On Safari in South Africa – Kruger National Park

Tour Itinerary

• Day 1 • Fly to Johannesburg

  Overnight flight.

• Day 2 • Arrival

  Upon arrival, meet your tour guide and transfer to Sanctuary Mandela Johannesburg. Enjoy lunch, then spend a relaxing afternoon unwinding and acclimatising, perhaps joining your guide for a nature walk into the sumptuous lodge grounds. Dinner will be served at the lodge this evening.

• Day 3 • Transfer to Camp Bethel

  After breakfast make the scenic transfer to Camp Bethel, your home for the next six nights. A stop will be made on route for lunch. When you arrive late afternoon, you’ll have a brief camp orientation and the chance to freshen up. Enjoy a first night in the African bush, perhaps with a sundowner in hand, as the sunset turns the sky a vibrant patchwork of red, orange and yellow. Guests will meet at the boma before dinner, where the fires are lit for an authentic bush welcome. Dinner tables will be set on a wooden deck overlooking the bush – keep an eye out for the resident bush babies playing in the trees!

• Day 4 • Included full-day Kruger National Park safari

  Set off early for Orpen Gate in Kruger National Park to seek the Big Five—lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo—along with eagles and vultures, enjoying a packed breakfast at a scenic picnic stop. Explore the lush, knob thorn and bush willow landscapes of the south, contrasting with the mopani-dotted north, pause for lunch at a rest camp, and continue your open-air safari with stops at waterholes and viewpoints in search of elusive wildlife before returning to camp for a relaxed dinner by the campfire.

• Day 5 • Wildlife Rehabilitation Tour

  After breakfast, visit a local wildlife rehabilitation centre that cares for injured and poisoned animals unable to return to the wild, beginning with a film presentation followed by a two-hour tour to see cheetahs, African wild dogs, vultures, and learn about leopard research and conservation challenges; lunch follows at a local restaurant. This afternoon, you may join an optional boat cruise through Blyde River Canyon to view the Kadishi Tufa Waterfall—one of the world’s oldest—along with the Three Rondavels and abundant wildlife including antelope, hippos, crocodiles, and birds such as the African fish eagle and African finfoot, with soft drinks served on board.

• Day 6 • Morning Safari to Kruger National Park

  Keep watch for buffalo and elephants as your guide shares expert insights into Kruger National Park’s remarkable biodiversity, home to 146 mammal species, nearly 500 birds, 114 reptiles, 49 freshwater fish, 33 amphibians, and countless unique flora and insects. After lunch served in a dry riverbed at camp, you may join an optional afternoon safari to see the bush transform at sunset, when nocturnal creatures such as caracals, bush babies, porcupines, and ant bears begin to emerge.

• Day 7 • Included panoramic mountain tour

  After breakfast in the camp’s boma, set off on a panoramic tour of the Drakensberg Mountain Range, stretching over 600 miles, and the dramatic Blyde River Canyon—over 16 miles long and 2,000 feet deep—followed by stops at the Three Rondavels, God’s Window with its sweeping Lowveld views, and the 308-foot Lisbon Waterfalls. Enjoy lunch in the forested town of Graskop, known for pancakes and curio shops, before returning to camp.

• Day 8 • Greater Kruger National Park, Nature Walk, Nyani Cultural Village Tour & Farewell Dinner

  Enjoy a final safari in a private reserve within Greater Kruger National Park, pausing for a picnic breakfast as your guide explains the vital plant life, including the marula tree used to make Amarula liqueur, before returning to camp for lunch and a guided nature walk where zebra, kudu, nyala, and warthog often roam. Later, visit the Nyani Cultural Village for music and dance performances in a traditional Boma theatre by San, Tsonga, Shona, Venda, Swati, and Zulu tribes, then head back to camp for your last night in the bush, celebrating with a traditional braai and sharing reflections on a memorable week in South Africa.

• Day 9 • Departure

  After breakfast, bid farewell to the wonderful staff at Camp Bethel as you transfer to Johannesburg airport for your overnight return flight after a fabulous, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

• Day 10 • Arrive back in the UK

  Early morning arrival.