SD-TISD 06: Wild & Scenic Kruger Self-Drive 2025

DAY BY DAY BREAKDOWN | SD-TISD 06

Day 1 | Tuesday
JOHANNESBURG to GRASKOP via PRETORIA and PILGRIM’S REST (±415km) | ±5hrs
Breakfast at the hotel (included)
Drive to the Lowveld via Pretoria (optional)
• Voortrekker Monument (optional – own account)
• Views from Union Buildings, Nelson Mandela Statue photo opportunity
Visit Pilgrim’s Rest village (optional)
Dinner at hotel (own account)
Hoyohoyo Angel’s View or similar – Breakfast (4-star)



Day 2 | Wednesday
GRASKOP to HOEDSPRUIT via PANORAMA ROUTE (±145km) | ±2hrs
Early breakfast at hotel (included)
Panorama Route sites (optional - own account)
Lunch en route (optional - own account)
High Tea (included)
Afternoon open safari vehicle game drive (included)
Dinner at lodge (included)
aha Makalali Main Lodge or similar – Dinner, breakfast, and 2 game activities (5-star)


Day 3 | Thursday
HOEDSPRUIT to SKUKUZA REST CAMP in KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (±255km) | ±3hrs 30min
Breakfast at hotel, or arrange a breakfast pack (included)
Enter Kruger National Park at Orpen Gate (conversation fee own account)
Lunch in the Kruger National Park (optional - own account)
Dinner at hotel (included)
Skukuza Safari Lodge or similar – Dinner and breakfast (4-star)


Day 4 | Friday
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK to JOHANNESBURG (±465km) | ±5hrs 45min | Day of departure
Morning open safari vehicle game drive (optional – own account)
Breakfast at lodge (included)
Lunch en-route (optional - own account)
Arrive in Johannesburg late afternoon
Drop-off hired vehicle at the airport (or Europcar Sandton office by arrangement)

Day 1: JOHANNESBURG to SKUKUZA, KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (±465km) | ±6hrs 30min excluding stops
Be greeted at the airport and handed your travel documentation to collect the hired vehicle from Europcar. Your adventure begins as you depart Johannesburg, towards the Kruger National Park - South Africa’s top-ranked safari destination and one of the planet’s last vast preserved wildernesses. Stop en route for lunch (at your own expense). Enter the park in the afternoon to enjoy game viewing as you make your way to the lodge at Skukuza Rest Camp. Kruger National Park is home to what is famously known as the 'Big 5' (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, and rhino), along with 336 tree, 49 fish, 34 amphibian, 116 reptile, 507 bird, and 147 mammal species. Arrive at the lodge in the late afternoon. Enjoy dinner at the lodge restaurant. Overnight at Skukuza Safari Lodge – Dinner, breakfast and 1 game drive activity
Day 2: FULL DAY IN KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
Wake up early with a sunrise cup of coffee and fresh rusks (a traditional South African biscuit). Expect an exciting safari as you head out on a full day game drive with expert guides in an open safari vehicle. You will receive a breakfast pack to enjoy at a picnic spot in the park. Explore the wilderness with heightened senses on the lookout for creatures big and small. Be ready to add to your animal and bird viewing list! There is a lot to look for, including the 'Big 5'. Find graceful giraffes among the thorn trees, while in the vast African skies, vultures circle, marking a kill. Listen out for the compelling cry of a Fish Eagle or the unforgettable, full-throated roar of a lion. As the day unfolds, relish a tranquil lunch (at your own expense) at a scenic picnic spot, surrounded by the park's untamed beauty. Relax and take in the special energy of the African bush. Return to the lodge in the late afternoon. Enjoy dinner under the starry galaxy, and share stories around the campfire or at the restaurant. Overnight at Skukuza Safari Lodge – Dinner, breakfast and 1 game activity
Day 3: SKUKUZA, KRUGER NATIONAL PARK to MAKALALI GAME RESERVE via ORPEN GATE (±255km) | ±4hrs 30min excluding stops
You will be reluctant to leave the wild world of the Kruger National Park, but Hoedspruit is a wildlife mecca. After breakfast, there are more opportunities to spot wildlife on your 3-hour drive to Orpen Gate, where you exit the Park and head towards the Makalali Private Game Reserve. Makalali is renowned for its diverse wildlife and beautiful landscapes, with a signature skyline of the Drakensberg Mountain Range. It is also home to the highly endangered African wild dog. Stop for lunch (at your own expense) en route. Once at the lodge, you can enjoy an afternoon high tea, cool off in the pool, or relax on a viewing deck. You will explore this private reserve, spanning 26,000ha of pristine bushveld, in an open safari vehicle with an expert game ranger in the afternoon. With two game drives, you can expect hours of excitement and wonder. You are in for a treat this evening with fine dining on the deck, before retiring to your suite for the night. Overnight at aha Makalali River Lodge or similar – Dinner, breakfast, and 2 game activities
Day 4: MAKALALI GAME RESERVE to GRASKOP via PANORAMA ROUTE (±135km) | ±2hrs excluding stops
Early morning in the bush is extraordinary. The clear air is filled with birdsong; animals make their way to drinking holes. Be part of the wilderness on a guided walk through the bush, or head out on an open vehicle game drive. After a lodge breakfast, drive along the Panorama Route (all entrance fees at your own expense) where the scenery shifts from bushveld to the lush green mountains and valleys. Stop for lunch (at your own expense) along this route. First, visit the Blyde River Canyon, the world’s largest green canyon filled with waterfalls and ancient geological formations that will astound you, including the Three Rondavels - three conical peaks resembling African huts. Stand on the bridges over the Bourke’s Luck Potholes, where millennia of swirling water have carved giant holes into the sandstone. Watch misty rainbows formed by the cascading Lisbon Falls as it plunges 94m of sheer rock face. If time permits, take a short walk to the bottom of the falls. Continue to the highest point of the day, at God’s Window before seeing the Pinnacle – a tall, freestanding rock formation that offers unrivalled views of the Canyon. If time permits, visit the Graskop Gorge Lift facility. Your overnight stop is near Graskop, a town established in the 1880s at the height of the gold rush, and now part of the local timber industry. Enjoy a relaxing dinner at your hotel. Overnight at Hoyohoyo Angel’s View or similar – Dinner and breakfast
Day 5: GRASKOP to JOHANNESBURG (±385km) | ±4hrs 10min excluding stops
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before driving back to Johannesburg. Stop for lunch (at your own expense) en route and arrive in Johannesburg in the afternoon at OR Tambo International Airport.