Collecting your hire car on arrival at Cape Town International Airport, you take the easy drive into the city and the leafy neighbourhood of Gardens. Welgelegen House is your home for the next three nights. An intimate and exclusive guesthouse with an emphasis on personal service, Welgelegen lies within walking distance of many eateries and is just a short drive from Cape Town’s biggest attractions like Table Mountain, the vibrant city centre and the V&A Waterfront. And, of course, having your own car means you have the freedom to explore further afield under your own steam: take an early drive to the Boulders Beach penguin colony and Cape Point or head off for a leisurely day in the Cape Winelands.

Returning the car at the airport, you board a scheduled flight for the short-haul flight to Kruger-Mpumalanga International Airport. Here you are met and driven to Notten’s Bush Camp, lying in its own concession within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. A collection of private reserves adjoining the Kruger National Park, the Sabi Sands offers all the big game drama of the Kruger in an exclusive environment. You will also be in a reserve famous for what are rated as the best and most regular Big 5 sightings in Africa. Close-up views of lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and even leopard are almost guaranteed.

At Notten’s Bush Camp, which is owned and run by fourth-generation members of the Notten family, you enjoy two drives a day and the chance to head out on foot to witness the smaller details - animal tracks, shy birds and medicinal plants - with expert guides leading the way. Your suite has sliding doors that open onto a private viewing deck; the lodge comes complete with a Nature Spa, swimming pool and a gym.

Transferring back to Kruger-Mpumalanga International Airport, you board a scheduled flight to Zambia’s Livingstone International Airport. You are then met and transferred across the border into Zimbabwe and to Batonka Guest Lodge. An elegant whitewashed building in a neat garden setting, Batonka Guest Lodge has a swimming pool, lounge and bar as well as a shuttle service to take you to various points of interest in the area or restaurants in Victoria Falls Town. Top of the list to see is, naturally, Victoria Falls, and Batonka conveniently lies within walking distance of the Falls, giving you easy access and the chance to do shop in the market on the way back. Suites at the lodge are air conditioned and have complimentary Wi-Fi.

A short road transfer and border crossing takes you from Zimbabwe and into Botswana’s Chobe River region, long known for its heavyweight game viewing, especially of elephant, lion and buffalo. You check in at Elephant Valley Lodge, a tented camp tucked away in a forest adjacent to Chobe National Park and lying in front of a large waterhole. This fenced lodge lies on a path used by generations of elephants migrating between Zimbabwe’s Hwange and Botswana’s Chobe National Parks and this is your chance to see these giants up close as they move slowly through the forest on the way to the river. You enjoy boat cruises on the teeming Chobe River and game drives in the park as well as excellent wildlife sightings at the lodge’s in-house waterhole.

After breakfast on your last day, you are transferred the short distance to Chobe’s Kasane Airport for your onward travel arrangements and the end of this tour.