4 Day Tour Itinerary
Day 1
Arrival at Kruger National Park
After spending the night in Johannesburg or after an early arrival at OR Tambo Airport you are picked up by your guide with a comfortable air conditioned vehicle who then takes you on a 5-6 hours’ drive to Paul Kruger Gate, one of the entries to Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga Province. During the transfer you will have opportunity to buy provisions or have a quick meal at one of the rest stops along the way (total stopping time ̴1 hour). At Paul Kruger Gate you will change vehicles to an Open Safari Vehicle which gives you a 180 degrees panoramic view of the African savannah with a full experience of all smells and sounds, and a perfect vantage point to see over high grasses and bushes. We reach Skukuza Rest Camp after your first game drive, just before the gate closes for the night. After check in you settle in to your Safari Tents – these are fixed structure tents with real beds but with tent walls and roofing and shared facilities. You can choose your own meal at the camp restaurant this evening in a romantic setting next to the river (not included). We have an early night to be ready for the full day Safari the next day.
Day 2
Morning Walk, Safari experience and bush braai
We get up at dawn to make the most of our Kruger Safari. You take part in one of the spectacular and informative morning walks that are offered by the national park in the early hours of the morning. Accompanied by two experienced, armed park rangers you will first drive out into the bush and then embark on a 2-3 hours walk in an area that is deemed safe and suitable by your guides. During this walk you experience the bush from a completely different perspective without the barrier of the safari vehicle. The animals react to you in a completely different way and you are being made aware of the signs and sounds of the bush as you learn about tracks, plants and insects and get another chance of seeing animals. Your guide will wait for you at the camp with the breakfast and we will depart on safari afterwards.
We spend the morning in search of all the iconic animal species including the Big 5 with a dedicated professional field guide, who will use expert knowledge of the area to interpret the natural environment for you in every detail. Your guide will frequent various waterholes and river systems as well as other Kruger hotspots to maximize your opportunity to see as much as possible and ensure the scenery on display is ever changing and picturesque. Later we stop at one of the rest camps for a lunch at the restaurant. In the evening we reach Satara Rest Camp where your guide pitches the dome tents and prepares a cooked dinner for you while you have a look around the camp or enjoy the pool area.
Day 3
Full day safari and overnight at observation post (hide)
We get up at dawn to make the most of our Kruger Safari. Your guide prepares a quick coffee for you and you can have rusks with your drink for a quick snack as we get on our way. Alternatively, you may join one of the spectacular and informative morning walks that are offered by the national park in the early hours of the morning; if you chose to do so your guide will wait for you at the camp with the breakfast and we will depart on safari afterwards.
After a day's safari towards the North we reach Mopani Camp in the evening for check in. The observation post is a short drive from the main rest camp. Our guide gets the fire going and you settle in with the camp provided bedding, mosquito nets and cooking supplies. Your guide prepares a rustic braai for you and you gather around the camp fire for dinner and storytelling as the bush around you comes to live in the darkness of another African night. You spend the night in the observation post which is secured by a tall wooden fence, built above ground on stilts and with open windows secured by a mesh grid. Your rustic but comfortable beds are covered by mosquito nets. During the night you are most likely to hear animals of all kinds move around and vocalize in the dark as there is a water hole just next to the observation point (all from a safe viewing spot). At dusk you have the best chance of seeing animals frequent the water hole. This is possibly your greatest adventure yet and an experience you will never forget.
Day 4
Last game drive and return to Johannesburg
From 6am the observation post is again open for day visitors so we leave after an early breakfast to have a shower at the main rest camp. We make our way to Phalaborwa Gate where your transfer vehicle awaits you for your transfer back to Johannesburg.