Rainbow Nation

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Johannesburg

The tour starts at the Johannesburg hotel. You will receive full details of exactly where to meet your Group Leader on the Joining Instructions which will be sent to you 2-3 weeks before your trip starts. 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 fields were discovered little more than 100 years ago. Jo’burg or E’Goli ‘the City of Gold’ is the heart of the emergent nation of South Africa. This afternoon you head out on a township tour of Soweto - an exciting opportunity to get an insight into contemporary life in South Africa, and to learn about the history about one of South Africa's best known townships.

Riviona Road Lodge (AAA) – 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.

Mpumalanga

Today you rise early and, after a briefing with your Group Leader, you load the vehicle and make your way down from the temperate, rolling plateau of the Highveld, over the escarpment to the sub-tropical Mpumalanga. You head east to Dullstroom (approx. 4 hours drive) where you will visit the Bird of Prey Centre for a chance to see Africa’s birds of prey up close, and learn about the plight of some of the more endangered species that have come to be cared for in this environment.

Continuing your drive (approx. 3 hours) you visit the fascinating old goldrush town of Pilgrim’s Rest where it is easy to imagine the lives of the miners and their families who worked the small alluvial claims at the end of the last century. Later in the afternoon you try your hand at Gold Panning in the town’s fascinating mining museum. You spend the night in the picturesque little town of Graskop.

Mogodi Lodge Graskop - Chalet (AA) (1 bathroom between two rooms) – 1 night (LD)

Kruger National Park; game drives

This morning you visit God’s Window, which offers magnificent views over the lowveld and visit the Shangaan Cultural Village where you learn about the history and customs of the Shangaan people. Later, continue into the Kruger National Park (approx. 2 hours drive to the park gates, followed by a game drive), one of the greatest natural sanctuaries of the world, comprising beautiful areas of savannah bushveld broken by rocky outcrops and riverine forest. Cameras and binoculars at the ready, you make your way to the camp inside Kruger National Park where you will spend the next two days.

During your stay you hope to see much of the ‘big game’ of the park: elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard, and many more of the 147 species of mammal that the park boasts. Bird lovers will delight in over 500 species including the African fish eagle, whose evocative cry is probably the best known of any African bird, and the beautiful lilac-breasted roller. 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 (approx. 2 hours), perhaps to a water hole, and observe the animals coming down to drink after the heat of the day. You return to camp before dusk and enjoy a ‘braai’ (barbecue) in the bush. Sitting around the campfire 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 (2 hours), when the animals are most active. Stopping en route at a picnic spot to cook an eagerly awaited breakfast. Back at the camp there’s time to laze in the midday heat and, as the day cools, you take another game drive (2 hours) 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 either before or after dinner (additional cost).

Basic chalets (A) with shared ablutions - 2 nights - Swimming Pool (Bx2, Dx2)

Swaziland; Hlane NP

This morning you enter the small landlocked kingdom of Swaziland (approx. 7 hours including game drives, a border crossing and lunch stop. Exact time is dependent on which camp in Kruger is used). Despite being almost completely surrounded by the republic of South Africa and Mozambique, Swaziland has remained independent since the end of the British colonial era in 1968 and today is one of the world’s few absolute monarchies. Spend two nights in Hlane NP. During your time here you will go on a wildlife walk with a local guide and learn about basic bush-lore and how to identify animal tracks (and dung!)

Hlane NP - Chalet (A) – 2 nights (BD)

St. Lucia

You leave Swaziland to drive to the coastal town of St. Lucia. (approx. 4½ hours plus border crossing). This stretch of South Africa’s coast boasts lush vegetation and expansive mangrove forests. In the morning of your second day at St Lucia you drive to St Lucia National Park for a game drive. The game will include possibility to see rhino, buffalo, hippo, crocodiles. Also there are excellent hides at waterholes for bird and game viewing. Cape Vidal in the north has a beach area, with a reef. Swimming is possible but no life guards or shark nets. You return to St. Lucia to relax by the pool during the heat of the day. In the afternoon you have the opportunity to go on a boat cruise of Lake St. Lucia (additional charge) to view hippo and crocodile up close. The next day is free to relax.

Shonalanga Apartments (AAA) (1 bathroom for 2-3 rooms) - 2 nights - Swimming Pool (Bx2 Lx1 Dx1)

Apartments are normally three twin rooms and families share them. It may be necessary (depending on the group make up) for a family to be accommodated across two apartments.

Drakensberg

Today you drive (approx. 7 hours) through villages and rolling hills towards the great mountain escarpment the Zulus referred to as the ‘Barrier of Spears’ – the Drakensberg Mountains. Carved by many fast-flowing streams, this area of waterfalls and grand mountain scenery is a paradise for hikers. This area is spectacular and you have the whole day to explore. The many foot and bridle paths lead to magnificent viewpoints, looking out over the spectacular landscape below. There are proteas and other wild flowers, crystal clear mountain streams in which to swim and a wealth of birds including the bearded vulture or lammergeyer, cape vulture and black eagle.

Lotheni chalet (AA) (3 beds per room, ensuite) - 2 nights (BLD)

Fly Home

Travel with the main group back to O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg where the trip ends for Land Only clients. Please note: If you are not travelling on the group flight there might be an additional cost for a transfer to the airport at a different time. 560km +/-8 hours, excluding stops for sightseeing. (B)

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Key: (B) = Breakfast, (L) = Lunch, (D) = Dinner