$3,145 pp (USD)
This tour is offered in ZAR.
Show rate in ZAR
Arrival
Arrival
Day 1
Hotel pickup, travel to Kruger National Park, first guided game drive
Hotel pickup, travel to Kruger National Park, first guided game drive
Guests will be picked up early from their Johannesburg hotel (around 05h00) to avoid traffic. Travel is in a comfortable closed 4x4 or equivalent. We stop for a hearty breakfast on the way. We proceed to the southern end of the Kruger National Park (KNP), a journey of approximately 6 to 7 hours, depending on conditions. We stop for lunch on the way.
We enter KNP and have a leisurely afternoon game drive on the way to Lower Sabie Camp, looking at animals. At Lower Sabie, probably the prettiest KNP camp, we look at the hippos and crocodiles in the river and the birds fishing from the rocks. Then, you can unpack and settle in. We join up for a barbecue (braai) under giant trees or dinner in the camp restaurant. It's early to bed because it is early to rise the next morning!
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Lower Sabie Rest Camp
Wildlife in Kruger NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Recovery, Acclimatisation, Relaxation and Game Drives
Recovery, Acclimatisation, Relaxation and Game Drives
Safari tours have an entirely different kind of itinerary. Rise before dawn to catch predators on the prowl, have coffee and rusks on the drive, and then return to camp for a late breakfast at about 09h00 to 10h00. You are then free to do as you please until it is time for the afternoon game drive (around 15h00). There's a pool, shady trees, and a river. If you wish to spend the entire day doing a game drive, this is possible, but it is best to pace yourself.
Reassembling for the game drive, the cooler box is packed with cold drinks, beer/wine and snacks. We head out to look for more animals, never knowing what we will "bump into". At sundowner time, the snacks and drinks are enjoyed at a picturesque view (preferably a feeding herd of elephants), and we return to camp before dusk. KNP has strict rules, which will not apply at the private lodge! Enjoy a shower or some private rest time, and thereafter, it is a braai or restaurant dinner and a brief star tour before bed.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Lower Sabie Rest Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Long Game Drive to Another Camp of Your Choice and Short Game Drive
Long Game Drive to Another Camp of Your Choice and Short Game Drive
We leave at the crack of dawn again with our baggage, coffee and rusks loaded. This is a fairly long drive north, but there is plenty to see on the way, including baboons, elephants, zebras, giraffes and many antelopes. If we are lucky, we will see a hyena, lion, and elephant, and if we are very lucky, cheetah, leopard or wild dog. You have to keep your eyes peeled!
Your choice of private game lodge will determine our route. We should reach Satara Camp in the late morning, giving you time for a short rest before lunch. You may wish to do optional night game drive or an afternoon walk (both with a KNP rangers, and should be booked in advance). Otherwise, we do a loop along the famous S100, a dirt road winding along a river, famed for great sightings, to the N'wanetsi picnic site, and then back along the tar road to Satara for supper (braai or restaurant). After dinner, we head to our accommodation.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Satara Rest Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Long Game Drive and Travel to Private Lodge
Long Game Drive and Travel to Private Lodge
We leave the camp at dawn and travel to an exit of the park, where we have an en-route breakfast on the way to the private game lodge, listed here as Tanda Tula, but can be an equivalent-type private lodge, depending on available accommodations. We arrive at about lunchtime and are given time to rest, swim, or relax. You can have lunch there.
At about 15h00 to 16h00, we assemble for a snack and drink before going on the game drive. The game drive is in an open 4x4 safari vehicle. The driver is a knowledgeable ranger with a rifle and a tracker usually sits on a special seat on the front of the vehicle. He reads the tracks and signs of the animals. This is when you really feel your safari is coming into its own. This game drive will continue beyond dusk into the early evening, allowing you to see predators on the prowl, as well as various other creatures that inhabit the night. You then return for a wonderful gourmet meal around a fire, nightcaps and bed.
- Main Destination:
- Timbavati Private Nature Reserve (Greater Kruger)
- Accommodation:
- Tanda Tula Safari Camp
Wildlife in Timbavati NR
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Game Drives and Relaxation at the Private Lodge
Game Drives and Relaxation at the Private Lodge
We have a game drive early in the morning and breakfast in the bush. You can have a lovely sleep mid-morning, relax or do bird watching until the game drive in the afternoon, which extends into the night. By this time, you should have seen everything you came to see, except perhaps wild dogs. This is the same lovely routine as the previous day! Enjoy a brilliant meal around the fire, and then off to bed.
- Main Destination:
- Timbavati Private Nature Reserve (Greater Kruger)
- Accommodation:
- Tanda Tula Safari Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Game Drive and Return to Johannesburg
Game Drive and Return to Johannesburg
Sadly, this is the last day of your safari. You bid a fond farewell to the ranger and tracker (not forgetting to give them a good tip for the wonderful sights they have turned up for you). Then, they will take your luggage to the vehicle, and we will leave the lodge mid-morning for the journey back to Johannesburg. We should arrive before dusk, allowing you to wash the dust of the bushveld off and get ready for supper at your hotel. We will be sorry to see you go, but we hope to see you again on the next safari, to new destinations, or back to the ones you have come to love.
There are many bugs that bite in Africa, but the worst bite is the Safari Bug! ;-).
- Main Destination:
- Johannesburg (City)
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
