Kruger National Park, Swaziland Wildlife Encounter and Sodwana Bay Diving Adventure
| Starting point: |
Johannesburg/Pretoria |
| End point: |
Pretoria/Johannesburg |
| Duration: |
12 Days |
| Costing: |
R25200.00 pp for 12 days |
Tour Description
The Kruger National Park is among Mpumalanga’s biggest assets, a vast expanse of sun-drenched bushveld and home to the Big Five. The Park was established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld and is one of the most famous national parks in the world. It measures 350 km from north to south, and approximately 60 km at its widest point, covering a total surface area of 1 948 528 hectares of unrivalled diversity of life forms fuses with historical and archaeological sites – this is real Africa. The ecosystem is constantly maintained in its natural state to afford visitors the feeling and ambience of Africa.
The Kruger is truly the flagship of the South African national parks. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural assets.
Sodwana Bay is situated on the eastern seaboard of South Africa in the heart of Maputaland, nesting behind the words highest natural dunes. The warm Indian Ocean currents channel thru the bay and onto the shores of Maputaland. The seaboard is relatively untouched. Lakes, river estuaries, swamps and forests host rare animal and plant species. Africa’s Big 5 are complemented by a rich array of antelope and bird species.
Sodwana Bay is a place of diversity and this makes it a Mecca for divers and photographers, whether you are a pro or simply looking to take a few snaps.
Sodwana is an all year round diving destination and one thing that makes it so unique is that there are no rivers spilling into the sea and the average visibility is usually well over 15 meters.
Two mile reef, Anton’s reef and Simon’s cave offers big schools of fish. Cave and overhangs on Two mile, Seven mile and Nine mile reefs offers a diversity of corral and
Marine life. Bikini reef is one of the best sites for smaller life, including cleaning stations, nudibranch and others.
Depending on your qualifications Sodwana offers waters from as shallow as nine meters all the way down to forty meters.
The vehicles we use are specifically chosen to be suitable for the area. Some of the areas we travel comprise very thick sand, other is clay surfaces, and still others can comprise a hard surface overlaying a pool of treacherous mud. All of these surfaces can change rapidly under varying conditions. In addition to close-up encounters with wildlife, our adventures also provide a diverse an in-dept encounter with many of the folk who contribute to the land we travel in, to really appreciate the beauty of Africa in all its facets.
This package combines great diving with an exciting wild life safari and the opportunity to view the “Big five”.
This is designed as an adventure trip, and the unexpected can be expected. Be prepared.
Tour summary
Note that although we endeavour to abide by the primary itinerary indicated below, unexpected situations and circumstances beyond our control can result in small (or, occasionally, substantial) changes. This should then be taken as a general guideline.
Day 0: Arrival day (Johannesburg/Pretoria)
Day 1: Kruger National Park/Satara
Day 2: Kruger National Park/Lower Sabie
Day 3: Kruger National Park/Crocodile Bridge
Day 4: Swaziland
Day 5: St. Lucia Wetlands Park (Isimangaliso)
Day 6: St. Lucia Wetlands Park (Isimangaliso)
Day 7-12: Sodwana Bay
Tour costing
Kindly refer to the section of this proposal after the detailed tour itinerary for some comments and explanations, as well as details about what is included and excluded.
A deposit of 50% would be required in advance to secure the various bookings en route. We would suggest this be done on confirmation of your booking.
Payments made in foreign currency will be subject to the effective rate of exchange prevailing at the time of transfer.
We supply a copy of our detailed “Terms and Condition” should you indicate your interest in this proposal.
Detailed Tour Itinerary
Day 0: Arrival Day
Arrive at OR Tambo International Airport. Flight arrival times to be confirmed in advance. We will meet you the airport, and transfer you to our guesthouse for check in. You may spend the rest of the day at leisure, catch up on some shopping or sleep.
We have a quick tour briefing.
Overnight in Pretoria
Day 1: Satara Kruger National Park
Depart from Pretoria we head towards the eastern escarpment of South Africa, via the towns of Lydenburg, Sabie, Graskop and Klaserie en route to the Kruger National Park. We enter the central section of the park trough the Orpen Gate. This part of Kruger tends to have more open bushveld than the southern section and the potential for sighting big game. Its more open habitat is ideal for large herds of buffalo and plains game, as well as white rhino and the illusive cheetah.
Overnight in Satara
Day 2: Lower Sabie Kruger National Park
Early morning wake - up calls drags us out of bed. We head south towards Lower Sabie in the search of the Big Five and many other game species.
Overnight in Lower Sabie
Day 3: Crocodile Bridge Kruger National Park
To day we explore the southern part or the park. Visit various game water holes, dams, view sites, and get out points, and historical sites just to name a few.
Overnight in Crocodile Bridge
Day 4: Swaziland
We depart from Kruger Park, traveling southwards towards the Kingdom of Swaziland, a tiny landlocked country, bordering by Mozambique in the east, and South Africa on the remaining three sides. Crossing the border by late morning, we continue towards the Hlane – Mlawula Nature Reserve.
Overnight in Swaziland
Due to limited availability of accommodation in these reserves, these venues can only be confirmed when booking is made.
Day 5: St. Lucia Wetlands Park
We continue our trip, arriving at St. Lucia Wetlands Park. We explore the town, before hopping aboard a river cruiser to go hippo, and croc hunting. The only shooting allowed is of the photographic variety.
The 328000ha St. Lucia Wetlands Park was proclaimed a World Heritage Site in 1999. The park boasts 280km of coastline, and the estuary, almost 85km long, contains over 1000 Hippos, thousands of Nile crocodiles, 114 fish species (including sharks), and over 500 bird species.
Day 6: Hluhluwe National Park Game Drive
The Hluhluwe – Umfolozi National Park waits. Game drive in the morning starts our day, as we go in search of the Big Five and the many white and black rhino that inhabit this special sanctuary.
Day 7 – 11: Sodwana Bay Scuba Diving
We depart in the morning for Sodwana Bay. Sodwana offers some of the best diving in South Africa. It is rich in marine life with beautiful coral reefs and swim troughs. There are numerous dive sites that offer everyone, from the beginner to the more experience diver, something special. In season whale sharks and manta rays visit these waters.
Day 12: Return Johannesburg
Return to Johannesburg (OR Tambo Airport) and bid each other farewell or you can extend your South African holiday adventure by joining us on any of our other great packages.
Tour costing – Some comments and details
The tour prices indicated below include the following:
- PADI Dive master
- 8 dives
- All Scuba diving equipment
- All accommodation, meals, teas, coffees and soft drinks
- All activities specifically indicated in the itinerary (unless specified “optional” or “own cost”)
- The provision of suitable 4X4 vehicles for the duration of the trip, with appropriately licensed and experienced driver/guides
- Local specialist guides, as required
- Insurance and Emergency evacuation cover (we also insist that guests carry their own comprehensive Travel Insurances)
- Entrance to all National Parks en route
- Cross border charges as required
The following items are not included in the price of this safari package:
- Visas charges for the various countries
- Alcoholic beverages en route and most establishments
- Items of a personal nature
- Curios, etc
- Activities and items not included in the detailed itinerary
Kindly note the following aspects:
- Accommodation and activities are subjected to availability at the time of booking, and, in some cases, depending on other conditions prevailing on arrival.
- It may not always be possible to use the proposed establishment, and in some cases an alternative must be found.
- Early bookings help prevent variations of this nature
- Lunches provide en route are normally of the picnic variety, due to the unavailability or unsuitable of places to stop along the route
