Tailor-made tours and safaris to Southern Africa

SAMPLE ITINERARY 9

Kruger Park, Ndumo Game Reserve, and the Indian Ocean

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Day 1

On your arrival at Johannesburg International Airport you will pass through customs, collect your luggage, and make for the domestic departures section (a representative will be there to meet you and help you find your way through the airport). Here you will check in for your flight to Skukuza in the heart of the Kruger National Park. You will arrive at Skukuza just after lunch. On your arrival you will be met at the small airport by your pilot, who will be flying you via private charter to Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve on the western edge of the great Kruger National Park (this is a short, 10 minute flight). Your game ranger will meet you at the airstrip in a specially-adapted open safari vehicle, and will drive you to the lodge. You will be welcomed at the small exclusive lodge, and shown to your gorgeous room.

Day 1 to 6

You will spend 5 unforgettable nights at Leopard Hills, going out on game-drives, relaxing in your room, and soaking in the African bush. Your stay will be on a full-board basis: accommodation, meals, the services of professional guides and trackers, and all activities are included. Extras will include items of a personal nature (e.g. drinks, gratuities, curios).

As a guideline, your daily schedule on safari might look something like this:

6:00 Wake-up with light breakfast of tea, coffee and snacks

6:30 Morning game drive

10:00/10:30 Brunch back at the lodge

11:00 Optional interpretive walk with your guide

Guests at leisure in the early afternoon

3:00 Tea

3:30 Afternoon game drive

7:30 Return from drive

8:00 Dinner

Day 6

Sometime around mid-morning your ranger will transfer you back to the airstrip where you will be collected for another private charter flight. This time you will be flown south and eastwards, over the wild expanses of the Kruger National Park, as well as the rolling hills of Zululand, to Ndumo Wilderness Camp. Again, you will be met at the airstrip by your game ranger, who will drive you back to the luxury tented camp. Ndumo is one of South Africa's most scenic and remote game reserves; it is also home to a very high concentration of endangered black and white rhinos. The luxury tented camp provides for a wonderful sense of intimacy with the surrounding forests and bush.

Days 6 to 9

You will spend 3 nights savoring the wildnerness at Ndumo; again, your stay will be on a full-board basis, including all accommodation, meals, the services of professional guides, and all activities (should you wish to visit Tembe Elephant Park, there is an additional fee for this outing, but you will have seen your fair share of elephants by this stage in any case). The schedule is very similar to Leopard Hills, although there will be much more opportunity for walking.

Day 9

After your morning activity and brunch, you will load your bags into the Landrover safari vehicle, and your ranger will transfer you to Rocktail Bay Lodge, right on the coast. This is a very scenic drive, through rural villages and coastal forest, and will take roughly 90 minutes.

Days 9 to 14

You will spend 5 nights at Rocktail Bay, relaxing on the beach, playing in the waves, Snorkeling in the bays, and walking in the forests. A feature that might be of particular interest is the local Zulu village. This is a very 'real' and authentic village, with a mixture of traditional huts and modern brick houses (belonging to migrant workers, many of whom work on the gold mines around Johannesburg and send, what is for these parts, significant amounts of cash home to their families in the village). The village is in partnership with the owners of the lodge, and many of the staff members are from the village; a trip with your guide to the village, to speak to the people and maybe even be invited for a meal, is a very rewarding experience.

Again, your stay here is on a full-board basis, including accommodation, meals, the services of professional guides, and activities; the lodge will lend you snorkeling and fishing equipment, as well as body-surfing boards if you are interested in these activities. The emphasis at Rocktail is very much going to be on relaxation.

Day 14

Today you will leave Rocktail, and be driven to the airport at Richard's Bay. The journey will take roughly 3 hours (the first part is again very scenic, through forests and local villages). At Richard's Bay you will catch a flight back to Johannesburg, arriving in time to check in for your flight back to London. At this point you will bid Africa farewell. Hopefully a piece of your heart will remain behind, and will keep you coming back to discover more about this most beautiful of all continents.

To find out more about this sample itinerary, or to start creating your own itinerary, call on 27-11-463-7889 or email us at info@Liyatshwa.com