URC7R: Sodwana Bay + Zululand Safari

Day 1

You will be met at Richards Bay Airport and transferred to Sodwana Bay Marine National Park in the Greater St Lucia Wetlands, a scenic 2-hour drive through rural Zululand.

Sodwana Bay is South Africa’s premier scuba diving location and recognised for its importance in marine conservation as a World Heritage site. This southern-most coral reef in the world, which stretches down from Mozambique, may be dived all year round although the best conditions are during the warm summer months (November to May).

Choose between a local dive resort, comprising simple but comfortable log cabins situated in the indigenous coastal forest, or upgrade to a luxury dive lodge situated right on the beach.

Check in, settle in and relax in your remote surroundings, where monkeys and antelope roam free.

Days 2 to 5

Rise early each morning, to be on the beach by 06h30 when underwater viewing conditions are at their best. From the wide beach, expect an exhilarating surf entry into the clear warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Water temperatures average 20-25°C and visibility is excellent at 30-50 ft, as no major rivers flow into the sea at this point

Depending upon prevailing weather conditions, you have a choice of over 20 different dive sites, with the reefs named after their distance from the launch site. Their hard and soft corals, canyons and caves are teeming with a huge variety of sea life, including over 1,200 species of fish, turtles, bottle-nosed dolphins, moray eels, ribbon tail rays, mantas, butterfly fish, angelfish, sharks, migrating whales (April to July), whale sharks (January to February) and much more.

After breakfast there is time for a second dive, but as the North-Easter tends to blow after 10h00, all dives should be completed by midday.

Spend the afternoon relaxing by the lodge swimming pool or on the pristine beach, surrounded by the highest naturally vegetated sand dunes in the world. Alternatively enjoy one of the optional activities that can be arranged for you or your non-diving partner, including a late evening marine trail to see the remarkable spectacle of the egg laying and hatching of loggerhead and leatherback turtles (November to January).

Day 6

Today you will be transferred to your luxury Private Game Reserve, a scenic drive of just under 2-hours.

Check in to your luxury game lodge, relax and settle in to your African bushveld surroundings. In the afternoon enjoy your first thrilling safari drive in an open-top game-viewing vehicle, accompanied by an experienced lodge ranger.

We hope to see several of the Big 5 – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard – as well as many other species before returning to camp and dining in the boma, a unique African experience.

Day 7

Up early today for a dawn open-top game drive, when game viewing conditions are at their best. We expect to see giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, the endangered white rhino and many other interesting species in addition to the Big 5.

Return to the lodge for a sumptuous breakfast, then relax by the swimming pool or enjoy a guided walk with a ranger to view the smaller trees, insects and flora of the region.

In the afternoon enjoy another exciting open-top safari drive with your lodge ranger, searching for game in their natural surroundings in one of the world’s greatest conservation areas. If you have not yet seen lion, today you hope for success!

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 8

Time permitting, this morning enjoy another open top safari game drive with your ranger before breakfast.

Return transfer to Richards Bay Airport (45-minutes).

[NB: Remember that it is essential that you do not fly within 24 hours of your last dive]