Day 1: Manyeleti Game Reserve

From Johannesburg the route leads eastwards to Manyeleti Game Reserve through Mpumalanga. En route to Big Five country lies the Drakensberg Escarpment with its sheer rock walls, pockets of indigenous forest, grass covered mountain slopes and vast plantations. It abounds with streams, waterfalls, crystal-clear pools and potholes and embraces the world’s third largest canyon – the Blyde River Canyon.

From the top of the escarpment, the route descends nearly a thousand metres to the low-lying, 23 000-ha Manyeleti Game Reserve which shares an unfenced boundary with the adjacent Kruger Park. The main attractions are the guided trails and game drives from Ndzhaka tented safari camp in Big Five territory.

Overnight: Ndzhaka safari tents
Basis: D

Day 2: Manyeleti Game Reserve

An early morning start means a walk can be enjoyed before breakfast. Activities of the day could include a visit to Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre or Kapama Cheetah Breeding Project or a day drive into Kruger via Orpen gate, or stay in Manyeleti and enjoy nature at its best!

Overnight: Ndzhaka safari tents
Basis: B, L & D

Days 3 & 4: Kruger National Park

Shimuwini is a Shangaan word for "Place of the Baobab Tree". The camp is so named because the nearby Letaba River which fronts the cottages, is lined with these huge trees, one of them estimated to be between 2 000 and 3 000 years old. Shimuwini Bushveld Camp is the most modern of the bushveld camps, being completely rebuilt after the floods in 2000.

Overnight: Shimuwini Bushveld camp
Basis: B, L & D

Days 5 - 7: Pafuri Game Reserve
Step back in time and enjoy this old colonial and historical bush camp established in the early 1900s.

Situated within the Kruger National Park, it offers early access to the Luvuhu and Limpopo rivers for bird and game watching. Enjoy the lush gardens with a variety of indigenous trees, swimming pool and braai area. More than 300 birds have been spotted in the region.

Overnight: Teba Pafuri Camp / Mockford House
Basis: B, L & D

Days 8 & 9: Elim

Today’s route leads you through plantations into the high mountains where, in a clearing surrounded by tropical rain forest, a traditional Venda camp provides panoramic views of the mist belt forest and the Mukumbane coffee plantations below. Scenic forest walks, picnics, swimming in deep pools at the foot of sparkling waterfalls and listening to trained guides’ interpretation of the local Venda culture, myths and legends makes for an interesting stay at Fundudzi camp.

Overnight: Fundudzi camp
Basis: B, L & D

Days 10 & 11: Mapungubwe National Park

The Greater Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site is the ideal location for anyone interested in the park's wildlife and birds, to those in search of serenity, identity and the extraordinary history of this World Heritage Site...

**A must do whilst in the area is to book yourselves on a guided Heritage Site Walk with a park ranger.

Visit Mapungubwe Hill, where a far developed African civilisation prospered between 1200 and 1270 AD. The area was already inhabited by a growing Iron Age community from 900 AD and became rich through trade with faraway places like Egypt, India and China. This is the place where archaeologists excavated the famous golden rhino and other evidence of a wealthy African kingdom.

Overnight: Forest Tented Camp
Basis: B, L & D

Day 12: Soutpansberg

Madi a Thavha, meaning “water from the mountains”, is set in a beautiful and quiet valley of the lush Soutpansberg mountain area of Limpopo, only 10 km drive from the centre of Louis Trichardt.
Enjoying farm life and nature, the stylish and bright accommodations, and the rich culture of the area will make your stay a remindable experience.

Madi a Thavha is in the heart of rich diverse Venda and Shangaan culture famous for their multi talented arts and crafts. Depending on how much time available we will take one of the artists route and see local potters, wood carvers, textile weavers and bead makers all in their own villages. This area is certainly a ‘road less travelled’ and if you enjoy experiences off the beaten track with a true, authentic reflection of what our culture is, then this is the tour for you!

Overnight: Madi a Thavha Mountain Farm Lodge
Basis: B & D

Day 13: Return to Johannesburg airport

Today we make our way back to Jo’burg airport in time for your return flight home.