Kruger, Mountains & Cape

After your flight, you transfer (approximately 30 minutes) to your first night’s accommodation and check in. Johannesburg lies at the centre of the Witwatersrand, literally meaning ‘ridge of white waters’. It was on this ridge that the world’s richest gold reef was discovered little more than 100 years ago. Jo’burg or E’Goli ‘the City of Gold’ is the heart of the new emergent nation of South Africa. In the afternoon, you could take a guided tour of the famous township of Soweto. (own expense) Hotel - 1 night

Please make sure that if you explore Johannesburg on your own that you take advice of where it is safe to walk, especially in the evening. There have been isolated attempts of robbery in recent times and although unpredictable the risk of these can be minimised by taking local advice.

This morning, after breakfast, your route continues through forestry plantations down the escarpment into the warm lowveld to Kruger National Park (driving time to Kruger approx. 2 hours), one of the great natural sanctuaries of the world, a beautiful area of savannah bushveld broken by rocky outcrops and riverine forest. Cameras and binoculars at the ready, you make your way to your base for the next two days, a camp located within the National Park.

You stay in the wildlife-rich Southern part of the park, and during your stay you’ll hopefully see much of the ‘big game’ of the park: elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard, and many more of the 147 species of mammal the park boasts. Bird lovers will delight in over 500 species, including the beautiful lilac-breasted roller and African fish eagle, whose evocative cry is probably the best known of any African bird. After settling into your accommodation and enjoying lunch, there’s time to relax, take in your surroundings and enjoy the peace of the African bush.

Mid-afternoon you take a game drive, perhaps to a water hole, and observe the animals coming down to drink after the heat of the day. You return to your base before dusk and that night enjoy your first ‘braai’ (barbecue) in the bush. Sitting around the fire you may hear the low roar of lion and the unearthly chatter of hyena.

The following day you rise just before dawn to take an early morning game drive, when the animals are most active. You stop en route at a picnic spot to cook an eagerly awaited breakfast, under the watchful eye of the ubiquitous Cape glossy starling. Back at your base there’s time to laze in the midday heat and, as the day cools, you take another short game drive before dinner, when you’ll have a chance to relive the excitement of the wildlife spotted today. For those not wishing to miss out on the excitement of catching glimpses of the numerous nocturnal species that exist in the park, there is the option of a night game drive before or after dinner. National park tented lodge with shared bathrooms - 2 nights (Bx2, Lx2, Dx2)

This morning you can stop to explore Mbabane’s craft stalls where traditional Swazi grass mats, baskets, prints, cloths, wooden masks and ornaments tempt you to buy! Leaving the Kingdom behind, you cross back over the border to Zululand (total journey time about 8½ hours including game drives, a border stop, shopping stop and lunch). The last 20km or so of today’s drive is on dirt road but you soon reach Mkuzi Game Reserve, one of the last safe havens for the endangered black rhino, set between the Lebombo mountains and riverine forest. On your game drive you’ll visit a hide and view game at one of the waterholes. Whilst in the area you will visit an authentic Zulu village outside the park. This is not a posed set-up but is a community development project which is run by and with local community leaders’ authority; funds generated are paid directly to the community. Your walk through the foothills surrounding the park will highlight the lifestyle of the Zulu people and you will learn about their traditions and culture. Chalets (1 bathroom shared between 2/3 rooms) - 2 nights (Bx2, Lx2, Dx2)

Today you spend the whole day walking in the Natal Drakensberg Park – allowing ample time for some excellent walks. The many foot and bridle paths lead to magnificent viewpoints; there are proteas and other wild flowers, crystal clear mountain streams in which to swim and a wealth of birds including the bearded vulture, cape vulture and black eagle. There are also opportunities to see some of the 600 San Bushman rock art sites dotted throughout the park – a lasting legacy from the area’s original inhabitants. This will require a strenuous walk. All walking routes are optional, so you can also choose to just relax and enjoy the scenery.  (BLD)

During the course of another beautiful full day drive (approx. 8 hours) parallel to the coast, you come to Addo Elephant National Park. At the beginning of the century the huge elephant herds that roamed the region were regarded as a menace and most were destroyed. The park was established in 1931 when all that remained of these great herds were eleven survivors. Now this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 200 elephants in an area supporting proportionally three times the number found anywhere else in Africa. You have time for a late afternoon game drive and, after supper, view game at a floodlit water hole. Chalet (1 bathroom shared between 2 rooms) - 1 night (BLD)

This morning you continue along to the coast to reach Hermanus (approx. 5 hours). Magnificent mountains watch over the town, which is recognised as the home of the southern right whale. Nature lovers from all over the world visit Hermanus to view these magnificent creatures from the best land-based whale-watching destination in the world. From the months of May through to December, numerous whales with their calves may be seen frolicking amazingly close inshore (the best months are September and October). You spend time here enjoying this natural spectacle from the cliff tops.

Even outside the season for whales, Hermanus offers a beautiful stretch of coast, and this afternoon you can enjoy the lovely scenery during a walk along the coastline. Guesthouse - 1 night (BL)

Today you head south of the city, taking a route past the vineyard of Groot Constantia - the oldest and grandest Cape-Dutch style homestead in the Cape - the beaches of False Bay and the peninsula of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. After stopping to see a colony of penguins, you enjoy a walk to the lighthouse at Cape Point, pausing to admire the flora along the way; in particular the many varieties of protea - South Africa’s national flower. The ‘fynbos’ vegetation of the Western Cape is one of the richest floral habitats in the world. The point itself is dramatic, with its sea cliffs pounded by the ocean. Returning along the coast, the 10km Chapman’s Peak Drive is one of the most stunning marine routes in the world, cut into the side of sheer mountain walls that drop to the ocean below. You pass through Hout Bay, an important fishing port, known for crayfish and smoked fish, and then continue to a succession of beautiful white sand coves and beaches. From Hout Bay there may be the opportunity to take a boat trip to nearby seal colonies. You may yet have time to swim at one of the bays before returning to your hotel. The evening is left free. (B)