| HIGHLIGHTS: Pretoria/Johannesburg - Blyde River Canyon Region - Kruger National Park - Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary - Maputo - Praia de Macaneta - St Lucia Wetlands - Hluhluwe - Imfolozi National Park - Zulu Village - Durban
After driving around the spectacular Blyde River Canyon, our first encounter with the wildlife of southern Africa is in world-renowned Kruger National Park, which forms one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in the world and offers some of the continent's best game-viewing. In Swaziland we visit Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary before going on to Mozambique, where we bask on the beautiful Indian Ocean beaches and dine on delicious seafood.
St Lucia Wetlands allows us to discover more aquatic based wildlife and Hluhluwe - Imfolozi National Park is the place to see white rhinos. We finish our adventure near vibrant, Indian - influenced Durban, South Africa's beach capital.
Day 1 Pretoria/Johannesburg. Today is an arrival day, so you may arrive at any time. The remainder of your day is free to enjoy at leisure. Our spacious lodge is located in a quiet rural area between Pretoria and Johannesburg. A transfer from Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport needs to be pre-booked (at additional cost) and is strongly recommended. There is a pre - departure meeting tonight at 6pm.
Day 2 Blyde River Canyon Region. (Driving time: approx 6 hours) This morning we depart our lodge and head north - east through the farming regions of the highveld to Graskop, where we set up our first campsite at Panoramic Camp. The name of the camp is particularly apt as it is stunningly situated at the top of a deep gorge with incredible views over the lowveld. We spend the afternoon exploring the area around Blyde River Canyon, taking in the spectacular vista from God's Window and the lookout point over the Three Rondavels. We take time to explore Bourke's Luck Potholes - the spot where the Blyde and Treur Rivers have joined to gouge out holes into the rock strata.
Day 3 - 4 Kruger National Park. (Driving time: approx 5 hours on Day 3, and approx 5 hours on Day 4; game drive times variable) The landscape of Kruger National Park is varied and fascinating. Stretching for some 350 kiLometres and sharing a common border with Mozambique and Zimbabwe, much of the park consists of flat grass and scrubby plains. It supports an enormous variety of wildlife that we may spot including elephant, giraffe, zebra, Cape buffalo, many antelope species, white rhino and, if we are lucky, lion and leopard. We spend two full days in the park exploring the riverbanks and bush. At night we have the option to board an open safari vehicle with a local site guide for a night game drive, searching for nocturnal animals rarely seen in daylight. Our nights are spent at campsites in the park.
Day 5 - 6 Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. (Driving time: approx 7 hours including border crossing) Leaving Kruger National Park, we enter the Kingdom of Swaziland - a tiny country encompassed wholly within South Africa. The scenery here is a delight, varying from highlands to rolling grasslands and bushlands. We spend our nights in Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, a private reserve that was the first area that was set aside to protect nature in Swaziland. We enjoy a game drive in the hope of close encounters with some of the large animals that reside in the sanctuary. In your free time, you may also wish to take an optional game walk with a local site guide for encounters from a different angle.
Day 7 Maputo. (Driving time: approx 5 hours including border crossing) After our two nights in Swaziland, we drive across to our third country - Mozambique. This former Portuguese enclave has had a turbulent recent history, but politically it is now stable and visitors are rediscovering the attractions that had made it such a popular traveller's hangout in the 1960s. A city tour of Maputo gives us a taste of the country's capital that was formerly known as LourenCo Marques (Lourenzo Marques). Set up high overlooking the Bay of Maputo, it has a beautiful, historic railway station that was designed by a associate of Gustav Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame) and the bizarre Iron House, a structure made mostly of steel. If you are interested in checking out the local cuisine, you may want to try some of the delicious prawns or peri - peri chicken in a local restaurant (optional).
Day 8 Praia de Macaneta - Maputo. (Driving time: approx 2 hours) Mozambique is famous for its beaches, so why not check them out? We take a day excursion to Praia de Macaneta (Macaneta Beach), located about 30 kiLometres from Maputo after the small town of Marracuene. We drive up there on 4 - wheel drives and cross the Incomati River by local ferry. Here we can relax on the sandy beach and swim in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Take care when swimming as the currents can be quite strong. We also enjoy a sumptuous seafood lunch before returning to Maputo for the night.
Day 9 St Lucia Wetlands. (Driving time: approx 7 hours) We leave leave Maputo and continue our journey by going back to South Africa and continuing on to the coastal town of St Lucia, where we set up camp for the next two nights. Here we enjoy a cruise in the World Heritage-listed St Lucia Wetlands Reserve. This is an excellent place to view many species of aquatic wildlife including numerous birds as well as major colonies of crocodiles and hippopotamus. We are likely to see both on our boat trip (weather permitting) through the wetlands and mangrove swamps. There are also large numbers of waterbirds, particularly flamingos and pelicans.
Day 10 Hluhluwe - Imfolozi National Park - St Lucia Wetlands. (Driving time: approx 2 hours; game drive times variable) Today we take a full - day game drive in nearby Hluhluwe - Imfolozi National Park. Originally two properties it was recently combined into one, totalling over 96,000 hectares. As separate parks they were declared game reserves in 1897, making them some of the oldest, not only in South Africa but in the world. The park has an extensive conservation program in operation and there is a strong emphasis on working with the local community in the region. It is well known for its conservation efforts to protect the white rhino and there is a good chance of seeing both black and white rhino within the park, as well as lion, elephant and various species of antelopes. We return to St Lucia wetlands for the night.
Day 11 - 12 Zulu Village - Durban. (Driving time: approx 4 hours) We continue south to a traditional Zulu kraal, where we learn more about the cultures and customs of the Zulu people including the beehive huts, sangomas and spear - making traditions. There will be several great photographic opportunities and memorable interactions here. We then continue to our camp in Ballito, which is 50 kiLometres north of the city of Durban and only 15 kiLometres from the new King Shaka International. This is a coastal retreat and a lovely place to spend our final evening. Our tour ends after breakfast on Day 12 and you are free to leave any time.
Journey from Johannesburg to Durban and experience three of southern Africa's visually diverse countries 12 day tour departing Johannesburg. 10 nights accommodation camping. 1 night accommodation in a lodge. 11 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 9 dinners. Equipment included: camping equipment, sleeping mat - You must bring your own sleeping bag. An experienced safari guide and camp cook whilst on safari. All Park fees. Transport in custom-built safari vehicle during safari and on foot. Transport by custom-built safari vehicle
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