Giraffes towering over acacia trees, lionesses nursing cubs in the shelter of rock outcroppings, massive Cape Buffaloes grazing on coarse grasses, Leopards moving silently on their nocturnal hunts, rhinos skulking along river edges - the bushvelt of South Africa has long been known as Big Game Country.

Itinerary
(Breakfast – B, Lunch – L, Dinner - D)

Day 1
Depart North America
We usually book our group flight on the direct South African Airways flight from New York to Johannesburg. We can also arrange connecting flights to New York from your home. Please contact our office for details in case there has been any change in these arrangements.

Day 2
Arrival in Johannesburg
On arrival in Johannesburg, at Jan Smuts International Airport, we’ll be met by our South African guide Bert Palthe. It is recommended that you change your money into Rands at one of the Currency Exchanges at the airport. We’ll then transfer to our hotel close to the airport. We’ll have dinner together at the hotel and an orientation meeting to meet members of the group and discuss our plans for the next two weeks.

o/n Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg (D)

Day 3
Dullstroom / Blyde River Canyon
After breakfast, we start our journey eastward to the highlands of the Eastern Transvaal. Our route will take us through the Highveld, where the once extensive grasslands have given way to agriculture and mining. We’ll stop for a pleasant lunch at a local inn in the small village of Dullstroom in the Mpumalanga Highlands. Afterwards we will pass through rolling hills of montane grassland and be on the lookout for Blesbok and Grey Rhebok. These antelope, along with Blue and Crowned Cranes, Stanley’s Bustard and Southern Bald Ibis, favour this habitat. We’ll continue on through Lydenburg to the mountains of the northern Drakensberg where we will overnight at Aventura Resort, on the lip of the Blyde River Canyon.

o/n Aventura Resort, Blydepoort (B, L, D)


Blyde River Canyon / Bourke’s Luck Potholes / Mount Sheba Nature Reserve
We’ll explore this fascinating escarpment area today with visits to Bourke’s Luck Potholes and Blyde River Canyon. This canyon area is outstanding in its natural beauty with extensive sheer quartzite cliffs, swiftly running rivers, dramatic waterfalls and breathtaking scenic views. This is also a very rich floristic region that has an excellent mixture of flowering plants, including the spectacular Protea.


We’ll then drive to Mount Sheba Nature Reserve, an indigenous Afro-montane forest with large Yellow-wood Trees, well known botanically for its rich variety of ferns and mosses. While walking the forest trails, we hope to have good sightings of Samango Monkey, Red Duiker and a number of rare birds including the Narina Trogon, Chorister Robin and Knysna Lourie.

At Aventura Resort, where we overnight again, we will see troops of Chacma Baboons and possibly the Klipspringer, a small antelope that lives in rocky areas.

o/n Aventura Resort, Blydepoort (B, L, D)

Days 5 - 7
Kruger National Park
We’ll start our day with a journey down the steep escarpment, through a ruggedly beautiful sub-tropical landscape, into the lowvelt and Kruger National Park. We’ll spend the next three nights and days in this huge park, world-renowned for its wildlife management and conservation efforts. Kruger NP supports the greatest variety of wildlife species anywhere in Africa. We’ll be staying in comfortable, thatched-roofed rondavelles, with private bathrooms, in the park’s game camps and use them as our base while we explore the park. We’ll eat our meals in the pleasant, fully licensed restaurant attached to the camp.

On the second day in Kruger NP, we’ll drive slowly southwards to our next game camp. Game drives are always exciting as we expect to be viewing big game animals such as Lion, Elephant, Giraffe and Rhino, along with numerous antelope species.

On the third day, our leisurely game drive will take us to another game camp that has a different habitat, and consequently birds and mammals we will not have seen elsewhere. This is a good region for White Rhino and Leopard, and the dam at the camp will have hippos and crocodiles.

Since there is a wide range of vegetation types in Kruger, there is a rich and diverse bird life that we will be able to observe as we explore the park. On past tours, we have seen an average of 140 species in Kruger NP, including three species of bee-eaters, nine species of eagles, and many other fascinating and colourful African birds.

We are also signed-up for a three-hour night game drive on our second night, operated by park staff, which starts at dusk and is a truly unique experience which allows us to sight some of the shy nocturnal animals, including perhaps a Leopard.

o/n Game Camps, Kruger National Park (B, L, D)

Day 8
Swaziland
We’ll leave Kruger National Park today and travel south to the dramatic mountains and high grasslands of the Kingdom of Swaziland. Swaziland is a sovereign state governed by a parliament, but with the final authority vested in the king. This tiny country is landlocked by South Africa and Mozambique and will provide us with a glimpse of another African culture. We hope to visit the Swaziland Cultural Centre today.

Our hotel overlooks a beautiful valley and is surrounded by mountains and forests where walking and wildlife viewing will be the order of the day.

o/n Mountain Inn, Swaziland (B, L, D)

Day 9
Swaziland
In the morning, we’ll visit Malolotja Nature Reserve, the last true wilderness area of Swaziland. This conservation area is dominated by rugged mountains, colourful wildflowers and is considered an excellent hiking area. It also boasts a variety of vegetation ranging from open grassland to forest. Good numbers of small mammal species such as Mountain Reedbuck, Rock Hyrax, Grey Rhebok and Oribi live here, and a nice variety of montane bird species that includes the endemic and rare Bald Ibis and the most endangered bird in Southern Africa, the Blue Swallow.

During the afternoon we’ll visit a glass works where Swazi residents hand make exquisite ornaments from recycled bottles. Time permitting, we’ll also visit some of the local markets where Swazi handicrafts are worth looking out for. Traditional Swazi handicrafts include soapstone and woodcarvings, good quality woven grassware, jewelry and pottery.

o/n Mountain Inn, Swaziland (B, L, D)

Day 10
Zululand
After yet another gourmet breakfast, we will head for the Lavumisa border post. On the way we will stop at a candle factory to view the interesting hand made candles. The Swazi people have applied their huge artistic skills to making and decorating the candles. The effect is quite spectacular. After we leave Swaziland, we will travel south through KwaZulu to Emdoneni, our guesthouse and base for the next three days. This lodge, owned by a friendly and hospitable South African couple, has always been a favourite of our past tour participants. The accommodations are exceptionally comfortable, the food is first class, and it has beautiful gardens and walking trails. It is also close to all the major game reserves in this region.

o/n Emdoneni Lodge, Zululand (B, L, D)

Days 11- 13 Wed.
Umfolozi / Hluhluwe / Mkuzi Game Reserves
The highlight of our visit to Kwazulu-Natal will be our game drives to three different game reserves in the region. Umfolozi and Hluhluwe are two of the oldest game reserves in South Africa. Both of these reserves are “Big Five” game reserves, in addition to having giraffes and many species of antelope and gazelle living within their boundaries. They are also well known for their enormous variety of birdlife. The land is quite diverse, from flat open plains, sand and riverine forests, to steep cliffs, gorges and rolling grasslands. We’ll thoroughly explore the flora and fauna found in these fascinating reserves.

Mkuzi Game Reserve is a favourite with visitors to Natal’s game reserves and will provide us with many excellent opportunities to see its unique wildlife. There are several superb hides located throughout the park where we’ll be able to view waterfowl, pelicans, storks, jacanas and many other waterbirds as well as the commonly seen hippos and crocodiles. Both species of rhino are found here as well as Giraffe, Wildebeest, Zebra, Kudu, Suni and many other species of antelope.

o/n Emdoneni Lodge, Zululand (B, L, D)

Day 14
Durban
We’ll leave Emdoneni Lodge and head south towards Durban and our hotel on the outskirts of the city. Here we may wish to walk along the very pleasant waterfront at Umhlanga Rocks or perhaps complete some last minute shopping.

o/n Riverside Hotel, Durban (B, L, D)

Day 15 Sun. Oct 23
Departure Day
In the morning, depending on flight times, we’ll transfer to the Durban International Airport for our connecting flight to Johannesburg and the international flight home. If you are continuing on with our West Cape Extension, there will be a direct flight from Durban to Cape Town. (B)

Day 16
Arrival in North America
Our South African Airways flight from Johannesburg will arrive in Atlanta where we will connect with our flights home. This air schedule is subject to change.