Which Safari Company Is Best for a South Africa and Victoria Falls Safari with Teenagers? Eleven Companies Compared on What They Publish, with the Specialist's Own Route

Four safari companies publish a priced itinerary that puts South Africa and Victoria Falls in one trip, and one of them, Extraordinary Journeys, built its version for families with teenagers: the South Africa and Zambia safari, 12 days from $15,000 per person, through Cape Town, MalaMala, Tongabezi at Victoria Falls and the Lower Zambezi. The other three are Go2Africa (Family Cape Town, Kruger & Victoria Falls, 10 days, EUR 14,370 to 15,175 per person sharing), Audley Travel (South Africa & Victoria Falls family adventure, 10 days, from CAD 17,850 per person on its Canadian site) and Yellow Zebra Safaris (A Safari Exploration, 22 nights, GBP 29,105 per person for four adults). Scott Dunn prices South Africa and Zambia teen trips separately (9 nights from GBP 5,300; 10 nights from GBP 8,700); Expert Africa, Aardvark Safaris, Africa Odyssey, Rhino Africa, Original Travel and Safari Consultants publish teenage guidance or a priced Victoria Falls trip without the combination. This page gives no score. Each company is shown with what its own website says and the date it was read, and the route advice comes from Pearl Jurist-Schoen, Head of Africa Sales at Extraordinary Journeys, who answered this site’s questions in writing.

Who is on this page, and why

A company is on this page if its own website publishes a safari product for families with teenagers, or a priced itinerary that pairs South Africa with Victoria Falls, Zambia or Zimbabwe. Of the 50 African safari companies whose public facts this site keeps in one table, 35 say they take teenagers and all but two plan South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe; the eleven below are the ones whose pages give a buyer something concrete, a priced trip or a teenage programme, to ask for. The rest are not on the page, which says nothing about whether they could plan the route.

South Africa and the Falls: what the specialist says

The questions below were put to Pearl Jurist-Schoen, Head of Africa Sales at Extraordinary Journeys, who is one of the two specialists Condé Nast Traveler lists for the company. The itinerary she describes pairs MalaMala in the Sabi Sand with Livingstone for the Falls and the Lower Zambezi in Zambia; her answers are quoted as written.

Zambia or Zimbabwe for the Falls: which do you recommend, and does it change by month?

“It does change by month. When the water is low (October to December), the Zimbabwe side can offer better views because more water is still flowing on that side. Outside those months, there are great options on either side, so it depends on a few factors. This itinerary includes the Lower Zambezi in Zambia, so staying in Livingstone simplifies things: one less border crossing and one less visa. Livingstone Island is also only accessible from the Zambia side, which made it a good fit for this sample family. Tongabezi is a great family lodge too, but there are others!”

Pearl Jurist-Schoen, Head of Africa Sales, Extraordinary Journeys, written answers to Uncompromised Travel, October 2026

Why MalaMala for the safari part of the trip?

“MalaMala is one of the best concessions in the Sabi Sands. It’s enormous and private, and it has extensive river frontage. There are a few lodge options here that vary in their level of luxury, but none compromises on the quality of game viewing. This isn’t an overly luxurious trip, and MalaMala Camp is really well done without being overly fancy or romantic, which makes it a great fit for families.”

What does the Lower Zambezi add after the Falls?

“Exceptional game viewing! Both destinations sit on the Zambezi River, but they have a very different feel. At the Falls, you’re out and about doing different activities and focusing less on wildlife and nature immersion. The Lower Zambezi offers some of the best wildlife viewing in Africa, and Dulini’s location is remote and quiet. So you get a great land- and water-based safari without the bustle of the Falls.”

What makes this trip work for families with teenagers?

“The trip is still very much geared toward game viewing, and exceptional, varied game viewing at that. It doesn’t focus much on the softer, non-safari activities that are great for younger kids who might get bored of game viewing. But these particular camps and areas still have plenty of flexibility and variety built in.”

What do you know about putting South Africa and the Falls together that only comes from doing it many times?

“A Kruger safari is quintessential. You can see a huge amount of wildlife in a short time, mostly from the vehicle. It’s nice to pair that with a lodge in a more remote part of Africa that also offers amazing wildlife but feels a little more adventurous. With epic bush walks and water activities, it also offers wonderful opportunities to experience the bush outside a vehicle.”

The itinerary we feature: South Africa and Zambia safari, for families travelling with teenagers

Cape Town, MalaMala Game Reserve on the Kruger boundary, Tongabezi Lodge at Victoria Falls and Dulini Anabezi in the Lower Zambezi, in that order. Suggested duration 12 days, from $15,000 per person, as published on Extraordinary Journeys’ itinerary page (read 14 October 2026). The page prints no inclusions list beside the price, so ask for one in writing; the day plan below is summarised from that page, and the camps named are the ones it names.

The company this page features, then the alternatives

Extraordinary Journeys comes first because the itinerary above is its route and its specialist answered the questions; its facts were read the same way as everyone else’s. The ten alternatives follow in alphabetical order. Every fact is from the company’s own website or the named review platform, read on 12 October 2026, and each card ends with the limits the company itself publishes.

Alternatives to Extraordinary Journeys for a South Africa and Victoria Falls safari with teenagers

Alphabetical. These are the other companies whose own websites meet the rule at the top of the page.

Three ways to choose

1. Do you want the combination priced before you enquire? Four companies print one. Extraordinary Journeys prices the teenage version of the route (12 days, from $15,000 per person, set out above) but prints no inclusions list. The other three: Go2Africa’s Family Cape Town, Kruger & Victoria Falls (10 days, EUR 14,370 to 15,175 per person sharing, with meal plans, park fees and activities listed), Audley Travel’s South Africa & Victoria Falls family adventure (10 days, from CAD 17,850 per person, on its Canadian price list) and Yellow Zebra Safaris’ 22-night A Safari Exploration (GBP 29,105 per person for four adults, with a helicopter flight over the Falls).

2. Which side of the Falls? Pearl Jurist-Schoen’s rule: Zimbabwe in the low-water months of October to December, either side the rest of the year, and Zambia whenever the trip continues to the Lower Zambezi, because it saves a border and a visa and is the only side from which Livingstone Island can be reached. Go2Africa’s guideline cost for Victoria Falls is $400 to $1,800 per person per night; Discover Africa’s Zambia range, read for another page, is $600 to $1,840.

3. Teenagers: who says what they can do? Expert Africa’s family page has a section for 13 and over (walking safaris, canoe trips, quad biking, wildlife photography courses). Scott Dunn sells trips named for teenagers in South Africa and Zambia. Safari Consultants points “older, very active teenage children” to Zimbabwe, Zambia or Botswana. Extraordinary Journeys says teenagers face fewer age restrictions than younger children and builds its route around game viewing rather than softer activities. Walking safaris carry a minimum age of 12, 14 or 16 depending on the camp, and the Lower Zambezi’s canoeing usually 12 and over.

Richard Jasinski · Uncompromised Travel · written from Valencia · first published 14 October 2026 · updated 14 October 2026