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Mondays and Thursdays from Johannesburg and Tuesdays
from Cape Town
This package touches
on all the main attractions of South Africa: Panoramic Route,
Kurger National Park, Swaziland, Zululand, Drakensberg Mountains
and the Garden Route.
Johannesburg - Panoramic
Route
Our first day on tour takes us from Johannesburg via Middelburg,
Dullstroom and Ohrigstad to the magnificent Three Rondavels
view site at the Blyde River Canyon. We travel further to
marvel at scenic areas such as Bourke’s Luck Potholes (a walk
down the hill to see this unique trick of nature is worth
the experience), Lisbon Falls, God’s Window and the Pinnacle
before a short visit to Pilgrim’s Rest, an early gold mining
town declared a National Monument. Rich deposits of alluvial
gold were found here at the end of the last century, hence
the existence of the town deep in the mountains. We overnight
in Sabie.
Panoramic Route - Kruger National Park
After an early breakfast, we do a pleasant walk through indigenous
forest to see the Lone Creek Falls. Then we follow a scenic
route to Hazyview and enter the Kruger National Park. We spend
the rest of day in this magnificent reserve around 2 million
ha in extent. We overnight in the reserve in chalets in one
of the rest camps.
Kruger National Park - Swaziland
We rise early for a game drive and return for breakfast in
the camp. We spend the rest of the morning in the reserve
and depart in the afternoon for the mountain Kingdom of Swaziland
for a visit to the Ngwenya glass factory where all the items
are hand made from recycled glass. We drive through the capital,
Mababane, and continue to Mhlambanyatsi where we overnight
in the mountains at Foresters Arms.
Swaziland - South Africa - Zululand - Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Park
Today starts with a visit to Swazi Candles in the Malkerns
Valley to watch the locals hand-moulding a large variety of
interesting candles. Then we traverse through the Ezulwini
Valley and past the National Stadium and Buildings of Parliament
to visit the well-known local craft market. We continue via
Manzini, the country's industrial centre, and Big Bend with
its large sugar plantations, to the South African border.
We travel past Mkuze to Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Park and arrive
mid afternoon for our overnight stop at Hilltop Camp. Before
dinner we do a late afternoon/early night game drive on an
open safari vehicle equipped with high-powered spotlights
to search for the shy nocturnal animals in the oldest game
reserve in Africa.
Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Park - St Lucia - Durban
After an early breakfast we do our final game drive before
travelling to the village of St Lucia.
Here we cruise by boat on the famous St. Lucia Estuary, a
paradise boasting bird species such as fish eagle, Goliath
heron and many more. Your skipper/guide will show you the
world of the hippo and the crocodile, and the other mystic
inhabitants of the "deep". After an unforgettable experience
we travel to Durban where we overnight.
Durban - Southern Drakensberg
Mountains
Drive inland to Pietermaritzburg, the capital of KwaZulu-Natal,
for a brief city tour. Stop at the railway station where Mahatma
Gandhi was thrown off the train because of the colour of his
skin, and see the waiting room where, in the silence of the
night, he formulated his philosophy of passive resistance.
Visit the Church of the Vow that was built as a result of
the Battle of Blood River between the Voortrekkers and the
Zulus in 1838. Continue to Howick where we visit the 100m
high Falls, and stop at the monument erected on the spot where
Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1961 . Continue through an
area of gentle pastoral beauty called the Natal Midlands.
We pass through grassy plains scattered with villages and
lush farmlands where plump cattle and thoroughbred horses
graze. Then further through Underberg, a picturesque little
village situated in the foothills of the majestic Drakensberg
Mountains. Our hotel is in the lap of the mountain with peaks
towering up to 3400m above sea level. The afternoon is at
your leisure to participate in some of the organised hikes
into the mountain or explore the area on your own. Dinner
and overnight are at our hotel.
Drakensberg Mountains - Sani Pass - Durban
After breakfast we set off to Sani Pass, named after the primitive
people who lived in the area millennia ago, on a four-wheel
drive with hair raising bends and breathtaking views to the
top of the mountain. Lunch is served at the top in the Mountain
Kingdom of Lesotho some 3000m above sea level. We return early
afternoon, change vehicles and drive back to Durban.
Durban - Port
Elizabeth
Durban is an intriguing cultural blend of East, West and Africa,
which with its endless summer climate, effervescent and lukewarm
ocean lined with golden beaches, offers a subtropical carnival
atmosphere all year round. Our tour of this bustling metropolis
boasting the busiest port in Africa and often called the cultural
'melting pot' of South Africa, includes a drive past the so-called
Apartheid Beaches, the Golden Mile, the impressive developments
at the new Point Waterfront area, and the city centre. We
stop at the Indian Market where you can bargain for souvenirs
and spices. Our last visit is to the Botanical Gardens. You
have the option of being dropped off at the end of the tour
at the Ushaka Marine world with its world-class aquarium,
and many shops and restaurants. Return to your hotel
with our bus or spend the rest of the afternoon here and take
a taxi back to the hotel..
Port Elizabeth - Garden Route
- Knysna.
We depart from Port Elizabeth, also called the 'Friendly City'
along the N2 national route to the Storms River with the impressive
Paul Sauer Bridge across the valley, towering 139 m above
the river. Our next stop is at Tsitsikamma National Park (Khoisan
for “The place of much water”) stretching over 100 km of wild
and rocky coastline, characterised by massive cliffs, narrow
isolated beaches and shady indigenous forests along the river
valleys. Now, truly in the famous Garden Route of the Cape,
we traverse more magnificently scenic river valley passes
to Knysna on the edge of the Knysna Lagoon with its entrance
to the sea, guarded by two promontories known as the 'Heads'.
The area also falls within a National Park proclaimed to conserve
the extraordinary natural beauty of the Lakeland and adjacent
indigenous forests. Knysna also offers shopping opportunities
of unusual locally made art and craft, etc. Overnight at Fish
Eagle Lodge or similar.
Garden Route - George - Oudtshoorn
We explore the lake areas, the Wilderness National Park and
travel via the scenic Outeniqua Pass to Oudsthoorn, also known
as the 'Feather Capital' of the world, as by far the largest
concentration of ostrich farms in the world are found here.
We visit the Cango Caves, regarded as one of South Africa's
foremost natural wonders. The fascinating calcite caves comprises
an underground wonderland of stalactites and stalagmites.
Overnight at La Plume Guest Lodge or similar.
Oudtshoorn
- Mossel Bay - Cape Town.
After an early start we visit an ostrich show farm for some
unique experiences, including ostrich racing. Our route to
Mossel Bay takes us over the Outeniqua Mountains via the Robinson's
Pass. Here we visit arguably the oldest Post Office in Africa,
the Post Office Tree, and the site of the first landfall made
by the Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias in 1488. After
an early lunch we travel to Swellendam, Grabouw and over the
Sir Lowry's Pass to Cape Town where we arrive late afternoon.
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