12 DAY KRUGER NATIONAL PARK & BOTSWANA & VICTORIA FALLS … · 2018-09-20 · 12 DAY KRUGER NATIONAL PARK & BOTSWANA & VICTORIA FALLS TOUR ITINERARY ITINERARY IN SHORT Day 1: SATURDAY

12 DAYKRUGER NATIONAL PARK & BOTSWANA & VICTORIA FALLSTOUR SATURDAY

DEPARTURE

12 DAY KRUGER NATIONAL PARK & BOTSWANA & VICTORIA FALLS TOUR

ITINERARY

ITINERARY IN SHORTDay 1: SATURDAY Gauteng to Selous Safari Lodge near Kruger National Park (SA)Day 2: SUNDAY Selous Safari Lodge into Kruger National Park (SA)Day 3: MONDAY Selous Safari Lodge into Kruger National Park (SA)Day 4: TUESDAY Selous Safari Lodge to Gauteng via Blyde River Canyon (SA)Day 5: WEDNESDAY Gauteng across border to Goo-Moremi Lodge (Botswana)Day 6: THURSDAY Goo-Moremi Lodge to Elephant Sands near Nata (Botswana)Day 7: FRIDAY Elephant Sands across border to Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)Day 8: SATURDAY Full day at Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)Day 9: SUNDAY Victoria Falls across border to Kasane, Chobe National Park (Botswana)Day 10: MONDAY Kasane to Nata Lodge (Botswana)Day 11: TUESDAY Nata Lodge across border to Matamba Bush Campsite (SA)Day 12: WEDNESDAY Matamba Bush Campsite to drop-offs in Gauteng (SA)

THE IMPORTANT STUFF


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INCLUDED:• All transport (if you stay at one of the selected

accommodation on our list)• All camping accommodation & other equipment• Qualified and registered guide• Meals as specified in this detailed itinerary• Entrance fee to Rain Forest at Victoria Falls• Entrance & Conservation fees to Chobe National

Park & Kruger National Park• Chobe National Park Game Drive (open vehicle)• Sunset cruise on Chobe River• Entrance & Conservation fees for Goo-Moremi

Gorge Hike• Entrance fee for Nata Sanctuary• Game drives in Kruger National Park (open vehicles)• Wine & Cheese sundowner• Blyde River Canyon (Three Rondavels view point)

EXCLUDED:• All drinks (except coffee & tea with meals)• Meals not specified in this detailed itinerary• Lunch at the The Baobab Restaurant (day1)• Visas, if required – clients should determine if it would be required• Optional upgraded rooms to be arranged (if available) on arrival by client.

ACCOMMODATION:• Day 1 - 3: Tented Camping with bed, mattress, sleeping

bag, pillow and blanket• Day 4: In a pre-determined backpacker – cost included in

the price• Day 5 - 11: Tented Camping with ground-mattresses. Sleeping bags available for hire at a set fee of R100 for the

entire tour• Option: Upgraded rooms (if available) to be booked on

arrival at client’s cost

DURATION: 12 days - 11 nightsDEPART EVERY: Saturday before the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month

DEPART FROM: a selected list of accommodation in Johannesburg or Pretoria (Gauteng)END IN: a selected list of accommodation in Johannesburg or Pretoria (Gauteng)

Long Driving Notice: The total distance to travel for this tour is approximately 3000Km. Please be especially aware of the long distance-to-travel on Day 5 and Day 11 - each are combined with a border-crossing, with the result of long hours of travelling time which might be strenuous, become uncomfortable and even boring to some. However, we can promise you that all of the rest of your tour would be most enjoyable!


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SATURDAY: GAUTENG TO CAMPSITE (SOUTH AFRICA)DAY 1

Approximate times for the day:DEPART AFTER ALL PiCKUPS: 06:45 ARRIVAL AT HOEDSPRUIT: 13:00-13:30 Driving, including stoppages: 9h00m

ACCOMMODATION: Tented Camping with bed, mattress, sleeping bag, pillow and blanketIncluded meals: Dinner

Our Tour will officially start in Hoedspruit but we have made some arragement with shuttle providers which will transport you from the Gauteng. If you stay at one of the accommodation on our list, they will provide you with a free transfer to OR Tambo Airport and from there, Ashton Shuttle Services will take you to Hoedspruit to meet with our Selous driver at the Rockfig Centre. We will then visit the Baobab Restaurant where the famous giant Baobab tree is located. This will be our lunch break and you’ll have the opportunity to taste sweet or savoury pancakes with

delicious “boere” coffee & fresh fruit juices (at your own cost) while meeting with your fellow travellers. From there we continue towards our Campsite, Selous Safaris Lodge, which is nestled in the mountains of Kampersrus, just 20 minutes from Orpen Gate. (One of the main entrances to Kruger National park.) On arrival, you will have the opportunity to take a dip in the pool, clean up and relax while sitting around the campfire taking in the atmosphere and surroundings of the African Bush while our cook will prepare dinner.

SUNDAY: CAMPSITE INTO KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (SOUTH AFRICA)DAY 2

Approximate times for the day:DEPART: 05:00 ARRIVAL BACK AT THE CAMP: 18:30 Driving: All day until late afternoon

ACCOMMODATION: Tented Camping with bed, mattress, sleeping bag, pillow and blanketIncluded meals: Light Breakfast, Picnic Brunch, Dinner

The day begins as the sun rises. After a light breakfast we pick up any last minute snacks/refreshments (at your own cost) for the exploratory road ahead. The day will be spent leisurely driving, and eagerly seeking out whatever game comes our way. Guides will stop as often as desired for prime photo opportunities and to answer any questions. Our route will take us to a picnic spot where your Guide will provide you with brunch, while preparing you for the remainder of the day’s game viewing, looking forward to getting a

glimpse of the infamous Big Five. We stop for a short shopping opportunity at one of the rest camps, which offers a welcome opportunity to stretch your legs. The rest of the afternoon is spent trying to find those animals that have eluded us during the morning drive. We then make our way back to camp, where our cook will start preparing dinner while you clean up and relax around the campfire and enjoy the atmosphere, discussing what you had seen.


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MONDAY: CAMPSITE INTO KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (SOUTH AFRICA)DAY 3

Approximate times for the day:DEPART: 04:30 ARRIVAL BACK AT THE CAMP: 15:30 Driving: All day until early afternoon

ACCOMMODATION: Tented Camping with bed, mattress, sleeping bag, pillow and blanketIncluded meals: Light Breakfast, Picnic Brunch, Dinner

Another early morning start and after a light breakfast we head back to the Kruger National Park. This time we head into a different part of the park to see if we can find those animals we missed the previous day. We stop again at one of the other picnic spots for a brunch, and later another stop at one of the rest camps to stretch our legs. Slowly as the day goes by our game drive in The Kruger National Park comes to an end with the sun setting behind the Drakensberg

Mountains. Arriving late afternoon at Selous Safari Lodge, where a Cheese & Wine Sundowner awaits at the Pool Deck. Guests take some time to relax by the Pool, while enjoying the breath-taking views and surroundings. It is here, where our long day ends. Your cook has prepared one of our most favourite dishes, a South African Braai!!! The evening is spent sitting around the campfire, reflecting and sharing your experiences of the last few days.

TUESDAY: BLYDE RIVER CANYON TO GAUTENG (SOUTH AFRICA)DAY 4

Approximate times for the day:DEPART: 06:30 ARRIVAL: 17:00-18:00 Driving, including stoppages: 10h30m

ACCOMMODATION: In a pre-determined accommodation Included meals: English Breakfast

After a slightly later wakeup call and an English breakfast, we head towards our well-known touring spots "The Three Rondavels", part of the Blyde River Canyon, which is the third largest canyon in the world. We will leave you in the hands of Ashton Shuttle's friendly drivers who will bring you back to OR Tambo Airport. From there you’ll be collected and

transferred to a pre-determined accommodation in Johannesburg by their own shuttle. You will be picked up there the following morning to continue the next leg of your tour (Botswana and Victoria Falls). Accommodation for this night is included in the tour price up to a set amount.


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WEDNESDAY: GAUTENG TO GOO-MOREMI LODGE (BOTSWANA)DAY 5

Approximate times for the day:DEPART: 06:30 ARRIVAL: 14:00 Driving, including stoppages: 8h30m Driving: 670km (from PTA)

ACCOMMODATION: Camping, with optional upgrade to bedded accommodation (if available) at own costIncluded meals: Dinner

This is one of the two very long travelling days. Pick-up starts from approx. 05:00am around Johannesburg and Pretoria to ensure we will be on the “open road” around 07:30am (an exact pick-up time will be confirmed the evening before). We will stop at Lephalale for en-route refreshments, lunch or take-aways (depending on the timing) at own cost,

foreign ex-change and last minute shopping while still on the South African side of the border. From there we head north, entering Botswana at Groblers Bridge Border Post. Another 120Km further and we arrive at Goo-Moremi Lodge (campsite) near the small village of Moremi where we will spend the night. Dinner is prepared by your guide.

THURSDAY: GOO-MOREMI LODGE TO ELEPHANT SANDS (BOTSWANA)DAY 6

Approximate times for the day:DEPART: 10:00 ARRIVAL: 15:45 Driving, including stoppages: 5h45m Driving: 450km

ACCOMMODATION: Camping, with optional upgrade to bedded accommodation (if available) at own costIncluded meals: Coffee, tea & rusks, Light Breakfast, Dinner

We will start the day early with coffee, tea and rusks, while getting ready for a short hike to the Goo-Moremi Gorge. The Gorge hiking trail lies within the Tswapong Hills of Botswana, where endangered Cape Vultures breed on the outcrops above the ancestral waterfalls. Equipped with a walking stick, we criss-cross several mountain streams amongst the shaded, bushy and rocky canyon, passing several waterfalls to end up at an approximate 12 meters high waterfall, in a beautiful majestic setting. The brave can spend a little extra time in climbing the rocky outcrop to the top from where they will have a magnificent view of the gorge. After

spending about two hours there, we head back to our campsite for a light breakfast. We then take the road further north, stopping at Francistown for foreign exchange, en-route refreshments and lunch or take-away (at own cost), up to Elephant Sands which is a lovely lodge a short distance past Nata. There you’ll be able to relax at the swimming pool and bar while watching animals 30 meters away drinking at a close-by waterhole (such as large herds of elephants and others animals including lion and leopard sometimes.) A lovely buffet-dinner is prepared by the venue and served in their restaurant.


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FRIDAY: ELEPHANT SANDS TO VICTORIA FALLS (ZIMBABWE)DAY 7

Due to a normally very hectic border crossing late mornings (especially during school holidays) at Kazungula Border Post into Zimbabwe, and to optimize the time spent at Victoria Falls, we leave early – coffee, tea & rusks available while packing. We drive even further north, cross-border to the vibrant town of Victoria Falls in the Zambezi National Park where we will be staying for the next two nights at Victoria Falls Rest Camp. This route takes us through the Sibuyu, Kazuma and Kasane Forest Reserves where we always see herds of elephants and often a variety of antelope and sometimes lion, hyena and wild dog. The campsite is situated in the middle of town, within 10 minutes walking distance of just about everything, and has a pool, bar and restaurant/take- away facilities. Your guide will assist you with

ex-changing currencies and bookings for optional activities that you would like to do the next day. After enjoying a very welcome lunch on arrival, we enter the Rain Forest during the afternoon, strolling (in normally very wet conditions due to spray from the waterfalls) along the pathways, enjoying sightseeing and the magnificent Victoria Falls, which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is 1700 meters (1.1 mile) wide, making it the largest sheet of falling water in the world. The Zimbabwean side is the best side to view the waterfall from, as 1400 meters of the waterfall is on that side, as well as the main falls, and flowing throughout the year, while the Zambian side consists of only 300 meters, and has no water-flow during the winter months. A delightful evening meal is prepared and served by your guide.


ACCOMMODATION: Camping, with optional upgrade to bedded accommodation (if available) at own costIncluded meals: Coffee, tea & rusks, Lunch, Dinner

SATURDAY: VICTORIA FALLS (ZIMBABWE)DAY 8

Approximate times for the day:DEPART: n/a ARRIVAL: n/a Driving, including stoppages: n/a Driving: n/a

ACCOMMODATION: Camping, with optional upgrade to bedded accommodation (if available) at own costIncluded meals: Light Breakfast

Victoria Falls and the surrounding area offer a great variety of things to see and do. After a light breakfast you will have a full free day to explore the town, meet the locals, visit the African markets with its wide variety of very affordable arts and crafts made from wood, stone and beads, or to relax by the pool at the campsite. The Victoria Falls region is nicknamed the “adventure capital of Africa” for a reason. It is well known for the large variety of fantastic activities (optional excursions) such as: “The best one day white water rafting in the world”, the 111 meters high bungee jump off the bridge between Zimbabwe

and Zambia (one of the highest from a bridge in the world), elephant back and/or horse safaris, helicopter flights over the waterfall, canoe safaris, day trips to Hwange National Park, fishing safaris, game walks, superfast jet boat trips, ferry trips (especially for a sunset cruise on the Zambesi river), abseiling, gorge swings, train trip (to halfway on the bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia), and much more. This evening we enjoy dinner at one of the local restaurants of your own choice, at your own cost. This is normally the group’s festive outing.


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SUNDAY: VICTORIA FALLS TO CHOBE NATIONAL PARK (BOTSWANA)DAY 9


ACCOMMODATION: Camping, with optional upgrade to bedded accommodation (if available) at own costIncluded meals: Full Breakfast, Dinner

After a full breakfast prepared by your guide, we head back to the Kazungula Border Post into Botswana, while en-route we often see elephants, sable antelope, buffalo and many other different animal species. We arrive late morning in Kasane where we will be staying the night at Thebe River Safaris campsite on the shores of the Chobe River, close to Chobe National Park gate. Here we often see hippo and large groups of animals. You will have the opportunity to exchange currencies and buy provisions in Kasane (especially for the next day’s trip to Nata) and thereafter relax at the bar, swimming pool or on the river shore. Late

afternoon we board a river boat for an unforgettable sunset cruise on the Chobe River, around the Sedudu Island which lies adjacent to the border of Namibia. Experience unique up-close and personal game viewing and bird watching – herds of Elephant, Buffalo and Lechwe and some 350 different bird species are to be found on the island and on the opposite river bank of the Chobe National Park. An exhilarating highlight of this cruise is a short stop on the river to watch a glorious sunset dipping behind the water-horizon! Dinner is prepared and served by your guide on your return to camp.

MONDAY: CHOBE NATIONAL PARK TO NATA LODGE (BOTSWANA)DAY 10


ACCOMMODATION: Camping, with optional upgrade to bedded accommodation (if available) at own costIncluded meals: Coffee, tea & rusks, Brunch, Dinner

An early wake-up call (coffe,tea & rusks available while you’re getting ready) for a game drive in an open 4x4 vehicle in the Chobe National Park, which is well known for its large variety and numbers of wildlife. We are always very successful in spotting animals there, including lion and leopard. Brunch will be prepared and served by your guide on return to camp, after which we head south towards the town of Nata to Nata

Lodge where we will spend the night. Later that afternoon we visit the Nata Sanctuary, well known for its 165 bird species (amongst others, thousands of flamingos during their migration and breeding season) at the edge of the Sua Pan, which forms part of the greater Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. Here we watch a beautiful sunset before returning to camp where dinner will be served by the venue.


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TUESDAY: NATA LODGE TO MATAMBA BUSH CAMPSITE (SOUTH AFRICA)DAY 11


ACCOMMODATION: Camping only - no upgraded accommodation availableIncluded meals: Dinner

This is the other very long travelling day of the tour. We head out at 06:00 to the Martins Drift Border Post into South Africa. En-route we will stop at Francistown for early-morning refreshments, and later at Lephalale in SA (which is approx. 90Km past the border) for lunch or take-aways (at own cost). From there it is a short trip to Matamba Bush Campsite where we will spend the

night camping. The campsite is set in beautiful open woodland, with thatched bathroom and a splash pool where you’ll be able to relax. If you prefer, you’ll also have the choice to go on one of the many walking trails amongst a large variety of relaxed plains game. Dinner - normally the unique South African braai - will be prepared and served by your guide.

WEDNESDAY: RETURN TO PRETORIA & JOHANNESBURG (SOUTH AFRICA)DAY 12


ACCOMMODATION: Not applicableIncluded meals: Full Breakfast

Before and/or after a full breakfast you can continue exploring the private 400ha where the campsite is situated, home to a remarkable variety of animals

(Eland, Gemsbok, Giraffe etc.), birds and trees. Hiking, game watching or relaxing until it is time to depart for the final route back to your drop-off points.

Hoedspruit

Belfast

seloussafari camp

Nelspruit

VICTORIA FALLSREST CAMP

Kazungula Border Post

Nata

Francistown

MakgadikgadiSalt Pans

Kasane

ELEPHANTSANDS

THEBE RIVERCAMP

Harare

Maputo

Gaborone

Pretoria

Johannesburg

Lephalale

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5

10

6

7,8

Martin’s DriftBorder Post

Victoria Falls

GOO-MOREMILODGE

Matamba BushCampsite

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NATALODGE

BOTSWANA / VICTORIA FALLSNORTH - ORANGESOUTH - PURPLE

KRUGER NATIONAL PARKBOTH WAYS - YELLOW

DAY 1 OF TOUR 1

4

1-3 Orpen Gate

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CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION:Mon - Fri: 8am - 9pm • Sat & Sun: 8am - 8pm

Tel: +27 21 422 5202 • Fax: 021 422 4533

Email: [email protected] • Website: www.bazbus.com

Follow us on:

NOTE:We also offer the same tour

with a Wednesday Departure,

going to Botswana and Vic

Falls first and then Kruger

National Park. Check out our

second itinerary!

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12 DAY KRUGER NATIONAL PARK & BOTSWANA & VICTORIA FALLS … · 2018-09-20 · 12 DAY KRUGER NATIONAL PARK & BOTSWANA & VICTORIA FALLS TOUR ITINERARY ITINERARY IN SHORT Day 1: SATURDAY