Northern Safari Explorer
ITINERARY

1-4
Kruger National Park
Wildlife
Ready for a wildlife trip you won’t forget in a hurry? Then let’s go! You’re off to two of South Africa’s best-known National Parks to get up close and personal with the giant wild animals that roam the lands.

You’ll be flying into Johannesburg, where you’ll transfer on a short internal flight (under 1 hour) to the world-famous Kruger National Park. You’ll be welcomed with a delicious afternoon tea and then, after a quick turnaround to unpack your bags and freshen up, it’s straight into the action with your first game drive. In the evening you will be feasting on a traditional braai (South Africa BBQ) and if you’ve not had one before, then boy - are you in for a treat. Tuck into rich, juicy sausages, succulent, seasoned chicken and some surprise South African specialties too – all mouth-wateringly delicious! 

The next two days follow the same, perfect structure to give you double the opportunity of seeing the very best that Kruger has to offer. Kruger is home to the Big 5; lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo. You’ll have a chance to spot these magnificent animals during a morning game drive when they are at their most active, and then it’s back to the lodge for a hearty breakfast. You can spend the rest of the morning at your leisure, then you have the opportunity to go on a second game drive in the afternoon, when the guides will have information about earlier sightings and where they took place, and when the watering holes can be busier as the animals try to cool off. After that, there’s only one thing to do… sundowners! What a way to end the day.

 

THINGS TO DO
Kruger National Park Game Drive
Kruger National Park Game Drive
Half-day experience
Visit the world-famous Kruger National Park and spot the Big Five.

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5-8
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Wildlife
On day 5 you will enjoy a final early morning game drive and breakfast at the lodge before heading on an internal flight to Thanda Safari Lodge, where you will be based during the second half of your trip. This is the ideal base from which to visit Phinda Game Reserve, and your first opportunity to do so will be the very same day when you can join an afternoon game drive. Enjoy a Boma dinner in the evening and then get cozy as you sleep out under the stars – at this luxury tented lodge though, you will be doing anything but roughing it!

While at Thanda you will get another opportunity to see the Big 5, as this is the second of South Africa’s wildlife-rich hotspots. There are further morning game drives to enjoy when you head off in search of active leopards bouncing about full of morning energy and sleepy lions waking from their slumber to check out the prey situation.

On day 7 you will enjoy a cultural visit to a Zulu village to learn all about the spiritual lives and historical traditions of the Zulu people. You’ll learn the significance of their cattle, which are an integral part of their community and are only killed reluctantly when needed for food or ceremony. Then it’s back to your luxurious lodge to enjoy a final night in the warm South African heat before saying goodbye to this marvelous country the following day when you begin your journey home, full of love and appreciation for the spectacular wildlife you have just shared your past week with.