Great South Africa Exploration Tour

Welcome to Johannesburg, also known as Egoli, or The City of Gold, referring to the gold mining history of this fast-paced city. Book a day or two pre-tour to give you enough time to explore to the fullest. A visit to Gold Reef City, the amusement park and museum built on an old mine shaft will give you the opportunity for a ride on the Shaft of Terror, a vertical-drop roller coaster that is known as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Africa due to its sheer 47-metre drop. For the historically inclined there is the ever-popular Soweto tour or just jump on a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus to discover Johannesburg at your own pace. Tonight, there is an opportunity to have dinner in one of the many excellent restaurants the city offers.

• Meals:  N/A                       
• Transport:N/A
• Travel Time: N/A
• Accommodation: Bungalow/Lodge
• Activities Included: Welcome Meeting at 18:00
• Activities Optional: Explore City, Craft Market
• Entrance Fees Included:N/A

Today you travel to the famous Kruger National Park, now part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park which forms with parks in Mozambique and Zimbabwe a natural sanctuary for a huge variety of animals. Here they live a natural life where they must fend for food and territory the same way they did for thousands of years. Here they can start following ancient migratory routes again because fences are coming down between these parks. En route to your campsite, enjoy a game drive in your Mercedes Sprinter and get ready to spot hippo, giraffe, elephant, zebra, lion, and many other species in one of Africa's greatest wildlife areas. You'll have the option to book an open vehicle night game drive if available.

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Transport: Mercedes Sprinter
• Travel Time: 8 hrs. Drive
• Activities included: Afternoon Game Drive
• Activities Optional: Night Drive
• Accommodation: Bungalow/Lodge
• Entrance Fees Included: Kruger National Park

Enjoy another full day game drive in Kruger National Park with approximately 2000 plant, 53 fish, 34 amphibian, 118 reptile, 517 bird and 147 mammal species ready for you to discover. You will experience first-hand why Kruger National Park is known as the flagship of South African national parks. Enjoy a game drive en route to the campsite. Sit around a campfire with your sundowner and enjoy the African night sounds drifting into the camping area.

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Transport: Mercedes Sprinter
• Travel Time: Full Day Game Drive
• Accommodation: Bungalow/Lodge
• Activities Included: Game Drive in Premium Overland Safari Vehicle
• Activities Optional: Open Vehicle Game Drive, Night Drive
• Entrance Fees Included: Kruger National Park

Another day and another country, this time entering Swaziland, a tiny country, landlocked within South Africa.  After a final game drive in Kruger, we continue to Swaziland for two nights at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary.  En route we will stop at some of the local markets where you can buy colourful batik or beaded jewellery, amongst others. 

Arriving at Mlilwane you will soon feel comfortable and at home in your “beehive village” – traditional grass huts on the outside but all western comfort on the inside. Sometimes animals such as zebra, impala and warthog casually wander into the premises, giving you the opportunity for that unique picture!

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Bungalow/Lodge
• Activities Included: Game Drive AM with Premium Sprinter / Overland Safari Vehicle
• Activities Optional: Mountain Bike Rentals, Self-Guided Hikes, Horse Riding
• Entrance Fees Included: Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary

Known as Swaziland’s pioneer conservation area that covers 4,560 hectares, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary gives you the opportunity to experience some of Africa’s wildlife while on either the back of a horse, bicycle or on foot. Since there are no big predators, you will be safe to walk around and just enjoy the beautiful landscapes and pure, fresh air. Besides all the optional wildlife activities, you can also enjoy a hands-on cultural experience by visiting one of the local tribes. Learn more about the secrets of this small kingdom, such as the traditional but controversial annual reed dance where the king can choose a new wife.

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Bungalow/Lodge
• Activities Included: N/A
• Activities Optional: Mountain Bike Rentals, Self-Guided Hikes, Horse Riding
• Entrance Fees Included: Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary

Today we drive through Swaziland in a southern direction and enter South Africa again. We continue towards the Indian Ocean and the Greater St Lucia Wetlands, also known as the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. This UNESCO recognized area includes lakes, beaches, coral reefs, wetlands, woodlands, coastal forests and grasslands supporting a wide variety of animal, bird and marine life. Included in your tour is an afternoon sunset boat cruise on the St. Lucia Estuary, one of the largest in Africa. You can expect to see hippo, Nile crocodiles and hundreds of bird species.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Comfort Hotel
• Activities Included: Boat Cruise
• Activities Optional: Game Drives, Guided Hikes, Boat Tours, Snorkeling, Bird Watching, Fishing
• Entrance Fees Included: N/A
• Lodge / Bungalow: Elephant Lake or similar

Start your day early with an optional open vehicle game drive through Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve known for its Save the Rhino campaign and of course trying your luck at finding the big five. This game reserve used to be a prime royal hunting ground for the Zulu king, King Shaka but now it is a protected area teaming up with a huge variety of fauna and flora. Other optional activities available in St. Lucia are night drive safaris, snorkelling, birdwatching, fishing and much more.

• Meals:Breakfast                            
• Transport: N/A
• Travel Time: N/A
• Accommodation: Comfort Hotel
• Activities Included:  N/A
• Optional: Game Drives, Guided Hikes, Boat Tours, Snorkeling, Bird watching, Fishing
• Entrance Fees Included:N/A
• Lodge / Bungalow: Elephant Lake or similar

Travel further south along the coast to Umhlanga Rocks, a holiday resort village on the coast. Umhlanga offers the best of two worlds, on one hand, you have everything that a city offers and on the other hand, you have the relaxed atmosphere of a holiday town. Make your choice from a variety of grill and seafood restaurants for your last dinner on the tour.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Transport:Mercedes Sprinter  
• Travel Time: 6 hrs. Drive
• Accommodation:Comfort Hotel
• Activities Included:Golden Mile Walk
• Activities Optional:Explore City, Craft Market
• Entrance Fees Included:N/A
• Hotel: Garden Court Umhlanga or similar

Your tour will continue after breakfast. The journey takes you past Pietermaritzburg and Bergville before reaching the Drakensberg mountain range and the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in the early afternoon. Witnessing a sunset in this National Park will make you realize how fitting the name is. The magnificent sandstone cliffs take on all hues of gold and orange during sunrises and sunsets. Explore the numerous caves and shelters displaying San (Bushmen) rock paintings and spot wildlife such as mongoose, eland, zebra and over 100 bird species. . En-route we visit the capture site of Nelson Mandela and experience the largest artwork in the country using this methodology of laser-cut metal beams.

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Bungalow/Lodge
• Activities Included: N/A
• Activities Optional: Self-Guided Hikes
• Entrance Fees Included: Golden Gate Highlands National Park

An entire day to explore this beautiful, breath-taking park are on the cards today. You have the freedom to choose from wide selection of optional activities. From various hikes that includes a Basotho cultural experience and a ‘herbal trail’ that educates visitors on the medicinal uses of plants that are still being used by African Traditional Healers to horse riding, abseiling, white river rafting, fly fishing and much more, you will have a day filled with awesome scenery and experiences.

• Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
• Travel time: N/A
• Activities Included: N/A
• Activities Optional: Horse Riding, Abseiling, White River Rafting, Fly Fishing, Various Hikes
• Entrance Fees Included: Golden Gate Highlands National Park
• Hotel: Golden Gate Hotel or similar

Rise early for a beautiful drive through the Free State and Eastern Cape province. The Free State Province lies in the heart of South Africa, with the Kingdom of Lesotho nestling in the hollow of its bean-like shape. Lying between the Vaal River in the north and the Orange River in the south, the region is one of flat, rolling grassland and crops fields, rising to lovely sandstone mountains in the northeast. Tonight, we will overnight at the stunning Letsatsi Game Lodge which has been designed, constructed and furnished in harmony with its natural surroundings. The landscape has been disturbed as little as possible in order to preserve the natural springs and water features, the unique rock formations as well as the native fauna and flora.

• Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
• Travel time: 5 hrs
• Activities Included: N/A
• Activities Optional: Game Driving, Quad Biking, Hiking
• Entrance Fees Included: N/A
• Lodge/Bungalow: Letsatsi Game Lodge or similar

From Smithfieldyou head south, traveling through the open semi-desert Karoo landscapes with its distinctive flat-topped hills or “koppies” and picturesque wind pumps in the distance. Our destination is Addo Elephant National Park. Enjoy an afternoon game drive, in own vehicle or do an optional open vehicle game drive. Have your camera ready while looking for elephant, buffalo, lion, kudu, vultures, and many of the hundreds of other species of animals and birds.

• Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
• Travel time: 6 hrs
• Activities Included: Game Drive in Own Vehicle
• Activities Optional: Open Vehicle Game Drive, Night Drive
• Entrance Fees Included: Addo Elephant National Park
• Lodge/Bungalow: Addo Elephant National Park or similar

A day filled with game viewing opportunities! Head out for an early morning game drive and return to the lodge for lunch and a siesta or relax next to the swimming pool. In the afternoon, you will go out on another great wildlife experience on the search for Africa’s giants and if you are lucky, you might spot one of South Africa’s most endangered insects - the flightless dung beetle.

• Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
• Travel time: Full Day Game Drive
• Activities Included: Game Drive in Own Vehicle
• Activities Optional: Open Vehicle Game Drive, Night Drive
• Entrance Fees Included: Addo Elephant National Park
• Lodge/Bungalow: Addo Elephant National Park or similar

After an early morning game drive, you will head to Tsitsikamma National Park which is located on the scenic Garden Route, the stretch of coast from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to Storms River in the Eastern Cape. The national park covers large swaths of indigenous forest, commercial plantation and Fynbos (natural shrubland). The climate is mild all year around, which lends itself to outdoor activities. Choose from self-guided hikes, black water tubing, Bloukrans bungee, a treetop canopy tour, abseiling and much more.

• Meals: Breakfast                           
• Travel Time:  4 hrs. Drive
• Accommodation: Bungalow/Lodge
• Activities Included: N/A
• Activities Optional: Canopy Tours, Kayaking, Bungee Jump, Segway Tours

On this morning we visit the Tsitsikamma National Park. Take the short hike that crosses the famous hanging bridge over the dark and brooding Storms River. Other trails offer the opportunity to search for the Knysna turaco (Knysna Lourie) a beautiful blue and green bird if you want to tick some birds off your birding list. We return to Storm River Village to enjoy various optional activities or a hand-crafted beer.

• Meals Included: Breakfast
• Travel time: N/A
• Activities Included: Hiking Trail
• Activities Optional: Tree Top Canopy Tours, Bungee Jumping, Segway Tours
• Entrance Fees Included: N/A Lodge/Bungalow: Tsitsikamma Village Inn or similar

Today you take a short drive along the Garden Route, named for the ecologically diverse vegetation found in the many lagoons and lakes along the coast. You will cross over the Outeniqua Mountains into the Klein Karoo biome. From the lush’s forests into South Africa’s semi desert region. Oudtshoorn is known as the ostrich capital of the world, however, the biggest bird in the world is just one of the many attractions in the Klein Karoo.

• Meals Included: Breakfast
• Travel time: 5 hrs
• Activities Included: N/A 
• Activities Optional: Ostrich Farm Visit, Cango Caves
• Entrance Fees Included: N/A
• Hotel: Oudtshoorn Hotel or similar

We continue via the famous R62 to Stellenbosch, the second oldest European settlement in South Africa. Stellenbosch became known as ‘The City of Oaks’ or ‘Eikestad’ in Afrikaans and Dutch due to the large number of Oak trees planted by founder Simon van der Stel. Celebrate a great holiday with a wine tasting at one of the many wine farms that Stellenbosch is known for. Offering an excellent opportunity to buy wine directly from the farm where it was produced and which you might not always find in supermarkets. Explore the town’s many curio shops, museums, coffee shops and restaurants all within walking distance.

• Meals Included: Breakfast
• Travel time: 7 hrs
• Activities Included: Wine Tasting
• Activities Optional: Cango Caves, Explore Town & Craft Market
• Entrance Fees Included: N/A
• Hotel: Rivierbos or similar

Celebrate a great holiday with a wine tasting at one of the numerous wine farms that Stellenbosch is known for. This also offers an excellent opportunity to buy wine directly from the farm it was produced at and which you might not always find in supermarkets. Then continue to Cape Town, the most popular tourist destination in Africa. Settle in at your hotel, and spend the rest of the day exploring this cosmopolitan city. Highlights include Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront & Aquarium, The Castle of Good Hope, Cape of Good Hope, Clifton’s 4th beach, Cape Malay Bo-Kaap, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Mostert's Mill and the Groote Kerk. Overnight at the Breakwater Lodge close to the V&A Waterfront.

• Meals:Breakfast                            
• Transport: Mercedes Sprinter
• Travel Time: 3 hrs. Drive
• Accommodation:   Comfort Hotel
• Activities Included: Wine Tasting
• Activities Optional:  Table Mountain, Robben Island, V&A Waterfront
• Entrance Fees Included:   N/A

After breakfast, we depart for the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve at the tip of the Cape Peninsula.  Rugged rocks and sheer cliffs tower more than 200m above sea level.  Cape of Good Hope is part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest of the six recognized floral kingdoms in the world. Despite being the smallest, it is regarded as the richest, mostly made up with Fynbos, the hard-stemmed and fine-leaved plants indigenous to the southwestern corner of South Africa.  Little wonder the Cape Floral Region Protected Areas was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. The elegant Protea flower is probably the most famous of all fynbos species and the emblem of the national cricket team. After lunch, we visit a colony of the endangered African Penguin at Boulders Beach in Simonstown. Here you will be able to come quite close to these upright walking birds while they nest, swim, play and do the things Penguins do every day.

• Meals:  Breakfast                            
• Travel Time:  Full Day Excursion
• Accommodation: Comfort Hotel
• Activities Included:Cape of Good Hope, Boulders Beach
• Activities Optional: N/A
• Entrance Fees Included: TCape of Good Hope, Boulders Beach
• Hotel: Sun Square Cape Town City Bowl or similar 

After breakfast, transfer to Cape Town International Airport in time for your flights back home.  If you prefer, you can book a couple of extra day’s in Cape Town. There is always a lot more to see and do in this cosmopolitan city. Only breakfast included.