Guided Safari: Sterkfontein + Mapungubwe + Kruger Park
SPW8J

You will be met at Johannesburg Airport and transferred to your hotel in this thriving city.

    

Check in and relax under warm blue South African skies, or enjoy the many shops and restaurants.

This afternoon your host will show you some of South Africa’s greatest archaeological treasures as you visit the Maropeng Visitors Cente and Sterkontein Caves situated in the Cradle of Humankind - a World Heritage site dating back billions of years. Dr Broom found one of the first ape-men in these caves, which have since yielded many incredible archaeological treasures.

 

In the early evening relax in the lovely grounds of a private Observatory, before viewing the stars of the southern sky whilst enjoying dinner. This includes viewing the spectacular Southern Cross and Milky Way through a 16-inch Meade and 25-inch Newtonian telescope - the two largest privately owned telescopes in South Africa (weather permitting).

Today your host will introduce you to the stark beauty of Limpopo Province and the far northern Transvaal, home of the gigantic and unusual baobab tree, on your scenic 5-hour journey. We pass through Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa and renowned for its jacaranda trees that flower from September to November.

 

Travelling northwards through Polokwane, we continue to Mapungubwe, which is situated at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers which form the borders of three countries – South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Check into your lodge in baobab country.

Start your visit with a guided tour of the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site.

 

Over a thousand years ago Mapungubwe Hill (“The Place of Jackals”) was the centre of the largest kingdom in Southern Africa, populated by the Shona people and forerunner of the Great Zimbabwe civilisation. Its highly sophisticated people had a well-developed class system and traded gold, ivory, copper and exotic beads with China, India & Egypt. A small gold foil rhinoceros was found in a royal grave at this important archaeological site, as well as other artefacts from this advanced African civilisation, which flourished before colonisation.

  

Afterwards visit Mapungubwe National Park to view game. There is also the option of tracking endangered wild dogs at Venetia Game Reserve, or walking to view ancient Bushman rock paintings.

Leaving Mapungubwe, today we travel 2-hours along the Limpopo River with its giant baobab trees to Honnet Nature Reserve, where we make a brief stop. After travelling another 2-hours we enter the world famous Kruger National Park, entering at the far northern Pafuri gate.

 

Game viewing opportunities should present themselves almost immediately and hopefully we will see several species of antelope, zebra, wildebeest and maybe even giraffe before we check into our rest camp.

 

The Kruger National Park offers a choice of nine rest camps, each situated in a different section of the park with its own unique flora and fauna - Pafuri, Shingwidzi,  Letaba, Olifants, Satata, Lower Sabie, Pretoriuskop, Skukuza and Berg-en-Dal. Accommodation is in simple but comfortable thatched game park bungalows, with your guide having an allowance to purchase breakfast and dinner at the camp restaurant. After checking in, settle in and relax in the atmosphere that only the African bushveld can provide!

Today we spend much of the day travelling to our next rest camp in the Kruger National Park, game viewing along the way and stopping at picnic spots and other sites of interest.

 

On arrival check into your accommodation and enjoy bird watching around camp.

Today is devoted to game viewing in the Kruger National Park. As you will have the services of a private driver/guide, you will have the flexibility of discussing preferred routings and travelling times with him each day. However we recommend setting off early each morning as the camp gates open (05h30 to 06h00 depending on the season), to take advantage of the best game viewing conditions of the day.

   

Explore the famous Kruger National Park, which offer magnificent game viewing opportunities and the highest concentration of lion in the whole of Africa. Hope to see several of the Big Five today - Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhino - as well as many other species before returning to camp for breakfast, or buy provisions at camp and cook breakfast at a picnic spot.

 

The rest of the morning is free to relax by the camp swimming pool and enjoy bird watching, before setting out again at the time of your choice (usually the late afternoon) for another game drive. One game drive per day will be in an open-top game viewing vehicle operated by the Kruger National Park (normally late afternoon/evening), with all other game drives taken with your host in his air-conditioned vehicle, as this is more comfortable in the heat of the day. With nearly 150 different species of mammals and over 100 species of reptiles in the Kruger National Park, you can hope to see cheetah, giraffe, hippo, kudu, crocodiles, sable antelope, waterbuck, warthogs, baboons, wild dogs and many other interesting animals. With over 500 different bird species including eagles, kingfishers, vultures and storks, outstanding bird watching is also guaranteed.

  

After a beautiful African sunset, enjoy the balmy evening and pristine stars of the Milky Way as you have never seen them before – as well as the spectacular Southern Cross.

  

Children < 12 are not allowed on open top game drives, but may enjoy unlimited game drives in your host’s vehicle

Today enjoy a final morning of game viewing in the Kruger National Park.

 

In the afternoon continue to Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre where you have the unique opportunity of viewing wild lion, leopard, cheetah, eagles and vultures at close quarters. Animals found injured, poisoned or orphaned are given a second chance and released back into the wilds.

 

Check into your lodge in this region famous for its beauty and wildlife.

Today visit the green Blyde River Canyon, God's Window and Bourkes Luck Potholes, before transferring 4-hours to Johannesburg Airport for your flight home.