Affordable South Africa Safari - 17 days

Watching elephants in Hluhluwe Reserve in KwaZulu Natal

See the Best of South Africa on this Affordable Sunway Safari

This safari offers a wonderful journey through South Africa and the neighbouring Kingdom of eSwatini (Swaziland).

Highlights include Kruger National Park, the Game Reserves of KwaZulu-Natal and Addo Elephant National Park as well as the diverse landscapes of the Drakensberg, Garden Route, Winelands and Cape Town.

Starting in Johannesburg and ending in Cape Town, long travelling days are generally followed by a full day to experience each area.

Additional nights can be added post-tour in Cape Town or on selected dates you can continue your overland safari from Cape Town to Namibia and Botswana before ending in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. See below for details.

Tour Code: SAa17
Tour Name: South Africa & Swaziland Rainbow Route - Affordable
Duration: 17 days
Touring Style: Small Group - Max 12
Grade: Accommodated - Affordable

Price From: NZ$4,520 per person (twin share)
Local Payment? No
Starts: Johannesburg, South Africa
Ends: Cape Town, South Africa
Includes: Entrance Fees, Transport in minibus/safari truck, accommodation, meals as per itinerary, professional guides, game drives, guided walks

Highlights:
Cape Town, Drakensberg Mountains, Hluhluwe Game Reserve, KIngdom of eSwatini, Kruger National Park, Msinene Nature Reserve, Tsitsikamma

ItineraryDates & PricesTour InfoGallery

DAY 1 - 2 | JOHANNESBURG to GREATER KRUGER

Departing from Johannesburg at 06:30am we head towards Mpumalanga where mountains, panoramic passes, valleys, rivers, waterfalls & forests characterise the landscape. We enjoy the views from God’s Window before descending off the escarpment and heading to our game lodge on the border of the Greater Kruger NP.

The following morning, we are up early for a full day of game viewing in Kruger National Park. We will return to our lodge in the late afternoon to enjoy the sunset over the Drakensberg Mountains, a swim in the pool and a hearty meal before falling asleep to the sounds of Africa.

DAY 3 | KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

We stretch our legs on a short morning walk exploring the surrounding bush before we re-enter Kruger NP and head south. Kruger NP is the largest game reserve in South Africa, boasts the world’s greatest concentration of species, and has an amazing 16 different ecosystems. Exciting game drives provide us with excellent game viewing. Spot the “Big 5” (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) and many other animals in this true African wilderness.

DAY 4 | KINGDOM OF eSWATINI (SWAZILAND)

Malolotja Nature Reserve in the mountainous Kingdom of eSwatini is our next attraction. Renowned for a great variety of habitats from short grassland, to thick riverine scrub, bushveld and moist forest, we explore the reserve on foot to enjoy the fantastic mountain views. Relax around a campfire dinner and stay in mountain cabins for the night.

DAY 5 - 6 | ZULULAND

We visit a craft market near Mbabane which has a range of handmade crafts and a local witchdoctor stall! We re-enter South Africa and head to our lodge on a private game reserve situated on the Msinene Nature Reserve, where our local guide will lead us on a walk through the bushveld and riverine vegetation of the Msinene River, bird watching and game tracking. Nyala, hippo and the elusive leopard are all found on the reserve. The next day we take a game drive in Hluhluwe Game Reserve, which is a safe haven for the embattled rhino. Relax in the late afternoon with a cold drink while enjoying the views over the reserve from the lodge.

DAY 7 - 8 | DRAKENSBERG MOUNTAINS

The Drakensberg Mountains or “uKhahlamba” – the Barrier of Spears, is a 200-kilometre-long mountainous wonderland and world heritage site. From Zululand we move further south to the base of these mountains where we overnight for two nights in quaint cottages. We will spend time walking along beautiful mountain stream paths, or just enjoying the spectacular views.

En-route to the Drakensberg we will visit the Nelson Mandela Capture Site Museum and pay our respects to this great man.

DAY 9- 10 | WILD COAST

The Wild Coast remains a relatively untouched paradise with unspoilt stretches of dramatically beautiful coastline, open spaces and pristine forest areas. We stay overnight in Chintsa and the next day is free to explore the area, meet local villagers or go down to the beach.

DAY 11 | ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK

The Addo Elephant National Park was established in 1931 to protect the last 11 wild elephants from extermination and today more than 600 elephants roam through the area. The park also offers excellent viewing of black rhino, Cape buffalo, lion and leopard, as well as a host of other large and small mammals and over 400 species of birds in the greater park area.

DAY 12 - 13 | KNYSNA / TSITSIKAMMA

The Tsitsikamma National Park incorporates 80km of spectacular sea and landscapes; a remote mountainous region with secluded valleys, coastal forests with deep river gorges leading down to the sea. We visit the Storms River mouth where there are walks up the gorge and along the rocky coast.
We will stay 2 nights in Plettenberg Bay in the heart of the Garden Route. In the morning you can either book an ocean safari to see whales and dolphins (own expense) or spend time on the magnificent blue flag beaches. Your guides will also lead a walk on the beautiful Robberg Peninsula in the afternoon. Sample seafood at one of Pletts’ great restaurants (own expense).

DAY 14 | HERMANUS

Hermanus offers some of the best land-based whale watching in the world. From June to November Southern Right whales come up from the southern oceans to calve and mate in the shallow waters around the Cape. In whale season we will take a walk along this beautiful coastline. In the summer months we will explore the flowering fynbos in Fernkloof Nature Reserve. Enjoy an evening meal out at a local restaurant (own expense).

DAY 15 - 16 | CAPE TOWN

Cape Town is one of the most picturesque cities in the world, with the majestic Table Mountain providing its central focus. On our way into Cape Town, we visit Stellenbosch, South Africa’s renowned wine region, for wine tasting (own expense) and a cellar tour. The “mother city” has many attractions; we will visit the harbour at Hout Bay, visit Cape Point, enjoy the famous beaches and the V&A Waterfront. Optional visit to Robben Island (own expense). We sample the local fare at a variety of local restaurants (own expense).

DAY 17 | CAPE TOWN

In the morning we climb Table Mountain, offering panoramic views over Cape Town reaching out into the bay and Robben Island. Having explored the highlights of the Rainbow Nation we take a last look at Cape Town and catch up on curio shopping in the afternoon before your tour ends at 18:00 at the guest house.

Pricing 2023:

01 Jan – 31 Dec 2023
NZ$4,040 per person twin share
Single Supplement NZ$792

Bold dates are guaranteed departures, all other dates are guaranteed from 4 clients.
CVa: “Rainbow Route” departures can be combined with the CVa21 Cape to Victoria Falls Grand Explorer Accommodated Safari to create a complete Southern Africa Adventure.
CV: “Rainbow Route” departures can be combined with the CV21 Cape to Victoria Falls Explorer Camping Safari to create a complete Southern Africa Adventure.
Live availability can be viewed on the Sunway Safaris website. Indafrica will manage your booking as Sunway’s New Zealand GSA office.

Tour Dates 2023

19-Aug-23 04-Sep-23 CVa
26-Aug-23 11-Sep-23 CVa
09-Sep-23 25-Sep-23 CV
16-Sep-23 02-Oct-23 CVa
07-Oct-23 23-Oct-23 CVa
14-Oct-23 30-Oct-23 CVa
18-Nov-23 04-Dec-23 CVa
25-Nov-23 11-Dec-23 CVa
02-Dec-23 18-Dec-23 CVa
16-Dec-23 01-Jan-24 CV
23-Dec-23 08-Jan-24 CVa

Pricing 2024:

01 Jan – 31 Dec 2024
NZD 4,520 pps
Single supplement: NZD 904 pp (If you are traveling on your own, Sunway will “room” you with another same gender client. You do not pay extra when booking as a single person. If however you request a single room, then you’ll pay the single supplement.)

Tour Dates 2024

Live availability can be viewed on the Sunway Safaris website. Indafrica will manage your booking as Sunway’s New Zealand GSA office.
Bold dates are guaranteed departures; all other dates are guaranteed from 4 clients

23-Dec-23 08-Jan-24 CVa
13-Jan-24 29-Jan-24 CVa
20-Jan-24 05-Feb-24 CV
03-Feb-24 19-Feb-24 CVa
17-Feb-24 04-Mar-24 CV
24-Feb-24 11-Mar-24 CVa
02-Mar-24 18-Mar-24 CV
09-Mar-24 25-Mar-24 CVa
23-Mar-24 08-Apr-24 CVa
06-Apr-24 22-Apr-24 CVa
27-Apr-24 13-May-24 CVa
04-May-24 20-May-24 CV
11-May-24 27-May-24 CVa
25-May-24 10-Jun-24 CVa
22-Jun-24 08-Jul-24 CVa
06-Jul-24 22-Jul-24 CVa
13-Jul-24 29-Jul-24 CVa
20-Jul-24 05-Aug-24 CVa
27-Jul-24 12-Aug-24 CVa
03-Aug-24 19-Aug-24 CVg
10-Aug-24 26-Aug-24 CVa
17-Aug-24 02-Sep-24 CVa
24-Aug-24 09-Sep-24 CVa
07-Sep-24 23-Sep-24 CV
14-Sep-24 30-Sep-24 CVa
21-Sep-24 07-Oct-24 CVg
05-Oct-24 21-Oct-24 CVa
12-Oct-24 28-Oct-24 CVa
02-Nov-24 18-Nov-24 CVa
16-Nov-24 02-Dec-24 CVa
23-Nov-24 09-Dec-24 CVa
30-Nov-24 16-Dec-24 CVa
14-Dec-24 30-Dec-24 CV
21-Dec-24 06-Jan-25 CVa

Inclusions:

MEALS
16 x breakfast, 12 x lunches, 11 x dinners

TRANSPORT
we use custom-built Sunway Safari trucks with 12 forward facing seats. The vehicles are comfortable for cruising and excellent for game viewing with large sliding windows and front hatches for ease of viewing. On 5% of tours we may use Mercedes Sprinter minibuses with 12 seats and air conditioning (with trailer for equipment and baggage).
There are several long days of travel providing for a beautiful journey on the way to exciting and varied destinations. See the Sunway Safaris Transport Guide for more information.

ACCOMMODATION
14 nights small lodges and guest houses, 2 nights in chalets with shared facilities

INCLUDED ACTIVITIES

Kruger National Park – game drives
Greater Kruger Private Reserve – guided walk
Msinene Nature Reserve – guided walk
Hluhluwe Game Reserve – game drive
Modern Zulu Village Visit
Drakensberg Mountains – walks
Nelson Mandela Capture Site Museum
Addo Elephant National Park – game drive
Tsitsikamma National Park – walks & sightseeing
Stellenbosch – cellar tour, wine tasting is optional (own expense)
Cape Point
Climb Table Mountain

EXCLUDES

Meals and Activities not listed as included
All drinks including bottles water
Gratuities. Tipping is customary in most African countries. We provide guidelines to know who to tip and how much.
Entry Visas
International Flights
Comprehensive Travel Insurance (compulsory)

THIS IS A ‘LIMITED PARTICIPATION’ SAFARI
Active participation is a crucial component of your safari experience. From carrying your own bag to assisting with loading the truck in the morning – it is all part of the adventure.As some days may be long and start early, it is essential for everyone to contribute and ensure the smooth running of the trip. When the tour leaders provide meals, we ask that clients take turns helping with dishwashing duties (the local polers will assist in the Okavango Delta to make things easier).