Travellers planning multi-country safaris across Southern Africa now have new flight options that make complex journeys simpler and less risky.
Two developments are changing how people move across the region: a new triangular route by Air Tanzania linking East and Southern Africa, and a live codeshare agreement between South African Airways (SAA) and TAAG Angola Airlines.
Both services are already operating and can be booked for travel in 2025 and 2026. Industry watchers say the changes could cut long detours, reduce missed connections and open up safari combinations that previously required overnight stops or multiple tickets.
Air Tanzania launches Dar–Victoria Falls–Cape Town route
Air Tanzania has entered the Cape Town market with a new triangular service linking Dar es Salaam, Victoria Falls and Cape Town. The airline launched the route on 11 December 2025 and operates it twice a week using an Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport serves as the northern hub, while Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe is the mid-point stop. Cape Town International Airport is the southern end of the route.
The southbound journey operates as a continuous flight from Dar es Salaam to Victoria Falls and on to Cape Town. On the return leg, passengers fly directly from Cape Town back to Dar es Salaam without stopping in Victoria Falls. This structure reduces travel time and limits unnecessary backtracking.
Schedules released around the launch suggest late-week operations, with flights widely reported on Thursdays and either Fridays or Sundays. Airlines say timings could still change as demand becomes clearer.
For safari travellers, the route turns Victoria Falls into a natural bridge between East Africa and Southern Africa. From Dar es Salaam, passengers can already connect easily to Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro and major Tanzanian national parks.
The new link allows travellers to combine a Tanzania safari, Victoria Falls and Cape Town in one continuous journey.
SAA and TAAG activate long-awaited codeshare
In a separate move, South African Airways and TAAG Angola Airlines have activated a long-planned codeshare agreement, which went live on 1 December 2025.
Under the deal, SAA places its flight code on TAAG services operating between Johannesburg and Cape Town and Luanda’s Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport. Passengers can also connect beyond Luanda to Lisbon and São Paulo on a single ticket.
TAAG, in return, gains access to South African Airways’ domestic and regional network. This includes destinations such as Durban, Gqeberha, Cape Town, Harare and Lusaka, all sold under TAAG’s DT flight code.
The key change is that the agreement is now fully active. Tickets can be sold as one journey, with baggage checked through to the final destination. That removes the need for separate tickets and reduces the risk for travellers if delays occur.
How the new routes change safari travel
Before these changes, travellers combining Tanzania, Victoria Falls and Cape Town often had to route through Johannesburg, Nairobi or even hubs outside Africa. Many journeys involved three or four flight segments and overnight stays.
The Air Tanzania route cuts out one major hub entirely. A traveller can now fly from northern Tanzania to Dar es Salaam, continue to Victoria Falls, and then move on to Cape Town without changing airlines.
The SAA–TAAG codeshare also simplifies travel through Angola. Previously, travellers flying into Luanda often had to buy separate onward tickets within Southern Africa. Now routes such as Luanda to Durban or Luanda to Gqeberha can be booked as a single itinerary, with Johannesburg or Cape Town acting as shared hubs.
Tour operators say this lowers the risk of missed connections and makes planning regional safaris more predictable.
Part of a wider African aviation shift
Aviation analysts see these developments as part of a broader push by African airlines to strengthen regional links through targeted routes and partnerships.
South African Airways has increasingly relied on alliances and codeshares as it rebuilds its network. Air Tanzania, meanwhile, is positioning Dar es Salaam as a regional hub connecting East, Central and Southern Africa.
Rather than waiting for a continent-wide airline solution, carriers are stitching together smaller but practical links that respond directly to tourism and business demand.
What travellers should keep in mind
Despite the improvements, travel experts advise passengers to check schedules carefully. New routes often undergo timing adjustments in their first seasons, and not all fare options may appear immediately on online booking platforms.
Where possible, booking the full journey on a single ticket remains the safest option. Through-ticketing offers better protection if delays occur in cities such as Luanda, Johannesburg, Victoria Falls or Cape Town.
Travellers with fixed safari lodge bookings are also advised to allow buffer nights, especially during the summer thunderstorm season. Missing a connection to a remote safari destination can still cause major disruption.
For now, the new flight links offer a rare combination in African travel: fewer detours, smoother connections and more freedom to design multi-country safari routes across the continent.