Wild Africa

Day 1: Arrival to Pretoria

Arrive at Johannesburg International Airport where your Fairfield Tours guide will meet you. Continue to your hotel in Pretoria.

Overnight: Burgerspark Hotel, Pretoria (BB)

Day 2: Pretoria

After breakfast you will travel through Pretoria for an orientation city tour. Visit the Kruger House – the house of the man that dared to challenge the might of the British Empire – Paul Kruger. Drive around Church Square that reflects a variety of architectural styles of Pretoria from the turn of the century. Visit the Voortrekker Monument and Museum – commemorating the Great Trek of the white pioneers, the Voortrekkers, into the hinterland. Enjoy a relaxing evening and dinner (own account)

Overnight: Burgerspark Hotel, Pretoria (BB)

Day 3: Pretoria to Ohrigstad

Breakfast and check out before continuing to the picturesque and scenic province of Mpumalanga. Follow the route past maize-fields and coalfields of the Witbank and Middelburg area. Travel through Lydenburg and onto Hannah Lodge. Enjoy a game drive on an open 4x4 vehicle. (Included) Enjoy dinner (Included) at this beautiful lodge.

Overnight: Hannah Lodge, Ohrigstad (DBB)

Day 4: Ohrigstad to White River

Waterfalls Today you will travel through the Panorama Route in the direction of White River. Visit the Blyde River Canyon, the third largest canyon and largest green canyon in the world, formed by rivers cutting deep into the escarpment. Continue to Bourke’s Luck Potholes, this world-renowned landmark formed over millions of years by waterborne sand and rock that scoured huge cylindrical potholes into the bedrock of the river. Another landmark is God's Window - so called for the panoramic view of the Lowveld (and in the distance the Kruger National Park) more than 900 m below. From the parking area a steep footpath along the edge of the escarpment leads to the actual view site where there is a Wild Nature Reserve at an altitude of 1 829-m. Continue with the Panorama Route to the Pinnacle a tower-like freestanding quartzite buttress, which rises 30 m above the dense indigenous forest.

Another magnificent sight is the Mac-Mac Falls, one of the most photographed and unusual sites in the lowveld area. The Mac-Mac River plummets down 65 meters. When gold was discovered along the Mac-Mac River in 1873, a frenzied gold rush ensued. Many of the miners were Scottish, and therefore the camp was named Mac-Mac. The Mac-Mac pools, to the south of the falls, consist of a series of rocky basins filled with water. Swimming is permitted. Your last stop before White River will be the historical forestry town of Sabie. Visit the Komatiland Forestry Industry Museum where you will take a unique look into the South African forestry history dating back to the origin of forestry to the present day.

Overnight: Pine Lake Inn, White River (BB)

Day 5: White River to Pilgrim's Rest to White River

After breakfast you will visit Pilgrims Rest, an old mining town. The whole town was declared a national monument. Accompany the tourguide to a digging site where you will view a demonstration before participating in the digging, a treasure hunt ensue which you will not forget. A certificate and sample is issued. A guided tour will take you down the street of this old mining town. Let your imagination take over. The tourguide will point out notable buildings in the village such as the Miner’s House Museum, Shop Museum, Alanglade House Museum, the Royal Hotel, the Old Print House, the post office and the town hall. Soon your mind will transport you to yesteryear with gold diggers, ox wagons and the lively music from the canteens. Enjoy a farewell drink.

Undertake a late afternoon visit to Shangana Cultural Village, as the sun is setting over the mountains. A guide will lead you through the bush towards the Great Kraal of Chief Soshangana. Learn about the story of the Shangaan people through music and dance. The chief’s wives serve a traditional feast, a culinary experience! Afterwards, the more culinary adventurous, also has the opportunity to sample crocodile, mopane worms and Impala. (Own account) Continue to your hotel where you will overnight.

Overnight: Pine Lake Inn, White River (BB)

Day 6: White River to Kruger National Park

Breakfast and check out. Proceed to one of the highlights of your visit, the Kruger National Park. You will now enter the largest Game Park in Africa. Here you have the opportunity for your first meeting with members of the “Big Five” and other game and a large variety of birds and reptiles. Do a safari in your coach or by open 4x4 vehicle and enjoy the experience of seeing the animals roaming free in their natural habitat. Proceed to your Rest Camp where you check in. Enjoy dinner at the restaurant. (Own account)

Overnight: Rest Camp, Kruger National Park (BB)

Day 7: Kruger National Park

Enjoy breakfast and continue on a full day 4x4 open vehicle game drive with game warden. Spend the day searching for the Big Five and enjoy the opportunity to view spectacular wildlife scenes. Experience the National Park’s many secrets, learning about the habits of the animals, watching the many different species of birds and indigenous plants and treas. Enjoy dinner at the restaurant at your rest camp. (Own Account)

Overnight: Rest Camp, Kruger National Park (BB)

Day 8: Kruger National Park to Swaziland

Early morning breakfast and check out. Depart to the mountainous Kingdom of Swaziland. Visit to the Ngwenya Glass Factory and watch the glass blowers in action. Visit a Swazi Craft Market in the Ezulwini Valley nearby your hotel. Check into your hotel, and spend the afternoon at leisure in the beautiful surroundings of this scenic part of Africa. Enjoy dinner (own account) at your hotel.

Overnight: Lugogo Sun, Swaziland (BB)

Day 9: Swaziland to KwaZulu-Natal/St Lucia

After breakfast and check-out you will drive via Manzini and Big Bend to the border post at Lavumisa where you leave Swaziland and cross into South Africa again. Continue to the Lodge where you can enjoy a dinner. (Own account.)

Overnight: Bayala Lodge, Hluhluwe (BB)

Day 10: Zululand / St Lucia

St Lucia Lake Today you will wake up at the crack off dawn and embark on a game drive in the Hluhluwe National Park on an open 4x4 vehicle. This park is renowned for its conservation of the white rhino. Experience the atmosphere surrounding you as nature wakes up. View the animals while enjoying your packed breakfast.

Visit Dumazulu for an African Cultural experience. Learn about traditional weapons, jewellery and be entertained by their dancing. Here you can enjoy lunch. Visit the “Illala Weavers” where you have a choice of many fine African Handcrafts. Browse through the shop to view a collection of traditional Zulu baskets, as well as Zulu beadwork and other articrafts. Return to the Bayala Lodge. Enjoy a boma dinner (own account.) (Weather permitting)

Overnight: Bayala Lodge, Hluhluwe (BB)

Day 11: Zululand to Durban

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before check out. Today you visit the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, which was recently proclaimed a natural World Heritage Site. It is one of the only areas in the world that encompasses five ecosystems. It has marine systems such as coral reefs, beaches and coastal forests, salt and freshwater marshes, open estuarine waters, lush coastal plains and the drier woodland areas. It is also home to the largest, southernmost population of hippos and 1000 crocodiles, a wealth of plant and animal life and rich bird life. The enormous lake of approximately 350 square kilometres in extent supports a variety of aquatic creatures both large and small and is part of the marine food chain. Being a shallow lake, there is much movement in the water and is a perfect habitat for birds and alike. Enjoy a boat sightseeing trip on the estuary, which could bring you in close proximity to hippos, crocodile and a variety of birds such as Fish Eagle, Goliath Heron and Kingfisher. Continue onwards to Durban. Check into your hotel and spend the remainder of the day at leisure. Have dinner at one of the restaurants at the hotel (Own account).

Overnight: Riverside Hotel, Durban (BB)

Day 12: Durban

Enjoy breakfast before departing on a city tour of Durban. Drive by the largest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere en route to the colourful Indian Spice Market. Drive by the City Hall, built in the Edwardian neo-baroque architectural style. Visit the Botanical Gardens regarded by many as one of South Africa’s most beautiful gardens, abundant with bird life, boasting an orchid house and cycad collection among other plant species. Spend the rest of the day at leisure relaxing on the beach, or the hotel’s swimming pool, or shop at the many sidewalk traders selling African crafts. Go for a rickshaw ride (own account – optional).

Overnight: Riverside Hotel, Durban (BB)

Day 13: Durban to Drakensberg

After breakfast you will continue to the Northern Drakensberg area. Drive via the Valley of a thousand Hills and stop to view the many arts and crafts along the route. Drive via Winterton and visit the Royal Natal National Park, situated high in the Drakensberg range, the park is famous for the Amphitheatre, a crescent-shaped rock wall, Mont-aux-Sources (3282m) which forms the continental divide and the Tugela Falls (850m). Baboons, black wildebeest, dassies, black eagles and bearded vultures, amongst others are common in the Royal Natal National Park. Bushmen are believed to have survived here until 1878 and their paintings can be viewed at four sites. Return on the road to the Alpine Heath Hotel where you can relax and enjoy dinner with the mountains as your background.

Overnight: Alpine Heath Hotel, Drakensberg (BB)

Day 14: Drakensberg

Today you can explore one of South Africa’s most beautiful regions, the Northern Drakensberg. You have the option to enjoy long hikes in the mountains or explore the scenic hillside on horseback. Alternatively, you can just relax and take in your beautiful surroundings.

Overnight: Alpine Heath, Drakensberg (BB)

Day 15: Drakensberg to Johannesburg

After breakfast, check out and travel to Johannesburg. Continue to the Ceasars Hotel and Casino where you can sit down for a farewell lunch, (own account) served at Cleopatra’s Table, here you can give in to the temptation of the Nile, experience the grandeur of the Egyptian Royalty. With a buffet banquet of over 120 distinguished dishes none of your lavish tastes will go unsatisfied (own account).

If time permits you can travel to Sandton. Spend your last few minutes in “Shopper’s Paradise”. Endless shops await your attention in the Sandton Square Centre. Proceed over the sky bridge into the Sandton City complex, or wander across to the Village Walk centre with its boutique shops. Transfer to the Johannesburg International Airport in time for your outbound flight. Continue to the Johannesburg International Airport where your Fairfield Tours tourguide will assist you with your check-in.

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