CSC-South Africa - BATTLEFIELDS AND BUSH - 10nts

Day notes

Upon arrival at King Shaka International Airport you will be met and transferred to Three Tree Hill.

Day notes

Battle of Spioenkop

Three Trees Flagship Tour – half-day (4 hours)

This tour tells of the bloodiest single day of the entire South African War. During January, General Sir Redvers Buller was joined by Lt General Sir Charles Warren, but their renewed attempts to breach the Boer defense line along the Tugela River were unsuccessful. Spioenkop was the highest point on the Boer defensive line and on 23 January 1900, a British attempt to capture it began. Astonishingly, Louis Botha, Winston Churchill and Mohandas Ghandi all played a role in this battle. The result of this battle confirmed that those early disasters of ‘Black Week’ were not merely beginners luck on the part of the Boers. Spioenkop, together with Majuba, are arguably the best known of all battles between the British and the Boers.

Day notes

Game Walks and Rhino Tracking

(average 1,5 – 2 hours long)

Game Walks with Rhino Tracking in the neighbouring Spioenkop Game Reserve can be arranged with resident guides. These are a little more strenuous than the Nature Trails on the farm, as the route follows paths worn by the game animals. During the summer months these can be very wet and muddy . A suitable pair of walking shoes with ankle support is recommended. No children under 12 years allowed on foot in the reserve.

Village Tour

After Breakfast you will be met by the local guide who will take you through his local village for an authentic taste of rural life in South Africa. A stop is made at the local School that Three Tree Hill helped develope and supports.

Day notes

After a leisurely wake-up and breakfast, you will be transferred by road to Fugitives Drift.

On your afternoon of arrival, you will be greeted by our staff and shown around the Lodge or Guest House. Guests staying at the Lodge will then make their way up to the Harford Library for Lunch, served from 1pm. The Harford Library has stunning views of the Buffalo river and Isandlwana. After lunch, you are free to settle in, enjoy the garden and pool or relax at the Library.

After a relaxing afternoon please join us for drinks and snacks around the fire at 7pm, hosted by one of our guides. Dinner is served in the Dining room at 8pm. After Dinner one of our guides will discuss the tour schedule with you and take wake up calls (start at 6am) for the following day.

Day notes

You will be woken up with a tea/coffee tray and a light knock on the door. Breakfast is served in the dining room from 06:50am with a buffet of homemade muesli, cereals, toast, fresh fruit, muffins, yogurt and porridge. One of our friendly service staff will be there to take your order for bacon, eggs and our daily special which is all cooked to order.

Tour for Isandlwana departs at 7:30am in one of our Landrovers listening to a tape narrated by David Rattray explaining the background to the Anglo-Zulu War. There is a stop at 9:00 for a comfort break and to view the Museum at Isandlwana. The lecture on the battlefield begins at 9:45 until around 11:45, when tea, coffee, and refreshments are served. The lecture takes place half way up the hill. Please let us know before you set off if you have difficulty walking so that the lecturer can make an alternative plan. Another tape, this time describing the story of the survivors and events after the battle of Isandlwana is played en route back to the Lodge or Guest House, returning for lunch in the Harford Library at 13:00. Tea is served at 4pm in the garden, followed by a walk stopping off at the various lookout points and finally ending at the site where Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill lost their lives in an attempt to save the Queen’s Colour, earning the first two posthumous Victoria Crosses ever awarded. The walk returns to the Lodge at 5-5:30pm.

Drinks around the fire at 7pm followed by dinner at 8pm in the dining room filled with relics and artifacts collected over the years by the Rattray Family.

Day notes

Breakfast is served from 06:50 until 9am, so after a leisurely wake up perhaps a visit to Mangeni Falls, Blood River, a trip to Masondo (the crossing point of the Zulus) or a horse ride on the game reserve. Or stay at the Lodge and enjoy the pool and gardens.

Lunch is served in the Harford Library from 1-2pm. The Rorke’s Drift tour departs at 15:00 (winter) or 15:15 (summer). Guests have time to look through the museum at Rorke’s Drift before the lecture begins at 16:00. There is very little walking involved. The lecture concludes around 18:00 and guests are then given the opportunity to look around the memorials and graveyard before returning to the Lodge and Guest House.

Drinks around the fire at 7pm followed by dinner at 8pm in the dining room, all of our guests sit together at one long table hosted by one of our guides.

Day notes

After a leisurely wake-up and breakfast, you will be transferred by road to Phinda Game reserve where you should arrive in time for the Afternoon Game drive.

Here is an approximate guide to what to expect on typical day while on safari in Southern Africa.

05h00 Wake Up! Wake Up! … it’s an early start.

05h30 Meet your ranger and tracker for early morning tea and coffee before heading out on safari, typically on open 4X4 safari vehicles. The best game viewing is to be found first thing in the morning and the anticipation is half the excitement! You could meet a herd of elephants at a drinking hole, observe a herd of shy impala or get up close with a pack of lions…it’s all up to chance!

09h30 Safari vehicles start returning from the game drives and you can enjoy a sumptuous and well-earned breakfast!

11:00 Depending on the season and the rules of the reserve, many lodges offer a Safari Walk with an armed guide and tracker. This gives you a chance to concentrate on the smaller wonders of nature such as insects and birds. The guide/tracker will tell you fascinating stories of the bushveld as well as the traditional cultural and medicinal properties of trees and plants.

After your walk you will have a chance to relax and unwind or enjoy a swim to cool down.

13h00 A delicious lunch is served. After lunch there is more time to relax and soak up the beauty of your surrounds.

16h00 As the African sun begins to ease away and shadows start to form across the bushveld, guests and rangers meet for afternoon tea before the evening Game Drive.

16:30 Safari Time! You will head out on your second Game Drive for the day with a majestic African sunset as the backdrop. The animals become more active again and the nocturnal animals get ready for their hunting. Your ranger will be driving the vehicle and the tracker is up front looking out for tracks and spotting the animals.

18h00 As the sun sets the ranger will pick a good spot for a sundowner where you will pause to watch the sunset and enjoy some cocktails and refreshments. A real safari tradition!

18h30 As it starts to get dark, the tracker and guide use a powerful spotlight to catch sight of the animals. The animals eyes reflect in the spot light and the ranger and tracker will concentrate on finding the nocturnal animals such as Leopards and sunset hunters such as Lions.

19h30 The timing of dinner is determined by the activities on safari! If there are things happening and lions hunting – your dinner will wait.

A chance to freshen up before dinner.

20h00 Dinner Time. At most lodges, there are a number of places to enjoy dinner at the lodge and weather dependant the camp manager will select the perfect venue. Your ranger usually joins you for dinner and the camp fire stories have been known to continue into the early hours! The more luxurious lodges offer you the choice of having dinner in your room. And finally you get to retire to your suite for some peaceful sleep before the next exciting day!

Day notes

After your morning drive and breakfast you will be transferred back to King Shaka International Airport. Where your Safari ends.