There are also traditional activities and wildlife viewing included in the program, thus making the program ideal for first time visitors and non-vet partners too. You will come face to face with the magnificent cheetah, the Cape Hunting dog, the African elephant and much more.
Not only will you have a fantastic time but your participation also means donations to the various research projects, thus you are helping save endangered species. Guided throughout by Dr Peter Brothers, Wildlife Veterinarian and registered Tourist Guide, Dr William Fowlds, wildlife veterinarian, in the Eastern Cape, researchers, and various local guides, you will be given a unique and rare insight into the world of wildlife in Southern Africa.
Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime safari, while helping to conserve Africa’s wildlife through your participation...
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1, Saturday: Arrive at Johannesburg International Airport (OR Tambo) – flights for your own arrangement. On arrival transfer from Johannesburg International Airport to your nearby hotel, via the free shuttle service provided by the hotel. Your accommodation for the night is on a bed & breakfast basis.
Enjoy dinner at your hotel complex – for your own expense. Your hotel is a sensational hotel, casino and convention resort that combines timeless classical elegance and sheer excitement, conveniently situated alongside Johannesburg International Airport. This 80-key three-star select-services hotel offers you cosy, comfortable and affordable accommodation and delightful service. All guests enjoy breakfast at the charming Primavera Restaurant and access to a magnificent variety of facilities.
The rooms are furnished with two upholstered armchairs, a coffee table and a large desk. The en-suite bathrooms have showers over the bath, and dressing area is equipped with a hand basin in a marble vanity. Other amenities include a hairdryer and a personal key-pad safe. The radio/TV offers a range of channels.
Day 2, Sunday: Check out after breakfast and gather in the hotel foyer at 10.00 am where you will be met by a Brothers Safaris representative who will transfer you to the world renowned De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre, just north west of Pretoria (approximately a 1 hour drive).
Check in to De Wildt Cheetah Lodge and have an informal introduction and discussion. Enjoy lunch at 12.00, at the De Wildt Cheetah Lodge. Enjoy a private afternoon tour of the breeding facility, with the likely opportunity to get up close and have your photo taken with one of the ambassador cheetahs.
Sundowners (sunset drinks) are followed by dinner back at the lodge.
Overnight at De Wildt Cheetah Lodge. Your stay at De Wildt is on a full board basis (3 meals daily, excluding drinks). Dr Brothers might not overnight with you during your stay at De Wildt, but lodge staff are available on the premises should you need assistance.
De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Center is renowned for its breeding success of rare and endangered species. The very rare King Cheetah was first bred here and similar success was achieved in breeding the Wild Dog, Brown Hyena, Blue Duiker, Suni Antelope and various species of vultures. Visitors to the Center can see most of these animals up close and learn interesting facts about their nature, habitat and way of life when taking a tour in an open vehicle, conducted by a knowledgeable guide. The center is a CITES approved cheetah breeding center!
De Wildt Cheetah Lodge is situated just north west of Pretoria, in the De Wildt area. The lodge is set in lush green gardens on an adjacent property to the breeding Center, nestled in the foothills of the Magaliesberg mountain range. This presents a landscape of open veld (bush), many indigenous trees, and a panoramic view to the north. A renovated old farm homestead, the lodge has eight suites, each individually decorated to highlight the species that are bred at the Center, or the environment. Each meal is a sumptuous experience.
Day 3, Monday: Early breakfast at the lodge. Transfer to the neighboring De Wildt Center after breakfast, where we enjoy a morning observing, and where possible, assisting with the immobilization of cheetah/wild dog, or other species at the center that require immobilization for management reasons or disease control/treatment. These procedures will be carried out by the center regular Veterinarian who will allow you to participate where possible/practical/safe. Should you prefer, you are welcome to just watch and get those close-up photos of a lifetime! In the unlikely event that there are no procedures that need doing, we will spend some time with staff in observing and, where practical, assisting with daily management tasks at the center.
12.00 pm - Return to the nearby lodge for lunch.
12.45 pm - After lunch we transfer to the Elephant Sanctuary - approximately 20 minutes by road - where we will participate in a group afternoon tour of the facility and meet the individual elephants in a hands-on experience.
The Elephant Sanctuary is not a rescue center for elephants (although most of its residents have been rescued) but a commercial center that accomplishes great work with the resident elephants and guests, in terms of the experience and education they offer through their passion for these amazing animals. A knowledgeable guide conducts this “hands-on tour” on foot, and you are sure to leave the sanctuary feeling enlightened. Return to De Wildt Cheetah Lodge early evening for dinner. Overnight at De Wildt Cheetah Lodge.
Day 4, Tuesday: After early breakfast we transfer to the neighboring De Wildt Cheetah Center to witness a “cheetah run”! The ambassador cheetahs are exercised regularly, using a lure to invoke their hunting instinct, as part of a new program to exercise them and in so doing hopefully also eliminate gastritis which is an ongoing problem for captive cheetah. After the run we transfer to the nearby Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty. On arrival we enjoy a guided tour of the faculty and hospital. Afterwards we have a talk by Prof B Penzhorn, “An overview of the most important wildlife diseases”
1.00 pm – Lunch at Onderstepoort. After lunch we transfer back to our lodge to enjoy an afternoon of leisure. In the evening we enjoy dinner at the lodge, and an informal discussion on the experiences to date/the role of the wildlife vet in Southern Africa. Overnight De Wildt Cheetah Lodge.
Day 5, Wednesday: We check out after early breakfast and transfer to the Johannesburg International airport for our flight to Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province. On arrival we will be met by an Amakhala representative who will transfer us to Amakhala Game Reserve. Check in and enjoy lunch and some leisure time.
Enjoy a late afternoon/evening game drive on Amakhala Game Reserve in an open Land Rover in search of their wildlife – rhino (white and black), elephant, cheetah, buffalo, lion, giraffe, black wildebeest, zebra, tortoise and over 16 antelope species. Watch the sun set while enjoying drinks and snacks, before searching for elusive nocturnal animals such as spotted hyena, lynx, porcupine and spring hare. Back at the lodge we’ll review the program for this section of the safari, and prepare guests for tomorrow’s activities.
Overnight in Amakhala Game Reserve at Leeuwenbosch Lodge.
Accommodation here is on a full board basis (excludes certain drinks and extras). Amakhala Game Reserve began in 1999 as a joint conservation venture and today has six independently owned lodges. All are owner managed by the descendants of the original families who arrived here with the British settlers of 1820.
Dr William Fowlds, a wildlife veterinarian and our host in the Eastern Cape, and his family own and run Leeuwenbosch which consists of the Country House and Shearers Lodge. Built in 1908 and set in its own lovely garden, the Country House is a large and beautiful home, which offers true country living in every sense. Both spacious and comfortable, it has four en-suite bedrooms and a newly added suite. Shearers Lodge was originally built in 1930 and used for shearing and classing wool. It has now been beautifully converted into four luxury en-suite bedrooms, one with a private lounge. All the rooms open on to a wide colonial verandah, overlooking indigenous gardens, rolling lawns and the quaintly charming Leeuwenbosch Chapel.
Day 6, Thursday: After early morning tea and coffee we set out on a morning game drive and river cruise on Amakhala Game Reserve. During this time we will have an overview of wildlife management on a private conservation area, and the role of the veterinarian in this. This morning we also have an overview of dart gun systems and darts and try our hand at loading our own darts and darting a target! Enjoy some leisure time and lunch back at our lodge.
In the afternoon we will participate in a veterinary procedure relating to the management of African Wildlife – details to be finalized nearer the time. Return to the lodge for dinner and to overnight.
Day 7, Friday: After another early start we head into nearby Addo Elephant National Park today, a drive of 40 minutes. We’ll drive through the main park conservation area and discuss aspects of wildlife management in national conservation areas, as we go. We will discuss the different management aspects of this exceptionally diverse reserve from Karoo through mountain & thicket vegetation types, into coastal dune systems and marine environments. We will also visit the bomas (wildlife holding facility) in the park. Return to Amakhala late afternoon for dinner and an evening at leisure. Overnight Amakhala.
Addo Elephant National Park lies deep within the shadows of the dense valley bushveld of the Sundays River region of the Eastern Cape. The original Elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area - today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 420 elephants, 450 Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo. For the first time in over 100 years, lion and spotted hyena were reintroduced to the park in 2005.
Day 8, Saturday: Today we enjoy a guided walk on Amakhala as an opportunity to focus on the finer details of the environment, culminating in a breakfast in the bush... The rest of the day will be taken up with the following activities:
An introduction to the adaptive predator monitoring system on Amakhala, with a practical demonstration on telemetry which is used as a predator management tool. Participate in another veterinary procedure relating to the management of Amakhala – details to be finalised nearer the time. Tonight we spend our last night on Amakhala.
Day 9, Sunday: Check out after early breakfast and transfer to Port Elizabeth Yacht Club for a marine excursion into Algoa Bay (weather permitting). This ocean safari will give us a chance to see dolphins, whales, sharks, seals and the island home of half the world’s population of African penguins. This part of the bay incorporates the marine component of the Addo Park. After our ocean safari we transfer to Bayworld (Oceanarium) in Port Elizabeth. Here we interact with staff to gain an insight into marine veterinary involvement.
After lunch (for your own expense) we transfer to Port Elizabeth airport for the flight back to Johannesburg (OR Tambo). Arrive in Johannesburg late afternoon/in the early evening where your trip ends. If you are flying out of Johannesburg today please do not book any flights departing prior to 8.00 pm, to ensure enough time for your connection. Additional days/travel plans can readily be facilitated through Brothers Safaris on request.
Please note the following regarding the darting/other procedure/s: While every endeavour is made to locate and dart the animal in question, factors such as severe weather conditions or illness involving the animal, which are unpredictable, may prevent the darting from going ahead. Every effort will be made to ensure that the client participates in the darting procedure, or similar, as laid out in the itinerary, but the animal's welfare will not be compromised at any stage, and a procedure may have to be aborted and the animal revived in certain circumstances. This may shorten the procedure/down time, and hence the close up experience for the client. Brothers Safaris, its staff, and appointed agents will not be held liable for any losses incurred by a client as a result of such situations, and accept no responsibility whatsoever. Every endeavour is made to ensure the health and safety of all our clients, but any procedure with a potentially dangerous wild animal is of such a nature that certain circumstances may be beyond our control. Should any such situation arise which leads to death or injury due to any reason whatsoever, Brothers Safaris, its staff, and appointed agents, will not be held liable for any losses incurred as a direct, or indirect, result of such a situation, or our actions in such a situation.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Board and accommodation as laid out above,
- All land transfers in a comfortable air-conditioned mini-bus,
- Your flight from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth and back in economy class,
- Guides (Veterinarian Dr Peter Brothers throughout the safari, Dr William Fowlds in the Eastern Cape, and various local guides and researchers),
- All practical work, tours, presentations and activities as laid out above, donations to the various organizations we work with, entrance fees, VAT and Government Tourism levies.
Price Excludes:
- Drinks, lunch on day 9,
- Items of a personal nature,
- Gratuities,
- Medical travel insurance (compulsory) and international flights.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
South Africa
Nature & Wildlife
Wildlife Viewing
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