African Safari Adventure
SAMPLE ITINERARY
Please be aware there may always be small changes based upon availability and unforeseen circumstances, but this is most unlikely. If changes do occur, venues will be substituted with ones of equal or better quality.
Day 1 –Land in Johannesburg that morning. We will be greeted at the airport and leave immediately for a tour. We will visit an apartheid museum, the township of Soweto, Nelson Mandela’s family home and have lunch on the famous Vilakazi Street.
See http://www.southafrica.info/travel/cultural/vilakazi.htm#.VgxQ4eyqqko
That evening we will have reservations at a local restaurant for your first authentic South Africa meal, with your meal and a soft drink included. Lodging will be in the city of Johannesburg, in a comfortable bed and breakfast lodge.
Day 2 – Travel outside of Johannesburg to visit some of the ancient rock art of the Southern African region. To get to the site we shall have to walk a ways through the bush, but it is not a strenuous walk, and we recommend closed comfortable shoes for these activities. Steeped in mystery, this art dates back thousands of years at some sites, and we have specially selected some art for you to see. The very limited access to these sites make this a very special and privileged aspect of our tour, and we will spend time explaining the art and its meaning to you. Lee has co-authored a book on the topic
http://www.amazon.com/BUSHMAN-ROCK-ART-Interpretive-Guide/dp/1920143556
and will guide us in the site, and enhance the experience by interpreting the current understanding of the art of these ancient minds. We will have a Portuguese chicken lunch along the way, visiting the tiny anti-poaching museum enroute, and maybe even getting a glimpse of some animals along the route as we cross the Highveld of South Africa, a region over 4500 feet above sea level. Once we begin to approach the escarpment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Escarpment,_Southern_Africa
of South Africa’s interior, and drop down over the mountains, we shall enter the tiny historic mining town of pilgrims rest, and settle in for the night at our lodgings there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim%27s_Rest,_Mpumalanga
Day 3 – We will be visiting some of the most photographed scenic areas in the world today! In the morning, once you have rested we will walk through historic town and then after breakfast we are off to Blyde Canyon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blyde_River_Canyon
to see Gods Window, 3 Rondawels, Lisbon falls, Bourke’s Luck Potholes. The weather may affect which venues we visit, due to visibility, but usually during the South African winter (July included) it is pretty clear. We will see how time goes and try to dine at the famous Harries Pancake House.
http://www.harriespancakes.com/gallery.htm
then we complete our journey to the Greater Kruger National Park to our base camp for the next while, in our base camp in the bush. Here we will be settled into our camp, and orientated, and then prepare for a fantastic night in the wilds of Africa, listening to the roar of lions or the tree-snapping crack of an feeding elephant nearby.
Days 4-11 – Now your real African experience begins. We will spend the next week or so exploring Africa, learning to track, exploring ancient traditions and skills and of course viewing superb wildlife, such as rhinoceros, buffalo, hippo, crocodile, giraffe, lions and elephants. These are only a tiny example of the amazing creatures we will see! We have a selection of wonderful camps, all with their own beauty, and we are certain this will be one of the most wonderful weeks you have ever spent, with wild life, passionate and experienced guides and a huge focus on your own safety. We will enjoy morning Safaris, evening safaris, guided walks, guest lecturers, see wonderful trees and iron age sites, understand survival and animal behaviour and soak up the African sunsets from wonderful vantage points. To gain insight into some of the things we are going to be doing please read the newsletters and blogs from:
http://www.natureguidetraining.com/my-blog-page/
and
http://originalwisdom.com/blog/
as these newsletters and blogs will give you some idea of what we may get up to!
Day 12 – We leave our bush camp today to drive to Moholoholo Rehab Centre where we will hopefully meet a famous honey badger (if he is out of bed!), maybe pet a cheetah, feed a vulture or even visit the rehabilitated eagles close up. This centre focusses on rehabilitation and reintroduction of wild animals, and is well known across the world
http://www.moholoholo.co.za/WILDLIFE-REHABILITATION-CENTRE.htm
Once we have completed our tour of Moholoholo we will depart a wonderful luxury lodge, for the culmination of our trip. We will spend our days on Safari, and enjoy the comforts of home and eat fine meals under the African stars (just like our bush camp!!) where we will stay in the lodge for our remaining nights on the tour in South Africa.
Day 13 – We will continue exploring our private reserve and will also visit the local community, to meet some of the people who live here and see a little of the culture of the region.
Day 14 – Our last morning depending upon time of our flights out of the country, we will try to have a last bush experience, and then depart across the country for our airplane flights out of South Africa.
