OVL04 - 13 Day Walking South Africa Cabin Tour

Explore the big game reserve of the Kruger National Park. We enjoy hiking Swaziland, before heading into the Zulu Kingdom. We visit the wetlands, wildlife and beaches of Kwa-Zulu Natal, before heading to the mountains of the Drakensberg.

           
Hiking in the Drakensberg Mountains, Kwazulu-Natal Province.

The Route
Johannesburg - Pilgrims Rest - Kruger National Park - Swaziland - Zululand - St Lucia - Drakensberg Mountains - Johannesburg

Departures
This tour departs Johannesburg on Sunday at 06:30. Tour ends in Johannesburg on Friday at 18:00. Scheduled departure dates can be found below.

Guests
Minimum 4 - Maximum 12 

Days 1-2 of the tour
After the tour briefing, we depart Johannesburg at 06:30 and head east towards Mpumalanga. During the afternoon we visit the gold mining town of Pilgrims Rest, explore Bourkes Luck Potholes and the viewpoint over God’s Window. We then make our way to our chalets near the escarpment. We spend the next day exploring the Blyde River Canyon on foot.   

Distance/ Time:     400km, +/- 5½ hours, exclusing stops for sightseeing, breakfast and lunch

Overnight:     Chalets - Graskop (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)

Days 3-4 of the tour
Kruger National Park - Big Game Safari. We spend the next 2 days on game drives in search of the elusive leopard, the majestic lion and the mighty elephant.  Exciting game viewing on morning and afternoon game drives with the midday spent out of the heat resting in the camp. Our professional guides will impart their extensive knowledge of ecology, fauna and flora during our time in the bush. Night game drives with spotlights are available (own expense).

Distance/ Time:     150km, +/- 2 hours and 3 x 3 hour game drives 

Overnight:     Twin Huts - Kruger National Park (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)

Days 5-6 of the tour
We enter the Kingdom of Swaziland and travel through a lush fruit farming area before heading into the mountains of Swaziland. We spend 2 nights in Malalotja Nature Reserve with a full day to get out and walk through this seldom explored mountainous reserve. The Swazi people have a rich cultural heritage and we will visit the craft and medicine markets as we pass through the capital (on day 7), Mbabane.

Distance/ Time:     200km, +/- 4 hours, exclusing 2-3 hour morning drive out of Kruger, shopping stop in Malelane, Jeppe's
                              Reef border formalities and stops for sightseeing etc

Overnight:     Cabins - Swaziland (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)

Days 7-9 of the tour
We cross back into South Africa and head into the Zululand heartland. We visit a traditional village to learn more about the proud Zulu culture, and get a chance to meet the local people. We base ourselves on the shores of Lake St Lucia - a Unesco World Heritage Site. The park's uniqueness lies in its remarkable combination of estuarine lakes, subtropical coastline, forests and wildlife. We will spend a day in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve where rhino conservation has been a priority. We then have another full day free to explore the St. Lucia estuary and the beaches, as we enjoy a boat cruise or kayak excursion (own expense).

Distance/ Time:     400km, +/- 6 hours, exclusing border formalities and stops for sightseeing and lunch

Overnight:     Apartments - St Lucia (2 x Lunch, 3 x Bed & Breakfast, 1 x Dinner)

Day 10 of the tour
We leave the coastline and make our way through the scenic hills and valleys of Zululand to the small town of Dundee.  Here the battles were fought between the Zulus, British and the Boer troops - war cries still resound in the hills. We spend time at Rourkes Drift and Islandwana battlefields with an informative visit to the Talana Museum.

Distance/ Time:     350km, +/- 5 hours, exclusing stops for sightseeing and lunch

Overnight:     Lodge - Kwazulu-Natal Battlefields (Lunch, Bed & Breakfast)

Days 11-12 of the tour
Witness the grandeur of the Drakensberg or Ukhahlamba “Barrier of Spears” Mountains. We overnight at the base of the “berg” and spend a day walking the trails or taking a dip in the clear streams. The crisp mountain air is refreshing and invigorating and our lodge is a fantastic place to relax at the end of our tour.  

Distance/ Time:     200km, +/- 2½ hours, excluding stops for sightseeing and lunch  

Overnight:     Tented Lodge or Chalets - Drakensberg Mountains (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)



Day 13 of the tour
Morning free to take a last walk in the mountains before we make our way back to Johannesburg. The cabin tour ends at about 18:00. 

Distance/ Time:     350km, +/- 5 hours, exclusing stops for sightseeing and lunch

• This tour is operated as a Scheduled African Tour. Departure dates can be found below.
• All cabin tours are on a twin share basis. There is a single supplement available. If a single client does not request a single supplement we will then room two single clients together and then not charge a single supplement.
• Please feel free to add on to this tour with any of the other possible tours we offer in the area.
• The accommodation specified in the itinerary is a guide only and subject to availability. Alternatives will be of a similar standard if required.
• The Euro rate is just an indication of the price at the current exchange rate, it cannot be guaranteed until a confirmed booking is made.

Scheduled Departure Dates 2012