Prices for - South African Safaris and Adventures

Kruger Park & Chobe & Victoria Falls

Departure: Thursday

Depart from: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Nelspruit, Any Backpackers hostel, hotel, guest house

Ends in: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Any Backpackers hostel, guest house, hotel or airport

Day 1: Panoramic route - Blyde river canyon (South Africa)
The tour departs early morning from Johannesburg and Pretoria from where we pick clients up from any backpackers hostel, guest house or hotel. We will stop en-route for breakfast (own cost), after which we continue to Nelspruit (if there are clients to pick up) or alternatively through Dullstroom and Lydenburg to Graskop where we stop for lunch (own cost). After lunch we drive through the panoramic route in the northern Drakensberg mountains, where we stop at God's Window, Bourke Luck Potholes and the third largest canyon in the world - the Blyde River Canyon, where we stop at the Three Rondawels view point. Accommodation (Camping): Camping at a private lodge Accommodation (Bedded): Private lodge Included meals: Dinner

Day 2: Kruger National Park (South Africa)
A very short drive takes us to Orpen gate which is the most central gate to Kruger national park, where we arrive as the gates open. Kruger is home to 147 mammal (including the Big 5), 114 reptile and 502 bird species. You will be transferred to open sided 4 x 4 game viewing vehicles (on arrival at the park) in which we will do game drives.

Kruger national park is the same size as Israel, Wales or Netherlands and contains different vegetation types, that attracts different animals to different areas of the park. Therefore we spend as much time on game drives as possible, so that we give ourselves a better chance of seeing different animal and bird species. We concentrate the game drives around the central region of the park, where we have a better chance of seeing the big cats and a large variety of other animals.Breakfast and lunch will be prepared by your guide and enjoyed at one of the many picnic sites inside Kruger national park. The guides will also stop at various view points and hides inside the park. At sunset you will start with a 3 hour night drive, done in a Kruger national park open sided game viewing vehicle with a Kruger guide. Accommodation (Camping): Camping inside Kruger national park Accommodation (Bedded): Private lodge Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Kruger National Park (South Africa)
We start the day with a cup of coffee or tea, before heading out on a game drive in an open game viewing vehicle shortly after the gates open. You will be on a game drive for the majority of the day, searching for as many animal species as possible. Breakfast and lunch will be enjoyed at picnic sites inside Kruger national park. Accommodation (Camping): Camping inside Kruger national park Accommodation (Bedded): Private lodge Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Hartbeespoort (South Africa)
This is our final morning in Kruger national park. This morning you have the opportunity of doing an optional game walk inside Kruger national park with two Kruger park armed guides. Game walks is not about seeing the animals, as you are guaranteed to see much more animals and much closer on a game drive than on a game walk. Game walks are about the smaller things normally not seen from the vehicles. The clients who are not doing a game walk, will head out on a final short game drive (done in closed vehicle), searching for the animals not yet seen or photographed. We then head for a private lodge just outside Kruger national park, where we will enjoy a home cooked breakfast. From here we drive to Johannesburg & Pretoria where some clients will be dropped off, and then to Hartbeespoort, where we stay the night at a backpackers lodge in the valley below the mountains. Accommodation: Backpackers lodge Included meals: Breakfast

Day 5: Nata (Botswana)
We depart early morning heading north towards the Botswana border. Your guide will stop en-route for breakfast (own cost), banks and last minute shopping while still on the South African side of the border. The guide will assist you with changing money after you have crossed the border into Botswana. From where we head further north to Nata, where we camp the night. Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation. Included meals: Dinner

Day 6: Chobe National Park (Botswana)
An early morning start gets us off heading further north through the Kasane forest where we always see herds of elephants and often see a variety of antelopes and sometimes lion, hyena and wild dog. We arrive mid-day in Kasane where we will be staying at a campsite on the shores of the Chobe River, that is close to the gate of Chobe National Park. You will have the opportunity to change money or / and relax at the swimming pool. This afternoon we do a game drive in an open vehicle inside Chobe national park, which is well known for its large variety and numbers of wildlife. These game drives are always very successful with spotting large numbers of wildlife. Dinner will be served on return to camp. Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation. Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)
We depart early morning (at sunrise) on another game drive into Chobe national park, searching for the animals that we have not seen on the previous game drive. Livingstone Trails is the only budget overland tour operator to include two game drives into Chobe national park on a scheduled tour departure. After breakfast we take a short drive to the border where we cross into Zimbabwe. From here we drive another hour to Victoria Falls where we will be staying the next three nights. The camp is situated in the middle of town, within 10 minutes walking distance of just about everything. Your guide will assist you with the bookings of optional activities and changing money. During one of these three days we visit the magnificent Victoria Falls waterfall (included in the tour price), which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and 1700 meters (1,1 mile) wide, making it the largest sheet of falling water in the world.

Later this afternoon we depart for a sunset cruise on Zambezi river. The river forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, with national parks on either side of the river. This creates a great opportunity to see animals coming down to the river for a drink, as well as a reasonable variety of bird life. We often see elephants, zebra, blue wildebeest, rhino, buffalo and a variety of antelope species. Obviously hippo and crocodile are plenty-full in this region. All soft drinks, wine and beer is included while on the boat. Most days you will have fantastic photo opportunities of the sunset, depending on the weather. Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation. Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Days 8 & 9: Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)
Victoria Falls and the surrounding areas offer a great variety of things to see and do. You will have plenty of free time 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 in the heat of the day. 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 word, the 111 meters bungi jump off the bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia, elephant back and horse safaris, flights over the waterfall, canoe safaris, day trips to national parks, fishing safaris, game walks and much more. On day 9 is dinner out at a local restaurant (own cost). Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation. Included meals - Day 8: Breakfast, Dinner Included meals - Day 9: Breakfast

Day 10: Palapye (Botswana)
We leave Victoria Falls after a light breakfast, crossing back into Botswana and driving south to Palapye, where we stay the night. You will stop for lunch (own cost) on the way. Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation. Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 11: Return to Johannesburg & Pretoria (South Africa)
We depart early morning driving further south crossing the border into South Africa. The guide will drop you at any backpackers hostel, hotel, guest house or the airport in Johannesburg & Pretoria. Your guide will stop en-route for breakfast and lunch (own cost). Included meals: No meals included

Included:
All transport
All accommodation
Qualified and registered guide
All camping and other equipment
Meals as specified
Blyde River Canyon (Three Rondawels view point)
Bourke Luck Potholes
God's Window
Entrance & conservation fees to Kruger national park
Game drives in Kruger national park (open vehicles)
Night drive inside Kruger National Park
Entrance & conservation fees to Chobe national park
2 x Chobe national park game drives (open vehicles)
Entrance fees to Victoria Falls waterfall
Sunset cruise on Zambezi river (drinks & snacks incl)

Excluded:
All drinks (except coffee & tea with meals)
Meals not specified
Optional game walk inside Kruger national park
Optional activities in Victoria Falls (Book on tour)
Visas if required
 

 

Clients have a choice of accommodation on the Kruger national park leg of the tour, between camping and bedded accommodation.
Kruger national park (Camping): The first night we camp at the same private lodge where the "bedded accommodation' clients are staying, where we have permanent erected tents.  The tents are 3.0 x 3.0 (meters) in size with built in mosquito netting over the door and windows. Each tent has 2 proper single bed mattresses. A three course dinner will be served by the lodge. You will still require a sleeping bag. The next morning we depart for Kruger national park, where we have a permanent camp inside Kruger national park. These tents are also permanently erected on platforms with two proper single bed mattresses. We further have a kitchen tent with gas stoves and a fridge to keep food fresh and drinks cold. The camp has separate male and female bathrooms with permanent hot water.
Kruger national park (Bedded): Bedded accommodation clients will stay at the private lodge every night while on the Kruger park leg of the package. You will leave the lodge early mornings to arrive at the gates of Kruger national park as they open. You will be inside the park the full day and return to the lodge in the evenings. Three course dinners will be served by the lodge.
Camping (first night) and bedded accommodation (every night): There are a number of local villages in the rural community close to the lodge. The children from these villages started their own dance and song routine and asked the lodge if they can dance for the guests staying at the lodge. The lodge assisted the kids by making traditional dancing outfits for them and allowing them to dance and sing for the guests staying at the lodge. The children work for themselves and do not work for the lodge. Therefore they do not get payment from the lodge, but earn an income from tips that they get from the guests. Please note that sometimes (not often) the kids do not come to do the dancing.
Staying at a backpackers lodge at Hartbeespoort: Moonlight Backpackers Lodge is not in a town or city. It is a 8 hectares (18 football fields) property in a farming area, situated in the valley below the Magaliesberg mountains. Accommodation for single people will be in small dormitories, single room, or twin room (2 single beds) that share a bathroom, depending on availability. Couples will be in a twin room or double room with or without bathroom, depending on availability. Dinner is excluded on this day. The guide / driver will stop at a supermarket where you can get fresh food or take-aways. The backpackers lodge offers all the facilities to do cooking. The other option (depending on you) that we will drop you off at one of the many restaurants in the area, and pick you up when you have finished your meal.
	Accommodation in Nata, Maun and Palapye   The Chobe national park & Victoria Falls leg of the tour The included accommodation on this tour is camping. However, every camp that we stay at on this tour offers a variety of chalets, private rooms etc. Therefore clients do have to option to upgrade from camping accommodation to bedded accommodation. Livingstone Trails will pay the camping rate and clients who upgrade their accommodation must pay the balance. You can not book an upgrade in advance. Upgrades must be done on tour when you arrive at a camp and seen the bedded accommodation. Depends on availability. We provide all camping equipment, except sleeping bags.

Vehicles used on this tours
In-between destinations Toyota Quantums 12 clients plus 1 guide / driver
Game drives inside Kruger national park & Chobe national park Open sided game viewing vehicles 10 clients plus 1 guide / driver
Night drive inside Kruger national park Nissan Cabstar 25 clients plus 1 guide / driver

Important tour / safari information

Participation tours: All tours are participation tours. This means that the clients are responsible for pitching their own tents (except inside Kruger Park), and washing up after every meal, which is social event where people chat and get to know each other. Some guides may ask the clients to assist with the chopping and cleaning of vegetables, while the guide prepares the meals.

Group sizes: We operate a variety of different vehicles. Our largest vehicles seats a maximum of 14 clients. Therefore , except for our open vehicles inside Kruger National Park which are not allowed to seat more than 10 clients. It occasionally happen that we will have two vehicles on the same tour.

What to take on tour: Clothing and personal effects Comfortable shoes for walking Warm clothing for the evenings Basic first aid kit Insect repellent Anti-Malaria medicine Sunblock and cap or hat Comfortable shoes for walking Slip slops or trainers Camera with extra film & batteries Torch with extra batteries

Tent, sleeping bag and roll matt: We provides all the camping equipment including a roll matt with cover that is washed after every tour, and a 2.2 x 2.2 (meters) or 2.4 x 2.4 (meters) tent with built in mosquito netting over the door and windows, as well as a built in floor. You must have a sleeping bag on all of the camping tours, which you can rent from us at R50 per person per tour, if you do not have one of your own. Inside Kruger National Park we have a permanent camp. We do not use roll matts on these tours, but have single bed mattresses with fitted sheets that are washed after tour.

Malaria areas: Many of the areas and destinations in southern and east Africa are malaria areas. It is the responsibility of the client to ensure that you have insect repellent and a course of anti-malaria tablets. Consult your local doctor or pharmacist.

Water: All drinks (except coffee & tea with meals) are excluded from the tour price. All tap water in areas where we do tours to, are 100% safe to drink, and tastes very good. Bottled water is freely available (every day), for those who prefer bottled water.

Laws and clients: We expect our clients to uphold the laws of each country that we visit while on tour. We do not accept any responsibility for any client on our tours, who breaks the laws of any country visited during a tour.

Be considered: Sometimes our guides are asked to stop at local villages along the road, so that clients can take photos. Nothing wrong with that, but then we often see the people just walking into a village taking photos, instead of doing it from the road. Keep in mind that a village will normally be a family living together. How would you feel if a stranger just walks into your yard or home and start taking photos?

Our clients:  All our clients are international travellers from different countries. The ages of our clients range from 18 to 60, with the majority being between 20 and 40. All that we require from our clients is that they must enjoy travelling and be fun-loving people. You do not need to be super fit to participate in any of our included activities or adventures.

Our crew (guides & drivers): All our guides and drivers are registered with the authorities as per government regulations.

Our vehicles:  All game drives inside Kruger National Park will be done in open sided game viewing vehicles.

Kruger optional game walks: The maximum group size on a game walk is 8, and our groups are most of the time more people than eight. Kruger national park often do not have enough guides to do all the game walks. The game walks are cancelled if it is raining. The game walks inside Kruger national park is three hours in duration. These bush walks are operated by Kruger national park with two armed Kruger park guides conducting the walks. The walks are 3 hours in duration, and starts at sunrise.

Our tours: We offer a variety of tours and safaris to a variety of destinations, from 3 days to 16 days. You have the option of camping or lodge (bedded) accommodation, while on any of our tours / safaris.