Highlights of North
Day 1: Johannesburg to Pretoria
Arrive at Oliver Tambo International Airport, where you will be met by a Fairfield Tours’ Guide. Continue to Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa. It is called the “Jacaranda City”, renowned for its colourful gardens, shrubs and trees, particularly in spring when the more than 80 000 Jacaranda trees are blooming.
Visit the majestic administrative headquarters of the government, the Union Buildings. From Meintjieskop it provides lovely views of the city and the surrounding gardens.
Continue to the Kruger House - the house of the man that dared to challenge the might of the British Empire - Paul Kruger. Visit the Voortrekker Monument and Museum - commemorating the Great Trek of the white pioneers into the hinterland. Continue to your hotel where you check in and overnight.
Overnight: Holiday Inn Pretoria, Pretoria (BB)
Day 2: Pretoria to Mpumalanga
Early breakfast. Depart for picturesque Mpumalanga. Travel along a major corn and coal producing area to Dullstroom & Lydenburg. A few kilometres north of the small town of Middelburg lies the museum village of Botshabelo. It preserves the culture of the Ndebele, who belong to the large group of Nguni peoples. They presumably came around the 15th and 16th century from Natal to live here in a quasi-peaceful co-existence with other Nguni groups. When the Boers settled in the 18th century north of the Vaal River, many Ndebele were employed as farm workers. The cultural heritage became marginalised. Only the communities in the south managed to preserve their traditional ceremonies and still show their identity through the unique colourful decoration of their houses. In their wall painting they abstractly depict items they saw when they first came into contact with white people. For example, they imitate the geometrical shapes of a razor blade or letters of the alphabet. Just as colourful as the wall paintings are the clothes and beaded jewellery of the women. They are a reflection of the families social status. Continue to Hazyview where you check in at your hotel.
Overnight: Hippo Hollow, Hazyview (BB)
Day 3: Panorama Route
Enjoy a delicious buffet style breakfast. Today you can explore the Panorama Route. Visit the beautiful Mac Mac Falls, one of the most photographed and unusual sites in the lowveld area. The Mac-Mac River plummets down 65 meters. It is named after Mac Mac village, the site of the gold rush of 1873.
Travel to Pilgrims’s Rest, the oldest mining town in South Africa, now a declared national monument. Take a stroll down the street of this old mining town and let your imagination take over. Soon your mind will transport you to yesteryear with golddiggers, oxwagons and the lively music from the canteens. Visit God’s Window for panoramic views.
Continue to Bourke’s Luck Potholes where you throw a coin and make a wish at this magnificent water sculptured sandstone. Minor imperfections in the dolomite rock have been worn away by the swirling water with its load of grit and pebbles, causing “potholes” to appear. Thomas Bourke, an early owner of the farm on which this feature is situated, discovered gold at the bottom of the holes. On to Blyde River Canyon, the largest Green Canyon in the world and the third largest overall. View the Three Rondawels, huge cylinders of rock with hut-like pointy 'roofs', rising out of the far wall of the canyon.
Overnight: Hippo Hollow, Hazyview (BB)
Day 4: Kruger National Park
Early wake up call for your full day game drive through the park in the comfort of your air-conditioned transport. You will now enter the largest Game Park in Africa. The Kruger National Park stretches north to south for about 350km, and is bordered by Mozambique to the east and Zimbabwe to the north. Its two million hectares of territory teem with life, including 147 mammals, 507 birds, 114 reptiles, 34 amphibian, 336 tree and 49 fish species. You will have great opportunities to see the Big 5 animals of Africa, being the lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo, as well as a great deal of antelope and other African wildlife. The hotel will supply you with breakfast packs. Continue to your hotel where you check in.
Overnight: Southern Sun Malelane Resort, Malelane (BB)
Day 5: Malelane to Swaziland
Early breakfast and check out. Travel to the magnificent little Kingdom of Swaziland. Enter Swaziland at the Jeppes Reef border post and travel in the direction of Piggs Peak. Travel to the Ngwenya Glass Factory and experience how the talented Swazi glass blowers create a range of enchanting African animals, marine life and tableware from 100% recycled glass collected for Ngwenya by the children of Swaziland. Visit the Craft Market near your hotel in the Ezulwini Valley. Continue to your hotel where you check in and enjoy the afternoon at leisure. Dinner (own account) at your hotel, or the Royal Swazi Sun where you have the opportunity to win a lot of money at the casino.
Overnight: Lugogo Sun, Swaziland (BB)
Day 6: Swaziland to KwaZulu Natal
Enjoy breakfast and check out. Drive via Big Bend and Manzini to Malkern’s Valley where you can pay a visit to the Candle Factory. The concept involves the cloaking of candle wax with a colourful intricately designed shell. Enter back into South Africa at the Lavumisa Border Post.
Travel to the Hluhluwe Umfolozi National Park for your afternoon game drive. The Hluhluwe Reserve lies in the valley of the Hluhluwe River and is an area of wide open spaces, changing landscapes, savanna, bush and mountains. The Umfolozi Reserve is linked by a corridor with the White and Black Umfolozi rivers flowing through the park. The Game Reserve is acclaimed internationally for its conservation efforts. Besides the Big Five – rhino, elephant, leopard, lion and buffalo, there is an astonishing variety of wildlife to ensure a fascinating encounter for the visitor. The Park is home to the largest population of the southern white rhino. The area offers zulu crafts and culture as well as an abundance of birdlife.
Overnight: Bayala Game Lodge, Hluhluwe (BB)
Day 7: KwaZulu Natal to Durban
After breakfast and check out. Today you will visit Shakaland for a true African cultural experience. Watch the traditional Zulu techniques of spear-making, hut-building, beer-brewing, pottery and weaving. Learn all about Zulu etiquette, traditional dress and the social structure of the village. Join in tribal dances, and enjoy a traditional Zulu lunch.
Continue to Durban, on arrival depart on a city tour. Drive by the largest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere en route to the coulourful Indian Spice Market. Drive by the City Hall built in the Edwardian neo-baroque architectual style. Visit the Botanical Gardens regarded by many as one of South Africas most beautiful gardens, abundant with bird life, boasting an orchid house and cycad colletion among other plant species. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, relaxing on the beach, at the swimming pool, or shop at the many sidewalk traders selling African crafts, even go for a rickshaw ride.
Overnight: Southern Sun Elangeni, Durban (BB)
Day 8: Durban International Airport
Transfer to Durban International Airport.
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