The Platinum Package is a comprehensive 17-night itinerary combining South African highlights, two premier safari destinations and a beach finale in the Seychelles.
The Platinum Package covers six destinations over 17 nights, starting from $13,997 per person sharing. You visit Cape Town and Franschhoek, spend four days in the Kruger, two nights at Victoria Falls, three nights in the Okavango Delta and finish with four nights in the Seychelles. The package includes all accommodation, local transfers, game drives, meals at safari lodges and guided activities.
Key takeaways
Pricing starts at $13,997 per person sharing for the full 17-night itinerary across six destinations.
You spend four nights in the Kruger region at two luxury lodges, switching properties mid-stay for variety.
The Okavango Delta leg includes three nights with mokoro canoe safaris, land game drives and water-based wildlife viewing.
The Seychelles component runs four nights with diving, snorkelling and flexible beach days after the safari portion.
All local transfers, restaurant bookings, guided tours and 24/7 in-country support are included in the package price.
International flights are arranged separately; the package covers ground logistics and accommodation only.
Seychelles Island Escape
Visit the jewel of the Indian Ocean with blue azure waters and white sandy beaches.
Plan My Safari
Cape Town and the Winelands (Days 1 to 4)
You begin in Cape Town with a private airport transfer and two nights in a luxury hotel. Day two is a full-day southern peninsula tour visiting penguin colonies, Table Mountain and wine estates.
On day three you transfer 40 minutes east to Franschhoek, the Winelands hub, for two nights at a five-star property. Day four includes private winery tours and restaurant reservations at the region's top-rated dining rooms.
How long should you spend in the Winelands?
Two nights in Franschhoek gives you one full day for winery visits and a second evening to explore the town or book a spa treatment. Travellers who want more wine-focused time can extend to three nights, adding a second day for estates outside Franschhoek proper (Stellenbosch, Paarl). Two nights is sufficient for most visitors pairing the Winelands with a safari-focused itinerary.
Kruger Park safari (Days 5 to 8)
You fly to the Kruger region on day five and check into the first of two luxury lodges for two nights each. Each lodge operates on a fully inclusive basis: twice-daily game drives, all meals, house drinks and guided bush walks.
You spend days six and eight on morning and afternoon game drives in open 4x4 vehicles with a private guide and tracker. Day seven includes a mid-stay transfer between the two lodges, allowing you to experience different concessions and guiding styles within the Greater Kruger ecosystem.
The Kruger leg prioritises Big Five sightings. Lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino are all resident, with the highest densities in private concessions adjacent to Kruger National Park. Your lodges hold traversing rights over exclusive territories, reducing vehicle congestion common in the public park sections.
Why does the itinerary include two different Kruger lodges?
Switching lodges after two nights provides access to two distinct private concessions, each with unique terrain, water sources and animal populations.
One property may specialise in leopard sightings along riverine forest, while the second offers open plains with cheetah and wild dog. The variety also breaks up a four-night stay, giving you two arrival experiences, two sets of guides and different lodge atmospheres within the same safari region.
Victoria Falls (Days 9 to 10)
On day nine you fly to Victoria Falls and transfer to a luxury lodge on the Zambezi River for two nights.
Day ten includes a helicopter flight over the falls and your choice of additional activities: white-water rafting below the gorge, sunset river cruises, tiger fishing, bungee jumping from the bridge or guided visits to nearby villages.
The falls themselves can be viewed on foot from marked trails on both the Zambian and Zimbabwean sides.
Victoria Falls measures roughly 1.7 kilometres wide and drops 108 metres at its highest point. Flow varies by season, with March to May delivering the highest water volumes after regional rains.
June to August sees moderate flow with better visibility of the rock face. September to November is low-water season, when certain sections reduce to a trickle but Devil's Pool on the Zambian edge becomes accessible for controlled swimming.
Livingstone (Victoria Falls) — best time to visit
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 30° | 30° | 30° | 29° | 27° | 25° | 25° | 28° | 32° | 33° | 32° | 30° |
| High °F | 86° | 86° | 86° | 84° | 81° | 77° | 77° | 82° | 90° | 91° | 90° | 86° |
| Rain mm | 170 | 150 | 90 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 75 | 165 |
| Rating |
Livingstone (Victoria Falls): Falls in full flood Mar–May; best viewing Apr–Jul. Sep–Nov is hot but lowest water.
Ideal — Peak conditions — dry, comfortable, prime wildlife or beach time.
Good — Great conditions with brief showers or warmer days; still highly recommended.
Shoulder — Mixed weather — fewer crowds and lower rates, occasional rain.
Avoid — Heaviest rain or roughest seas; many camps and roads can be affected.
Visit Cape Town
Visit the number one rated city in the world with 8 blue flag beaches, swimming with penguins and so much more
Plan My Safari
Okavango Delta (Days 11 to 13)
Day 11 brings a flight into the Okavango Delta for three nights at a remote luxury camp accessible only by light aircraft and boat.
The Delta is a seasonal inland flood system, with water levels peaking between June and September when floodwaters from Angola reach Botswana. Your days include a mix of mokoro (traditional canoe) excursions along narrow channels, motorised boat safaris and 4x4 game drives on islands within the Delta.
Elephants, hippos, red lechwe and sitatunga antelope are common in the water-dominated landscape.
Most Okavango camps accommodate 12 to 20 guests maximum, with each tent or suite offering direct water views. Meals are communal and the daily rhythm follows a similar twice-daily activity pattern as Kruger lodges, though water-based excursions replace the second game drive depending on location and season.
What is the difference between a mokoro safari and a motorised boat safari?
A mokoro is a shallow dugout canoe poled silently through papyrus-lined channels, ideal for birdwatching, frog spotting and approaching skittish antelope on the banks.
The experience is quiet, slow-paced and suitable for narrow waterways.
A motorised boat covers greater distances, reaches deeper channels where hippos and crocodiles congregate and allows you to move between islands more quickly.
Most Delta itineraries include both modes across the three-night stay.
Seychelles (Days 14 to 17)
On day 14 you fly from Maun (the Okavango gateway) via Johannesburg to the Seychelles for four nights. The Seychelles portion is unstructured, with no set daily activities.
Your resort arranges snorkelling, scuba diving, island-hopping boat trips and spa bookings on request. Days 15 and 16 are flexible beach days. On day 17 you prepare for departure. Day 18 is the transfer to the airport for your international flight home.
The Seychelles component functions as active recovery after 10 consecutive nights of early-morning game drives and inter-destination flights.
Most travellers use the time for diving (the inner islands offer 30-plus dive sites), visiting neighbouring islands like La Digue or Praslin, or simply occupying a beach lounger.
Mahé — best time to visit
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 30° | 31° | 31° | 31° | 30° | 29° | 28° | 28° | 29° | 30° | 30° | 30° |
| High °F | 86° | 88° | 88° | 88° | 86° | 84° | 82° | 82° | 84° | 86° | 86° | 86° |
| Rain mm | 385 | 270 | 195 | 180 | 145 | 95 | 80 | 95 | 130 | 195 | 235 | 305 |
| Rating |
Mahé: Calmest seas Apr–May and Oct–Nov; trade winds bring rougher conditions in between.
Ideal — Peak conditions — dry, comfortable, prime wildlife or beach time.
Good — Great conditions with brief showers or warmer days; still highly recommended.
Shoulder — Mixed weather — fewer crowds and lower rates, occasional rain.
Avoid — Heaviest rain or roughest seas; many camps and roads can be affected.
What is included in the package price
The $13,997 per person sharing rate covers accommodation at all six destinations, all local transfers (airport shuttles, inter-lodge transfers, road transfers between Cape Town and Franschhoek), guided day tours in Cape Town and the Winelands, all meals and game drives at Kruger and Okavango lodges, restaurant reservations in Franschhoek, and 24/7 local phone support throughout the trip.
Safari lodges operate on a fully inclusive basis, meaning house wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks are included during your stay.
Not included: international flights to Cape Town and from the Seychelles, flights between Cape Town, Kruger, Victoria Falls, the Okavango and Seychelles (these regional flights are quoted separately), premium alcohol at lodges, Victoria Falls activity costs (helicopter flights, rafting, bungee), Seychelles water sports and diving, gratuities for guides and lodge staff, and travel insurance.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to book the Platinum Package?
The itinerary works year-round, but May to October offers the best overlap of conditions: dry-season game viewing in the Kruger and Okavango (animals concentrate around water sources), moderate flow at Victoria Falls for visibility and swimming in Devil's Pool, and calm seas in the Seychelles for diving.
November to April brings green-season rates at safari lodges, fewer tourists and excellent birding, but the Okavango floods may restrict land game drives and Victoria Falls flow can obscure viewing platforms in heavy mist. Book six to nine months ahead for peak-season departures (July to September) to secure preferred lodge availability.
Can you change the number of nights at each destination?
Yes. The 17-night scaffold is a suggested framework. Common modifications include reducing the Seychelles leg to two or three nights to lower costs, adding a third night at Victoria Falls for Chobe National Park day trips into Botswana, or extending the Kruger component to six nights split across three lodges.
African Safari Home rebuilds the itinerary and reprices based on your preferred balance of safari, culture and beach time. Minimum stay rules apply at certain Okavango camps (usually two or three nights).
How much does the Platinum Package cost for a solo traveller?
Safari lodges and boutique hotels typically charge a single supplement of 50 to 100 per cent above the per-person sharing rate, depending on property and season.
A solo traveller should expect total package costs in the $20,000 to $24,000 range for the same itinerary.
A few Okavango and Kruger lodges waive or reduce the single supplement during low season (November to March excluding December holidays). Ask for a solo-traveller quote when enquiring; some properties offer dedicated single suites at lower premiums.
Do you need vaccinations or malaria prophylaxis for this itinerary?
The Kruger, Victoria Falls and Okavango Delta are malaria-endemic zones. Prophylaxis (Malarone, doxycycline or Lariam) is recommended year-round, with highest transmission risk from November to May. Cape Town, Franschhoek and the Seychelles are malaria-free.
Routine vaccinations (tetanus, hepatitis A) are advised; yellow fever is not required unless you are arriving from a yellow-fever-endemic country. Consult a travel clinic six to eight weeks before departure for personalised medical advice and prescription antimalarials.
What should you pack for a trip covering safari, wine country and beach?
Bring neutral-coloured clothing (khaki, olive, beige) for safari game drives, a warm fleece or jacket for early-morning drives in winter (May to August), a wide-brimmed hat and high-SPF sunscreen for all destinations, binoculars (8x32 or 10x42 magnification) for wildlife viewing, reef-safe sunscreen for the Seychelles, a waterproof dry bag for mokoro trips, smart-casual attire for Winelands restaurants and insect repellent with DEET for safari lodges.
Most lodges provide laundry service every 24 hours, so pack light and plan to rewear items. Check your safari lodge's luggage weight limits for charter flights (typically 15 to 20 kilograms in soft-sided bags).
How do you get between the six destinations?
Cape Town to Franschhoek is a 50-minute road transfer. Franschhoek to the Kruger is a two-hour commercial flight (Cape Town to Hoedspruit or Skukuza) followed by a 30 to 60-minute road transfer to your lodge. Kruger to Victoria Falls is a two-hour regional flight (Hoedspruit to Livingstone or Victoria Falls airport).
Victoria Falls to the Okavango is a one-hour flight into Maun, then a 20 to 40-minute light-aircraft charter to your Delta camp. Okavango to the Seychelles routes through Johannesburg: charter to Maun, Maun to Johannesburg (90 minutes), Johannesburg to Mahé (four hours).
All inter-destination flights are arranged and quoted separately from the ground package, typically adding $2,500 to $4,000 per person depending on season and booking class.
