Johannesburg - Mapungubwe
On your arrival we will be there to welcome you at O.R. Tambo airport in Johannesburg. There are Atm’s and beauro de change available at the airport and you will get a chance to get any South African Rand you may need. We will leave the city behind and head north, it is a 5 hour drive north towards Zimbabwe, to our first exciting destination, Mapungubwe NP.
Mapungubwe is situated at the meeting point of the 3 countries and is rich in ancient cultural history including many Bushman art galleries and the ruins of an ancient civilization.
We will have lunch on route to the park and arrive in the afternoon. The evening will be spent at one of the Parks campsites, a camp surrounded by tall trees providing us great shade and the squirrels, birds and monkey’s a great playground.
We will be sleeping in tents and the camp has shared ablution blocks with hot water for showers. We will enjoy a traditional dinner around our camp fire.
- Main Destination:
- Mapungubwe National Park
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Mapungubwe NP
We start the day early, as the African dawn announces its arrival. We will pack a picnic breakfast and lunch and spend the whole day in the park. We will have the opportunity to walk on a raised platform through the forest along the Limpopo River, this gives us a great experience seeing some of the animals from above and some them among us in the trees.
Mapungubwe has amazing scenery and from the top off the cliffs we may get a chance of spotting some elephants drinking from the river and it will be the best view for us to enjoy lunch.
After lunch we will visit some bushman rock art galleries and Mapungubwe Hill the site of a rich ancient civilization that existed here as early as 900 A.D. and explore these ancient ruins, famous for the golden rhino archeologists found here.
We will return to camp just before sunset and you will have some time to relax and clean up before dinner. Dinner around the camp fire where we will answer any questions you may have from our first National Park.
- Main Destination:
- Mapungubwe National Park
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Mapungubwe to Kruger
We start early this morning 6 am, it will take about a 5 hour drive to get to Kruger National Park.
Kruger National Park is the most famous national park in Africa and the most successful effort of conservation on the planet. We will enter Kruger at the most northern point of the park. All the animals that are associated with Africa can be found in Kruger, including the big 5 (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo and Rhino) and many many other species.
The north is lined with beautiful riverine forests and is a great place to find big herds of elephant and buffalo. We will get to our camp just before sunset and if we are lucky this afternoon we could catch a glimpse of the elusive leopard.
Our camp this evening is a beautiful camp in the north of Kruger, Punda Maria, the facilities found here include a swimming pool, a hide that overlooks a waterhole, a small shop and the flycatcher trail (a 20-minute trail famous for its bird life and interesting vegetation).
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Punda Maria
We start before sunrise today as this allows us the best opportunities to find animals and the best light for photography. A quick coffee and we are off heading further to the north.
This route takes us through fairly open country where we may find big herds of buffalo and elephant. We stop for breakfast at Pafuri picnic site and then proceed further to Crooks Corner, the meeting point of the Luvuvhu and Limpopo rivers.
Here there is a great view over the floodplain, and is the point where South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique meet.
We then head slowly back to camp stopping at the many waterholes along the way checking for any animal activity. We will have lunch at the camp and have time to relax by the swimming pool or sit at a bird hide before going on a afternoon drive on the lookout for any predators on the move.
We will have another traditional meal around the fire as we spend our last night in the far north.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Shingwedzi
We start the morning at 6.00 am and enjoy a cup of coffee before we og on a morning drive, searching for any of the nocturnal animals that are still up and out. Back in camp we will have breakfast before we pack our vehicle and leave the Punda Maria.
We will slowly head south to our next camp. On the way we will keep our eyes peeled for the animals to be found in this area, the rare antelope of the park, including tsetsebe, sable, roan and hartebeest.
When w eget to our next camp, we will check in and have lunch before we relax a couple of hours. In the afternoon, we will og for afternoon game drive and explore Shingwedzi area. The route takes us through Mopane woodlands and shrubveld. Here we will find rolling granite plains where we can find large herds of wildebeest zebra and elephant.
Tonight there is own expense dinner at the restaurant before you go on an exciting night drive with a Kruger ranger.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Bird Hide
Today, we start with a morning game drive, bringing a picnic breakfast with us We will enjoy our breakfast at one of the designated picnic spots before taking a slow drive back to camp. We will make our way down to Mopani camp, this is where we check in for the bird hide, Shimuwini.
Mopani is very nice camp, with a restaurant overlooking a big dam. We will have lunch and relax here before our afternoon drive. When it is getting close to gate closing time, we will make our way to Shimuwini, our overnight hide. It is rustic, toilet is long drop and the shower will have to wait until tomorrow, but it is such an awesome experience, being in the the bush with its sounds, overlooking the waterhole – just being in the middle of everything. It creates a special atmosphere.
If you don´t wish to do the bird hide experience, we can spend the night at Tzendze, a beautiful bush camp situated in the same area.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Letaba
Waking up early, making sure everything is packed away before gates open. Once they open anyone can make use of the bird hide and we will move on, finding a spot for breakfast.
Letaba camp has one of the best river views in the park and is home to the great Elephant Hall. A museum dedicated to the magnificent 7, 7 famous elephants that once lived in this area. There are a few bushbucks that wonder around the camp and the beautiful gardens attract many bird species. We will set up camp when we arrive and then its time for you to relax and enjoy what Letaba has to offer.
After lunch we will take you on what is known as the leopard route, this road runs along the banks of the Letaba River and is great for game viewing, birding and as the name suggests leopard. This is elephant country, so we hope to find some big herds and some big elephants.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Letaba
Today you will og on an exciting bush walk with a Kruger ranger. This is a great way of experiencing the bush, looking for animals, tracks and learn about the trees and landscape.
We will have breakfast when you return and after it is time to relax and enjoy some of the camp facilities.
In the afternoon, after lunch, we will go on an afternoon drive in search of animals and birds we haven´t ticked of the list yet.
Dinner tonight will be own expense at the camp restaurant.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Tamboeti
This morning we head further south to our last camp, Tamboeti. Along the way we hope to find the big herds of animals the area is well known for, zebra, blue wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe, impala and elephant. It is a 90 km drive to Tamboeti, which takes us through some excellent game viewing territory and the mcamp is situated in the heart of lion territory and also offers great opportunity to find wild dog. The camp has a very long fence line and all the tents are set up with a view of the Tamboeti dry river. Camp has permanent tents, built with a viewing deck with 2 beds, a fridge and a fan.
This afternoon we will go on a game drive along the N’wanetsi river road. The drive takes us along the river with dense vegetation on one side (great for leopard) and open plains on the other (good for cheetah) and is well known for lion sightings. The area is also very good for spotting white rhino and has large herds of buffalo, blue wildebeest, zebra, kudu and giraffe.
- Main Destination:
- Kruger National Park
- Accommodation:
- Tamboti Satellite Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Johannesburg
The last morning you need to be packed and ready to go when gates open. We will go out on one last safari, stopping at a picnic site for breakfast. Hopefully Kruger has one more surprise for us before we leave. After breakfast we will continue to Skukuza where your transfer back to Johannesburg leaves at 11:00. It is a 5 hour Journey and the transfer takes you to the airport.
Please note that should you be flying out on this day that you should not book your International flights before 20:00pm and domestic flights before 19:00pm.
- Main Destination:
- Johannesburg (City)
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks: