Kruger Park Safari, South Africa & Eswatini
11 Nights/12 Days
(Code KB11)
Ebony & Ivory Tour: Kruger National Park, Panorama Route, eSwatini & St Lucia
Leave the high plateau, our industrial heartland, and the scared landscape to enter a land of clear mountain streams. Descend to the mighty Kruger National Park to find herds of Zebra, Giraffe, and wildebeest while searching for predators, the shy Leopards, and prides of lions. Great Tuskers roam the park. Pan for gold in Makhonjwa, the oldest continent, visit an absolute monarchy before viewing Crocodile and Hippo on a boat cruise.
Day 1, Night 1 - Johannesburg to Panorama Route
Your Alan Tours guide will meet you at your residence or the airport in Johannesburg to board the tour vehicle for a memorable trip into the wilds of Southern Africa.
We depart in an easterly direction across the high plateau. Johannesburg, as such, was built on gold mined from the richest gold mines the world has ever seen. The massive yellow-to-white mine heaps surround the city and are being reworked to produce almost as much gold as they gave up when their gold was initially extracted. Passing further East, we start encountering many of these coal mines and their communities that work in these gigantic open-cast pits. These coal mines provide the coal to be burnt in the large coal-fired power stations and produce the energy requirements for the country.
We descend towards the eastern escarpment, fringed by the Drakensberg Mountains. Here we find our comfortable overnight accommodation in the foothills of these mountains.
We freshen up before our evening meal in the dining room. The warmth of a crackling wood fire keeps the chill out, as it can be cold this high up.
After dinner, we make our way to our comfortable accommodation and have a peaceful night’s rest in the clean mountain air.
Overnight guesthouse in the Drakensberg mountains, bed and breakfast.
Lunch and dinner are for own account
Day 2, Night 2 - Full Day Panorama Route
The area is known as the Panorama Route, due to the number of spectacular views, vistas, waterfalls, and forests. However, this part of the Drakensberg has much history to explore, so after a hearty breakfast, we check out, board the tour vehicle, and head off to discover the area.
We visit spectacular places such as the Three Rondavels, huge, rounded buttresses set in this massive canyon with a man-made lake far below, home to some gigantic crocodiles and a good population of hippos. God’s window offers spectacular views out over the low-lying country where, on a clear day, the coast of far-off Mozambique can be seen. Here we can visit a high mist forest with great places to take pictures.
We lunch in the shade of the trees and boulders at a peculiar bush restaurant on the banks of a clear mountain stream.
There are several view sites with beautiful waterfalls cascading down into streams that feed into the larger river at the bottom of the canyon. We stroll through an old gold mining town, a national heritage site where old, corrugated iron buildings, a hotel with a working pub, and other historical places of interest can be viewed.
Towards the end of the day, we make our way out of the mountains and descend to what is called the Lowveld (or low country, for want of a better word). Here the vegetation changes dramatically from the crisp mountain landscape as we start seeing trees that are representative of the woodland savannas that will become familiar as we travel through the Kruger National Park.
Acacia thorn trees, Marulas, and a few giant Baobab trees all indicate the hot, dry climate we are entering. We again meet the river we viewed from high in the mountains, where it now slowly flows east, bounded on its banks by great riverine trees.
Here we check into our overnight accommodation to freshen up for the evening meal and a peaceful night’s rest surrounded by the Bushveld.
Overnight: Panorama Route, Lowveld lodge, bed, and breakfast.
Lunch and dinner are for your own account.
Day 3, Night 3 - Panorama Route to Kruger National Park
We wake to take a delicious breakfast on the patio with the river slowly flowing through the property and surrounded by beautiful trees along its course. These trees are home to many colourful birds, reptiles, and insects while the immense cliffs of the escarpment loom high above us.
We check out after breakfast and depart for one of the centrally situated Rest camps in the prominent Kruger National Park. Depending on how we progress and what time we have available, we take our lunch break on the road to the park or in the park itself.
On arrival at the entrance gate, we check-in and have a short comfort break before starting our game-viewing experience. We travel north towards our overnight accommodation at a camp known for its prolific wildlife and excellent predator sightings.
After arriving in the afternoon, we check into our accommodation before venturing out again for the late afternoon/evening game drive. We continue searching for the fascinating sightings of wildlife, reptiles, and birds in this magnificent National Park. This late afternoon drive depends on our arrival time at the rest camp.
On our return, we freshen up and meet in the park restaurant for a well-prepared evening meal before making our way to our chalets for a peaceful night’s rest surrounded by the sounds of the African night.
The evening is a great time to relax, feet up on the porch, and listen to the African night, the bats flying between the trees, echolocating their way around, on silent wings between the fruiting trees. Listen for the deep-throated roar of a pride of Lions across the plains, the eerie, haunting call of the Spotted Hyena. For these creatures, this is their time to be active and to make a living as they search for food and proclaim their territories to one another over the darkened African savannas.
Overnight Kruger National Park Chalet, bed and breakfast
Lunch and dinner are for your own account.
Please note luggage should be packed in time for an early departure in the morning.
Day 4, Night 4 - Central Camp in Kruger National Park to Southern Camp in Kruger Park
After an early wake-up, a cup of hot coffee, and a traditional oven-dried bread roll or rusk, we pack our luggage in the tour vehicle in order to arrive at the camp gate as early as possible and set out into the morning light with a stunning sunrise to welcome the new day.
We continue to search the savannas for wildlife. Some are making their way to their dens after a busy night while others are awakening and stretching stiff, cold limbs as the new day arrives and they prepare for another day of feeding and interacting with the world around them. We make our way to our next overnight stop, at a rest camp in the south of the park in an area that is well renowned for its excellent game viewing.
There will be many opportunities to stop and view an ever-changing landscape and the abundant wildlife therein. Elephants, Lions, Buffalo and hippos, giraffes, Zebra, and many others, including a wide variety of birds, reptiles, and insects, will delight and entertain as we make our way south.
At around mid-morning, as we feel the first pangs of morning hunger, we stop en route for breakfast at one of the picnic sites or a rest camp. As the day progresses, we stop for a light lunch at a convenient site before reaching our southern destination at our overnight rest camp for the evening.
On arrival, the Alan Tours team will prepare the evening wood fire for a traditional braai in the bush. Now is the perfect opportunity to relax around the fire, reminiscing about the days of adventure, maybe scroll through the photographs you have captured, and listen to the day fade into the night in the African bushveld.
We finally make our way to bed with the sounds of the wild in these peaceful surroundings.
Overnight Kruger National Park Chalet, bed and breakfast.
Lunch and dinner (braai) are for your own account.
Day 5, Night 5 - Full Day Kruger National Park
As an optional extra, the park offers morning and evening game drives in their open game drive vehicles. For those wishing to take advantage of this activity, we wake early for the sunrise game drive with your armed ranger as they head out to catch the morning sightings. These might include but are not limited to: predators such as lions, the stealthy Leopard, Hyenas, and Jackals as their nocturnal wandering comes to an end. Catch the bird life serenading the morning at one of the best times to be in the park.
After the morning game drive, we return to camp for a big breakfast, after which you will need a little downtime to relax. Alternatively, to make the most of your time, you might like to explore the camp, watch the busy bird life, and familiarize yourself with the area and other animals that share these camps with their human neighbours.
We take lunch in our rest camp restaurant before boarding the tour vehicle for the afternoon game drive. We return to camp to freshen up for the evening meal and an early night’s rest under African skies under a blanket of billion stars.
Optional extra: Sunrise game drive or evening game drives in the park’s open game drive vehicle
Overnight Kruger National Park Chalet, bed and breakfast
Lunch and dinner are for own account
Day 6, Night 6 - Kruger National Park to Historic Gold Mining Town
For those who wish to take an early morning game drive, we wake early for the usual cup of coffee and rusks before heading out for your last game drive in this wonderful wildlife reserve.
We return to camp for breakfast and load our luggage before we check out. Slowly, we make our way out of the park, viewing the wildlife en route to the southern exit gate. We make our way to an early mining town in one of the oldest continents and rock formations in the world and the site of South Africa’s first gold rush, with some gold mines still producing this alluring metal today.
On arrival, we set off to explore the historical areas with their roots in the discovery of gold in South Africa. While exploring the town, we take a lunch break before heading out for a guided tour of one of the old mines in the area.
Here, we learn about the early history of gold mining in South Africa, after which you put on your gumboots (Wellingtons) and give gold panning for alluvial gold in the mountain streams a try.
We return to our comfortable guest house accommodation in time to freshen up before our evening meal at one of the restaurants in the area. After dinner, we make our way to bed after a fascinating day spent viewing some fascinating insights into the history of South Africa.
Overnight guesthouse, bed, and breakfast
Lunch and dinner are for your own account.
Day 7, Night 7 - Historic Gold Mining Town to eSwatini
After a hearty breakfast, we check out of our guesthouse, board the tour vehicle, and head for the hills or, more accurately, the Makhonjwa Mountains. These hills are known to be part of the oldest rock formations on Earth, at over 3.5 billion years of age.
Here, local geologists have laid out what is referred to as a Geotrail, a trail with viewpoints indicating a variety of clearly visible geological formations that take us back to the very start of our Earth’s history. We complete a part of this trail before crossing the mountains and the border post to enter the sovereign kingdom of Eswatini, or Swaziland as it was previously known.
Once through the border post, we make our way to a well-known glass-blowing factory. It is quite unique as they encourage the local community to bring old glass, cool drink-and-alcoholic beverage bottles from around the countryside, to recycle these bottles and create an income for the local people who get paid per kilogram for the glass. These bottles are molten down in the factory. Groups of crafters breathe life into the molten glass by creating enchanting interpretations of wild animals and birds of Africa, giving each unique piece a personality and life of its own. Each piece is entirely handmade, blown by mouth, and contributes immensely to keeping the country free of litter in the villages and along the roadsides.
After visiting the factory, we continue our journey through the country to our overnight lodge set in quiet surrounding on the outskirts of the capital of Swaziland, Mbabane. After freshening up, we meet in the restaurant for a delicious evening meal.
Overnight eSwatini lodge or similar, bed and breakfast
Lunch and dinner are for your own account.
Day 8, Night 8 - eSwatini to St Lucia Estuary
We wake in these peaceful surroundings and have our delicious breakfast before making our way south through the countryside to the largest center in the country and a bustling, vibrant marketplace. Here we spend some time taking in the atmosphere, sights, and sounds of a truly rural African experience. After visiting the marketplace, we continue onward and exit eSwatini in the south of the country.
Back in South Africa, we make our way to the coast and a lovely tourism village on the edge of a large river estuary close to the golden sandy seashore of the Indian ocean.
We check into our overnight accommodation. Depending on our arrival time, we board a river cruise for an afternoon on the estuary. The cruise gives us an opportunity to view the many Hippos and large crocodile population in the estuary. If too late, we simply take time to explore the banks of the estuary near the mouth, where there is a rich birdlife to explore.
There are peculiar signs warning people to take precautions when walking the streets at night as the Hippos and occasionally crocodiles can be seen feeding on the grass verges in the village.
We take our evening meal at one of the many local restaurants before heading back to the accommodation to sleep after a long day on the road.
Overnight St Lucia guesthouse, bed and breakfast
Lunch and dinner are for your own account.
Day 9, Night 9 - St Lucia Estuary
We wake for an early breakfast before boarding an open game drive vehicle that will take us on a guided tour of the nearby Game reserve. Here, we are fortunate to find a wide variety of Africa’s Big 5, as well as a diverse birdlife and reptiles, the largest of which is the Nile Crocodile, commonly found in the waters of the freshwater lake.
We return to the village in time for a light lunch and a rest before boarding a boat on the estuary (the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream) for an unforgettable boat cruise. During the cruise, we see many hippos and crocodiles that make this stretch of water their home.
There is a wealth of birdlife to be seen, as well as fascinating vegetation in the area. Both of these are important to the healthy condition of the canal, which your guide will point out to you.
Returning to shore, we head back to our accommodation to freshen up before making our way to your restaurant of choice in the village for a delicious evening meal. After dinner, we return for a comfortable night’s rest at the Guesthouse.
Overnight St Lucia guesthouse, bed and breakfast
Lunch and dinner are for your own account.
Day 10, Night 10 - Full Day St Lucia Estuary
There are a variety of activities to choose from in St Lucia, where we could embark on a marine boat cruise to view Dolphins, seasonal whales, or even Whale sharks. This marine tour is slightly different as we would launch the boat from the shore, which is an experience by its very nature. Further to this, there are some fantastic shallow reefs in the area. Enjoy some great snorkeling, and view life on a healthy, warm-water tropical reef.
Should there be wind or bad weather, a 45-minute drive will bring us to a Big-5 game reserve, where either a half or a full-day tour in open game drive vehicles will take us to the Big-5 up close and personal. There are activities to suit every need. We only need to choose once we are sure what it is that you are interested in doing on this pristine coastline that is the first National Heritage site in South Africa.
Today’s activities are for your account. Bookings essential
Overnight St Lucia guesthouse, bed and breakfast
Lunch and dinner are for your own account.
Day 11, Night 11 - St Lucia Estuary to Durban
Wake for a leisurely breakfast before taking a last stroll on the beach before checking out. We then depart from this magical place as we head south, down the highway towards our final destination, the bustling energy of the largest port in Africa, Durban.
Here we check into our comfortable Guesthouse accommodation and relax before freshening up for our evening meal and an early night before your departure the next day.
Overnight Durban guesthouse, bed and breakfast
Lunch and dinner for own account.
Day 12 - Durban
This day is reserved for your departure flight back home and the End of the Alan Tours services.
Check out after breakfast. Transfer to airport for own account.
Rates:
2 persons on tour: R 66 400 per person sharing
3-4 persons on tour: R 43 500 per person sharing
5-6 persons on tour: R 36 900 per person sharing
Minimum 2 persons
Please make sure you know whether you require a visa to cross over into eSwatini and what inoculations you require to conform to the laws of your country as well as that of eSwatini before embarking on your tour.
Tour includes:
• 12 day professional guided tour, vehicle, fuel, guide (trailer if required)
• 11 night accommodation as per itinerary
• Meals as per itinerary
Entrance/conservation fees Kruger National Park
• Community levy fees Kruger National Park
• Entrance fees Panorama Route
• Guided Mining tour
• Guided game drive St Lucia
• Boat cruise St Lucia
• Border fees
• Parking fees
• Toll fees
• Activities as per itinerary
Not included:
• Bar bills
• Lunch, dinner
• Gratuities
• Personal shopping
• Visa