Sa Explorer

Falcon Safaris Tel: (+263-13) 41 840/ +263 731 633 331

Email: [email protected] Web: www.falconsafaris.com

13 Day SA Explorer Safari

Day 1: Gauteng – Kruger Park We depart from Johannesburg between 06h30 – 08h00 to allow for various collection points. Our route takes us through the wide open spaces of the Highveld, down the escarpment and through the scenic Lowveld area. We stop for lunch en-route (own expense) and reach the Kruger National Park

and Skukuza Rest Camp in the afternoon. After we have settled in, we head out on our first game drive! We conduct all our game drives in specially adapted 4x4 open game drive vehicles to

allow our guests the best possible vantage point. On our return, we have some time to visit the Park’s shop, go for a walk & just familiarising ourselves with our surroundings.

Dinner is a three course meal, served al fresco at our private camp within Skukuza. Wine is served with dinner but guests are welcome to bring along additional / alternative drinks which can be purchased at the shop. (Dinner included)

Day 2: Full day in the Park Safaris are all about early mornings, getting out there and seeing animals! After an early wake-up call (the time varies according to the seasons and park gate opening times) we have tea or coffee & rusks (dried biscuits to be dunked in your drink!) We then set off on the morning safari which will take

approximately 3-4 hours. Your guide has an intimate knowledge of the park, which contributes a great deal towards brilliant sightings! On returning to Skukuza, breakfast/brunch will be ready at our camp. You then have time to enjoy a swim, visit the Skukuza museum, catch up on some

sleep, visit the park shop which includes African curios, general food items and drinks, take a walk around the camp, or simply relax at the viewing platform in front of the restaurant, which overlooks the Sabie River. Skukuza is also a bird watcher’s paradise! Be sure to bring along your binoculars!

After a siesta we set off on the afternoon game drive. We conduct all our game drives in specially adapted 4x4 open game drive vehicles to allow our guests the best possible vantage point.

We share safari stories at the camp fire under the stars after a scrumptious dinner served at our camp. (Breakfast & Dinner included)

Day 3: Kruger Park to Swaziland The sun rises over our final day in the Kruger Park and we have one last chance to find the animals that have eluded us thus far in our specially adapted open vehicle. Breakfast is served after the game drive.

We leave the Kruger Park directly after breakfast for the landlocked Kingdom of the Swazis. It is interesting to see the variation in landscape as we move into this more mountainous region. We stop for lunch somewhere en-route (own expense).

We spend the night in one of the Swaziland Royal National Parks, where all the animals belong to the king. Your guide will prepare dinner under the stars and the evening is spent sharing travel stories around the fire. (Breakfast and Dinner included)

Day 4 & 5: Swaziland to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve

Today we have a later start! After breakfast we depart for KwaZulu Natal through once more changing landscapes. We will stop for lunch (own expense) en-route to the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, made famous for its breeding program of both black & white rhino, which brought these magnificent

creatures back from the brink of extinction! We spend the first afternoon in search of wildlife en-route to our camp, where your guide will prepare dinner for you to enjoy under the stars (weather

permitting).

Day 5 is filled with wildlife! Besides the Big 5, you can also expect to see animals like bush buck and nyala and the area is a bird watcher’s paradise!

After dinner you join a night drive conducted by KZN Parks. A night drive gives guests the opportunity of possibly seeing some of the nocturnal species

out and about. (Breakfast & Dinner included)

Day 6: Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve to Cape Vidal

After a final game drive and breakfast, we continue to South Africa’s first World Heritage Site, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park! Upon arrival in the village of St Lucia, we join a 2 hour Hippo & Crocodile Boat Cruise on the St Lucia Estuary. Many crocodiles, hippos and birds make

the estuary their home and you will have ample photographic opportunities. After lunch at one of the restaurants in the village (own expense), we continue into the reserve along the Eastern Shores, where we will stay at Cape

Vidal Camp. Accommodation is in log cabins, situated only meters from the beach. We enjoy dinner with the sound of breaking waves in the back ground. (Breakfast & Dinner included)



Day 7: Cape Vidal to Durban to Addo

After breakfast you will have time to go for a walk along the beach or to enjoy a swim in the warm Indian Ocean. Then we sadly have to leave this bio-diverse area. We still have one more chance for game viewing from our closed, air conditioned tour vehicle as we leave the park for Durban’s King Shaka airport. We will stop en-route to enjoy lunch (own expense) and your guide will assist with check-in procedures for your flight to Port Elizabeth,

which takes around 1hr 20min. On arrival in Port Elizabeth, you will be met by your guide for the Garden Route section of your tour. From here we depart directly to the Addo Elephant National Park where we spend the next 2 nights.

Dinner is a two course meal, prepared by your guide and served al fresco outside one of the chalets. Wine is served with dinner but guests are welcome to bring along additional / alternative drinks which can be purchased at the shop. (Breakfast& Dinner included)

Day 8: Addo Elephant Park

Today we explore the park in our tour vehicle on morning and afternoon game drives to learn more about the unique eco system which is home to a huge variety of wildlife, including the Big 5 as well as plains game, Black Backed Jackal, Tortoises and Dung Beetles (who have right of way!).

Dinner is a two course meal, prepared by your guide and served al fresco outside one of the chalets. Wine is served with dinner but guests are welcome to bring along additional / alternative drinks which can be purchased at the shop. (Breakfast & Dinner included)

Day 9: Addo to Tsitsikamma

After an early wake-up call (the time varies according to the seasons and park gate opening times) we have tea or coffee & rusks (dried biscuits to be dunked in your coffee or tea). Our morning safari will take approximately 3-4 hours after which we return to camp for breakfast.

Our route takes us along the scenic coastal forests lining the national highway en-route to Tsitsikamma, the jewel of the Southern Cape in time for lunch (own expense).After lunch there is time to explore the beauty of the rare indigenous forest and impressive coastline on a hike to a waterfall. If we are lucky we might spot the Cape clawless otter hunting in the streams and surf.

Dinner is a two course meal, prepared by your guide and served al fresco outside one of the cabins. Wine is served with dinner but guests are welcome to bring along additional / alternative drinks which can be purchased at the shop. (Breakfast & Dinner included)

Day 10: Tsitsikamma to Oudtshoorn

We rise early for a morning hike in search of the beautiful but elusive Knysna Turaco and depart after breakfast and travel along the world renowned Garden Route, past the picturesque coastal towns nestled in the lake and lagoon region at the foot of the Outeniqua mountains.

We cross over this scenic mountain range into the Little Karoo and explore Oudtshoorn, the feather capitol of the world where we visit an ostrich farm! Tonight is spent at a guesthouse in the quaint are with its beautiful views of the Swartberg Mountains. (Breakfast & Dinner included)

Day 11: Oudtshoorn to Agulhas

Today’s route takes us along Route 62 back to the coast. The scenery along this route is vastly different from what we have experienced thus far as lush green coastal forests of the previous days make way for a much more austere environment with stark landscapes before returning to the coast. We stop for lunch (own expense) en-route. These rolling grasslands are known to be home to the endangered Blue Crane and we may be fortunate

enough to spot some of these beautiful birds. After lunch we head to the exact point where the African continent sinks into the ocean and keep a sharp eye out for the Cape Grysbok in the fynbos or

Cape fur seals and Dolphins playing in the surf. We reach our overnight destination in time to appreciate one of the most spectacular sunsets in the world from the patios of our fisherman’s cottages, in sight of the ocean.

Dinner is a two course meal, prepared by your guide and served al fresco outside one of the cottages. Wine is served with dinner but guests are welcome to bring along additional / alternative drinks which should be purchased before entering the park. (Breakfast & Dinner included)

Day 12: Agulhas - Cape Town After a leisurely breakfast, we start today’s journey along the Coastal Whale route, through one of the most scenic parts of our country. We stop en-

route in the town of Hermanus to have lunch (own expense) and in the hope of spotting the Southern Right whales (seasonal) that visit this coast to breed.

After lunch we continue through the scenic fruit and wheat producing regions of the Overberg and Langeberg with beautiful views of False Bay and eventually Table Mountain and Cape Town being our final destination. (Breakfast included)



Day 13: Cape Peninsula The last day of our tour takes us all the way along the scenic Cape Peninsula! Today’s highlights include a visit to Table Mountain (weather permitting),

the Cape of Good Hope National Park which is located on the southern tip of the peninsula, Boulders Beach Penguin Colony and the village of Hout Bay. We stop somewhere along the way for lunch (own expense). The tour ends at your hotel around 17h30. (Breakfast included)

Included: • Transport for the duration of your safari

• Pick up anywhere in Johannesburg

• Drop-off anywhere in in Cape Town

• Professional drivers/guides (FGASA registered – Field Guides Association of Southern Africa)

• Meals as specified per itinerary

• All day game drives as specified in the itinerary

Hippo & Crocodile Cruise on St Lucia Estuary • KZN Parks night drive.

• All entry fees and daily conservation levies

• Return Cable Way tickets for Table Mountain

• Accommodation in en-suite chalets

• Bottled water during game drives (excl. KZN Wildlife drive)

• Wine with dinners

Excluded:

• Meals not specified in itinerary

• Guests are welcome to bring their own drinks to dinner, which can be purchased at the Parks’ shops

• Optional extra activities

• Items of a personal nature

• Gratuities

• Visas for Swaziland – please ensure that you have enough blank pages in your passport. Notes:

It is important to note that this is not a private safari and more than likely there will be other guests joining you on the safari.

Please note that Hluhluwe-Imfolozi night drive times are subject to change and availability on the day. These drives are conducted by KZN

PARKS, by one of their rangers and in one of their vehicles. There will most likely be other guests on this drive. Children under 3 years of age are not allowed on KZN Parks open game drive vehicles.

All passport and visa requirements are the guests’ responsibility. Should your passport and visas not be in order, we will assist with

arrangements in any way possible to allow you to join us again on our return to South Africa, but any such arrangements will be for your own account.

Guests flying out of Cape Town Airport on the last day are reminded not to book domestic flights departing earlier than 19h00 or international flights departing earlier than 20h00.

Since we cannot guarantee our arrival time in Cape Town on the last day we will not be held responsible for re-imbursements of flight tickets should we arrive later than expected.

We strongly recommend that you allow yourself another 2 or 3 nights in Cape Town to explore this area that has captivated people for centuries. Please speak to your consultant about this.

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Sa Explorer