$5,207 pp (USD)
This tour is offered in ZAR.
Show rate in ZAR
Arrival
Arrival
Day 1
Jo'burg to Berg-en-Dal (Kruger National Park)
Jo'burg to Berg-en-Dal (Kruger National Park)
Early pick-up of guests at hotel in Johannesburg (05h00) to miss the traffic and take the N4 east to Malelane Gate (Kruger National Park) via Mbombela. Breakfast at a restaurant on the way. Lunch at Malelane, then enter the Park at Malelane Gate and do a slow drive to Berg-en-Dal (Hill-and-Dale) Rest Camp, stopping to view animals and birds and/or trees on the way. (Alternatives are available).
This is a small camp, but it has a swimming pool, restaurant and shop. Guests can choose whether to let David barbecue dinner or eat in the restaurant, followed by a short stargazing experience. Total Driving: approx 6-7 hours excluding stops for breakfast and lunch. David is a professionally qualified cultural tour guide, but has spent hundreds of hours in the bushveld, and is also a professional photographer and cinematographer of some 40-50 years standing.
David will provide photo tuition during game drives and during "down time" with regard to editing and post production of your photos.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
-
Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp
Wildlife in Kruger NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Berg-en-Dal to Lower Sabie Rest Camp via Afsaal Traders' Rest
Berg-en-Dal to Lower Sabie Rest Camp via Afsaal Traders' Rest
We leave Berg-en-Dal at crack of dawn when the rest camp gate opens, and enjoy a game drive with coffee and rusks to Afsaal Traders' Rest, where we cook up a quick breakfast under the trees.
From there we wind our way leisurely down one of the dirt roads to join up with the H4 main road to Lower Sabie, which is one of the prettiest rest camps, nestling on the banks of the Sabie River, home to bloats of hippos and many crocodiles. The accommodation sprawls under huge sycamore fig, mahogany and fever trees, with expanses of grass providing a soothing effect as one gazes across the river where elephants are often seen.
After lunch, there is time for a short rest before reassembling at about 16h00 for a two-hour game drive with a cooler box of refreshments and snacks (such as the famous "biltong" (dried jerky meat), returning to camp just before sunset. Thereafter, guests can choose to eat in the restaurant or braai again. After a nightcap, early to bed. Total driving: approx 5-6 hours.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Lower Sabie Rest Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Lower Sabie to Satara Camp via Skukuza
Lower Sabie to Satara Camp via Skukuza
We leave Lower Sabie when the gates open, with coffee and rusks on hand, and head north-west to Skukuza, the "capital" of Kruger NP. This is a lovely two-hour game drive along the Sabie and/or Sand rivers, and culminates with a hearty breakfast at Skukuza.
Then we drive northeast to Satara Rest Camp, in "lion country", approximately a third of the way up Kruger NP. As the vegetation changes, so do the animals that we see. Cheetahs can also be seen in this area.
This is about a four-hour drive, and we can have lunch at Satara, check in and have another rest before the game drive at 16h00, which returns to camp just before the gate closes. The same choice again for dinner and stories, then off to bed.
There is also an option here for a night drive with a Kruger ranger and other Satara guests. Not really a photo opp, but often a great experience. Total driving: approx 6-7 hours.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Satara Rest Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Satara to Mopani via Olifants & Letaba camps
Satara to Mopani via Olifants & Letaba camps
We leave Satara as the gates open, with coffee and rusks packed, and head north towards Mopani Rest Camp. We breakfast at Olifants Rest Camp, with a magnificent view over the Olifants River. From there we head to Letaba Rest Camp, where we visit the Elephant Museum before having lunch. Elephant and buffalo are very present in this ecosystem and we should see plenty of them.
After lunch, another game drive to Mopani, where we check in, and then head down to the Shipandane Hide, which overlooks a small dam containing crocodiles, a bloat of about 20 hippo and the ever-present herons and storks.
Elephants and buffalo often come here to drink, sometimes leading to spectacular stand-offs with the grumpy hippos. From there we check out the Confluence Look-Out, as well as Mooiplaas, a picnic site known for hyenas, and birdlife.
Then back to Mopani for sundowners, overlooking the massive Pioneer Dam, and that night, we braai at your bungalow and get to bed early after a photo session.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
-
Mopani Rest Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Mopani to Private Game Lodge
Mopani to Private Game Lodge
This crack of dawn routine can be tough! We head out on an early morning game drive towards Ba-Phalaborwa Gate. If we're lucky, we may spot some hyena pups on the way. They are exceedingly cute! After exiting Kruger, we stop for a well-deserved breakfast/brunch in Ba-Phalaborwa and then head south towards Hoedspruit, a town that is central to the private lodges.
We then enter the Timbavati Private Game Reserve and head to our chosen lodge, where we check in after 14h00. The afternoon game drive begins around 15h00. Everyone regroups to prepare for the afternoon/evening game drive. Boarding the open game drive vehicles with your ranger and tracker, you head out on another safari adventure, not knowing what you will see!
After dusk, you head back to camp for a sumptuous meal, and then to blissful sleep between Egyptian cotton sheets!
- Main Destination:
- Timbavati Private Nature Reserve (Greater Kruger)
- Accommodation:
- Motswari Game Lodge
Wildlife in Timbavati NR
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Private Game Lodge
Private Game Lodge
There will be two game drives today, in the early morning, followed by breakfast, and then again in the late afternoon, followed by a delicious outdoor dinner under the stars. During the middle of the day, it is a good time to catch up on sleep, rest by the pool, or watch birds, or just read a book.
There is a pool, shady trees, game spotting at the local waterhole or riverbed, or falling asleep in soft sheets listening to the sounds of the birds and the bushveld. Alternatively, you may be able to do a bush walk, or attend an educational bush talk.
David will do tuition during the "down time" or as required by his guests.
After the excitement of the afternoon/evening game drive, and a sumptuous supper, some chat around the fire or some further photo tuition, it's off to blissful sleep between those Egyptian Cotton sheets!
- Main Destination:
- Timbavati Private Nature Reserve (Greater Kruger)
- Accommodation:
- Timbavati Private Game Reserve
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 7
Private Game Lodge, return to Johannesburg
Private Game Lodge, return to Johannesburg
After a wonderful early game drive, and a luxurious breakfast in the bush, it's back to camp to pack and check out, have a last swim to cool down, and begin the journey back to Johannesburg. If you prefer, at extra cost, you can fly back from Hoedspruit Airport on a small aircraft to avoid the six-hour journey back. The airport is a half-hour drive from the lodge.
The journey back to Johannesburg follows a different route, heading northwest to the lush countryside around Tzaneen, mountain passes over the mountainous logging areas to Polokwane for lunch, and then a super highway back to Tshwane (Pretoria) and then Johannesburg.
You get dropped off at your hotel and, sadly, that's the end of the tour. Only memories and photos will remain!
- Main Destination:
- Johannesburg (City)
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
