SD-TISD 01: Wildlife Discovery Self-Drive 2025

DAY BY DAY BREAKDOWN

Day 1 | Monday
JOHANNESBURG to HOEDSPRUIT AREA via DULLSTROOM (±456km | ±4hrs | 30min)
Meet & Greet, documentation handover and hired vehicle collection at the airport (or Europcar Sandton office by arrangement)
Lunch stop en-route (optional - own account)
Afternoon game drive in an open safari vehicle (included)
Dinner at the lodge (included)
Makalali Private Game Lodge or similar – dinner, breakfast and two game viewing excursions (5-star)

Day 2 | Tuesday
HOEDSPRUIT AREA to HAZYVIEW via PANORAMA ROUTE (±180km | ±2hrs)
Morning game drive in an open safari vehicle (included)
Breakfast at lodge
Blyde River Canyon and Three Rondawels (optional - own account)
Bourke’s Luck Potholes (optional - own account)
God's Window (optional - own account)
Late lunch en-route along the Panorama Route (optional - own account)
Arrive at hotel late afternoon
Dinner at hotel (included)
ANEW Resort Hazyview or similar – dinner and breakfast (4-star)

Day 3 | Wednesday
HAZYVIEW to ESWATINI via KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (±160km | ±4hrs)
Breakfast at hotel
Enter Kruger National Park at Phabeni Gate (optional - own account)
Lunch in the Park (optional - own account)
Exit Kruger National Park at Malelane Gate
Enter Eswatini at Jeppes Reef Border (visas for own account)
Drive through Ezulwini Valley.
Dinner at the lodge
Mantenga Lodge or similar – dinner and breakfast (4-star)

Day 4 | Thursday
ESWATINI to ST LUCIA via (±335km | ±6hrs)
Early breakfast at the hotel
Drive through Eswatini
Lunch en-route (optional - own account)
Enter South Africa at Lavumisa Border (multiple SA entry visas for own account)
Arrive at your hotel late afternoon
Dinner at hotel or in town (optional - own account)
Forest Lodge or similar – breakfast (4-star)

Day 5 | Friday
ST LUCIA to DURBAN (±215km | ±2hrs 20min)
Morning game drive in an open safari vehicle and short forest walk in iSimangaliso Wetlands Park (own account)
Breakfast at hotel
Boat cruise on the St Lucia Estuary (optional and may be pre-booked - own account).
Lunch in St Lucia on the banks of the estuary (optional - own account)
Drive to Durban
Drop-off hired vehicle at the airport

Day 1: JOHANNESBURG to SKUKUZA, KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (±465km)
Your adventure begins as we depart Johannesburg, towards the Kruger National Park - South Africa’s top-ranked safari destination and one of the planet’s last vast preserved wildernesses. We stop en route for lunch (at your own expense). We enter the park in the afternoon and enjoy game viewing as we make our way to our 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. We dine at the lodge restaurant. Overnight at Skukuza Safari Lodge
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 we 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. We 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
Day 3: SKUKUZA, KRUGER NATIONAL PARK to MAKALALI GAME RESERVE via ORPEN GATE (±255km)
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 the 3-hour drive to Orpen Gate, where we 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. We 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
Day 4: MAKALALI GAME RESERVE to GRASKOP via PANORAMA ROUTE (±135km)
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, we drive along the Panorama Route where the scenery shifts from bushveld to the lush green mountains and valleys. We stop for lunch (at your own expense) along this route. First, we 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. We 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. We overnight 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
Day 5: GRASKOP to JOHANNESBURG (±385km)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before we make our way back to Johannesburg. Drop off the hired vehicle at Europcar or O.R Tambo International Airport, concluding the self-drive tour.