$1,451 pp (USD)
This tour is offered in ZAR.
Show rate in ZAR
Arrival
Arrival
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)
- Accommodation:
- Tamanini Timbavati Lodge
Wildlife in Timbavati NR
- Meals & Drinks:
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
- Meals & Drinks:
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)
- Accommodation:
- nDzuti Bush Camp
Wildlife in Balule NR
- Meals & Drinks:
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
- Meals & Drinks:
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:
