Sample Itinerary - Southern Africa Epic

Day notes

Andersson's Camp to Hosea Kutako International Airport [WDH] - At a time to be advised by the camp management, you will be transferred to the airstrip for your circuit light aircraft transfer from Andersson’s Camp to Windhoek - (Usually 13:00)

17:35 - Hosea Kutako International Airport [WDH] to OR Tambo International Airport [JNB], Air Namibia, SW 729, arriving at 19h20. – Check-in at Air Namibia

counter 2 hours prior to departure.

E-TICKET: 1862101531835

E-TICKET: 1862101531837

A citizen who is a holder of a United States National passport (diplomatic, official or ordinary) is not required to hold a visa for an intended stay of 90 days or less when visiting South Africa.

When you have gone through immigration control, collected your luggage and gone through customs to the arrivals hall. When entering the arrivals hall, proceed directly across the hall and out the Terminal building. Cross

the road and enter the parkade and proceed up two levels, follow the signs to the City Lodge. A lift will take you up from the parkade to the hotel

reception, NO trollies in the lift.

Day notes

After checking out of the hotel make you way back to OR Tambo Airport to Domestic Terminal “B” Departures on the upper floor – Check in at the SAA counter minimum 2 hours prior to departure.

11:45 - OR Tambo International Airport [JNB] to Maun Airport [MUB], South African Airways, SA 8300, arriving at 13h15

E-TICKET: 1862101531835

E-TICKET: 1862101531837

U.S. citizens are permitted stays up to 90 days total in Botswana within a 12-month period without a visa.

When you have gone through immigration control, collected your luggage and gone through customs – you will be met by a Ker & Downey representative

in the arrivals hall holding a sign with your name, who will assist you with your transit to the lite aircraft flight to Shinde.

Day notes

Shinde Camp to Kanana Camp - Time to be advised by the lodge the night before, flights operate on a flexi-schedule and are coordinated the day before.

Day notes

Kanana Camp to Kasane Airport [BBK] - Time to be advised by the lodge the night before, flights operate on a flexi-schedule and are coordinated the

day before. Typically you will arrive at 10h30 in Kasane

Please look for a Chobe Princess representative on arrival. Your departure from Kasane Immigration (back into Namibia) is around 13:00 so you have some time, you may have to wait at the airport or they will take you to “Coffee Buzz” coffee shop with WiFi.

Day notes

You will be met by a Shearwater representative when you have disembarked from the Chobe Princess and gone through the Kasane Immigration Port. They will be doing the road transfer to Bayete Guest Lodge.

PLEASE NOTE ZAMBIA AND ZIMBABWE VISA’S ARE PAYABLE ON ARRIVAL please have clean, current USD notes. Zimbabwe single entry $30 per person US citizens.

Day notes

Helicopter Flight - You will be collected from your hotel at 09h00 and taken on a 12 min helicopter flight over Victoria falls.

Includes: Park fees and return transfer

High Tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel is served from 3pm - 6pm. It will be best to take a taxi to and from the hotel. The price is $30 for two people, paid directly at the hotel.

Day notes

13:05 - Victoria Falls International Airport [VFA] to OR Tambo International Airport [JNB], South African Airways, SA 041, Arriving 14:45 - Check in at the SAA counter 2 hours prior to departure.

SA/ETKT 083 2124390699 FOR KAPLAN/JOEL

SA/ETKT 083 2124390700 FOR KAPLAN/ROSALYN MRS

Upon arrival at OR Tambo International, you will need to clear imigration and collect your bags before making your way through customs towards the arrivals hall. Just before exiting though the glass doors into the arrivals hall, you may have the opportunity to check-in for your flight to Cape Town International

Airport on your left hand side. After check-in you can proceed through the arrivals hall, left up the escalators 2 floors towards the “Domestic Terminal "B” On the opposite side of the airport, where you will find the SAA Check-In Counter and your departure gate. Check-in at 15h30 for your flight at 17h05

7:05 - OR Tambo International Airport [JNB] to Cape Town International Airport [CPT], South African Airways, SA 357, Arriving 19:10

When you have collected your luggage and proceeded to the arrivals hall – you will be met by an Airport Hopper representative holding a sign with your name, who will assist you with your transfer to Dunkley House .

Day notes

Your sailing experience is from 9am - 1pm and you need to take your own drinks and snacks. To get to the Royal Cape Yacht Club you will require a taxi from your hotel or you can use Uber, the same for your return trip or to wherever you

Day notes

Sabie

The R539 from Nelspruit and Johannesburg enters Sabie from the south-west, taking you past the sawmills on the outskirts of the town. As if the massive pine plantations weren’t evidence enough, the forestry legacy of Sabie is evident as soon as you enter the town from the R537. On your right hand side you will see the famous Woodsman Pub and Restaurant, a huge log cabin with large decks outside overlooking the lush hills and a stylish interior with bucket-loads of character.

This is a reflection of the town as a whole, which has the charming small-town qualities that provide enchanting surprises at every street corner. Little gems such as the second-hand book shop, the Wild Fig Tree restaurant and the renovated train diner, The Smokey, are highlights.

Sabie is therefore deserving of its title as Rapport’s 2012 Town of the Year.

For picnickers, the idyllic Merry Pebbles resort on the banks of the Sabie River is a perfect spot.

Sabie

Woodsman Pub, Sabie Town of The Year, The Smokey

Onwards to Graskop or Pilgrim’s Rest

Following the signposts that point north towards Graskop, the R539 road snakes through more pretty forest and indigenous grassland and 9km along, a sign pointing to the right takes you to the first landmark sighting on your trip.

Mac Mac Pools

A spacious picnic site is tucked under pine trees alongside the Mac Mac River at this, your first essential stop along the Panorama Route. Quirkily named after the scores of Scottish miners who panned for gold in the gorge, the river flows over a rock ledge into a crystal clear rock pool where visitors can take a refreshing plunge in the chilly mountain water.

A backdrop of grassland and blue mountains completes this pretty picture. This is an ideal spot to have a breakfast picnic, with the soothing sound of the waterfall providing the perfect soundtrack.

Entrance: R10 per person

Mac Mac Falls

After turning right, back onto the R532, and travelling about two kilometres, day-trippers will see a cluster of thatched buildings and a sign for Mac Mac Falls, the first of many waterfalls along the Panorama Route.

With a rumbling audible in the distance, a walkway leads you past local vendors, along the Mac Mac River gorge and to a viewpoint which reveals the spellbinding source of the noise. This vantage point gives a bird’s eye view of the impressive twin waterfalls as they plummet 70 metres, meeting the pool below with a terrific thundering crash. The waterfall was initially one stream, but gold miners blasted it in an attempt to prospect the rich gold-bearing ridge over which it plunges.

It’s hard to get enough of this spectacle, but the Panorama Route has plenty of wonders still in wait.

Entrance: R10 per car

Sho’t Left to Pilgrim’s Rest

When continuing north along the R533 you will pass the Jock Memorial and the Maria Shrines waterfall which are both pleasant stop-off points before arriving at the T-Junction of the R534, where the road splits left to Pilgrim’s Rest and right to Graskop.

It is advisable to turn left here, as the village of Pilgrim’s Rest, 8km down the road, is an absolute must-see. The village is tucked away in the mountains and reached via a winding road through unspoiled wilderness.

Enter the Time Machine

Pilgrim’s Rest is one of few towns in South Africa that has kept its historical legacy completely intact. Its golden past is captured within the old buildings that line the village’s solitary street.

The town is split into two parts: Uptown, which is literally the highest and oldest part of the main road and contains most of the tourist attractions, and Downtown, which stretches below the turnoff into town.

Pilgrims Rest

Royal Hotel; Pilgrims & Sabie News

In this enchanting village visitors will be transported back to the bygone gold mining era of the 1800’s, unearthing spellbinding pieces of history at every turn.

An admission ticket from the information centre gains you access to a variety of museums which showcase everything from untouched late Victorian households to antique cars.

The town has a distinctly Wild West feel, and the Robber’s Pass road on the R533 just past Pilgrim’s was the scene of a famous stage coach robbery in 1899, when masked highwayman made off with 10 000 British Pounds worth of gold.

The Diggings Site just outside the village is an authentic reconstruction of what the whole valley looked like during the gold rush. Visitors can go gold-panning in the creek, hopefully leaving with one or two small pieces of the precious metal that caused the feverish prospecting of the past.

Be sure to visit the Royal Hotel, amble through the cemetery with the opposite-facing Robber’s Grave, and walk around the engrossing offices of the Pilgrim’s and Sabie News. Don’t forget to drink a draught at the delightful Church Bar and have a vintage photograph taken at the Drezden Shop and House Museum. The town also has a spooky side, hosting ghost tours through the old buildings and the cemetery at night.

Allocate at least two hours for your visit to Pilgrim’s Rest, as its treasure chest of history is bottomless.

At this point, it should be around lunchtime, so you can choose to enjoy a meal at the Royal Hotel, Scott’s Café, The Vine, Pilgrim’s Pantry, Peach Tree or Digger’s Den, depending on your preferences and hunger levels; or you may decide to save your appetite for the famous Harrie’s Pancakes at your next stop, Graskop.

Graskop

To reach Graskop, turn right onto the R533 from Pilgrim’s Rest and travel 10 kilometres, passing the turn off back to Sabie. This road will lead you past the Natural Bridge (which traverses a trickling section of the Mac Mac River and was used as a crossing point by the gold prospectors and their ox-wagons) and straight to Graskop.

Graskop does not quite have the same charm as Sabie or Pilgrim’s Rest, but a poke around some of the small shops may reveal some hidden gems.

The ever-popular Harrie’s Pancakes, on the main street, is certainly not hidden, but is most definitely a gem. You won’t find better pancakes in South Africa than at this iconic restaurant and a mouth-watering array of sweet and savoury fillings are on offer at very reasonable prices. The menu lists sweet combinations such as black cherries in liqueur, banana and caramel, and fig preserve with pecan nuts, while the savoury fillings include South African favourites such as biltong, lamb bredie and bobotie, along with exotics such as Dutch Bacon and Thai-Style Chicken. Tasty vegetarian options such as Butternut and Feta and Creamy Spinach are also available.

Once you leave Graskop, it’s time to set your cameras to panoramic mode!

The Panorama Route

The Pinnacle; Harrie’s Pancakes, Mac Mac Pools

The Pinnacle

Take the R532 north out of Graskop. Just 2km on, turn onto the R534, which takes you in a loop past three exceptional viewpoints on the edge of the Mpumalanga Drakensberg escarpment.

Firstly, you will arrive at the Pinnacle, a freestanding buttress of rock which rises vertically out of dense indigenous forest like a natural skyscraper. Two separate viewing decks give you different perspectives of this regal scene.

Entrance: R5 per car

God’s Window

The name sets high expectations, but God’s Window is an extraordinary place that truly lives up to this billing.

A steep footpath leads you to a 900m high viewpoint perched on the edge of the escarpment, where the entire Mpumalanga Lowveld stretches spectacularly out below you in all directions. On clear days, one can see all the way to Mozambique, over 200km away.

It is impossible to capture the breath-taking grandeur of this view through the lens of a camera, but a panoramic setting will get the closest to achieving this.

Entrance: R10 per car

Wonder View

Wonder View can be found 2km further along the R534. At 1730m above sea level, this is the highest viewpoint on the Panorama Route, and delivers a vista of the Lowveld that is just as sensational as the one at God’s Window.

No Entrance Fee

The R534 loop ends 4km on from Wonder View and travellers will find themselves back on the R532. If you would like to continue with Part 2 of the Self Drive the following day, a good place to spend the night would be in Graskop. Otherwise, you can drive back to Nelspruit via the R532 Sabie, R537 Hazyview and R40 Nelspruit.

Day notes

Lisbon Falls

Berlin Falls

At a towering 92 metres high, the Lisbon Falls is the highest waterfall in the region. The spectacular scenery that characterises the Panorama Route is once more on full show here, with three sparkling waterfalls tumbling into the Lisbon River, which flows through a lovely green valley towards a mountainous backdrop.

Entrance Fee: R10 per car

Berlin Falls

Drive back to the tar road and turn left, heading north again. After 2km, turn left and drive another 2 kilometres, past the Berlin Sawmill, to find the falls.

A vantage point overlooks this beautiful 45 metre waterfall which cascades into a dark pool flanked by impressive ochre cliffs.

Entrance Fee: R10 per car

Bourke’s Luck Potholes

Another 25km north along the R532, Panorama-Routers will turn right to enter the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, where they will find the peculiar but striking natural phenomena that are the Bourke’s Luck Potholes.

Over millions of years, the churning whirlpools at the juncture between the Treur and Blyde rivers have carved out a fascinating array of large potholes in the bedrock.

Sturdy bridges allow visitors to walk right above these unique marvels of nature as the river persistently continues to swirl and grind away at the rock twenty metres below.

The Potholes were named after Tom Bourke, a gold-digger who staked a claim nearby, and signal the start of the Blyde River Canyon, the third largest canyon in the world.

A large picnic site and an informative visitor’s centre are also situated here. Watch out for the monkeys as they have been known to jump into cars!

Entrance: R25 per person plus R5 per car.

Lowveld View

You will continue driving north, with the scenery now dominated by natural grassland and shrub. The turn off to the Lowveld View site is situated 5km down the road.

The vantage point is 1219m high and offers a glorious view over the Blyde River Canyon, with its magnificent assortment of rocky peaks and deep valleys filled with dense indigenous forest. The Blyde River can be seen snaking through the canyon until it enters the pristine Blydepoort Dam. This large blue body of water sparkles like a sapphire contrasting against the lush greenery surrounding it.

It will now be late afternoon, so, if the day is clear, soft orange sunlight should make for superb photographic opportunities.

Entrance: R10 per car

The Three Rondawels

The Three RondawelsDrive another 4.6km north to find this well known attraction. Mother Nature has once again truly outdone herself: the three massive rock edifices standing with silent grandeur in front of the viewing site and the splendour of the Blyde River Canyon spreading out in all directions makes for a mesmerizing sight.

Entrance: R5 per car

You may well be pressed for time at this point, so you should probably call it quits for the day.