South Africa Wild Kingdoms – 8 days

Our journey begins early in the morning in Johannesburg as we head east towards Mpumalanga. En route we will stop to marvel at magnificent views over Blyde River Canyon and the Three Rondavels.  Mpumalanga reveals its renowned scenic beauty, of rivers, forests and mountain passes, as we descend the escarpment to our private safari lodge near Orpen in the Greater Kruger National Park. We spend the first of our nights having an evening meal under the stars, surrounded by the African bushveld.

The following morning, we will be up at dawn for our full day game drive in the Kruger National Park. We stop for a picnic lunch before completing our game drive in the late afternoon as we exit the park and make our way back to the lodge. Your guide will interpret the signs of the bush as we hope to see elephants, rhino and possibly the large prides of lions for which the Satara area of Kruger is famous. We return to our lodge in the late afternoon and there is time to relax and enjoy the sounds of the bush or take a dip in the pool before our hosts prepare a delicious evening meal.

On the morning of day three, a real highlight of our tour is the early morning game walk with a local ranger. We quietly venture into the bush, learning the tracks and other signs of the wildlife we hope to find on foot. The excitement of a big game bush walk is followed by a hearty “brunch” served under the trees on the lodge lawns. The afternoon is free to relax around the pool and enjoy the atmosphere. 

We enter the Kingdom of eSWATINI/Swaziland and travel through a lush fruit farming area before heading into the mountains. The Swazi people have a rich cultural heritage and we will visit the craft markets, Ngwenya Glass and the traditional medicine markets as we pass through the capital, Mbabane.

We explore the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in the afternoon and overnight at our lodge near the top of Mlilwane Hill – a ‘quaintly colonial’ comfortable lodge.

 Crossing back into South Africa we head towards our private Msinene Nature Reserve situated near the town of Hluhluwe and in close proximity to Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The Msinene River flows through this beautiful area and is a tributary of the Lake St Lucia wetland system. We take a walk with our local walking guide who will point out some of the 540+ bird species found in the area and track the shy Nyala antelope in the riverine vegetation of the Msinene River. Zululand Lodge is a recognized Birdlife South Africa friendly establishment and quiet walks on the reserve yield outstanding species sightings.

The following day we visit the Hluhluwe Game Reserve, a key area for Rhino conservation and visit a Zulu village to learn more about their culture. Enjoy sunset and the sounds of the bush before a hearty dinner at the lodge.

The last day in Zululand Lodge we will visit Lake St Lucia for a morning walk and then spend the afternoon relaxing at the lodge and enjoying the African Bush.

This morning we drive south to the town of St Lucia where we embark on a boat cruise to see hippos and crocodiles in the estuary. After lunch, we drive to Balito where the tour ends with a drop off at either King Shaka international airport or at a lodge in Balito. Tour ends +/- 16:00pm