Arrive in Johannesburg from your International Flight. Make your way to the complimentary shuttle that will take you to Safari Club Lodge. Arrive at the lodge, check in and spend the rest of the day at leisure.
06h00 – 06h30: You will be collected from your guesthouse at first light and transferred with a shuttle minibus, to the Greater Kruger National Park. The journey takes approximately 5.5 hours with 2 comfort stops along the way before you arrive in Hoedspruit. From here, you transfer to the bush camp in the Klaserie Nature Reserve. Klaserie Private Nature Reserve forms part of the Greater Kruger Park. The reserve shares unfenced borders with the Kruger National Park and is west of the Timbavati, covering 60 000 ha on either side of the Klaserie River. As there are no fences, wildlife roams free between the major reserves that form the Greater Kruger Park, which include the Klaserie, Timbavati, Manyeleti, Sabi Sands and the Kruger National Park.
The Klaserie is the least commercially developed of all the Kruger Private Game Reserves and as such offers a truly rustic, remote and pristine wildlife experience. This makes it perfect for walking safaris and Big 5 game viewing! The reserve is home to an abundance of wildlife, including lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo. In addition to the Big Five animals that are regularly sighted, you may well encounter giraffe, zebra, warthog, spotted hyaena, baboon, hippo, impala, kudu, vervet monkey, waterbuck, wildebeest, bushbaby, mongoose, duiker, steenbok, klipspringer, genet and bats. You might also see wild dog, cheetah, roan antelope, bat-eared fox, honey badger, porcupine, aardvark, aardwolf, civet, caracal and serval. Birds that are regularly seen are vultures, owls, bee-eaters, rollers, eagles, bustards, hornbills, starlings and shrikes.
The camp facilities include a main area which houses a comfortable lounge area with two sitting areas and a library. The dining room has a large table where, as per safari tradition, everyone dines together to enjoy each other’s company and share stories of the day’s game sightings. There is also a “boma” area with camp fire, perfect for warming you up with your coffee before the morning walk, or for enjoying evening drinks around the fire. In addition you will experience a traditional South African braaivleis (barbecue) cooked over the open fire. The Greater Kruger area can get very hot in summer and thankfully the camp has a beautiful pool with decking area where you can relax and siesta during the midday heat between game activities.
The camp consists of five chalets, ensuring an intimate and personal safari experience, as well as a pool, lounge and dining area and the traditional “boma”. Each chalet has an en-suite shower/WC. As with many safari camps in Africa, the en-suite facilities are separated from the main room area by an open doorway. This could obviously be uncomfortable for some people travelling together who are not that familiar with each other. Please bear this in mind.
In the afternoon, an introductory game-walk/drive followed by dinner.
Walking Safaris
Each Walking Safari begins with a comprehensive demonstration on how to behave when encountering animals. All Walking Safaris are led by qualified rangers who have had intensive specialized training in approaching dangerous game. In addition to allowing you to view the larger mammals on foot, the rangers will give you an insight into the bush that will surprise you. They will explain the animal tracks and what animals passed through during the night, in addition to the sophistication of termite mounds and other interesting facets of the bush that go unnoticed on game drives. The chance to walk amongst wildlife allows you to fully immerse yourself in African smells and sounds. The main aim of a Kruger Walking Safari is to help you appreciate the nature around you, and to provide you with detailed explanations of spoors (tracks), vegetation and the ecology in general – an unmatched wildlife experience that you will remember lifelong.
Game Drives
One of the main aims of going on safari is to go on a game drive. On game drives you are able to get a lot closer to big game. The animals are generally habituated to the vehicle. This means that they are used to the vehicle approaching them and know that it never causes them harm. This enables to you to get within five to ten metres of the large animals – and safely! All game drives are conducted in open 4 x 4 Toyota Landcruisers. No roof allows you 360 degree views, perfect for wonderful photographic and video opportunities. The afternoon game drives generally leave at 4pm and stop for sundowners, and then continue into the night drive on your way back to camp.
Night Drives
The night drives commences from your sundowner drinks stop, and will give you the opportunity to see the nocturnal animals not encountered during the day. Your chances of seeing leopard in particular are a lot higher at night and with a bit of luck you might even encounter the predators such as lion and leopard hunting. During the night drives, your tracker uses a powerful spotlight to search for nocturnal animals. Expect to see a wide variety of animals not normally seen during the day, including leopards, hyenas, aardvarks, bat-eared fox, porcupines, bush babies, bushbucks, mongoose, genet cats and nocturnal birds like owls and nightjars.
Daily Schedule
One of the unique advantages of a small safari camp is that the activities can be tailored to your specific needs. For example, if the guides hear lions roaring close to camp at night, they will often knock on your door and ask if you would like to go and find them. In addition, if you want to only go on game drive this too can be arranged.
On the walking safari, you will be led by experienced and professional game rangers through a wildlife area rich in game In addition to walking safaris, Big 5 game drives and night drives are offered allowing you to participate in a full spectrum of safari activities.
Today is the last day of your walking safari, and you will still go out for one last walk. Sniffing the typical scents of the bush you’ll realise how much you’ve learned already! After breakfast it’s time to pack up and pay any extra drinks you’ve consumed in camp.
Then unfortunately it’s time to say your goodbyes and transfer you back Johannesburg Airport. Arrive at the Airport and check in for your flight home.
