Southern Africa Safari: Kruger & Coast

Welcome to South Africa, our tour begins on the Dolphin Coast. Depending on your arrival time there is the option of spending the day at the beach or relaxing at our accommodation. There will be a welcome briefing in the evening to discuss the adventures to come. Stay: Dolphin Coast Lodge (or similar).

This morning, we head to Lake St Lucia, a Unesco World Heritage site, in iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The uniqueness of the park lies in a remarkable combination of estuarine lakes, subtropical coastline, forests and wildlife.

On arrival, we drive into the park and picnic at Mission Rocks, where there is an excellent chance of seeing turtles. We then explore the park, looking for buffalos and rhinos on our way to Cape Vidal Beach. We drive to St Lucia in the late afternoon. Stay: St Lucia Luxury Tented Village (or similar) (B/L).

Starting early, we have a two-hour boat cruise on Lake St Lucia, known for its large hippo population. We may also spot crocodiles and fish eagles. After breakfast at our accommodation, we have a short drive inland to Hluhluwe-i Mfolozi Park, the oldest proclaimed reserve in Africa. We drive through the park in our tour vehicle (our first chance to spot the incredible animals here) until we reach camp.

We have some time to relax in the afternoon and then in the evening we head out in safari vehicles with a park ranger where have a good chance of seeing white and black rhinos along with plenty of key species: lions, elephants, buffalos and leopards. Back at camp, we enjoy our first braai (South African barbecue) of the holiday. Stay: Mpila Camp (or similar) (B/L/D).

We begin with an early morning game walk with a park ranger. The walk is limited to eight people so for larger groups we split into two, with one group walking today and the other group tomorrow. The group not joining will go on a game drive in one of the camp's safari vehicles. We return to camp for breakfast and then have most of the day to relax or go on an additional game drive in the tour vehicle. In the late afternoon, we head out in the camp safari vehicles again in search of the park wildlife, including lions, rhinos (both black and white), giraffes and leopards. Stay: Mpila Camp (or similar) (B/L/D).

Any group members who didn't join the game walk yesterday will do it today. After breakfast, we drive out of the park in our tour vehicle enjoying more animal watching as we go. The journey will take approximately two hours and we exit from the Memorial Gate. Our next destination is Ponta Do Ouro, Mozambique, where golden sands meet the Indian Ocean.

The natural beauty combined with excellent diving and snorkelling opportunities has made this small town a favourite with in-the-know travellers. After border formalities, we have a drive of approximately 20 minutes to our accommodation for the next two nights. We typically arrive in the late afternoon with time to unwind before dinner. Stay: Planet Scuba Lodge (or similar) (B/L).

Today we enjoy an experience you'll be talking about for years to come: swimming with dolphins. To increase our chances of swimming with these playful, curious mammals, we'll aim for one boat launch in the morning and one in the afternoon. From July to November, it is also possible to see migrating humpback whales visiting the Mozambique coast. From December to May, whale sharks and occasionally manta rays can be seen in these waters. Stay: Planet Scuba Lodge (or similar) (B).

Our destination today is Kruger National Park, justifiably one of the most famous safari destinations in the world. The drive to South Africa is approximately three hours and takes us through Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Once we cross the border at Ressano Garcia, we have a short drive to the Crocodile Bridge entrance into Kruger.

The national park is bigger than many countries and home to all the iconic safari species, so look for lions, leopards, elephants, rhino, buffalo, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, zebras and plenty of antelope. We hope for several wildlife encounters on the drive to our camp on the Sabie River, which we should reach by late afternoon. Stay: Kruger Park Chalets (or similar) (B/D).

Today is the first of two full days in Kruger National Park and will concentrate on the south section of the park. Game drives are in safari vehicles with local guides. The best time for viewing animals is sunrise and sunset, which means an early start as we head out to witness the wildlife at their most active. We return to camp for breakfast and spend the rest of the day exploring the park on the way to our camp in central Kruger. Stay: Kruger Park Chalets (or similar) (B/L/D).

Our second day focuses on the central area of Kruger and we prioritise looking for species that we have not yet seen or have seen less of over the rest of the trip. Stay: Kruger Park Chalets (or similar) (B/L/D).

There is a final game drive this morning in the safari vehicles to Orpen Gate. When we exit the park, we change vehicles and then proceed to our lunch stop before moving onto a great viewpoint for Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world.

This afternoon, we explore a geological formation known as Bourke's Luck Potholes and the God's Window viewpoint on our way to our accommodation on the edge of Graskop Gorge. Stay: Mogodi Lodge (or similar) (B/L).

For our final morning, we ride the glass Graskop Gorge Lift for a sky-high view over the mighty gorge and enjoy a two-hour walk through indigenous Afromontane forest. From here, we have a four to five-hour drive to Johannesburg International Airport where our trip ends. Please note, if you are organising your own flights, you should speak to your sales representative to confirm transfer timings before booking your flights (B).