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Travel through South Africa and Eswatini (Swaziland) on this 12-day family adventure filled with wildlife sightings, open savannahs and ever-changing landscapes. Get an introduction to South Africa’s most famous township, Soweto, before heading out into the wilderness. Search for roaring lions, leggy giraffes and African elephants in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, kayak around Kosi Bay, then head north into the vast expanses of the Hlane and Kruger National Parks. Visit the Black Mambas headquarters – the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit – and see the shifting colours of Blyde River Canyon. And, do it all with a local leader by your side who knows all the best places to look and keeps the whole family dialled into an unforgettable adventure.
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Petra
CharlotteSawubona! Welcome to South Africa. Your trip begins with a welcome meeting at noon. After, get right into the swing of things with a cycling tour of Soweto – a chance to see contemporary life in South Africa unfold around you. You’ll visit the formal migrant workers’ hostel and meet the families that live here today. Spin through the community of Meadowlands, which was created when apartheid forced displacement in the 1950s. Then, continue to the Hector Pieterson Memorial, the historical landmark of the 1976 student uprising, and the famous Vilakazi street, where Nelson Mandela used to live.
Wake up early to start your big travel day. It’s a nice time to get to know your fellow travellers a bit better, so maybe share some of your favourite road-trip games! From Johannesburg, you'll travel into the heart of KwaZulu Natal, where you’ll camp at a lodge just outside of Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. This large, protected area is home to some amazing wildlife, including lions, elephants, leopards, giraffes, buffaloes and wild dogs. The rest of the day is free for you to get settled into your surroundings.
Embark on an adventure through the oldest proclaimed natural reserve in South Africa. Spend the day roaming around the park in an open vehicle for the best views – keep your eyes peeled for elephants, black rhinoceros, Cape buffaloes, lions and leopards. You’ll have a good chance of spotting the white rhino – thanks to a series of successful conservation efforts, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi has the world’s largest population of these near-threatened creatures, whose numbers are finally again. on the rise. The park also boasts some 400 species of birds, including the African finfoot, bat hawk and white-backed night heron.
Wake up with the sounds of the local wildlife you saw yesterday and depart the park after breakfast. You’ll travel northeast to the coast to the beautiful Kosi Bay Nature Reserve. This spectacularly situated bay is surrounded on one side by picturesque jungle with wild fig and monkey orange trees with a grazing area for hippos. On the other side, a mangrove and coral reef teeming with aquatic life. Settle into your lodge and enjoy a night under the stars around the campfire.
This morning, you’ll get to venture out onto the beautiful bay by kayak – this is the only estuary in South Africa that’s home to five species of mangrove. Keep an eye out for the abundant birdlife as well, like fish eagles, palm-nut vultures, mangrove kingfishers, striated herons and flamingos. Learn why these waters are also famous for the traditional Tsonga fish kraal (fish traps). The Tsonga people have lived here for more than 100 years and are experts at building these wood and reed traps that catch fish moving in and out of the estuary with the tide. If you’d like, you can also snorkel over the coral reef in search of some colourful fish. The rest of the day is free to do as you like.
Drive north today to the small land-locked kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland), home to Hlane National Park. This vast expanse of bushveld and ancient hardwood trees are home to the largest wild herds in the kingdom. Settle into your spacious camp then maybe find a spot beneath the ample shade trees to relax – you might be greeted by the odd inquisitive impala, warthog or nyala! If you're feeling adventurous, book a guided mountain bike trail, bird walk or wildlife drive and explore the greater Hlane area. There’s no electricity at camp and the area transforms as night falls, glowing by candle and lantern light. If you'd like, head over to the semi-open-air restaurant and floodlit waterhole, where you might glimpse a rhino or elephant at dusk.
Explore Hlane National Park on a safari drive in search of wildebeest, zebras, impala and cheetahs, which were reintroduced to the area and now thrive here. This park – Eswatini's largest, at 30,000 hectares – used to be a private royal hunting ground, and, today, as a protected wildlife area, is a prime spot for wildlife viewing. The flat lowland area has some grasslands and shallow pans and the birdlife here is abundant and diverse – this spot also has the highest density of nesting white-backed vultures in all of Africa! After dinner, enjoy an evening of family-bonding and play some games around the campfire. Listen for roaring lions in the distance ad you stargaze under the clear African sky.
Cross back into South Africa and journey to Kruger National Park – one of Africa's best wildlife areas. When you arrive, you’ll head out on a safari as you make your way to your overnight campsite.
More drives, more animals – today you’ll further explore Kruger in an open-top safari vehicle. One of the largest game reserves in Southern Africa, Kruger National Park boasts more than 500 bird species, 100 reptile species and 150 mammal species, like the endangered African wild dog. Depending on the areas you visit, you might see some exotic birds along the way, like the tiny bronze mannikin and the more conspicuous ostrich. Keep an eye to the sky, where if you're lucky, a giant eagle owl or martial eagle might be soaring.
This morning, you’ll visit the Black Mambas headquarters for an inspiring and educational chat with the team. The Intrepid Foundation is proudly partnered with Helping Rhinos, which directly supports the work of the Black Mambas, who are the world's first all-female anti-poaching unit in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Made up of a team of 42 young African women, the Mambas patrol 20,000 hectares of the Olifants West Nature Reserve, part of Greater Kruger National Park. After the visit, continue to Blyde River Canyon – your home for the next two nights.
Today you’ll witness one of South Africa's most spectacular attractions, Blyde River Canyon – the third-largest canyon in the world, and probably the greenest. The sheer-sided walls of the canyon rise over 2000 m (6562 ft) and the vegetation varies wildly, from dry, rocky sections to rainforest, depending on the altitude. You’ll get out to explore the Three Rondavels and Bourke's Luck Potholes, where shadowy rock formations take on different colours in the changing light. Then, the rest of the day is yours to enjoy. You may like to go on a hike, relax at the resort or take a dip in the swimming pool with the family.
After breakfast this morning, make the journey back to Johannesburg. Your trip comes to an end when you arrive at OR Tambo International Airport in the afternoon. If you prefer, you may be dropped at the original joining point location. Please advise before you depart. If you would like to extend your stay in Johannesburg, just speak to your booking agent to organise additional accommodation.
Our Important Notes and Packing List cover all essentials, from necessary equipment to inclusions, ensuring you're fully equipped and informed for this extraordinary adventure and more.
1. FAMILY TRIPS: Please note that these trips are for adults and children travelling together and there must be at least one child under 18 with you. 2. MINIMUM AGE: The minimum age for children on this trip is 10 years old unless otherwise approved by Intrepid. 3. CHILD PRICE: Children aged 17 years and under at time of travel on this trip, are eligible to receive 20% off the full adult price. 4. SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: A single supplement is available for adults wishing to have a room/tent to themselves. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information. 5. CAMPSITES: On occasion, especially during the peak periods during May - September & December, we are unable to secure campsites within Kruger National Park. In this instance we will camp outside the park. 6. EQUIPMENT: Camping accommodation on this trip is mainly in two-person canvas dome tents with camping mattresses supplied. A sleeping bag is not included but is available for hire if you do not wish to bring your own. Please advise your booking agent if you would like to hire a sleeping bag. Pillows and towels are not provided when camping. 7. DELAYS: Border crossing delays in the region have been sporadic and difficult to predict. What takes an hour one day may take four hours the next. This may affect the order of activities in the itinerary. We understand this uncertainty can be frustrating, and we strongly recommend packing a bit of patience and flexibility. 8. DOCUMENTS: Travelling with children: Children travelling on a valid passport with one or both parents are no longer required to present a birth certificate, parental consent letter and other supporting documentation. To check the requirements for other situations, such as legal guardianship or unaccompanied travelling minors, visit the South African Department of Home Affairs.
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