. If you want more action, this is the place to add it.

Do not assume that any of these options are included in the tour price. They are presented as optional tours, and the supplied details do not give their prices, duration, age rules, or operating schedules. Arrange them early and ask how they fit with your hotel transfer and dinner plans.

Dinner on Day 4 is your own arrangement. You stay at Elephant Hills Resort on a bed-and-breakfast basis, so plan for the evening meal separately unless you purchase an additional dining option.

Day 5: a flexible morning before your flight

The final morning remains open for selected activities such as canoeing on the Zambezi, horse riding in Zambezi National Park, bungee jumping, or a gorge swing.

This flexibility works best if your departure time allows it. The airport transfer to VFA or LVI is included, but the plan does not give a specific pickup time for your flight. Do not book a strenuous activity too close to departure. Confirm the transfer time with your guide, then choose an outing that leaves a comfortable margin.

The tour ends with transfer to the airport. It is a practical finish, especially if you do not want to organize a taxi after several days of scheduled transport.

Lodging, transport, and group size

Elephant Hills Resort is your base for the stay, with breakfast included. The supplied plan describes it as a four-star hotel, and the first transfer from the Victoria Falls area is short. Staying in one place also means you avoid repacking between the Zimbabwe and Botswana portions.

Your guide is assigned for the full duration, which simplifies the schedule. You have one main contact for transfers, sightseeing, and questions about optional activities. That personal continuity is a strong reason to choose this package instead of building the same pieces yourself.

The tour is private for most of its parts, but not all of them. You share the sunset cruise, Boma dinner, and Chobe safari activities. The maximum group size is 12, which keeps the shared portions smaller than a large coach tour, but you should not expect a completely private safari vehicle or boat.

Pickup is offered, and the information gives Kingdom Hotel Victoria Falls as a meeting point at 1 Mallet Drive. It also describes hotel pickup, so confirm your exact pickup location after booking. The published start time is 7:30 a.m., though Day 1 and Day 2 use later, activity-specific times.

Who will get the most from this tour

I would recommend this plan to a first-time visitor who wants the main Victoria Falls sights plus a serious wildlife day without arranging every transfer alone. It is also a good fit if you like a mixture of guided time and free time.

Families and mixed-age groups may appreciate the range of choices, though some optional activities have their own restrictions that you need to check. Most people can participate in the main tour, according to the supplied information, but specific requirements for rafting, Devil’s Pool, bungee jumping, and animal encounters are not provided.

This is less suited to someone who wants a slow, quiet hotel holiday. The Chobe day is long, and the border crossing adds a layer of timing you cannot control. It may also disappoint someone expecting every advertised activity to be part of the base price.

The most useful packing choices are comfortable walking shoes, sun protection, a water-resistant cover for electronics near the falls, and enough flexibility for a long safari day. Those are practical suggestions based on the itinerary’s walking, river, and outdoor activities, not promises about conditions.

Should you book the Victoria Falls and Chobe package?

Book it if you want a well-filled first visit that covers the falls, the Zambezi, local life, and Chobe wildlife in five days. The strongest value comes from combining the three-hour Chobe boat cruise and three-hour 4×4 drive with accommodation, a continuing guide, transfers, and several organized outings.

Think twice if you prefer to set your own pace, avoid border crossings, or choose every meal and safari detail yourself. Before paying $1,485.95, ask for a precise list of inclusions and optional costs. If the main items are covered as described, this is a practical way to see two major southern African highlights without spending your trip piecing together transport.

FAQ

How long is the tour?

The experience lasts approximately five days.

Where does the tour take place?

The main base is Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Day 3 includes a full-day safari in Chobe National Park in Botswana.

What time does the tour start?

The published start time is 7:30 a.m. Activity times vary by day. Day 1 begins with an afternoon cruise at about 4 p.m., and Day 2 begins with the falls tour at 8 a.m.

Is hotel pickup available?

Yes. Pickup is offered. Kingdom Hotel Victoria Falls at 1 Mallet Drive is listed as a meeting point, and you should confirm your exact pickup location after booking.

Where do I stay?

You stay at Elephant Hills Resort, described as a four-star hotel. The stay is on a bed-and-breakfast basis.

Is the Chobe safari private?

No. The Chobe safari is one of the shared activities. The tour can have a maximum of 12 participants.

What happens during the Chobe safari?

You take a three-hour game-viewing boat cruise on the Chobe River, eat a buffet lunch at Chobe Safari Lodge, and then take a three-hour afternoon game drive in a 4×4 vehicle.

Is the sunset cruise included?

The sunset boat cruise is part of the scheduled program. Drinks, snacks, and return transfers are included for that cruise.

Do I have free time during the tour?

Yes. Day 2 has a free afternoon, Day 4 is a free day for optional tours or shopping, and Day 5 has a free morning before the airport transfer.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can receive a full refund if you cancel at least six full days before the start time. Cancelling two to six full days ahead allows a 50 percent refund. Cancellations made less than two full days before the start time are not refunded.