Highveld & Lowveld Completely

Transcription

1 Highveld & Lowveld Completely guided by Pg 1

2 Itinerary in detail DAY 1 Morning; arrival of international (red eye) flight in Johannesburg. Noon; connecting local flight to Hoedspruit (departure 12h15, unless the airline company changes it s schedule). Afternoon; transfer to the first lodge; Verlorenkloof Estate. On this estate we rent a beautiful villa with sufficient bedrooms and bathrooms, based on the size of your group. The villas have a spectacular view on the valley and if available we will rent one with a plunge pool. But whatever villa we get; they all have a fully furnished modern kitchen, a living room and dining room, and a second dining table outside (covered) with braai facilities. On the night of arrival we will immediately use that braai, to get into the South-African vibe. Pg 2

3 DAY 2 Full day; hikes in Verlorenkloof reserve. The inhabitants of the Verlorenkloof villas have exclusive use of the whole valley. We ll do multiple walks, to the waterfalls, to the rock pools (where you can swim), and obviously we ll be on the lookout for all species of birds that can be found in the area. DAY 3 Full day; hikes in Verlorenkloof reserve. On the next day we go hiking again, but if needed we can include a moment of rest; relax in your pool with a glass of wine in hand, and enjoy the magnificent view. Living like God in South-Africa! (the German expression says living like God in France, but we honestly don t see a reason why he would prefer that country) Pg 3

4 DAY 4 Morning; transfer to your second lodge, Rio Dos Elefantes, via Long Tom Pass and Sabie. In Sabie we ll have lunch. Rio Dos Elefantes is located in Balule reserve (which has open boundaries with Kruger National Park), at the banks of the Olifants river. A lot of animals pass by every day; bushbuck, nyala, elephants, etc. Your room is new (constructed end of 2017), has it s own bathroom, and a large deck overlooking the Olifants river. The lodge is owned by Agnes, widow of an ex-warden of Kruger Nationaal Park. Her lodge lodge is not only in a beautiful spot along the river, but it is also packed with historical artefacts. Agnes will gladly tell you the story behind each and all of them. We ll be using her lodge as a base from which we explore the whole area. So the focus does not lay entirely on wildlife, because that s the mission of the next lodge (see below). Pg 4

5 Afternoon; sunset drive on Balule reservaat (organised by Rio Dos Elefantes; this short game drive is a little present from Agnes) DAY 5 Morning; boat ride on Blyde dam. On day 7 we ll do the Panorama Route, and you ll see the canyon from the top. The view is stunning, but that doesn t mean it s not worth visiting the bottom of the canyon. The view from the boat is quite spectacular as well, plus they ll take you to a hippo pod and you ll see crocodiles from rather close. After the boat tour we ll walk on the wall of the dam, and after that we ll grab lunch at 24 South, a cozy spot in the middle of the bush. Pg 5

6 Afternoon; a visit to Jessica The Hippo Jessica must be about the most famous animal on this planet. She features in more than a 100 documentaries. After a thunderstorm and a flash flood, she ended up at Oom Tonie s doorstep. She was tiny, and her mom was nowhere to be found. Tonie decided to raise her. At night Jessica is free to go and graze wherever she wants (and so she does), but during the daytime she always comes back to her home. You can pet Jessica, and feed her, which quite strange given the aggressive nature that hippo s normally have. And history has repeated itself. After another flood, a tiny hippo boy ended up at Oom Tonie s house so he s now trying to raise this one too. A bit more difficult, as he cannot set it free at night; a dominant bull would surely kill it. So he s now trying to bond it with Jessica. When Jessica has accepted it as her child and protects it, he ll set both of them free at night, as then he s sure that the boy will be protected. Pg 6

7 DAY 6 Full day visit to Kruger National Park. Even though there s plenty of safari adventures planned over the next days, on a private reserve; you can t really visit the lowveld area without having spent at least a day in the National Park. We enter the park via Phalaborwa gate. This first section of the park is mopane veld, ideal habitat for elephants and dagga boys (old buffalo bulls). We continue driving straight east on the H9 tar road, checking various dams en route for any signs of thirsty animals. Often big herds of buffalo can be found at these dams. At Letaba, it s time for a quick coffee and a toilet break. From there we head south on the S46 and S93 gravel roads, following the Maseke river. The river is a magnet for any water dependent species, in particular waterbuck and elephants. Note that we might change our route depending on what we saw on the sightings board. Pg 7

8 Time for lunch at Olifants Restcamp! This restcamp has an amazing view over the Olifants river. Of course we check the sightings board again. Wouldn t want to miss any lion, leopard or wild dog sightings. Depending on what s on the sightings board, and depending on the time we still have, we might follow the Olifants river for a bit (S92, S91 gravel roads) and the Timbavati river (S39 gravel road). Or we might skip some parts, take the H1-5 tar road all the way to the S121 gravel road. Obviously the purpose is to stay on schedule while at the same time maximising our chances of seeing wildlife or any cat sighting that was on the boards. The last stretch of river we follow, on our way to Orpen gate, is the southern section of the Timbavati river (S39 gravel road). We take our time. There s plenty of nice viewpoints to enjoy and even though the river might not be flowing there s still plenty of water in the riverbed at regular intervals. And where there s water, there s life! The river bank is dotted with huge Sycamore Fig trees, Natal Mahogany, Leadwood trees, Knobthorns and Marula trees. Can we spot that elusive leopard hiding in their crown or at their base? Our last stretch of the park is west, on the H7 tar road. This section is known for it s rhino sightings. We drive home while enjoying the sunset over the Drakensberg mountains. Pg 8

9 DAY 7 Full day visit to the Panorama Route. We drive up the mountain through the Strydom tunnel and via the Abel Erasmus pass. We will inform you on Mr Erasmus and on the Taita Falcon. First stop; the Bourke s Luck Potholes. This is where the Blyde and Treur rivers join and carved their way deep into the bedrock. You will learn where the river s names come from and about Tom Bourke. Then we drive to Graskop Gorge, where we descend (by elevator) to the bottom of a bit of rainforest that s well hidden within a ravine on the edge of the Drakensberg mountains. Time to head to Graskop for a nice lunch. If not too busy we can go to the famous Harrie s Pancakes, but there s lots of other choices. On our way home we visit some places we ve skipped in the morning. Like God s window, where you have a wonderful view of the lowveld, more than a 1000m below. And we saved the best for last; the Blyde River Canyon! The view is phenomenal. We take our time to soak in the view and we will explain a bit more about the history of this place. Pg 9

10 DAY 8 Morning; visit to Moholoholo Rehab Centre. Gone are the days when wildlife was free to roam on the entire African continent. These days wild animals are confined to small islands called reserves. Where there s a wild area, there s a border with our civilised world. And where there s a border, there s conflicts. Moholoholo takes care of animals that are unfortunate to end up outside the reserve s borders; they come and catch them, bring them back to good health (if possible and if needed) and release them into the wild. They do all this for free. Their costs are covered by the visitors to the Rehabilitation Centre. Get up close and personal with some of their ambassadors of wildlife. Feel what the fur of a cheetah is like, learn all about their Honey Badger s Houdini-tricks and feed a vulture that lands on your arm! Afternoon; relax time! Enjoy the pool at Rio Dos Elefantes. Pg 10

11 DAY 9 Late morning; transfer to Avoca Bush Camp. This camp is located in the heart of the Timbavati reserve, after Sabi Sands reserve the most known private reserve in the Kruger area. The rooms are small but comfortable (it s a real bush camp, but all rooms have en suite bathrooms), and the camp has all we could possibly need; a fully furnished kitchen, a small pool, a boma/fire-pit, and so on. You can t get closer to nature than this; you are in a big 5 area and the camp is unfenced, so animals often wander through camp. Electricity is provided through solar panels, so you ll need to recharge your camera batteries in the central area. Pg 11

12 Afternoon; game drive on Timbavati reserve Avoca Bush Camp will be your home for the pure safari part of your trip. Every morning and afternoon we will do game drives with you and all other guests in camp. Over noon (between breakfast and lunch, typically between 10h and 14h) you have some free time to read a good book, take a nap, or take a plunge in the pool. A game drive on a private reserve is quite different than in the National Park. You ll be driving in an open vehicle (no windows or doors), and you ll have no other guests on this vehicle as we rented the camp in it s entirety. The reserve has lots of little two-tracks, which allow your guide to take you very close to the animals. From a photographic point of view; this is difficult to top. Every evening, after sunset, the game drive continues with a night drive where we use a spotlight to look for nocturnal animals. Pg 12

13 DAY 10 Morning; game drive on Timbavati reserve Afternoon; game drive on Timbavati reserve DAY 11 Morning; game drive on Timbavati reserve Afternoon; game drive on Timbavati reserve DAY 12 Morning; game drive on Timbavati reserve Afternoon; game drive on Timbavati reserve DAY 13 Morning; game drive on Timbavati reserve Around noon; transfer to Hoedspruit and flight to Johannesburg Evening; international flight back to Europe / US. Pg 13

14 Guiding by will guide you personally, during the whole trip: - We will pick you up at Hoedspruit airport and bring you to Verlorenkloof. - We will spend the days at Verlorenkloof with you. - We will take you to your second lodge; Rio Dos Elefantes. - At Rio Dos Elefantes we will not stay for dinner, nor stay overnight. (our own house is close by). However, every day after breakfast, we will come and pick you up, and do the day trips wth you, using our own car (Toyota Fortuner, a 7-seater with luggage rack on the roof). - We take you to Avoca Bush Camp. - We will spend the days at Avoca Bush Camp with you, and join you on the game drives in Timbavati Reserve. We will also take care of all shopping (food, drinks). We need to cook ourselves but if everyone pitches in this is not a problem. - On the last day of your trip we bring you back to Hoedspruit airport. Pg 14

15 Included / Not included Included - Local flights Johannesburg to Hoedspruit and back. - All transfers between airport and lodges, and between all lodges. - All activities and day trips as described above, guided by The Africa Bug. Day trips include all entrance fees of attractions we visit. - All meals. In verlorenkloof we have to do our own cooking. A budget for all food has been foreseen in the total cost of this trip. Rio Dos Elefantes provides breakfast and dinner. Over noons, we ll be on the road, but for all lunches a budget was foreseen in the total cost of this trip as well. At Avoca Bush Camp a cook is at our disposal. A budget for all food was foreseen in the total cost of this trip. - All drinks, with the exception of your evenings at Rio Dos Elefantes. Like every lodge on big 5 soil, they work with a bar tab, which you pay for at the end of your stay. For all other drinks on all other days a budget was foreseen in the total cost of this trip. Pg 15

16 Not included - International flights - Travel insurance - Personal expenditures - Medical expenditures - Tips Available dates This trip always starts on a Monday. Following dates are available (last update; 1 October 2018); 3 & 10 December , 14, 21 & 28 January , 11, 18 & 25 February , 8, 15, 22 & 29 April & 24 June , 8 & 29 July , 12, 19 & 26 August & 9 September 2019 Pg 16

17 Target prices Prices vary slightly, depending on the season. Ask us for a proposal! This trip is not aimed at big groups, but rather at couples with or without children, or a maximum of 4 adults traveling together. 2 people 3 people 4 people per person per person per person total total total Pg 17