The Greater Kruger Private Safari

an exclusive wilderness experience

Day 1: (Mon) Greater Kruger Park (D)
Clients depart Hazyview by 10h00 in an open safari vehicle with a quick stop at a local store, where you can use this opportunity to acquire personal necessities, as there are no shops in the reserve. At around 11h30 we meet up with guests flying into Hoedspruit Airport or coming up on the shuttle from Johannesburg. From there we travel through to the Balule Reserve. The area we use, offers excellent game viewing - we can expect to see general game, possibly lion and elephant and maybe even an elusive leopard. The camp is situated in an area of unspoiled natural beauty, and is rich in bird and animal life. On arrival, guests are shown to their accommodation before meeting for sundowners and dinner. We hope to be in for a noise-filled, exciting evening!

Day 2: (Tue) Greater Kruger Park (BLD)
An early rise accompanied by a light breakfast of cereal, fruit, yoghurt, rusks, tea and coffee, before setting out to explore one of Africa’s greatest game reserves, the Kruger National Park. Chances of seeing one or all of the famed ‘Big Five’ are excellent, and of course the smaller plains game species and our wonderful African bird-life is prolific. Safaris are complemented by delicious mid-morning snacks and a lovely picnic lunch prepared by our chef. Mid-afternoon we head back to camp with time to relax by the pool until we depart for sundowners next to the mighty Olifants River. Return to camp for dinner, ending off the evening around the camp fire.

Day 3: (Wed) Greater Kruger Park (BLD)
Another early wake up followed by tea & coffee, cereal, fruit etc., before heading to the Kruger Park for another day of game viewing. The chef will once again pack lovely mid-morning snacks and a picnic lunch which we will enjoy at one of the Parks’ picnic sites. We spend the remainder of the day exploring the reserve before returning to camp for a late afternoon siesta. Dinner is served around our campfire and opportunities exist to view game by spotlight from the camp site.

Day 4: (Thu) Greater Kruger Park (B)
A relaxed morning with breakfast at the camp before departing at 10h00 for the journey back to Hoedspruit for those guests taking the shuttle to Johannesburg or flying out of Hoedspruit Airport. If guests are staying in Hazyview we could stop at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre en route to Hazyview. Arrival will then be at around 14h00.

Highlights

• Unique camping safari within the Greater Kruger National Park in areas of fantastic game-viewing
• Exclusive camp ensures privacy
• All safaris led by qualified THETA & FGASA registered and highly experienced field guides
• All ground arrangements are taken care of by support staff
• All game drives undertaken in open safari vehicles which allow for superb photographic opportunities
• Nocturnal visitors such as lion and hyena are often heard around the camp

Transportation

• Tour in specially adapted, 10-seater open safari vehicles

Professionally Escorted

• Discover the Greater Kruger National Park with our professional Tour Guides

Accommodation

• Accommodation built from natural materials & canvas, as environmentally friendly as possible, with comfortable beds (doubles & singles available), crisp linen, duvets, blankets & towels. And hot water bottles in winter!
• 1 room with double bed, 1 room with double bed & 2 singles, 2 rooms with a double & a single bed
• 2 separate bathrooms

Dining Inclusions

• 3 breakfasts
• 3 dinners
• 2 lunches
• Mineral water
• Teas & coffees
• Mid-morning snacks
• 1 bottle of wine per couple each night

Plus

• Daily conservation levies included

Please Note

• Participating in a Greater Kruger Private Safari is a back to nature experience, no en-suite bathrooms or electricity! We provide the best possible bush showers and toilets. Our catering is 5-star ‘bush cuisine’ provided by a back up team of a chef and camp assistants.
• The camp does not have a liquor licence but guests are given an opportunity each day to buy whatever they would like to drink at the camp. This may be seen as a nuisance but it means that you are paying shop prices instead of lodge prices!!

HOW TO GET HERE

We have negotiated a very special rate with one of our clients on their shuttle service from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit. Times are:-

05h00 from Ritz Backpackers
05h30 from Rivonia Road Lodge
06h00 from the Emperor’s Palace complex

Departure is early to avoid the traffic

The return shuttle is due to arrive at OR Tambo International Airport at around 18h00. It is recommended that guests are not booked on a flight that requires check-in before 19h00 in case of delays

Alternatively guests can fly into Hoedspruit on:-

SA1225 JNB/HDS 10h15/11h45

On the return they can fly from Hoedspruit on:-

SA1226 HDS/JNB 12h25/13h45
SA1222 HDS/JNB 14h00/15h15

We would prefer guests to fly on the SA1226 if possible as the 14h00 flight is a little late if we have guests who are taking the shuttle back.

Guests can also arrive a day or so earlier and spend some time in Hazyview exploring the scenic wonders of the Panorama Route or participating in one or two of the adventure activities on offer. Ask us for suggestions.

WHAT TO BRING

Clothes in neutral colours such as khaki, olive, brown, beige - no bright colours or white
Light jacket in summer, warm jacket in winter
Comfortable shoes, trainers or boots
Personal toiletries
Personal medication
Malaria prophylactics
Mozzie spray or cream (the camp actually has very few mosquitoes as the waterhole has special fish in it that eat the mosquito larvae)
Binoculars
Camera
Plenty of film or memory cards
Extra batteries
Sun protection
Sunglasses

WHAT CLOTHES TO BRING

T-shirts & shorts for during the day, long sleeved tops & long pants for the evenings although shorts in summer are fine as it stays warm until late. If you are sensitive to the sun, a light, long sleeved shirt or blouse is a good idea. A fleece or sweater for game drives as it can be cool in the mornings so dressing in layers is best. And don’t forget your swimming costume.

Authentic Kruger Park

Discover the Kruger at it’s best on this wonderful adventure by staying in one of the Park’s Restcamps with your own guide and open safari vehicle.

Day 1: Depart at 12h30 from Hazyview in one of our specially adapted open safari vehicles and enjoy your first game drive on the way to your rest camp, with our professional guide showing you some of the secrets of this world famous game reserve, which is the size of Wales, or Israel. We will arrive at our camp in the late afternoon and check into your bungalow in time for a sundowner drink. Your guide will cook a delicious BBQ dinner (weather permitting) and we can swap a few stories around the fire, whilst listening for the night sounds of the African bush, before going to bed for a well earned sleep.

Day 2: Your guide will wake you up early with tea and coffee for a dawn game drive departure, remember the early bird sees more game! Experience this incredible reserve from the comfort of your open game drive vehicle whilst looking for the “Big 5”and all the other exciting inhabitants of one of Africa’s premier reserves. We will stop at one of the Park’s picnic sites for a delicious outdoor breakfast (weather permitting) before continuing well fed, on the game drive. Return to the camp for lunch (own account) and a siesta. We meet again in the late afternoon for a short game drive with the opportunity of seeing an African sunset (weather permitting). Dinner tonight will be in the restaurant.

Day 3: Enjoy an early morning game drive and bush breakfast (weather permitting) en-route to Hazyview arriving at approximately 12h00. Tired but happy from our adventures!

NB: Extra nights can easily be added onto this great experience

To get to Hazyview for the start and finish of the tour we offer several options:-

• A road transfer to and from Johannesburg which gives you the opportunity to see more of the country
•  A flight to and from OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg to KMI Airport (Nelspruit) or Eastgate Airport close to Hoedspruit and the central area of the Kruger Park.
•  A flight from Cape Town to KMI Airport (Nelspruit)
•  A private road transfer from just about anywhere!
  

Kruger & Victoria Falls

This wonderful tour combines some of the best scenery and wildlife experiences in Africa, combining not only the wonderful wildlife paradise of the Kruger National Park in South Africa, but the glories of Victoria Falls and the mighty Zambezi in Zimbabwe and the magnificent Chobe Game reserve in Botswana, with it’s vast elephant and buffalo herds congregating along the winding Chobe river and it’s floodplains. We are not alone in voting this as one of the “must do” itineraries in Africa.

Day 1: Depart at 12h30 from Hazyview in one of our specially adapted open safari vehicles and enjoy your first game drive on the way to your rest camp, with our professional guide showing you some of the secrets of this world famous game reserve, which is the size of Wales, or Israel. We will arrive at our camp in the late afternoon and check into your bungalow in time for a sundowner drink. Your guide will cook a delicious BBQ dinner (weather permitting) and we can swap a few stories around the fire, whilst listening for the night sounds of the African bush, before going to bed for a well earned sleep.

Day 2: Your guide will wake you up early with tea and coffee for a dawn game drive departure, remember the early bird sees more game! Experience this incredible reserve from the comfort of your open game drive vehicle whilst looking for the “Big 5”and all the other exciting inhabitants of one of Africa’s premier reserves. We will stop at one of the Park’s picnic sites for a delicious outdoor breakfast (weather permitting) before continuing well fed, on the game drive. Return to the camp for lunch (own account) and a siesta. We meet again in the late afternoon for a short game drive with the opportunity of seeing an African sunset (weather permitting). Dinner tonight will be in the restaurant.

Day 3: Enjoy an early morning game drive and bush breakfast (weather permitting) before transferring to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport for the flight to Livingstone Airport in Zambia at 11h35 arriving at 13h50. This day must be a Monday, Wednesday or Friday so that we can use the new direct Airlink flight. On arrival you will be met by Thompsons Touring/Wilderness Safaris and transferred to the David Livingstone Safari Lodge & Spa situated on the Victoria Falls or Mosi-Oa-Tunya, “the Smoke that Thunders”. Enjoy a late afternoon sunset cruise on the mighty Zambezi, get up close & personal with its’ hippo’s & crocodiles! Dinner at the hotel.

Day 4: Early departure for the Botswana border (80km) arrive at the scenic Chobe river for an exciting river cruise, excellent game viewing and world class birding, sometimes we get REALLY close to Elephants who seem to completely ignore the boats. Return to Chobe Lodge for an al-fresco lunch experience. After lunch, board a specialized 4x4 safari vehicle for a game drive in the Chobe game reserve, expect lots of elephant and buffalo, return to the lodge after a great game drive for the transfer back to your hotel. What a day! Relax over a delicious dinner at the hotel, sip an ice cold Gin & Tonic and pretend to be one of the hardy early pioneers of the area!!

Day 5: Enjoy a leisurely breakfast, then put your walking shoes on and explore the rain forest and the spectacular Victoria falls, known locally as Mosi-Oa-Tunya- “the smoke that thunders” the first European to see the falls and to name them after his queen, was the intrepid missionary and explorer David Livingstone who saw the falls in November 1855 and was so enraptured by their beauty that he wrote in his journal that ”scenes so lovely must have been gazed down upon by angels in their flight”. Finally we reluctantly depart for the airport by 11pm, for the 14h30pm flight to OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg

Kruger & Canyons

DAY 1: On arrival at Nelspruit/KMI Airport you will be met by African Safari Adventures and transferred to Rissington Inn where you will be accommodated for 4 nights on a dinner, bed & breakfast basis in one of their superior rooms (mini-suite). Set in indigenous bush just outside Hazyview, Rissington Inn provides fine hospitality in a relaxed and informal environment. The thatched homestead has long views over the Sabie River Valley and offers individually furnished bedrooms, extensive gardens, spectacular birdlife, a sparkling pool and sundowners on the veranda. Delicious, imaginative cuisine in the à la carte restaurant.

DAY 2: After breakfast, depart for a full day Panorama Tour, starting at 09h00. Visit the Blyde River Canyon – the world’s third largest - to view stunning rock formations and view sites, such as God’s Window, Wonderview, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and The Three Rondavels. The tour also includes a visit to the quaint and historic town of Pilgrim’s Rest where gold was first discovered. Arrive back at Rissington in the late afternoon to relax and enjoy sundowners before dinner.

DAY 3: Depart Rissington at dawn for a morning open vehicle safari in the Kruger National Park (breakfast picnics will be supplied). The Kruger is home to the Big Five – lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard – and a huge variety of birds, reptiles and other mammals. Return to Rissington at lunchtime for an afternoon at leisure by the pool or walking on the property and neighbouring farms.

DAY 4: At leisure until 12h30 when you will be collected and driven to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre where they are actively involved in the breeding of endangered species, the release of captive-bred cheetahs back into the wild and the provision of a safe haven for animals said to be causing damage to local farms. Enjoy a 1 hour tour of the facility before boarding open vehicles for an exciting night safari on their 13,000ha game reserve. After sundowners in the bush, the ranger will turn on powerful spotlights to continue the game drive searching for those elusive nocturnal species. At around 19h30 return to the lodge for dinner in their open-air boma (weather permitting) before returning to Hazyview at around 22h30.

DAY 5: Transfer back to the airport for your onward flight.

Package includes transfers to/from KMIA/Rissington, 4 nights in a twin-bedded superior room, day tours as shown, 4 dinners, 4 breakfasts, 1 lunch and entrance fees. Excludes flights, all meals & drinks other than stated and items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, room service, porterage, tips & gratuities etc.

Other possible tour inclusions - Shangaan Cultural Evening Festival & Feast, Sunset Safari or a day of adventure activities. The tour can be extended to suit requirements. Please enquire for prices.

African Ivory Route

This exciting journey of discovery takes you off the beaten track and into some unique and remote areas where you are a little closer to nature and your own true self. The Ivory Route consists of a carefully selected number of small camps and traditional dwellings that are managed and run by members of the local communities with support and back up by the Limpopo Parks and Tourism Board, all the camps are set up in areas of significant game, cultural and historical importance. Our specialised guides will escort you all the way in 4x4 safari vehicles for your personalised safari into the past.

Day 1: Pick up at midday in Hazyview from our shuttle or from KMIA airport. We will drive you northwards to the Manyeleti Game Reserve which shares a communal border with the famous Kruger National Park and the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, there are no fences between these reserves. Check into your comfortable tented accommodation at Ndzhaka or Buffelshoek camps. Take a short open vehicle game drive and enjoy a sundowner drink as the sun sets and the African night closes in. Back at camp we will sit around the campfire (weather permitting) and enjoy a typical braai (barbeque) dinner whilst listening for the night sounds, perhaps a lion roaring or a hyena whooping, who knows!
NB: depending upon availability the first nights accommodation might be in the Kruger Park itself.

Day 2: Early morning walk in the cool of the day, we hope to find some fresh animal tracks to follow. Get a close look at nature with the help of our armed, experienced rangers. We return to camp for a hearty breakfast before departing for our next adventure. Drive through the small town of Hoedspruit and towards the town of Phalaborwa. We head towards Letaba Ranch, a huge private concession on the western boundary of Kruger Park. We game drive through the reserve to our destination, Mtomeni Tented Camp, arriving in time for sundowners on the Letaba River which runs past the scenic camp. Have dinner around the fire (weather permitting) chatting about our experiences and listening for the night sounds.

Day 3: Another early wake up for the morning walk along the banks of the river. Return to camp for breakfast and check-out. We drive through rural African villages to our third camp, Baleni, situated in a remote and tranquil Mopani forest, adjacent to mineral hot springs on the banks of the Klein Letaba River. The area is known to the local Tsonga people as Sautini, the place of salt, where for centuries the locals extracted salt from the mineral rich waters of the springs. The salt was traded with other locals and was sent as far as the Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe ancient civilizations. We sleep in traditional huts which are comfortably furnished for tourists. Visit a local village and watch the time-honoured salt gathering process. During dinner around the fire (weather permitting), our local guide will tell us fascinating stories.

Day 4: After an early breakfast, we head south to Phalaborwa and enter the Kruger National Park. Enjoy a day of game-viewing before arriving in the late afternoon at one of the Parks’ restcamps. Dinner in the restaurant and overnight

Day 5: An early check-out and departure for another exciting morning of game-viewing in the Park. We head south towards Hazyview where our tour ends at around midday. Guests have the choice of extending the tour with a few days in Hazyview or returning to Johannesburg on the shuttle at 12h30.We can arrange accommodation or a transfer to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport.

The Authentic Kruger and Mozambique Mosaic

Discover the Kruger at its best on this wonderful adventure by staying in one of the Park’s rest camps with your own guide and open safari vehicle and experience magical Mozambique and tropical seas. Mozambique is a new and upcoming destination which lies on the East coast of southern Africa, bordered by South Africa in the south west, Zimbabwe in the central west and Malawi & Southern Tanzania in the north. The 2700 km east coast is lapped gently by the warm Indian Ocean with some of the most beautiful white sandy beaches in the world, with first class diving sites and great fishing opportunities. The Mozambican people are renowned for their friendliness.

Day 1: Depart at 12h30 from Hazyview in one of our specially adapted open safari vehicles and enjoy your first game drive on the way to your rest camp, with our professional guide showing you some of the secrets of this world famous game reserve, which is the size of Wales, or Israel. We will arrive at our camp in the late afternoon and check into your bungalow in time for a sundowner drink. Your guide will cook a delicious BBQ dinner (weather permitting) and we can swap a few stories around the fire, whilst listening for the night sounds of the African bush, before going to bed for a well earned sleep.

Day 2: Your guide will wake you up early with tea and coffee for a dawn game drive departure, remember the early bird sees more game! Experience this incredible reserve from the comfort of your open game drive vehicle whilst looking for the “Big 5”and all the other exciting inhabitants of one of Africa’s premier reserves. We will stop at one of the Park’s picnic sites for a delicious outdoor breakfast (weather permitting) before continuing well fed, on the game drive. Return to the camp for lunch (own account) and a siesta. We meet again in the late afternoon for a short game drive with the opportunity of seeing an African sunset (weather permitting). Dinner tonight will be in the restaurant.

Day 3: Wake up early and start your last wonderful game drive to the Giriyondo border gate which allows entry into Mozambique. Before we tackle customs we will have a nice picnic to bid farewell to the Kruger. After the border formalities are completed we will cross into Mozambique and the Limpopo Transfrontier Park, although there is not much wildlife in this area yet, it is a very interesting drive, we go past a number of traditional villages where the local people still live close to nature, we might not spot many buffalo but the local Nguni spotted cattle are beautiful and are regarded by their owners the way we value a gold credit card, as a mobile status symbol!! It will take us about an hour and a half following winding dirt roads through the Transfrontier Park and the rural villages to Massingir Dam. We follow the road over the imposing dam wall through the small town of Massingir, where the Mozambican Park authorities are posted. We finally hit a tar road here which takes us to the coastal EN1 highway just past Xai- Xai town. Our destination is the charming seaside lodge of Zona Braza .Our rooms look onto the beautiful Indian Ocean, a walk or swim or even both will freshen us up after our 6-7 hour drive, dinner will be held in the quaint restaurant with views of the sea, enjoy some fresh sea food. Retire to bed with the beat of the Indian Ocean as your lullaby.

Day 4: Perhaps an early walk along the beautiful beach will help you to greet the day, before we meet for a delicious breakfast and then checkout. We continue our drive on the EN1 highway through small villages with their colourful roadside stalls selling cashew nuts and the famous Portuguese Peri-Peri sauce which livens up even the most boring meal with its combination of spices and chilli’s. The scenery starts to change as we head further north, we begin to see lots of swaying palm trees and occasional glimpses of the sea. Finally we turn off the EN1 towards Inhambane Town, capital of Inhambane province, we leave the tar and turn south along the long dusty “red road” which weaves its’ way past the little villages with their friendly waving children. At last we crest a palm lined dune to arrive at our quaint home for the next few days “Guiquindo Lodge”. Check into our glass fronted rooms which all have a view of the sea, enjoy the intoxicating smell of the ocean as you slowly unwind. Wander down to the small private bar for a sundowner before enjoying a traditional Bar-B-Q with the addition of some Portuguese specialties, like spicy Peri-Peri chicken. Retire to the comfort of your rooms for a well deserved sleep.

Day 5: Wake up refreshed and ready for an exciting day. After a quick breakfast we will be transported, to the boat launch site where the scuba divers among us will depart on the dive boat, this part of the coast has a number of world famous dive sites and our lead diver knows them all, the rest of us will set off for an ocean safari looking for dolphins and whales(weather permitting)if the weather is not kind to us we will take the short drive to historic Inhambane town for a tour and a visit to the traditional market to shop for curios and to look around and absorb the atmosphere of this ancient town which was once the slave market on the east coast. We’ll return to the lodge for sundowners and to freshen up and afterwards we’ll take a short drive to one of the beach restaurants for a fabulous dinner.

Day 6: We start the day with a great breakfast, after which we bid a sad farewell to our bit of paradise and hit the road south. About four hours later we arrive in Maputo, the bustling lively capital of Mozambique, once known as Lorenco Marques and during the first and second world wars, the haunt of German U boats and spies. We can still see some of the lovely old Portuguese buildings, many of which are being restored to their former glory. We will check into one of the handpicked hotels that we have selected for your comfort and convenience. Mid-afternoon we will go on a city tour which will include the Iron House and the station. Both buildings are famous because Gustav Eiffel, architect of the very famous Eiffel  Tower, helped design them! For dinner we will go a Maputo landmark, the famous Costa Do Sol restaurant which has been around since the 1900’s, the infamous lady spy of World War 1, Mata Hari, reputedly frequented this restaurant. Enjoy a night cap at our hotel before retiring for a comfortable nights sleep.

Day 7: Kick start the day with a full house breakfast and then check out. We drive for an hour to Ressano Garcia border post and finally re-enter South Africa. From the border it is an hour and a half of easy driving on a real highway to KMIA airport, which lies close to White River town. Here we bid each other a fond goodbye before you board your connecting flight for Johannesburg, Cape Town or Victoria Falls for more adventures.