Practical infos ...
Trip start: Johannesburg airport.
Trip end: Durban airport.
Groups...
4 min - 7 max.
Age min: 16 years.
Accommodation...
All nights are in chalets, bungalows or B&B. In Imfolozi, 2 nights of camping in tent for 2 paxs.
This tour can also be done with 5 nights in camping (Kruegr and Wild Coast).
Transport...
In minibus for transfers. In 4x4 for some safaris.
Meals...
Meals are prepared and cook by the guide or the cook. In Imfolozi and Swaziland meals will be cooked by the camp staff. In Durban and Johannesburg, meals in restaurant.
Comfort...
Comfort is good. 2 nights in Imfolozi, the comfort will be basic (bush shower, no toilet).
Difficulty...
This trip is accessible to the most people (kids over 16 years old). No experience is necessary, this trip is offering lots of walks so a good health is compulsory...
Conditions...
What is included...
Transfers, trek on the la Wild Coast, tracking on foot in Imfolozi, safari in Kruger Park, meals included, accommodations, equipment, professional’s guides.
What is not included...
International flight, meals excluded, entrances fees for parks (60 € per paxs, to pay on arrival) drinks, souvenirs, gratuities.
Day by day
D1 : Johannesburg...
Your guide will meet you at the airport. This is a day to get to know each other and prepare the trip with the rest of the group and the team. Depending on your time of arrival we may have time for a short visit of the city. Meals to your own account.
D2 : Kruger Park…
Today we transfer to the largest national park of Southern Africa: the world-renowned Kruger Park. The diversity of the ecosystem remains very impressive: 500 bird species, 146 mammals and 23 000 plants! We overnight in one of the bush camps, far from the busy roads. Not only they are very comfortable and blend perfectly with the environment, but their smallness and position allow for close contact with nature.
D3 : Kruger Park : game walks and night drives...
At dawn on Day 2, accompanied by an armed ranger, we set off on foot on the tracks of the animals. The rest of the day is spent game driving. Just before sunset, we go on a night drive in an open 4x4, which gives us a chance to spot nocturnal animals. We overnight in cottages in a bush camp inside the park.
D4 : Kruger Park : game drive in 4x4...
Full day safari in open 4x4 to benefit from the best conditions of observations and photographs. Overnight in Guest Cottages in a bushcamp.
D5 : Kruger - Swaziland...
We depart the Kruger Park and head towards Swaziland. We are travelling north-east, far from the tourist routes, in the green mountains of the Lubombo. We will be based high up, in a small and comfortable hutted camp, which offers an amazing view of the valley 300m below. This camp is managed by the local Swazi communities who live in the area and we will visit their village in the afternoon. In the evening, we savour a traditional dinner prepared by our local hosts. Overnight in huts in a small community-based camp.
D6-7 : Imfolozi: walking safari...
Umfolozi, kingdom of the rhinoceros...
We depart Swaziland by its south border and around midday we enter one of the most scenic game reserves of South Africa: Hluhluwe-Imfolozi. Besides the 300 bird species, lion, elephant, buffalo and 80 other mammal species, Imfolozi boasts the largest rhino population of Africa. With its landscape of rolling hills, abrupt cliffs and meandering rivers, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is unrivalled in its aesthetic character and the range of walking safaris it offers!
Wilderness safari...
The southern section of the reserve (30 % of the total area) is a protected wilderness area, entirely devoid of roads and permanent camps. This sector of the park is only accessible on foot, for groups of no more than eight people. So that is how we will discover the captivating atmosphere of Imfolozi: on foot, accompanied by armed rangers and spending two nights camping in a secluded, basic, tented camp. You can’t get closer to nature!
Note...
The bush camp is approximately a two-hour walk away from our main camp. During this first walk only, guests are required to carry a small backpack containing the personal belonging you’ll need for the three days you’ll spend in the bush. Towels and beddings are provided!
D8: Imfolozi - Durban...
After the breakfast, we spend another 2 hours in the reserve to look for animals. Then we set off for Durban where we arrive to have lunch (at your expense). Afternoon will be the opportunity to discover this cosmopolitan city. Overnight in B&B around. Dinner at the restaurant (at your expense).
D9 : Wild Coast…
Today, we continue further south! Our road leads us in the heart of unique and authentic Wild Coast. We reach our camp, facing the ocean in the afternoon. Possibility of swimming..
D10 : Wild Coast…
Here, we are literally in the heart of a long-gone-by South Africa, where local Xhosa communities still live very much a typical traditional life, herding their cattle and sleeping under thatched roof huts without running water or electricity. We discover this region on foot. Through hills and reefs, beaches inaccessible other than on foot and across estuaries, we walk through what is arguably the most scenic coastal region of South Africa. We walk slowly, enjoying the beaches, the landscape, the rich flora and bird life of this region, without forgetting the whales and the dolphins in season!
The Wild Coast is the home of the Xhosa ethnic group. Our hike is run in collaboration with local communities who provide us with local guides during the walks. This gives travellers the unique chance of sharing genuine moments of their life with the locals and in turn bring benefit to communities through tourism.
Full day walk which will make us pass by magnificent sceneries: rocky formations of cathedral shapes and waterfalls collapsing 100 meters down directly in the ocean! Overnight in the same place
D11 : Wild Coast…
Full day of walk along Wild Coast. In the middle of the afternoon, we arrive at our lodge built on a hill overlooking the Indian Ocean, right in the heart of the Wild Coast. A river flows at the foot of the hill and its estuary is surrounded by an exclusive sandy beach where one can swim all year long. Near the river lies one of the most beautiful mangrove forest found in the country.
D12 : Wild Coast…
A day of relaxation to take advantage of this idyllic place by enjoying the beach and the white sand with possibilities of swimming in the ocean or in the river and or exploring the estuary and its mangrove swamps it canoe.
D13 : Wild Coast - Durban…
After the breakfast, we say goodbye to the Wild Coast and take the road for Durban. Have lunch to the restaurant (excluded). Drop off at Durban airport (or possibility of being transferred to Johannesburg). End of the journey!