Route Planner

Planning to hit the road and journey to your next best destination?
Not sure which route to take or where to stop along the way?
Ultimate Routes has you covered!

Tailored route design and hassle-free accommodation bookings
for self-drive travel in Southern Africa.

Experience unforgettable African adventures from the comforts of your own vehicle and the company of your chosen travel companions. Ultimate Routes specializes in planning and booking self-drive, self-guided trips through Southern Africa.

The team’s extensive experience in route design, invaluable industry partnerships and knowledge of local attractions throughout Southern Africa, will ensure an unforgettable holiday, save the tedious booking process and unsurety of selecting the best overnight stays.

From rustic campsites to luxurious lodges, they’ll tailor your trip to suit your bucket-list, budget and vehicle ability.

Here’s what Ultimate Routes offers the self-drive community:

Route design and itinerary guidance
Overnight bookings
Activity bookings (optional)
Detailed trip itinerary and daily route maps

With Go Camp and Ultimate Routes, you truly have NO EXCUSES not to GO CAMP!

Route Inspirations – what destinations tickle your fancy?

Custom Routes

Your route of choice can be tailored to your time frames, accommodation preference, interests and hobbies.

Why stick to one country when you can criss-cross through two or more? Popular routes include the Chobe & Caprivi, Desert & Delta, Kalahari Cruise and Southern Zambezi Valley Explorer. These routes mostly include destinations in 2 or more of our neighbouring countries.

Botswana Routes

A popular destination for both first-time and experienced travelers – Botswana has several amazing regions to visit on a self-drive trip! Explore the central regions that include Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Nxai and Makgadikgadi Pans (especially during the zebra migration), or visit the famous predator-rich Chobe National Park, popping over to Vic Falls for a day from there.

The Okavango Delta and Khwai region is a prime destination boasting fantastic wilderness camps, adventurous activities and beautiful bushveld camping. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a very popular destination and offers campers wilderness camps in the wild Mabuasehube area, renowned for its close encounters with big cats and quiet, sparsely distributed camps around its pans.

Namibia Routes

Not only can Namibia boast with its impressive coastal desert and vast reserve regions of dunes, mountains and fossil rivers but it also includes some lush, green wilderness safari opportunities in the north. Road-tripping through South and Central Namibia allows visitors to experience dramatic geographic creations and desert dune activities, war history and quaint, creative, affordable accommodation en route.

Damaraland and Etosha include destinations where spectacular rock formations can be explored, roads through dry riverbeds could lead to desert-adapted wildlife sightings and why not include the Namib Naukluft Park and Swakopmund’s German cuisine and adventure activities?

With Etosha National Park within reach of this region, experience the big game of this unique desert park. In the north, river borders of the country give way to the vast grassy plains and mountains of the Kaokoland, leaving only still the east to explore, which is the river-, bird- and wildlife-rich Caprivi (Zambezi) Strip.

Zimbabwe & Zambia Routes

Zimbabwe is a self-drive traveler’s dream when it comes to friendly, welcoming residents, proud of their country’s heritage and conservation. Even with political rife and unrest, the natural beauties of the country stay magnificent, diverse and birds, game and trees!

National Parks on your bucket list should include Gonarezhou, Hwange and Mana Pools. Lesser frequented parks like Chizarira, Matusodona, Chimanimani and Matopos are just as spectacular! Zimbabwe parks and wilderness destinations offer experiences ranging from game watching, adventure sports, historical sites, fishing, prime birding, hiking and walking safaris. Many parks offer wilderness camps apart from rest camps to enjoy the wild in isolation and stillness. Lodges offer from old-school safari fly camp to luxury accommodation in the midst of the bush and service is of international standards.

With many regions yet to be developed for tourism and formalised conservation – Zambia is still a rough diamond, ideal for the intrepid explorer, bird watcher and self-drive enthusiast.

Zambia’s southern regions can easily be included on your itinerary as it’s easily within reach of northern Zimbabwe, Botswana or Caprivi Routes. The grassy game-filled Liuwa Plains and waterfalls of the West lead off to Kafue National Park in the central regions of Zambia, one of the finest game parks in the world. Spend time on Lake Kariba’s beaches and the beautiful Zambezi National Park or head northwards to the famous Luangwa National Park.

Whether you’re a first-time traveler or an experienced overlander – Ultimate Routes can add some fresh destination ideas to your route, alleviate the timeous admin of bookings and communications with camps/lodges as well as compile a neat, handy Trip Itinerary for your ease of references, travel tips and navigation.