Wildlife Encounters

5.0/5 – 23 Reviews

$1,460 pp (USD)
This tour is offered in ZAR. Show rate in ZAR

2 travelers   on   Start date
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Start Date
Age at the end of the tour
*This tour does not accept children under 6.
Travelers

Arrival (See Getting There for more details)

Arrival (See Getting There for more details)

  • You'll be collected from the airport.
  • Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Day 1

Early transfer to the Kruger (5 to 6 hours) to your lodge in Timbavati for lunch and a game drive

Early transfer to the Kruger (5 to 6 hours) to your lodge in Timbavati for lunch and a game drive

The shared road transfer is by minibus and leaves from O.R. Tambo International Airport in the early morning. With some timeous stops, the drive takes 5 to 6 hours. You will arrive at the Enkulu Gate to the Timbavati Private Game Reserve and stop at the quaint bush pub. Your host will collect you there and drive the short distance to the lodge, where lunch has been prepared. Accommodation is in spacious free-standing thatched chalets with en-suite bathrooms and a private patio.

A 3-hour afternoon game drive pauses at sunset for a sundowner stop with drinks and snacks. This section of the Timbavati Private Game Reserve is famously productive for great wildlife sightings and is home to the pleasing landscape of the seasonal Nlaralumi River valley. The game drive continues after dark with a hand-held spotlight as you search for some of the many nocturnal species that become active after sunset. After the drive and a hot shower, we meet in the boma at the fire for dinner.

Main Destination:
Timbavati Private Nature Reserve (Greater Kruger)
Best Time To Visit May to September (Dry season)
High Season October to March (It rarely gets crowded)
Best Weather Apr-May and Sep-Oct (Sunny and little rain)

Wildlife in Timbavati NR

ElephantCommon
GiraffeCommon
LionCommon
LeopardCommon
CheetahCommon
ZebraCommon
Show more
BuffaloCommon
HippoCommon
HyenaCommon
White RhinoOccasional
Black RhinoVery Rare
Accommodation:
Tamanini Timbavati Lodge
  • Mid-range lodge located inside Timbavati NR (Greater Kruger)
Meals & Drinks:
  • Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included)
  • Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 2

Timbavati hospitality with morning and afternoon game drives of 3 hours each

Timbavati hospitality with morning and afternoon game drives of 3 hours each

Enjoy a full day in Timbavati, warm hospitality and exciting 3-hour morning and afternoon game drives. Both drives have a refreshment stop. Morning drives tend to be more leisurely. It is almost therapeutic bumbling along in the bush on a narrow 2-track road checking for fresh animal spoor, enjoying the sunshine on your skin and the fresh wind in your hair. With this small and personalised safari lodge, your guides will share their thoughts and skills and make you feel included in tracking and locating the animals.

Back at the lodge, the thatched chalets are spacious and comfortable - cool in summer and cosy in winter. Each chalet has a private patio. The pool area has a thatched section and a bar with sun lounges and table seating. The well-established gardens offer rewarding birding. Animals can often be seen along the edges of the grounds where a single-strand fence has been erected to keep the elephants out.

Main Destination:
Timbavati Private Nature Reserve (Greater Kruger)
Accommodation:
Tamanini Timbavati Lodge
  • Mid-range lodge located inside Timbavati NR (Greater Kruger)
Meals & Drinks:
  • All meals included
  • Drinks not included

Day 3

A full day in the national park via Orpen Gate at sunrise to exit further north at sunset

A full day in the national park via Orpen Gate at sunrise to exit further north at sunset

We leave the lodge at dawn and travel for 30 minutes to the Orpen Gate of the national park. We spend the full day in the vast reserve, making our way north to exit at Phalaborwa, close to Balule Game Reserve and nDzuti Tented Camp.

We take a packed picnic breakfast and flasks of tea and coffee. Once in the reserve, we will head east across the open plains around Setara Camp, famous for herds of zebra and wildebeest and the lions that hunt them. Later, we turn north along the Timbavati River with its pools of water and basking crocs. Elephant herds frequent the seasonal river, and the open plains are home to rare cheetahs. We stop for lunch at one of the rest camps and order from the a la carte menu.

The landscape changes with the valley of the Olifants River and the rugged terrain surrounding the river route to the lowlands of Mozambique in the east. The wide, sandy Letaba River has huge herds of buffalo along the wooded banks as we head west to Balule and our tented safari camp.

Main Destination:
Balule Private Nature Reserve (Greater Kruger)
Best Time To Visit May to September (Dry season)
High Season October to March (Not overly crowded)
Best Weather Apr-May and Sep-Oct (Mild and little rain)

Wildlife in Balule NR

ElephantCommon
GiraffeCommon
BuffaloCommon
ZebraCommon
HippoCommon
Show more
HyenaCommon
White RhinoOccasional
Black RhinoOccasional
LionOccasional
Accommodation:
nDzuti Bush Camp
  • Mid-range tented camp located inside Balule NR (Greater Kruger)
Meals & Drinks:
  • All meals included
  • Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 4

The magnificent scenery of Balule with great animal sights on game drives morning and afternoon

The magnificent scenery of Balule with great animal sights on game drives morning and afternoon

Sleep soundly in your secure safari tent to wake up at dawn and share coffee at the fire. You will then head out into Balule Game Reserve, Greater Kruger, for a 3-hour morning game drive with a refreshment stop along the way. The Maseke section of Balule is home to all of the Big 5, plus a host of other animals. Elephants and lions are prevalent, and leopards seek out the beautiful rocky outcrops.

Relax in camp watching the waterhole during the day and enjoy another 3-hour drive in the late afternoon/evening. Lunch is served on the deck, and dinner is served at the fire in the boma. The camp has a plunge pool and an upstairs lounge. Each tent has a private deck with a view over the waterhole. The garden has remarkable trees and no fence, allowing animals to wander through from time to time.

Main Destination:
Balule Private Nature Reserve (Greater Kruger)
Accommodation:
nDzuti Bush Camp
  • Mid-range tented camp located inside Balule NR (Greater Kruger)
Meals & Drinks:
  • All meals included
  • Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Day 5

Morning drive and breakfast before the shared transfer to the city

Morning drive and breakfast before the shared transfer to the city

Enjoy a last morning game drive, a familiar sensation by now, and enjoy spotting the wildlife with your well-attuned "bush eyes". Enjoy breakfast with your travel companions on the grounds under the canopy of trees and enjoy a hot shower under the open skies before the short drive to the gate to meet the shuttle to the city.

Main Destination:
No major destination visited
Accommodation:
No accommodation (End of tour)
Meals & Drinks:
  • Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
  • Drinks not included

End of tour (See Getting There for more details)

End of tour (See Getting There for more details)

  • Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
  • You'll be dropped off at the airport.

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  • If preferred, you can contact the tour operator directly
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Disclaimer

  • This tour is offered by Wildlife Encounters, not SafariBookings.
  • This operator reserves the right to change rates advertised on SafariBookings.
  • This group tour requires a minimum of 2 people to run.
  • The exact order, contents and rates of this tour are subject to availability.
  • If an accommodation is fully booked, the operator will suggest a comparable alternative.
  • This tour is subject to the terms & conditions of Wildlife Encounters.