DPT12D: Safari + Battlefields + Drakensberg + Falls

Day 1

Arrive Durban Airport and meet your Battlefields safari host, who will transfer you to your luxury Beach Resort, situated 40-minutes north of Durban, renowned for its picturesque sandy beaches and reliably good holiday weather all year round.

Relax and unwind in warm sub-tropical surroundings on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

Day 2

Enjoy a full day excursion to uShaka Marine World, Durban’s newest and most exciting aquarium and entertainment complex situated in the old harbour area, which is being extensively re-developed.

Here you have the opportunity of viewing the large indigenous sharks of the Indian Ocean and a wide variety of other sea creatures in a world-class aquarium setting. You also have the opportunity of interacting with dolphins, seals and penguins and the Water World offers fun for all ages.

Interesting shops, numerous restaurants and a magnificent private beach with spectacular sweeping views will add more pleasure to your day.

Day 3

This morning your host will share with you the beauty of rural Zululand as you transfer to the famous Hluhluwe iMfolozi National Park, a drive of just under 3-hours.

On the way we stop at an authentically reconstructed Zulu Village to experience Zulu life and culture, and stop at a self-help project to give you the opportunity of supporting the local community by purchasing one of their handmade products.

Check in to your luxury game lodge situated just outside the park, relax and settle in to your African bushveld surroundings. Then enjoy your first game drive in an open-top game-viewing vehicle into the vast Hluhluwe iMfolozi National Park, hosted by a lodge ranger. We hope to see one or more of the Big 5, before relaxing with drinks around the campfire in the Boma and enjoying dinner, which is likely to include several interesting game dishes.

Day 4

Up early today for a 05h30 game drive in an open-top vehicle into the great Hluhluwe iMfolozi National Park, hosted by your lodge ranger. This is one of South Africa’s most beautiful game parks and home to all the Big Five and the subcontinent’s largest population of endangered white and black rhino. We expect to see lion, buffalo, rhino, elephant, giraffe and many other interesting species.

Return to the lodge for a full breakfast at approx 09h30. The remainder of the morning is free to relax at the lodge or enjoy a guided walk on the lodge property with a ranger to view the smaller trees, insects and flora of the region. In the afternoon return to Hluhluwe iMfolozi for a full afternoon of game viewing with your host in his vehicle.

Whilst the sun sets over the park, enjoy sundowners in the scenic hills and in the evening dine in the atmosphere that only the African bushveld can provide!

Day 5

After a leisurely breakfast, today we reluctantly leave Hluhluwe iMfolozi and enjoy a boat ride on the Lake St Lucia estuary to see hippos and crocodiles. Part of the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park, this area has been declared a World Heritage Site because of its importance to marine conservation. With over 600 different bird species in the region, including flamingos and pelicans, it also offers one of the greatest bird watching experiences in the world.

We continue to the remote battlefields at Isandlwana, a scenic 3-hour drive through rural Zululand. On the way we visit a Zulu Village to experience Zulu life and culture and stop at a self-help project to give you the opportunity of supporting the local community by purchasing one of their handmade products.

Check in to your luxury Zulu accommodation, settle in an enjoy dinner whilst absorbing some of the fascinating history of this great conflict between Britain and the proud Zulu Kingdom. Then take time to view the pristine stars of the Southern Sky, including the distinctive Southern Cross.

Day 6

This morning we visit the poignant battlefield at Isandlwana, where in 1879 the mighty British army suffered the greatest defeat in its history following its controversial invasion of Zululand. See for yourself the events portrayed so passionately in the film Zulu Dawn, as the regiment was wiped out almost to a man by 25,000 Zulu warriors.

We continue to Fugitives Drift, where a handful of survivors fought valiantly to save the Queen’s colours and Rorkes Drift, where the following morning honour was restored as a small contingent of 100 British soldiers (many of them sick) held off over 4,000 Zulus earning no fewer than 11 Victoria Crosses – unforgettably brought to life by Michael Caine in the film Zulu.

Recommended Reading:
Brave Men’s Blood – Ian Knight
 
Day 7

This morning we drive 3-hours to the spectacular uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountains, recognised as a World Heritage site for their unspoilt natural beauty and vast collection of San Bushmen rock art paintings.

On the way we stop at Spioenkop Battlefield to hear some of the key events of the Anglo Boer War of 1899, which followed shortly after the after the conquest of Zululand as the British Empire turned its attentions to the lucrative Transvaal goldfields. At Spionkop the most futile and bloodiest of four battles took place in vain efforts to relieve Ladysmith. We visit Mount Alice, site of General Buller’s camp, and consider the preliminary action at the Rangeworthy Hills, the Battle of Ntabamnyama, as we ponder the utter futility of war.

If you have a deep interest in military history, time permitting it is also possible to stop at one or more of the following Boer War sites and museums:

• Ladysmith & Wagon Hill – site of one of the worst sieges in the history of the British army
• Talana Hill, Dundee – the first battle of the war, where khaki was worn for the first time
• Elandslaagte – site of an infamous cavalry charge
• Lombardskop & Vaalkrans battlefields

Recommended Reading:
Boer War – Thomas Pakenham

We continue to the Drakensberg Mountains. Known locally as the Barrier of Spears, the dramatic Drakensberg Mountain range runs right down Southern Africa from the Great Rift Valley. Visit the Didima Bushman Rock Art Centre before checking in to your luxury mountain resort.

Once you are settled in bid farewell to your host, who will leave you to enjoy the many facilities of your resort.

Days 8 and 9

The Drakensberg Mountains offer superlative scenery and fresh mountain air, making it ideal for walking holidays at any level of fitness. Your hotel will organise guided walks each day – typically one short walk and one long walk, plus a walk to a San Bushmen painting.

The mountains also offer an outstanding location for bird watching holidays – particularly raptors, but also sunbirds, waxbills and the numerous other species found in the grasslands, riverine scrub and natural forests.

Resorts in the Central Drakensberg have access to a 9-hole golf course, with an 18-hole championship course nearby.

You resort also has a swimming pool and caters for the following activities:

• Fly Fishing
• Horse Riding
• Tennis on floodlit courts
• Lawn Bowls
• Badminton
• Mountain Biking
• Table Tennis
• Darts and Pool

Each evening enjoy socialising with other guests over dinner.

Day 10

Early morning 3-hours transfer to Durban Airport for your flight to Johannesburg (1-hour) and onward flight to Livingstone in Zambia (2-hours).

You will be met at Livingstone Airport and transferred to your hotel on the banks of the Zambezi River, near the mighty Victoria Falls.

Check in, settle-in and relax whilst you catch your first glimpses of the magnificent Smoke That Thunders first discovered by Dr. David Livingstone and still one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. The flow of water over the Victoria Falls is greatest during the wet months (February to June) but the falls are a magnificent sight at any time of year.

Days 11 and 12

Today explore on foot the mighty Victoria Falls, situated close to your hotel and offering magnificent views.

Later relax by the swimming pool and enjoy the many pleasures of your hotel, or participate in one of the many local activities, such as a helicopter flight over the falls or an elephant-back safari.

Adrenalin seekers can participate in many adventure holiday activities, such as canoeing in the gentler rapids above the falls; white water rafting in the turbulent gorge below the falls (beware: grade 5); or bungi jumping from Victoria Falls Bridge! There is also an interesting local craft market.

On one afternoon enjoy a Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River to see hippos, crocodiles and the abundant bird life.

Day 13

Return transfer to Livingstone Airport for your journey home.