|
|
History, Cultural, and Wildlife Tour of South Africa
offered by supplier M09212 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 11
day(s)
Group Size: 1
- 4
people
Destination(s):
South Africa
Specialty Categories:
Cultural Journey
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 2399 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 2399 US Dollar (USD)
|
|
Join the thousands of customers who chose us as their travel expert and experience your trip of a lifetime.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1 – Arrival in Durban
Upon arrival at Durban Airport you will be met and assisted to the Sixt Rent-a-Car kiosk to collect your Group B hire car (Ford Ikon or similar). You drive to your beachfront accommodation in Durban for one night on bed & breakfast basis. Overnight Holiday Inn Elangeni on B&B basis.
Day 2 – Durban to Southern Drakensberg
This morning you depart Durban on the highway and travel through the rolling hills of the Kwazulu Natal Midlands to Howick. Here you leave the main highway and take the main road to Underberg and Himeville. Your hotel is situated at the foot of the famous Sani Pass and on the edge of the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, a World Heritage Site. The hotel has breathtaking views of the Drakensberg Mountains. Enjoy a late afternoon stroll near the hotel. Overnight Sani Pass Hotel on DB&B basis.
Day 3 – Southern Drakensberg
Today you will join a tour up the Sani Pass, gateway to the Roof of Africa. The Sani Pass climbs 1000 meters into the Drakensberg. The tour will take you across the border into Lesotho, where you will visit a traditional Basotho village and have lunch in the highest pub in Africa. Overnight Sani Pass Hotel on DB&B basis.
Day 4 – Southern Drakensberg to Central Drakensberg
There is time this morning for a walk near the hotel before you depart for the Central Drakensberg. You return to Howick and continue north on the main highway for a short distance to the Nottingham Road turn-off. From here you head east back towards the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park. Check in at your chalet in the Giant’s Castle rest camp and go for a short walk before dark. Overnight Giant’s Castle rest camp on a B&B basis.
Day 5 – Central Drakensberg to Spionkop
This morning there is time for a walk around the rest camp before departing Giant’s Castle. You head north along the main highway again, turning off towards Bergville. Check in at Spionkop Lodge, a beautifully restored, colonial-style farmstead which was the headquarters of the Commander in Chief of the British Forces, General Sir Redvers Buller. Here your host and Boer War raconteur will bring alive the military mindset at the time of the Battle of Spionkop. Enjoy a quiet drink with your hosts, guide and other guests at the Churchill Pub. Overnight Spionkop Lodge on a Full Board Basis (all meals).
Day 6 – Spionkop to Babanango Valley
This morning your host takes you on a tour to the site of one of the bloodiest battles fought during the Boer War. His stories bring to life the personal trauma of the soldiers involved in the battle. You return to the Lodge for a light lunch before departure. You drive via Ladysmith and Dundee to Babanango Valley in the heart of Zululand. Check in at Babanango Valley Guesthouse, where once again your host is a renowned local historian and raconteur. Overnight Babanango Valley Lodge on a DB&B Basis.
Day 7 – Isandlwana & Rorke’s Drift
Today your hosts will take you on a tour that follows the line of advance of the Zulus towards Isandlwana. On the heights overlooking Isandlwana, you will be given a Zulu perspective on the battle and you will visit the site museum. On the battlefield itself, the dramatic story of this great battle will be unveiled. From here you move to Rorke’s Drift for a picnic lunch before a walk around the battlefield describing exactly where there events of that incredible British defense took place. A visit to the excellent site museum rounds off the day. Overnight Babanango Valley Lodge on a DB&B Basis.
Day 8 – Babanango to rural Zululand
There is time this morning for a walk in the nature reserve surrounding the lodge before you depart Babanango and drive to the coast, where you take the N2 highway north to the village of Hluhluwe. Here you will meet up with your guide from Mbonise Cultural Concepts and Tours. He will take you to experience the warm hospitality of the Mdaka family and their surrounding community. Be part of the daily routine of this community for a day and a night. The umuzi ka Mdaka (Mdaka homestead) offers accommodation in 3 traditional thatched round huts. You arrive at the umuzi in the late afternoon and enjoy an evening cultural programme of story-telling, traditional dance and singing. This is a participative programme where guests are taught how to join in and is not a show. Overnight umuzi ka Mdaka on a DB&B basis.
Day 9 – Rural Zululand and Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve
The next morning you are taken on a 2-4 hour walking tour of the Nompondo community, which includes a visit to a local school. You depart the muzi ka Mdaka after a light lunch and drive the short distance to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve. You check in at your chalet in one of the Park’s rest camps. Hlulhluwe-Umfolozi is famous for the role it played in saving the white rhino from extinction and is now home to the country’s largest white rhino population. Tonight join the Park rangers in an open vehicle for an exciting night drive. Overnight Hilltop Camp on a B&B basis.
Day 10 – Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve
This morning you can self-drive in the Park with your own vehicle. You have an option of joining a Park Ranger for either another night drive or a daytime drive. Hluhluwe-Umfolozi is home to all of the Big Five as well as a myriad of smaller, equally fascinating animals. You may also want to take a short drive to the nearby Lake St Lucia and take a boat cruise. The famous Greater St Lucia Wetland Park is a sanctuary for many bird species such as flamingo, pelican, fish eagle and Goliath heron. Your guide on the boat will also show you the world of the hippo and the crocodile. Overnight Hilltop Camp on a B&B basis.
Day 11 – Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve to Durban and out
Today there is time for another game drive in the Park before you head back to Durban along the main highway. You hand in your hire car at Durban Airport and check in for your flight.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Not Included:
- Car hire contract fee of R25 and fuel deposit of R1,000;
- Daily conservation levies at Giant’s Castle & Hluhluwe-Umfolozi;
- All flights and airport taxes International and domestic air are available;
- Personal items and extras.
Included:
- Meet & Greet at Durban Airport;
- 11 days Group B car hire (includes unlimited mileage and super cover insurance);
- 1 night at Holiday Inn Elangeni on B&B basis;
- 2 nights at Sani Pass Hotel on a DB&B basis;
- 1 night at Giant’s Castle Rest camp on a B&B basis;
- 1 night at Spionkop Lodge on a Full Board basis;
- 2 nights at Babanango Valley Lodge on a DB&B basis;
- Full-day Isandlwana & Rorke’s Drift Tour;
- 1 night at umuzi ka Mdaka on a DB&B basis plus community tour;
- 2 nights at Hilltop Camp on a B&B basis plus 1 game drive each day.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
South Africa
Cultural Journey
Email it to a friend:
Click here to email this vacation to a friend
|
|
|
|
