Kruger & Beyond Trip Notes

At Imaginative Traveller we always aim to provide accurate information for our travellers. Unfortunately information such as the price of optional activities is occasionally subject to change, and this means that we are constantly revising our trip notes. In order to ensure that you have the most up to date information for your trip we suggest that you check the trip notes for your tour around one month before departure.

Trip code: FFXSA
Trip length: 12 days

Highlights

• Hike, canoe, snorkel and raft on this active adventure
• Kruger National Park
• Learn about the Zulu culture and the endangered black rhino
• See the Big Nine on game drives
• Teen Adventure

Overview

You travel through South Africa & Swaziland, combining cultural and wildlife experiences. The tour starts with an introduction to South Africa’s most famous township, Soweto, before heading out into the wilderness. Once on the road you’ll stop at a Zulu village and experience activities such as hiking, kayaking and rafting before arriving at Kruger National Park for unbelievable wildlife watching. If you need to wind down after all this, add the 3 day unaccompanied extension to beautiful Cape Town with its great beaches, scenic wine country. You could even climb the impressive Table Mountain for wonderful views of the surrounding area.

Itinerary

Johannesburg

The tour starts at the Johannesburg hotel. Please meet your tour leader in the hotel reception at 12.00. Johannesburg lies at the centre of the range of rocky hills named 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, leading to the settelemnt of this area. 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 of 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.

Mkuzi Game Reserve

You depart Johannesburg at 06:30am today and travel to the heart of KwaZulu Natal. Your first camp of the trip is in the Mkuzi Game Reserve itself, a last safe haven for the endangered black rhino (approx. 7 hours drive). Explore the reserve on game drives and visit a hide overlooking one of the waterholes to watch the game come down to drink. The reserve is dominated by the Lebombo Mountain escarpment and the landscape is mainly thick bush or thornveld and open savannah.

Camping (CS) - 2 nights (Bx1 Lx2 Dx2)

550kms, +/- 7.5 hours, excluding stops for sightseeing & lunch.

Kosi Bay

First you’ll visit an authentic Zulu village with a local community guide to learn more about the proud Zulu culture. Travelling northeast to the coast brings you to the remote and beautiful Kosi Bay Nature Reserve. The benefit of the location means that the wildlife experience is on two very diverse fronts. Kosi Bay contains picturesque jungle with wild fig trees, monkey orange and grazing areas for hippo as well as a mangrove and coral reef teeming with aquatic life. Kayaking in the mangrove and snorkelling over the coral reef are included.

Camping (CC) - 2 nights (Bx2, Lx2, Dx2)

180kms +/- 2 hours, excluding stops for sightseeing.

Swaziland; Hlane NP

Driving north (350 km) you reach the small landlocked kingdom of Swaziland today and Hlane National Park. The name Hlane means ‘wilderness’ and here you’ll go on a game drive with a local guide in classic bushveld country, on the lookout for elephant, white rhino, giraffe, kudu, zebra and more.

Amangwane Tented camp (CC) - 2 nights (Bx2, Lx2, Dx2)

350kms +/- 6 hours, excluding border formalities and stops for sightseeing.

Kruger NP

Crossing back into South Africa, your journey takes you to Kruger National Park (120 km) and some of the finest game viewing in Africa. On arrival, head out for an afternoon game drive in search of the ‘big five’ – lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant. You'll also embark on 2 epic game drives the following day (game drives last approx. 2 hours each).

Camping (CS) - 2 nights - Swimming Pool (Bx2, Dx2).

170kms +/-2.5 hours, excluding border formalities and lunch stop + 3 x 2 hour game drives.

Graskop

Today walk the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest canyons on earth, en route to Graskop. One of South Africa’s most spectacular attractions, the canyon is a great place for a walking tour. The sheer sided walls of the canyon rise over 2,000 metres and the vegetation varies widely from dry, rocky sections to rainforest depending on the altitude. The following day is free for exhilarating white water rafting on the Sabi River. This is however, an optional activity at extra cost. Alternatively, you can choose to embark on a tree top canopy tour (additional charge) or enjoy the countryside on some self guided hiking trails.

Mogodi Lodge (AAA) - 2 bedroom flats - 2 nights - Swimming Pool (Bx2, Lx2, Dx2)

150kms +/-2 hours, excluding stops for sightseeing.

White water rafting - Sabi River

The Sabie River provides 20 rapids (grade 2-3) with areas of scenic vegetation and outstanding wildlife viewing. This 8km route is yielding to the novice, yet accommodating to he thrill seeker within all of us. Swimming, bum sliding and wave surfing with a boogie board at "Lions Rock". Minimum age 12.

Please note tours are dependent on the water level.

Tour ends

You spend the morning at leisure. Then travel with the main group back to O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg where the trip ends. (B) 350km +/-5 hours, excluding stops for sightseeing.

About The Imaginative Traveller

Our aim has always been to provide exceptional travel experiences. We believe that adventure travel should be stimulating, and that it should give you an authentic experience of a place. We want our travellers to relish the amazing diversity of countries and cultures the world has to offer. Our focus is on innovation, not imitation.

Obsessed with quality

One of our strengths has been our obsession with quality. We've always believed that our commitment to you doesn't end as soon as you've paid for your holiday. On the contrary, it is just beginning. Whilst most operators simply get a local company to handle the day to day operation of their tours, we do it all ourselves. We have managers for each of our key destinations around the world and all our small groups are escorted by our own leaders. Our local teams include guides, drivers, administration staff and contacts in the local community who help us ensure that our adventures are active and involving.

For comparability, all prices in this dossier are quoted in one currency. We use the US Dollar since that is familiar to most. However, once on tour you will need to pay for all goods and services in the local currency. See your Country Dossier for details of exchange rates.

Trip grades

African Safari
Beach / coastal
Grasslands / Savannah
Kayaking / canoeing
Lodge based safaris
Night Drives
White Water Rafting
Wildlife

Fitness

Anyone in good health with a sense of adventure should be able to take part. The white water rafting is optional. Please note that if you are aged 65 or over a doctor's certificate is required. Minimum age: 12 years.

Included

Transport - Minibus, on foot

Accommodation - Hotel (1 nt), camping (6nts), fixed camp (2nts), chalets (2nts).

Meals - 10 breakfasts, 8 lunches & 10 dinners.

Single room supplement

A single supplement is available for this trip priced from 156 GBP. This does not guarantee a single room for all accommodation. please contact us to discuss this.

Baggage

For your comfort we recommend you travel as light as possible; many airlines impose a maximum weight limit of 20kg – we advise you to take 10kg as you will be on the move a good deal! For domestic flights using light aircraft the usual weight limit is 15 kg.
One main piece (a soft bag or rucksack, not a hard suitcase).
A daypack (25-30 litres), large enough to carry what you need for the day including camera, water, etc.

Travel tips

South Africa uses round, three-pin electric plugs; you can buy adaptors in UK airports but you may have to look carefully to find the right one.

SUGGESTED READING:
Your Child’s Health Abroad - Matthew Ellis and Jane Wilson-Howarth, (Bradt publications).
Travel with Children – Maureen Wheeler (Lonely Planet)
The Long Road to Freedom - Nelson Mandela
Somewhere over the Rainbow - Travels in South Africa - Gavin Bell
This is Cape Town - David Briggs
Cry the Beloved Country - Alan Paton
Seven Days in Cape Town - Sean Fraser
Tomorrow Is Another Country - The Inside Story of South Africa's Road to Change - Allister Sparks
Beyond the Miracle: Inside the New South Africa - Allister Sparks

FOR YOUNGER READERS:
Freedom Song: the story of Nelson Mandela - Neil Tong.
Abiyoyo: Based on a South African Lullaby & Folk Story - Pete Seeger
A South African Night - Rachel Isadora
Journey to Jo’burg: A South African story – Beverley Naidoo
African Adventure – Willard Price

Local Costs

Local costs - South Africa

Visas

Visas and Permits - South Africa

Vaccinations

Vaccinations - South Africa

The itinerary and supplementary information has been compiled with care and provided in good faith. However it may be subject to change, and does not form part of a contract between the client and The Imaginative Traveller.

Responsible Travel - Travellers' Guidelines

At Imaginative Traveller we love helping our clients experience the beauty and cultures of the destinations we visit. However, hand in hand with this we have always been aware that we have a responsibility to minimise any negative impacts that tourism can bring.

Responsible Travel is twofold. It’s about taking people to the places they want to go in a safe and responsible manner but also about respecting and maintaining the natural and often delicate balance of the destination. Economic gain from tourism is often fundamental to a country, but should never be at the expense of its culture or the environment.

Our Aims

• It is our aim to provide journeys that have minimal negative and maximum positive impact on the places we visit.
• We do not believe that, as visitors, we should impose our own cultures on others; rather that we should experience foreign cultures and appreciate them for what they are.
• Whilst it is our aim to show destinations and cultures in a positive light, we do not believe in papering over the cracks or shielding visitors from the realities of life. This does not mean, however, that we condone or endorse certain situations or regimes that may be in place.
  Our guidelines are meant not as rigid instructions but rather as suggestions to make our holidays more enjoyable – for everybody. As cultural and environmental sensitivities vary from country to country more specific guidelines can be found in our individual country and trip dossiers.

Travellers' Guidelines

Before you depart try to spend some time familiarising yourself with the destination you will be travelling to – their culture and customs. The country dossiers on our website offer detailed information about all the regions we visit. They also include some useful phrases in the local language for you to use on your trip! A few words of the local language can open up many more opportunities for you to interact with the people you will meet.

Although it is tempting to give out pens, sweets and money to people begging, and particularly tempting to give to children, we feel that this encourages a begging mentality and has a long-term negative impact on communities. If someone begging earns more than someone in the same community who works this can discourage local employment. If children regularly bring home money it may discourage their parents from sending them to school. It is of course your own personal choice but you could consider giving to registered charities or contributing to our Responsible Travel fund instead. Money donated through our fund to our worldwide projects is matched pound for pound by Imaginative Traveller and used to help local grassroots projects.

Always ask permission to photograph local people and respect their decision if they would prefer not to have their picture taken.

Respect local dress codes, especially at religious sites. Our tour leaders are always on hand to give you advice about this.

In many of the countries we visit you might see examples of animal cruelty (for example dancing bears, performing monkeys and snake charmers). Please do not take photographs of this or offer money as it encourages the activity.

Respect the environment you are in. It sounds obvious but do not throw litter, take it with you or use rubbish bins! You may see locals throwing rubbish on the street but do not follow their example!

When shopping in countries where haggling is the norm – enjoy it and only pay what you feel is a fair price for the goods you are purchasing. However, remember that the shopkeeper does have to make a living so do stop once you have reached a price you are happy with. Bargaining should be fun but always remember that a small amount can mean much more to the vendor than to you.

Endeavor to take home souvenirs made locally; the money you spend can be very important to the local communities. However, do use your common sense and don’t buy anything that you think might be made out of endangered animals or plants.

To help keep as much money as possible in the host country - try to eat in locally owned restaurants and order local drinks and produce rather than international brands.

In hotels do be conscious of how much water you are using. Many of the areas we visit regularly have shortages; try not to have hour long showers! Don’t leave lights, air conditioners or fans on when you leave the room – you wouldn’t at home!

Respect the environment you are in, especially when in national parks or reserves. Pay attention to rules about keeping on paths, keeping a distance from animals and not removing any of the natural habitat.

Relax and immerse yourself in the differences of the culture you are in – you’ll be back home in the familiar soon enough (and wishing you were still on holiday!). These cultural differences are part of what makes your experience special.

If you would like to offset the carbon dioxide that will be produced on your flights you can do this on our website (on our Responsible travel page). We work with climatecare, who will reduce the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide that you produce in another part of the World through their emission reduction projects. These projects are low carbon efficient technologies in developing countries and not only serve to reduce emissions but also help to spread the adoption of low carbon technologies and improve the quality of life for local communities. Details of climatecare’s projects can be found on their website.

If you would like to contribute to our Worldwide projects, helping communities all over the World, you can also do this on our website or with a sales consultant. Please refer to our responsible travel page on the website for details of our current projects. Any donation you make will be matched £ for £ by Imaginative Traveller (up to a maximum of £1000).

Have a great trip!

Please do let us know if you have any comments about responsible travel at rto@imtrav.net

The Imaginative Traveller & The Adventure Company. This trip is operated by our partner company, The Adventure Company. They have more than 10 years experience in adventure travel and they share our ethos for offering unique holiday adventures. As this is a codeshared departure you can expect there to be both Imaginative Traveller and Adventure Company travellers on your trip.