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

1. Day 1: Arrive in Johannesburg

   OR Tambo International Airport to your hotel in Rosebank or Sandton

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Johannesburg
   Day 1 details

   Fly into OR Tambo International Airport (JNB), where a driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the drive of about half an hour to your hotel in Rosebank or Sandton, the leafy northern suburbs with restaurants and shops within walking distance. 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. 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.

   Included

   • 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

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing if you land later in the day

   Activity: Land by about noon to join the Apartheid Museum visit; the museum's opening days are confirmed with your final itinerary.

   

2. Day 2: Fly to Kruger, first drive in the park

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

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Malelane (Kruger)
   Day 2 details

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

   Included

   • 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

   Free time: Short rest after lunch

   Activity: Soft bags are easiest on the domestic flight; the baggage allowance is confirmed with your tickets.

3. Day 3: A full day in Kruger

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

   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Malelane (Kruger)
   Day 3 details

   We are at Malelane Gate when it opens, around 6 am in winter, in an open safari vehicle with a local guide and blankets for the cold first hour. 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. 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. The evening is free in Malelane.

   Included

   • 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

   Free time: Evening free in Malelane

   Activity: A game-drive day inside the park, about 180 km on park roads at safari pace; a long day in the vehicle, about ten hours with stops; the open vehicle is cold before sunrise in June and July, so bring a warm layer and gloves.

   

4. Day 4: Walk or rest, then a sunset drive

   Malelane and southern Kruger

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Malelane (Kruger)
   Day 4 details

   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. 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.

   Included

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

   Optional experiences

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

   Easier option: A slow morning at the hotel and the Crocodile River bank, watching for hippos and crocodiles.

   More active option: A ranger-led morning bush walk in Kruger, about three hours on foot with two armed rangers.

   Free time: Middle of the day and the evening free

   Activity: The walk is about three hours at an easy pace on uneven ground, with long stops. The sunset drive covers about 40 km of park roads from Malelane Gate.

5. Day 5: Into Eswatini, and the glassblowers at Ngwenya

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

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Ezulwini Valley (Eswatini)
   Day 5 details

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

   Included

   • 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

   Free time: Evening free in the Ezulwini Valley

   Activity: About 200 km and 4 hours of driving on mountain roads, including the border, broken by lunch and the glass workshop. Ngwenya Glass sits near Motshane, just off the Piggs Peak road above Mbabane, so there is no backtrack.

6. Day 6: Mlilwane on foot, candles in Malkerns

   Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, then the Malkerns Valley

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Ezulwini Valley (Eswatini)
   Day 6 details

   Mlilwane is Eswatini's oldest protected area, a sanctuary of grassland, forest and hills below the Nyonyane peak. With no lions or leopards here, it is one of the few places on this trip where you can walk among the animals. 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. 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. The afternoon and evening are free: rest, walk Mlilwane's self-guided trails or watch the hippo pool.

   Included

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

   Optional experiences

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

   Easier option: A shorter loop on the walking safari, about an hour, turning back with a guide.

   More active option: In the afternoon, a self-guided hike on Mlilwane's trails towards the Nyonyane peak.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: The walk is about 4 to 6 km on grass and dirt tracks; wear neutral colours and closed shoes.

7. Day 7: Across Eswatini to Zululand

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

   • Drive about 5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Hluhluwe
   Day 7 details

   Today is the longest road day and the one day over our four-hour cap: about 290 km and five hours including the border, because there is no shorter road between Eswatini's highlands and the Zululand reserves. 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. 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. 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.

   Included

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

   Free time: Late afternoon free

   Activity: About 5 hours of driving with the border, over our usual cap because no shorter road links the two areas; broken by a sit-down lunch and short stops.

8. Day 8: Rhino country: Hluhluwe-iMfolozi

   Hluhluwe to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and back

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Hluhluwe
   Day 8 details

   Hluhluwe-iMfolozi was proclaimed in 1895, one of the oldest protected areas in Africa, and is known for the rescue of the southern white rhino: in the mid-twentieth century the park held most of the world's survivors, and rhino moved from here restocked reserves across Africa. We go through Memorial Gate at opening in an open safari vehicle with a local guide. The northern Hluhluwe section is hilly and green, with long views over the valleys; white and black rhino, elephant, buffalo, giraffe and lion all live here, and the park has the Big Five. Breakfast is a picnic in the park and lunch is at a park camp, Hilltop, with a terrace that looks across the hills. We are back at the lodge mid-afternoon for a free late afternoon, and dinner is together again tonight.

   Included

   • 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

   Optional experiences

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

   Easier option: Stay at the lodge after lunch rather than joining the last loop of the drive.

   More active option: A ranger-led morning walk in the park, about three hours on foot, before joining the group for lunch.

   Free time: Late afternoon free

   Activity: An early start at gate opening, around 6 am in winter. A game-drive day inside the park, about 100 km on park roads including the run from Hluhluwe town to Memorial Gate.

9. Day 9: Cape Vidal and the St Lucia estuary

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

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in St Lucia
   Day 9 details

   A short drive of about an hour takes us to St Lucia, a village on the estuary inside iSimangaliso Wetland Park, listed by UNESCO in 1999. We go straight on through the Eastern Shores gate and drive the road north to Cape Vidal, about 32 km between Lake St Lucia and forested coastal dunes, with loops through grassland where buffalo, kudu and sometimes rhino graze, and hides over the wetlands. At Cape Vidal the dunes meet a long beach on the Indian Ocean; from June to November watch for humpback whales offshore. 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. The evening is free; after dark, hippos sometimes graze on the village verges, so keep to lit streets.

   Included

   • 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

   Optional experiences

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

   Free time: Evening free in St Lucia

   Activity: Bring a swimsuit for Cape Vidal; swim only where it is marked as safe.

10. Day 10: Down the coast to Durban

    St Lucia to Durban on the N2

    • Drive about 3 h
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    • Stay in Durban
    Day 10 details

    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. 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. 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.

    Included

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

    Free time: Short break after check-in

    Activity: About 3 to 4 km on the flat for the promenade walk. The Victoria Street Market keeps shorter hours on Saturdays and Sundays, so on a weekend we time the visit to its opening hours.

    

11. Day 11: A last morning by the sea, depart Durban

    Durban beachfront to King Shaka International Airport

    • Drive about 30 min
    • Breakfast
    Day 11 details

    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. 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.

    Included

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

    Optional experiences

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

    Free time: Morning free on the beachfront

    Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 1 pm.

Wildlife and weather: May to October is the dry winter: the bush thins and animals gather at water, so game viewing is at its best, and malaria risk is lower. Mornings are cold in open vehicles and the days are warm and dry. Humpback whales pass the St Lucia coast from about June to November.

• Johannesburg1 night
• Malelane (Kruger)3 nights
• Ezulwini Valley (Eswatini)2 nights
• Hluhluwe2 nights
• St Lucia1 night
• Durban1 night