18 Day South African Wildlife | Eastern Expedition

Day notes

We begin our journey by leaving the big city of Johannesburg behind, and traveling east to where the flat grasslands of the highveld meet the great Escarpment, a rugged mountain range which has some of the most incredible scenery in South Africa. We travel this scenic route past such places as God's Window, and visit an old gold-mining town, preserved from the late 19th century, where we walk around and enjoy lunch.

We continue our journey to travel into the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest 'green' canyons in the world and the third largest canyon in the world. This majestic backdrop is our view for the evening, and we settle in to our accommodation and prepare for the fantastic journey ahead!

The following morning, we have free time in the morning after breakfast, to enjoy the area; hiking, horse riding, and more! We then prepare to head into the Kruger National Park.

Day notes

Spending 6 nights in the Kruger Park, we travel slowly by game drive as we explore the varied landscapes of this incredible national park. For the most part, each day will consist of morning and evening drives included in the trip. You will also have the option to go on night drives and game walks (at your own expense as we don't have the permission to conduct these ourselves), a great activity and highly recommended! All meals are catered for. We stay in the central section for three nights, and the southern section for three nights. This allows us the opportunity to explore much of the Park, and the different landscapes allow for different animals to be sighted.

Day notes

Leaving KNP, we travel down into the neighbouring country Swaziland, known for its natural beauty, friendly people, and large swathes of sugar cane plantations.

​In addition, the current King has, over the past few decades, helped sanction fantastic Reserves to protect and allow for the appreciation of Swaziland's natural beauty and wildlife. We stay overnight at Hlane Game Reserve, an initiative supported by the King, and containing different landscapes to Kruger, with a more rustic feel to it.

Game walks and game drives are possible at own expense with a local guide. Normal game drives with us are included.

Day notes

Leaving Swaziland, we travel south into another of the premier South Afican wildlife destinations, Mkhuze Game Reserve. In the heart of rural Zululand, spend two nights at Mkhuze doing game drives, visiting fantastic bird hides where animals come to drink, searching a different type of bush for wildlife. Amongst them, the endangered Black and White Rhinoceros.

(Elephant, Rhino, various antelope species, and special sightings of Bush Babies and a variety of different birdlife can be hoped for).

Day notes

From Mkhuze, we travel further south into Zululand to visit one of Africa's oldest Game Resesrves, Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Game Reserve. Here we spend three nights on a wilderness trail in the wilderness area of iMfolozi, where 30 000ha of pristine wilderness area can be explored on foot, with two local, armed guides. This is undoubtedly one of the best wilderness experiences one can have, searching for the Big 5 and other fascinating aspects of the wilderness, before setting up camp under the stars.

We carry light packs with our essentials, and the guides take care of cooking and camp chores. The only participation is to spend one hour in the night tending to the fire on watch, a fantastic experience in itself. One of primeval significance.

Day notes

As a short scenic stop, we head out to the coastline of KwaZulu Natal, staying in a remote section close to the St. Lucia Estuary. Within isiMangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site, this large stretch of coastline sets on the Indian Ocean and encompasses a beautiful, untouched region of Africa; lush forests, coastal bush, large rivers and estuaries, hold an abundance of marine life, bird life, and animals such as Hippo, Crocodile, Turtles, and Dolphins. We enjoy the serenity of this 2 night's stop-over, reflecting over the ocean, and preparing for our final leg of our Expedition.

Day notes

Heading back inland, we travel to the world-famous Drakensberg mountains for a different scenic experience. Spending two nights at the foot of the hills, we take hiking trips, that require a medium level of walking fitness, up into the mountains to spot species unique to this area (vultures, duiker, klipspringer) and visit thousand-year old Bushmen paintings. We are ideally placed centrally in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park to visit a variety of optional activities around, such as trout fishing, 4x4 trips onto the summit, horse-riding trips and more.

Day notes

From the Drakensberg, we travel through the rural areas of KwaZulu Natal, passing old battlefield sites of the Anglo-Zulu War, and make our way back to Durban and end the tour... with memories, hopefully fantastic wildlife sightings, and an experience to last a lifetime!