On Safari in South Africa - Kruger National Park

Overnight flight.

Upon arrival, meet your tour guide and transfer to Sanctuary Mandela Johannesburg. Enjoy lunch, then spend a relaxing afternoon unwinding and acclimatising, perhaps joining your guide for a nature walk into the sumptuous lodge grounds. Dinner will be served at the lodge this evening.

After breakfast make the scenic transfer to Camp Bethel, your home for the next six nights. A stop will be made on route for lunch. When you arrive late afternoon, you’ll have a brief camp orientation and the chance to freshen up.

Enjoy a first night in the African bush, perhaps with a sundowner in hand, as the sunset turns the sky a vibrant patchwork of red, orange and yellow. Guests will meet at the boma before dinner, where the fires are lit for an authentic bush welcome.

Dinner tables will be set on a wooden deck overlooking the bush – keep an eye out for the resident bush babies playing in the trees!

Rise and shine early this morning, for the short journey to the Orpen Gate of Kruger National Park, home to some truly majestic animals, including the iconic Big Five – lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo – together with birdlife such as vultures and eagles. The camp chef will prepare a packed breakfast, which you can enjoy when we make a picnic stop in a picturesque spot in Kruger.

You’ll explore the southern part of Kruger, which covers almost two million hectares of unspoilt terrain overall. The south of the park is lush and green, with plenty of knob thorn and bush willow trees, whereas the north is arid and sparse, largely dominated by mopani bush. We’ll stop to enjoy lunch at a rest camp in Kruger, where you can choose from a delicious variety of meals.

Sit back and feel the breeze on your face as you enjoy a wonderful open-air safari through this great natural paradise, in search of the elusive leopard and other majestic creatures. You’ll make plenty of stops at waterholes and lookout points, before returning to camp later this afternoon.

After a full day’s exploring, some guests might fancy an early night. A relaxing dinner will be served to an atmospheric campfire backdrop.

After breakfast you’ll head out for a morning visit to a local wildlife rehabilitation centre, where they take care of injured and poisoned animals that sadly will not be able to be released back into the wild. Watch a film presentation before you head out into the centre’s grounds on a two-hour tour, where you will have the chance to get up close and personal with animals including cheetahs, African wild dogs and vultures.

The centre is actively involved in several interesting research projects, including studying the movement and behaviour of leopards. Today’s visit will highlight the threats wildlife is facing today, but also demonstrates the positive impact of rehabilitation centres. Lunch will be enjoyed at a local restaurant.

This afternoon, you’ll have the chance to join the optional boat cruise, which will take in some of the Blyde River Canyon’s most picturesque sights, including the ‘living’ Kadishi Tufa Waterfall. Tufa waterfalls are formed when water running over dolomite rock absorbs calcium, and deposits rock formations more rapidly than they erode the surrounding rock, supporting moss and other plant life. The Kadishi Tufa Waterfall is thought to be the second-oldest tufa waterfall on earth. The boat tour will also take in the Three Rondavels, a trio of rocky outcrops that have eroded over time and now resemble a traditional Zulu beehive hut.

The Blyde River Canyon supports an impressive amount of biodiversity too, including numerous antelope species as well as hippos and crocodiles, together with birds such as the African fish eagle, African finfoot and much more. Refreshing soft drinks will be available on the tour, adding to the enjoyment of a wonderful afternoon.

Keep your eyes peeled for buffalos and elephants, as your guide shares their expert wildlife knowledge. Kruger National Park is home to some of the most diverse wildlife on earth, including 146 species of mammals, nearly 500 different kinds of birds, 114 species of reptiles, 49 freshwater fish, 33 species of amphibians and countless insects and flora and fauna – many of them found nowhere else on earth.

After an exciting morning, a well-deserved lunch will be served in a dry riverbed back at camp. Later, why not join the optional afternoon safari, giving you the unique opportunity to witness how the bush changes as the sun goes down, and a different animal kingdom emerges?

As the sun dips behind the horizon, the colour of the sky changes and new scents fill the air as the nocturnal hunters appear. Keep an eye out for caracals, bush babies, porcupines and ant bears!

After a sumptuous breakfast in the camp’s boma area, you’ll set out on a stunning panoramic mountain tour. Don’t forget your camera! The tour will take in the Drakensberg Mountain Range, which stretches over 600 miles from the Eastern Cape toward Mpumalanga. The tour will take in the Blyde River Canyon, the third-largest canyon on earth, spanning over 16 miles and over 2,000 feet deep. Formed over millennia, dramatic cliff drops are carpeted in bush and forest, high above the meandering Blyde River.

The tour continues to the Three Rondavels, a trio of rocky outcrops, shaped like a traditional Zulu beehive hut. You’ll also call at God’s Window, named for its sweeping panoramic views of the Lowveld and lush forest-clad ravines below. God’s Window is part of a 160-mile-long network of sheer cliffs that boast wonderful views. When you get there, you’ll see why it’s called God’s Window! Continue to Lisbon Waterfalls, which is 308 feet high and one of the most dramatic and picturesque waterfalls in the region.

You’ll make a lunch stop at Graskop, a small town nestled amongst picturesque pine and eucalyptus forests, known for pancakes and curio shops, before starting our scenic journey back to camp.

This morning, enjoy a final included safari into a private game reserve that forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park, as you savour every second spent in this unique natural paradise. We’ll stop for breakfast at a picnic spot, before your guide tells you more about the plant life in the area, which is vital to the park’s existence. Among many others, Kruger is home to the iconic marula tree, the fruit of which is used to make South Africa’s famous Amarula liquor. Return to the camp for lunch and then join your guide for a fascinating nature walk around the camp, which sits on its own private reserve.

Keep an eye out for wonderful creatures such as zebra, kudu, nyala and warthog that frequently wander through the camp. Later this afternoon, you'll head to the Nyani cultural village.

Learn all about the local culture as you watch a performance in a traditional Boma theatre, featuring music and dance from local tribes including the San (Bushmen), Tsonga, Shona, Venda, Swati and Zulu. Return to the camp for your final night in the African bush, where you will feast on a braai later – a traditional South African barbeque.

Enjoy a wonderful evening eating and chatting with new-found friends, no doubt reflecting on a wonderful week in South Africa.

After breakfast, bid farewell to the wonderful staff at Camp Bethel as you transfer to Johannesburg airport for your overnight return flight after a fabulous, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Early morning arrival.