Itinerary

Please note: The walks in Blyde Canyon, Swaziland and the Drakensberg will be easy to moderate. We walk on good mountain paths so walking shoes / light boots are sufficient. Although full days out, the actual walking time is 3 - 6 hours for 10 - 22 km so a reasonable fitness level is required.

Day 1 - 2 MPUMALANGA 
After the tour briefing, we depart Johannesburg at 06:30am and head east towards Mpumalanga. During the afternoon we visit the gold mining town of Pilgrims Rest, explore Bourkes Luck Potholes and the viewpoint over God’s Window. We then make our way to the Lowveld and set up camp below the escarpment at Blyde River canyon. We spend the next day exploring the canyon on foot. A full day walking in the canyon gets us closer to Africa. [chalets Bx1 Lx2 Dx2]

[B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner]
Day 3 - 4 KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
Big Game Safari. We spend the next 2 days on game drives in search of the elusive leopard, the majestic lion and the mighty elephant. Exciting game viewing on morning and afternoon game drives with the midday spent out of the heat resting in the camp. Our professional guides will impart their extensive knowledge of ecology, fauna and flora during out time in the bush. Night game drives with spotlights are available (own expense). [tented lodge or chalets BLD]

Day 5 - 6 KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND
We enter the Kingdom of Swaziland and travel through a lush fruit farming area before heading into the mountains of Swaziland. We spend 2 nights in Malalotja Nature Reserve with a full day to get out and walk through this seldom explored mountainous reserve. The Swazi people have a rich cultural heritage and we will visit the craft and medicine markets as we pass through the capital, Mbabane. [cabins BLD]


Day 7, 8, 9 ST LUCIA
We cross back into South Africa and head into the Zululand heartland. We visit a traditional village to learn more about the proud Zulu culture, and get a chance to meet the local people. We base ourselves on the shores of Lake St Lucia – a Unesco world heritage site. The park’s uniqueness lies in its remarkable combination of estuarine lakes, subtropical coastline, forests and wildlife. We will spend a day in the Hluhluwe game reserve where rhino conservation has been a priority. We then have another full day free to explore the St Lucia estuary and the beaches, as we enjoy a boat cruise or kayak excursion (own expense). [apartments BLD]

Day 10 BATTLEFIELDS
We leave the coastline and make our way through the scenic hills and valleys of Zululand to the small town of Dundee. Here the battles were fought between the Zulus, the British and the Boer troops and the war cries still resound in the hills. We spend time at Rourkes drift and Islandwana battlefields with an informative visit to the Tulana museum. [lodge BL-]

Day 11 - 12 DRAKENSBERG
Witness the grandeur of the Drakensberg or Ukhahlamba “Barrier of Spears” Mountains. We overnight at the base of the “berg” and spend a day walking the trails or taking a dip in the clear streams. The crisp mountain air is refreshing and invigorating and our lodge is a fantastic place to relax at the end of our tour. [tented lodge or chalets BLD] 


Day 13 JOHANNESBURG/TOUR ENDS
We have a morning to have a last walk in the mountains before we make our way back to Johannesburg. The tour can be combined with the Garden Route Adventure for a complete tour of South Africa, Tour ends at +/- 16:00 pm.

Single supplement
If you are travelling on your own, we will “room” you with another same gender client so you do not pay extra when booking as a single person. If however, you request a single room, then the single supplement is applicable.

Local payment

A local payment is required on this safari and this will be collected by the tour leader on departure. This covers a portion of the local operational costs including entrance and park fees. This ensures that a major portion of your tour price goes directly into the country you are visiting, benefiting local communities and contributing to the conservation of the area.

 

 

 

 

 

Included

12 nights in hotels, cabins & guest houses
Entrance fees 
Professional guide

Transport in Safari Truck or Minibus
On foot - easy to moderate walks throughout the tour.
Vehicle - for longer distance travel, place to place, we use custom-built safari trucks with 12 forward facing seats. Your comfort is catered for with individual seats (with safety belts), ample legroom and large vertical sliding windows for unobstructed viewing and photography.
There are roof hatches for excellent "open" views and an integral cab and passenger compartment so contact with the driver is easy. Each truck also have large packing compartments, a built in kitchen, freezers, drinking water tanks, interior lights and gas stoves (to minimise use of wood and destruction of forest areas). There is also a pullout set of steps into the passenger compartment, making access for clients easier.

or Toyota Hiace minibuses with 10 forward facing seats (roof rack and trailer for equipment and baggage); or Mercedes Sprinter minibuses with 16 forward facing seats (and trailer for equipment and baggage). There are a couple of long days of travelling but the vehicles have a comfortable cruising speed.
The emphasis of the trip is “getting out and doing things”.

Meals as per itinerary 
We pride ourselves on giving very good healthy meals to our clients and will provide three meals per day, except where shown in the itinerary, where we try out local restaurants.
The tour leaders do the shopping and meal planning for each group. He/she will always try to obtain fresh produce wherever possible. A rough idea of what these will consist of is: Breakfast - cereals or coffee and toast or the occasional fried breakfast, Lunch - cheese, cold meats, salads on bread or rolls, Dinner - braais (local barbecue), potjies (stews), stir fries etc. We use regular plates, cups and cutlery. All cooking and eating utensils will also be provided.
We do cater for special dietary requirements (e.g. vegetarian or allergies.)
We will supply fruit squash served with breakfast and tea or coffee served with breakfast and dinner

Excluded

All other beverages will be for your own expense. We will not supply bottled drinking water although it is available at many shops on tour
Optional night game drive inside the Kruger National Park

Departures

Starts: Johannesburg – Finishes: Johannesburg
01 Nov 09 – 13 Nov 09
22 Nov 09 – 04 Dec 09
13 Dec 09 – 25 Dec 09 
10 Jan 10 – 22 Jan 10
31 Jan 10 – 12 Feb 10
21 Feb 10 – 05 Mar 10
28 Mar 10 – 09 Apr 10
18 Apr 10 – 30 Apr 10
09 May 10 - 21 May 10
30 May 10 – 11 Jun 10
20 Jun 10 – 02 Jul 10
11 Jul 10 – 23 Jul 10
01 Aug 10 – 13 Aug 10
22 Aug 10 - 03 Sep 10
12 Sep 10 – 24 Sep 10
03 Oct 10 – 15 Oct 10
24 Oct 10 – 05 Nov 10
14 Nov 10 – 26 Nov 10
05 Dec 10 – 17 Dec 10
26 Dec 10 - 07 Jan 11

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