4-day -

 

Hiking Safari Kruger Park & Blyde River Canyon

 

Be enchanted by experiencing nature using all of your senses while being out on foot in the Kruger Park and the Blyde River Canyon where Guests will revel in the discovery of fascinating creatures and plant life.​

The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. 

 

     Itinerary:                                            

 

If you arrive a day or two earlier, we recommend booking an excursion to Soweto or the Apartheid Museum.

 

You will be picked up at any of the following spots for the start of the tour between 6 am and 7 am:

1. O.R.Tambo Airport, 2. Gautrain Centurion Station,

3. Your centrally located hotel, 4. Home pick up

Please request a quote (amatungulutours@gmail.com) for home pick up, or if your hotel is not on our route. (Between the O.R.Tambo Airport and our destination.) Pick up point must be indicated on the booking form. 

 

Day 1: You will begin the journey very early in the morning and drive through some of the most scenic areas of the Eastern part of South Africa. While interpreting South African history, we drive for about 4,5 hours and then view Pinnacle Rock and experience the amazing view from Wonder View. We then visit the Berlin Falls, where numerous local arts and crafts are for sale. From here we visit Bourke’s Luck Potholes, and then head the Blyde River Canyon where you do the first hike, the LEOPARD trail: the trail takes around 4 hours to complete and requires you to be fit. It offers spectacular views of the northern section of the Blyde River Canyon, Blyde Dam, Three Rondavels, Mariepskop and other features of the Canyon. A variety of biomes with their specific vegetation types are encountered on this trail. Although leopards are seldom actually encountered due to their shy and nocturnal habits, their foot prints is often seen. Overnight in a chalet at the resort: Forever Blyde Canyon (or similar).

​Day 2: Breakfast is followed by the KADISHI-TUFA trail: This trail takes about an hour and a half to complete and is easy. It runs along the Kadishi River, which is a tributary of the Blyde River. It incorporates a lovely Tufa waterfall which is a rare phenomenon involving the building up of the rock behind the waterfall because of calcium carbonate precipitation.

Completing this we head to the heart of the Kruger National Park through the Orpen gate, watching game as we head to the Satara Rest Camp (or similar, like Letaba or Olifants), which is situated in an excellent game viewing areas, with the bush relatively open and the animals plentiful and diverse. Satara is well wooded and the bird-life is prolific. Once at your camp, you will have a popular *3 hour sunset game drive in an open safari vehicle where the amazing African sunsets can be seen, and return at night while viewing some nocturnal species, then dinner at the restaurant. Overnight in a bungalow.

​Day 3: An early morning game walk of 3 hours where two armed field guides accompany you start your day. The rangers will focus on the things that you will usually not be able to see from a vehicle. You’ll leave the rest camp in darkness on a special open-sided vehicle. You’ll travel on roads that aren’t open to regular park visitors. You might be lucky and spot a few nocturnal animals on the way to the walking trail starting off point, such as spring hares and bush babies. By being out on foot you cover an area more intensely and you are able to experience nature using all of your senses. If there is any large game in the area you are more than likely able to encounter them and have an exhilarating experience of approaching them on foot.

This is followed by breakfast and then set out for the game drive in our own vehicle to explore every possible opportunity to view the spectacular wildlife scenery. We take the best scenic routes and drive to the south of Kruger Park to get more opportunities to see the Big 5. Chances are excellent to spot a variety of some of the animals: Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Wild dog, Spotted hyena, Elephant, Burchell's zebra, Hippopotamus, Warthog, Giraffe, Buffalo, Eland, Roan antelope, Sable antelope, Greater kudu, etc. You overnight at the Berg & Dal camp or similar.

​Day 4: You do another early morning guided walk, similar like the previous morning but in another area. After having breakfast at the restaurant, we do a game drive as we travel out of the park and then start the 4-5 hour journey back to Johannesburg with another scenic route. (Lunch en-route) You will be dropped off at O.R.Tambo Airport or nearby hotel, Johannesburg or Pretoria.

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​Included:

 

• Accommodation as per itinerary

• Entrance fees

• National Park fees

• Breakfasts 

• Driver/guide

• Professional guide at specialist venues

• Transport by private vehicle

• 3-hour sunset Game Drive in open safari vehicle