South Africa and Eswatini: Kruger, Zululand and the Durban coast

Arrive in Johannesburg

OR Tambo International Airport to your hotel in Rosebank or Sandton

• Repas du soir
• Nuit : Johannesburg
• Environ 30 min de route

Après-midi

If you land by about noon, your See Sight Tours guide takes you in the afternoon to the Apartheid Museum, south of the city centre, where you enter through a door assigned by the race printed on your ticket and walk through the history of segregation, resistance and the 1994 election. It is the right place to start a trip through South Africa, and a few hours is enough to take it in.

Soir

In the evening the group meets for a short briefing on the days ahead: early starts in Kruger, two border crossings and what to wear in an open vehicle. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner nearby.

Compris

• Pick-up at OR Tambo International Airport (JNB)
• The Apartheid Museum with your guide, for guests landing by about noon
• Welcome briefing and welcome dinner

Fly to Kruger, first drive in the park

Johannesburg by air to Kruger Mpumalanga International, then by road to Malelane

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Malelane (Kruger)
• Environ 1.5 h de route

Matin

Instead of five hours on the N4, we take a morning flight of about an hour from Johannesburg to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport near Mbombela, while our vehicle and driver go ahead by road. From the airport it is about an hour east along the Crocodile River valley, past sugar cane and citrus farms, to Malelane, a small town on the southern edge of Kruger National Park and our base for three nights.

Après-midi

Lunch is at the hotel, then a rest. Mid-afternoon we go through Malelane Gate in an open safari vehicle with a local guide for a first drive in the south of the park, where granite koppies rise out of thick bush and the river draws elephant, buffalo and hippo.

Soir

We are back out before the gate closes, around half past five in winter, and dinner tonight is together at the hotel.

Compris

• Domestic flight from Johannesburg (JNB) to Kruger Mpumalanga International (MQP)
• Afternoon game drive in southern Kruger in an open safari vehicle with a local guide
• Kruger conservation fees
• Lunch and dinner

A full day in Kruger

Malelane Gate to the Sabie River and Lower Sabie, and back

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Malelane (Kruger)

Matin

Early morning is when lions are still on the move and the light is low and warm. The route follows the guide's information and the sightings of the day, usually north through the southern bushveld towards the Sabie River, one of the park's richest areas for elephant, leopard and big herds at the water. Kruger covers nearly two million hectares, so this is one corner of it, done slowly.

Après-midi

Lunch is a sit-down meal at a rest camp restaurant, Lower Sabie or Skukuza depending on the route, with a view over the river. In the afternoon we work our way back south, stopping at waterholes and dams, and leave before the gate closes.

Soir

The evening is free in Malelane.

Compris

• Full-day game drive in Kruger National Park in an open safari vehicle with a local guide
• Sit-down lunch at a Kruger rest camp
• Kruger conservation fees

Walk or rest, then a sunset drive

Malelane and southern Kruger

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Malelane (Kruger)

Matin

After a long day in the vehicle, the morning is your choice. The active option is a ranger-led bush walk in Kruger, about three hours on foot with two armed rangers, looking at tracks, dung beetles, termite mounds and birds, and the large animals from a respectful distance; walks start early and the group is small. The easy option is a slow breakfast and a morning by the pool or along the Crocodile River, where hippos and crocodiles are often in view from the bank. The middle of the day is free.

Soir

In the late afternoon we go back into the park in an open vehicle for a sunset drive, when the heat drops, the animals come down to drink and the light turns gold. Back in Malelane, dinner is your choice, at the hotel or in town.

Compris

• Late-afternoon sunset drive in Kruger in an open safari vehicle with a local guide
• Kruger conservation fees

Activités en option

• Ranger-led morning bush walk in Kruger (price shown at booking; minimum age confirmed at booking)

Into Eswatini, and the glassblowers at Ngwenya

Malelane to the Jeppe's Reef border, Piggs Peak and Ngwenya, then the Ezulwini Valley

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Ezulwini Valley (Eswatini)
• Environ 4 h de route

Matin

After breakfast we drive south to the Jeppe's Reef border, about 45 minutes away, and cross into Eswatini, a small kingdom with its own king, flag and traditions, almost surrounded by South Africa. The road climbs from the lowveld into green highlands and pine forest around Piggs Peak, one of the prettiest drives on the trip.

Après-midi

Lunch is a sit-down stop on the way. In the early afternoon we reach Ngwenya Glass, where glassblowers turn recycled bottles into animals, vases and glasses; you can watch them work from the gallery above the furnace. From there it is about 40 minutes through Mbabane, the capital, and down into the Ezulwini Valley, our base for two nights, a few minutes from Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary.

Soir

The evening is free; there are restaurants in the valley.

Compris

• Border crossing at Jeppe's Reef with your guide
• The highland road through Piggs Peak
• Ngwenya Glass: watch the glassblowers at work
• Sit-down lunch on the way

Mlilwane on foot, candles in Malkerns

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, then the Malkerns Valley

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Ezulwini Valley (Eswatini)
• Environ 30 min de route

Matin

Early in the morning, before the heat, a local guide leads us on foot across the open grassland: zebra, blue wildebeest, impala, nyala and warthog are usually close, and the guide reads tracks and birds as we go. The walk lasts about two to three hours at an easy pace.

Après-midi

After a late breakfast we drive ten minutes to the Malkerns Valley for lunch, then visit Swazi Candles, where artisans shape and colour wax candles by hand in animal and patterned designs, with a craft market alongside.

Soir

The afternoon and evening are free: rest, walk Mlilwane's self-guided trails or watch the hippo pool.

Compris

• Guided walking safari in Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
• Mlilwane entry fee
• Sit-down lunch in the Malkerns Valley
• Swazi Candles workshop and craft market

Activités en option

• Guided mountain biking or a horse ride in Mlilwane (price shown at booking)

Across Eswatini to Zululand

Ezulwini Valley to Manzini, Big Bend and the Lavumisa border, then Hluhluwe

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Hluhluwe
• Environ 5 h de route

Matin

We leave after breakfast and drive east through Manzini and down into the lowveld, past sugar estates around Big Bend and the Lubombo hills on the horizon.

Après-midi

At Lavumisa we cross back into South Africa at Golela, then stop for a sit-down lunch that splits the day before the last hour or so into KwaZulu-Natal.

Soir

We reach Hluhluwe, a small town between Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and the iSimangaliso wetlands, in the middle of the afternoon, with time to settle in and sit outside before dinner together at the lodge. Our base here is two nights, so tomorrow's early start does not mean packing.

Compris

• Border crossing at Lavumisa and Golela with your guide
• Sit-down lunch after the border
• Dinner at the lodge

Rhino country: Hluhluwe-iMfolozi

Hluhluwe to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and back

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Hluhluwe

Après-midi

Breakfast is a picnic in the park and lunch is at a park camp, Hilltop, with a terrace that looks across the hills.

Soir

We are back at the lodge mid-afternoon for a free late afternoon, and dinner is together again tonight.

Compris

• Morning game drive in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in an open safari vehicle with a local guide
• Park conservation fees
• Picnic breakfast and lunch in the park
• Dinner at the lodge

Activités en option

• Ranger-led morning walk in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in place of the drive (price shown at booking)

Cape Vidal and the St Lucia estuary

Hluhluwe to St Lucia, the Eastern Shores road to Cape Vidal, and the estuary by boat

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : St Lucia
• Environ 2 h de route

Après-midi

Back in St Lucia, lunch is in the village. In the late afternoon we board a boat on the estuary for about two hours among hippos, crocodiles and fish eagles, as the light goes.

Soir

The evening is free; after dark, hippos sometimes graze on the village verges, so keep to lit streets.

Compris

• Eastern Shores road and Cape Vidal in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, with entry fees
• Sit-down lunch in St Lucia
• Late-afternoon boat on the St Lucia estuary

Activités en option

• Whale-watching boat from St Lucia, June to November (price shown at booking)

Down the coast to Durban

St Lucia to Durban on the N2

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Durban
• Environ 3 h de route

Matin

After breakfast we drive south about three hours on the N2 through sugar cane country and past Richards Bay to Durban, the biggest city on South Africa's Indian Ocean coast.

Après-midi

Lunch is a bunny chow, Durban's own dish: a hollowed-out quarter loaf of bread filled with curry, created in the city's Indian community, which has been here since indentured workers arrived in the 1860s. Your guide takes the group to a local spot and shows you the right way to eat it, with your hands. In the afternoon we walk through the spice and incense stalls of the Victoria Street Market, then check in on the beachfront.

Soir

Before sunset we walk part of the Golden Mile, a promenade of about 6 km above the beaches, with surfers, joggers and piers into the surf, to the bowl of Moses Mabhida Stadium. We end the trip with a farewell dinner together.

Compris

• Bunny chow lunch with your guide
• Victoria Street Market
• Guided walk on the Golden Mile beachfront
• Farewell dinner

A last morning by the sea, depart Durban

Durban beachfront to King Shaka International Airport

• Petit-déjeuner
• Environ 30 min de route

Matin

The last morning is free. Walk the promenade early, when the light is soft and the surfers are already out, have coffee facing the sea, or take a last swim at a lifeguarded beach. Checkout is late morning, and your guide sees the group to King Shaka International Airport (DUR), about 35 km and 40 minutes north of the city along the coast, where the trip ends. Book a flight leaving after about 1 pm.

Soir

Most international journeys from Durban connect through Johannesburg or a Gulf hub; we can book an extra night in Durban if you would like to stay on, or a transfer to Umhlanga, the beach town on the way to the airport. If you are flying on from Johannesburg the same day, allow at least two hours for the connection, and keep any rand you need for the airport.

Compris

• Drop-off at King Shaka International Airport (DUR)

Activités en option

• Extra nights in Durban or Umhlanga (price shown at booking)