Sundays
from Johannesburg and Wednesdays or Thursdays from Cape
Town.
Depart from Johannesburg - Mpumalanga - Kruger National
Park - Swaziland - Zululand - St Lucia - Durban - Port Elizabeth
- Garden Route - Oudtshoorn - end in Cape Town.
Johannesburg – Dullstroom – Panoramic Route - Sabie
Our first day on tour takes us from Johannesburg via Middelburg,
Dullstroom and Lydenburg to Pilgrim´s Rest, the early gold
mining town turned into a living museum. Rich deposits of
alluvial gold were found here at the end of the 19th century,
hence the existence of the town deep in the mountains. We
continue to Sabie and overnight in the Lone Creek River
Lodge..
Panoramic Route – Private Game Reserve
We visit Lone Creek Falls and travel via Graskop to marvel
at scenic areas such as God’s Window, Bourke's Luck Potholes,
Blyde River Canyon, and some of the spectacular waterfalls
in the area. Finally we descend to the Lowveld via Abel
Erasmus pass and the Strijdom Tunnel to arrive at Mohlabetsi
in the Balule private game reserve. This afternoon our encounter
with Africa's wildlife begins as we travel on an open vehicle
to search for the game. Enjoy a great dinner under the stars
tonight (weather permitting). Overnight at Mohlabetsi.
Private Game Reserve – Kruger National Park
After an early morning hike, searching for the wild on foot,
and breakfast we enter the Kruger National Park and spend
the rest of day in this magnificent reserve around 2 million
ha in extent. We overnight in the reserve in one of the
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. We visit the Ngwenya Glass Factory, and travel
via Mbabane, the capital city of Swaziland, to Foresters
Arms, our hotel in the mountains at Mhlambanyatsi..
Swaziland – Zululand – Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
We visit the well-known Swazi Candles factory and the big
arts and crafts market in the Ezulwini Valley and drive
past the National Stadium and the parliament buildings
on our way to Manzini, the country's industrial centre.
We drive further past Big Bend with the country's largest
sugar plantations to the South African border. We continue
to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park game reserve and arrive late afternoon
at our overnight stop - Hilltop Camp. Here we join
a late afternoon/early night game drive on open safari vehicles
equipped with high powered spotlights to search for the
shy nocturnal animals.
Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park – Lake St Lucia - Durban
After an early breakfast we do our final game drive before
travelling to the village of St Lucia. Here we join a boat
cruise on the famous Lake St Lucia, a paradise with bird
species such as fish eagle, Goliath heron and many more.
Your guide will show you the world of the hippo and the
crocodile and the other mystic inhabitants of the "deep".
After this unforgettable experience we travel to Durban,
South Africa’s holiday mecca.
Durban
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.
Durban - Port Elizabeth - Garden Route - Plettenberg Bay/Knysna
An early transfer to the local airport for a flight to Port
Elizabeth where this leg of our tour begins.
Depart Port Elizabeth at 09h00. Our first stop is Storms
River with the impressive Paul Sauer Bridge across the valley
towering some 139 metres above the river. We visit
the Tsitsikamma National Park (Khoisan for 'The place of
much water') stretching over 100 kilometres of wild
and rocky coastline characterised by massive cliffs, narrow
isolated beaches and shady indigenous forests along the
river valleys. Then we traverse through magnificently scenic
river valley passes to Plettenberg Bay for a short visit.
Continue to Knysna. We join a sundowner cruise on the lagoon.
Overnight at Fish Eagle Lodge or similar.
Knysna - George - Oudtshoorn
Spend the morning in Knysna visiting the “Heads” etc. Knysna
also offers shopping opportunities of unusual locally made
art and craft, etc. This afternoon we board the Outeniqua
Choo Tjoe Train, an antique steam train, to George, a unique
way to experience some of the most magical views on the
Garden Route and Wilderness National Park.
We travel over the Outeniqua Mountains to the Little Karoo
and stay at luxury guest lodge on a working ostrich farm.
Overnight La Plume Guest Lodge.
