Day-to-day schedule
Day 1: Johannesburg / Pretoria
Welcome to South Africa!
Your tour starts in Pretoria. You will meet yout tour leader at 14.00 hrs in the lobby of your hotel. Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa and is known, unlike Johannesburg, as a friendly city with many public buildings and monuments. Depending on arrival time you have the opportunity to do an optional tour to the township of Soweto. Former President Paul Kruger was a real hero of this city. His statue stands high at the Church Square. Another highlight in this town are the imposing Union Buildings (government buildings) designed by the renowned architect Sir Herbert Baker. Since you only have a limited amount of time in Pretoria it is not possible to see both Pretoria and Soweto in one day. So you will really have to choose between these two. You'll sleep in rooms for 2 persons with your own shower and toilet.
Day 2: Pretoria - Pilgrim's Rest - Sabie
In the morning we travel to the province of Mpumalanga, with a stopover in the Mankelekele Hills, where you have the opportunity to join an optional tour of the 2000 million year old Sudwala Caves. We then continue on to Pilgrim's Rest, the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains and the small countryside village of Sabie. Home to breathtaking waterfalls and small mountain creeks, it is the perfect place to pitch our tents for the first time. Sabie is justly proud of its SAFCOL Forest Industry Museum as this museum is the only one of its kind and definitely worth a visit.
Day 3: Sabie - God's Window - Blyde River Canyon - Kruger National Park
On day 3 you travel through God's Window and the Blyde River Canyon to the Kruger Park. This bizarre landscape is one in a million. Blyde River Canyon is a large 16 km long canyon, and after the Grand Canyon and the Fish River Canyon is the next biggest in the world. The impressive ravine is some 700 meters deep. One of the most spectacular vantage points is God's Window.
At the end of the day you arrive at the Kruger Park. If time permits you make a game drive through the park.
A few kilometers away, you can visit the Bourke's Luck Potholes (admission is included in the fare). The Treur River can be seen squeezing through a gorge on its way to its confluence with the Blyde River. The powerful water, filled with abrasive, loose rock has carved striking circular shaped cavities. Beyond the potholes, the road winds through the mountains, close to the edge of the canyon. You'll visit a number of viewpoints, each showing a different aspect of the gorge.
The next three nights will be spent sleeping on one of the campsites inside the park. It is possible that the campsites in the park are fully booked. In that case, there will be an alternative at the edge of Malelane and from there you will do your game drives into the Kruger Park on days 4 and 5. The entrance fee to Kruger National Park is included in the price.
Day 4: Kruger National Park
The next two days you can spend doing 'game drives' in the park. The game drives will be especially early in the morning and late in the afternoon. The famous Kruger National Park covers a vast territory and provides protection for many animals. Not only common species like wildebeest, the elegant impala, kudu, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, warthogs, hippos and elephants, but also the heavily endangered rhino. The great predators, you will find such as lions, cheetahs, and (with luck) leopards. Bird lovers have also come to the right place: over 500 species have been observed from the small weavers to the large ground hornbill. Where variety is concerned, the Kruger Park is one of the best parks in the world. The game drives are on our own truck and are included in the price of your holiday. At an extra charge you can also take an exciting sunset drive or an excursion off the beaten track in an open Land Rover. These can be booked on arrival and are subject to availability.
Day 5: Kruger National Park
Set off on the game drives again and see what the new day holds in store!
Day 6: Kruger National Park - Swaziland (Mlilwane Game Reserve)
After breakfast you will leave for the former British colony of Swaziland and head for the market in Manzini, where beautiful handmade crafts are sold. This small kingdom is home to one million friendly Swazis who are justly proud of their customs and live traditional lives. In the late afternoon we reach the Mlilwane Game Reserve, here we will spend two nights at a cosy campsite by a small lake. Over the next 2 days you may choose to go on a game drive, go horse riding, take a night drive or go mountainbiking. On your last morning why not take an escorted trek through the Mlilwane Game Reserve and see if you can spot the hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, zebras that live here. All activities are extra and are bookable on arrival.
Day 7: Swaziland
Early in the morning of day 7 you can (optional) walk through the Mlilwane Game Reserve (the entrance fee to Mlilwane is included in the fare). You have a great chance to see hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, impala, wildebeest, hartebeest, blesbok and zebra. In the lakes and rivers, many birds can be admired. You can also (optional) take a game drive, go horse riding, take a night drive or go mountain biking.
Day 8: Swaziland - Hluhluwe Park
We travel on to Hluhluwe Park. The unique Hluhluwe Park is especially created for the extremely rare white rhino. The species is close to extinction. Today there are approximately 1600 in the park so chances are that you will see these special animals here. Besides the rhino, you can see others including buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, various antelope species, lions, cheetahs, hyenas and elephants. The parks' Landscape is a thing of great beauty.
Day 9: Hluhluwe Park - St Lucia
Today we head to St. Lucia Park where it is possible to explore the nature both by foot and by boat trip. The St. Lucia Park is one of the oldest parks in South Africa and includes the huge lagoon of St. Lucia. The estuary is the largest in Africa and consists of a bay studded with islands, with only a small opening to the ocean. The lagoon is shallow, the flow is slow and the water is warm and rich in nutrients. The many fish are the food source for large numbers of crocodiles and water birds. These include pelicans, ibises, ospreys, herons and kingfishers. This trip especially offers the opportunity to enjoy the birdlife and is of course the best way to watch many hippos and crocodiles. The boat trip would be at your own expense however the tour leader can arrange the reservation.
You'll spend 2 nights in apartments in St. Lucia. The apartments are shared with 4 to 6 people. In the vicinity are restaurants where you can go out to dinner.
Day 10: St Lucia
Whilst staying in St Lucia go snorkelling or diving- you can take a trip to Sodwana Bay. These optional excursions are at your own expense.
Day 11: St Lucia - Amanzimtoti
After these wonderful days in St. Lucia you'll have a long driving day heading southward along the coast to Amanzimtoti. Here you'll stay in a comfortable hostel. The afternoon can be used to have a walk on the beach and spot dolphins or even go whale watching.
Day 12: Amanzimtoti - Drakensberg
The next two nights will be spent in a resort consisting of several little 6 bedroom houses in the Drakensberg Mountains, close to the magnificent Royal Natal National Park. In the background is Mont-aux-Sources the source of South Africa’s most important rivers; Orange River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean, and the Tugela which pours down 5 waterfalls, through a narrow overgrown cleft of extraordinary beauty, and flows into the Indian Ocean. This green, fertile land offers fantastic opportunities for walking trips short and long.
You stay in a resort which has several houses, each for up to 6 persons. The resort has a restaurant where you have your evening meal. The entrance fee to the Royal Natal National Park is included in the fare.
Day 13: Drakensberg
You may also opt for a horse back tour of this amazing landscape, these optional excursions and more are at extra cost and are bookable upon arrival.
Day 14: Drakensberg - Johannesburg
The last day of your tour. The tour will end in Johannesburg International Airport, after travelling from Drakensberg. We wish you a comfortable journey home and are sure you will take with you some wonderful memories of South Africa.
Your personal ‘my.shoestring’ page on our website is the perfect way to make contact with other travellers before and after your trip. You can read and create journals from trips and upload your photos onto the photo gallery. Visit my shoestring today.
When booking your tour, please check to see whether you need any post-tour nights, bearing in mind that accommodation for the night of the final day of the tour (day 14) is not included.
***Our tour to South Africa already has a guaranteed departure with a minimum number of 2 participants. All transport (and gamedrives in parks visited included in trip) by well maintained overland truck from 9 participants onwards. If the number is 8 or less then transport will be in a Toyota Quantum (minibus) or similar.
Difficulty Information
This journey is classified as Category B
The difficulty of our travels varies greatly. Added to this is the fact that travel difficulty is a very personal perception. To give an impression of the difficulty of a particular holiday we have developed a classification system.
Category A: Light travel for everyone to do. Short distances, good hotels, travel at a slow pace.
Category B: For everyone to do as well. Sometimes long distances. Good hotels and camping facilities, sometimes an adventurous overnight experience, travel at a normal pace.
Category C: Good to do for anyone who prepares themself well and is flexible. There are tougher parts of the journey, such as longer distances or walking tours. Several nights can be spent in basic accommodation.
Category D: A relatively difficult journey, travelling long distances, often primitive accommodation or tents, and challenging walking tours.
This journey through South Africa and Swaziland is in category B. The trip can be made by anyone who is in reasonable shape. Keep in mind that we go through developing countries, with a much lower standard of living than you are used to at home. Some travelling days can be long. Apart from that, it is possible that the roads are temporarily inaccessible due to bad weather or bad maintenance and we may have to divert from our planned route. Camping is quite popular, especially in the game parks. The facilities are generally good. You can have a shower almost everywhere and there are proper sanitary facilities. Some help is expected from you with domestic tasks, like doing the dishes and preparing the food. A flexible and open-minded attitude is more important than physical fitness.
Nature of the trip
This special journey unites magnificent game parks, colourful people and immeasurable space. You will safari in the famous Kruger game park. Explore darkest Africa in Swaziland. Enjoy the beautiful white beaches of KwaZulu Natal and walk through the majestic Drakensberg mountains.