Essential Kruger Safari
From CAD $4,940
Guarantee
Small Group
Unknown
Rating
Experience Overview
Ranked among the best wildlife-watching destinations on the planet, Kruger National Park hosts nearly 150 different mammals, including the famous five: lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalos. Any trip would be special, but this finely tuned itinerary is all about making the most of your time in the bushveld and maximising your animal sightings. Expect multiple game drives when the animals are most active, plus expert insight from your guides that you just wouldn’t get from a guidebook.
Profile
— Accommodation: 1 Classic night (hotel), 5 Superior nights (Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel) — Group normally 4 to 16, plus local leader. Minimum age: 16
At a Glance
— Accommodation: 1 Classic night (hotel), 5 Superior nights (Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel) — Group normally 4 to 16, plus local leader. Minimum age: 16
Trip For You
This trip is graded Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate) with a Wildlife Rating of Five. Visit our Wildlife Holidays page for more on our Wildlife ratings. For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.
Journeys: There are some long journeys on this trip – up to six hours between Johannesburg and Kruger. The game drives also take place on bumpy surfaces.
Flexibility: This itinerary is designed to be flexible, allowing us the chance to maximise animal sightings. Your tour leader, therefore, may change days around to enhance your experience.
Legal note: All group members joining this tour are asked to sign an indemnity form at the start of the trip. This indemnity form is a requirement of the South African Tourism Service Association, of which our local supplier is a member. As a client of Exodus Travels Ltd, your rights under the Package Travel Regulations (1992) are unaffected, and Exodus remains liable for the actions of our sub-contractors.
Eating Drinking
For meals not included, dinners cost on average 350-500 South African rand (US$20‐US$30) per person and lunches 150-250 South African rand (US$8-US$13).
We need at least two weeks’ notice to deal with special dietary requirements (eg vegetarian or allergies.) For this reason, if you did not indicate these on your booking form please advise your sales representative as soon as possible.
The water provided on this trip is safe and clean drinking water, normally from boreholes. It is not bottled water, however. If you would rather have bottled water then this will be at your expense, though we would encourage you to make use of the safe drinking water provided as this helps diminish plastic consumption.
Transportation
For game drives, we use an open 4×4 safari vehicle.
Joining Instructions
Key information
Start hotel: Garden Court Sandton City, Corner of West and, Maude St, Sandown, Sandton, 2196
Phone: +27 11 269 7000
Recommended arrival time: Before 6pm at the start hotel to catch the welcome briefing and dinner
Airport: O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB)
Getting to the start hotel
The start hotel is approximately 45 minutes’ drive from the airport. We provide one group transfer from the airport to the hotel, which you can join at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.
Catching your return flight
There’s one group transfer to O.R. Tambo International Airport, which you can join at no extra cost. Please speak to your sales representative for the time of the transfer. If the group transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative.
Please note: All departure flights must be booked for after 7pm in case of any delays on the transfers from Hazyview.
Weather Information
For this adventure, we travel during the warm, dry winter (May to September). This is the best time for wildlife watching as visibility improves when the trees lose their leaves and the game congregate around the available water. The mornings are typically cool (10C/50F to 14C/57F), reaching between 26C (79F) and 29C (84F) by the afternoon.
Spending Money
We suggest you allow about 180 rand (US$10) per day for incidentals.
Tipping
Our local staff are paid fairly for their work; however, tipping is part of the culture in South Africa.
For suggestions on how much to tip, we recommend:
Guides: 180 rand (US$10) per person per dayDrivers: 100 rand (US$5.60) per person per dayRangers: 180 rand (US$10) per person per dayHotel staff: 80 rand (US$4.50) per person per day
Please tip in local currency.
Highlights
— Enjoy multiple game drives with a team who knows all the animals’ favourite spots — Get closer to nature on a morning bush walk with two expert trackers — Spend a full day exploring the natural wonders of the scenic Panorama Route — Cruise down the Blyde River for more thrilling animal encounters — Unwind at a contemporary boutique hotel with a swimming pool
Trip Details
Product Code: 38891
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport: vehicle.
Guide Language: English
Tour Operator:
Exodus Travel
Supplier Code: WHZ
Starts: Johannesburg, Kruger National Park
Finishes: Johannesburg, Kruger National Park
Duration: 7 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Unknown
Includes
— All breakfasts, two lunches, six dinners — All accommodation — All transport and listed activities — Tour leader throughout — Group arrival and departure transfers availableAccommodation
Hotels in Jo’burg and HazyviewFor most of this adventure, we stay in a boutique hotel in Hazyview, just outside Kruger, providing easy access to the national park, while the first night is spent at a hotel in Jo’burg. To help you find your ideal adventure, each trip is given a Comfort Level rating, which indicates the overall standard of accommodation. For more on our ratings, see our Comfort Level guidelines. Hazyview: Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (nights 2-6) Perry’s Bridge Hollow offers the dual benefit of easy access to Kruger and a stylish, well-equipped place to relax and gather as a group when we’re not on safari. You stay in one of just 31 deluxe rooms, which come with indoor and outdoor showers, air-conditioning, a Nespresso machine for coffee, and a private patio. Elsewhere, there’s a swimming pool area with loungers, swinging hammocks and private gazebos, a garden lounge with cushy seating and shade, plus four restaurants, catering to a range of tastes. Worth knowing Tailor your trip: Extend your adventure by securing extra hotel nights before or after the main itinerary. Speak to your sales representative to book.Private rooms: Like most tour operators, we room solo passengers together. If you’d prefer to have a private room, it’s normally possible to do this for a supplement. Speak to your sales representative to book.
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $4,940 ($706 /day)
Itinerary
Begin your adventure in Johannesburg – Jo’burg or Jozi to those in the know – a dynamic city where history, culture and creativity meet. Around 6pm-7pm, say howzit to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead. Your tour leader then ensures a big South African welcome by arranging dinner at the hotel restaurant. Want to explore Johannesburg further? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative. Accommodation: Garden Court Sandton City (or similar)
Rise early for breakfast, as we leave the hotel at 8am, our course set for Hazyview, a small farming town just outside Kruger National Park – ideally placed for our safari adventures! The drive can take up to six hours, but we stop en route for lunch. Later this afternoon, we enjoy our first game drive in Kruger, keeping an eye out for zebras, giraffes, waterbucks and even the majestic elephant. At this time, the weather cools and predators, such as lions and leopards, start to get more active. After, we return to our hotel for dinner. Accommodation: Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
After our first safari, you’ll be itching to get back into Kruger. Well, you won’t have to wait long! We leave the lodge about 5am-5.30am, allowing us to spot the animals when they’re more active in the early morning. With the help of our expert guide, we should spot plenty of safari icons wandering around the South African bushveld. We enjoy breakfast and lunch in the park – the rest camps have plenty of options for you. After lunch, we head even deeper into the park in search of more animals. Return to the lodge around 4pm, providing a bit of time to freshen up, perhaps with a dip in the hotel pool, before dinner. Accommodation: Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Our day is split into two. In the morning, we lace up our hiking boots for a sunrise bush walk. Accompanied by two knowledgeable, armed trackers, set off quietly to follow the game, learning about their movements and the significance of certain marks or sounds. You will also learn how to identify plants and birds. After, we return to the lodge for lunch and a relax, before heading back into the park for an afternoon game drive. Though wildlife tends to rest in the midday heat, the advantage of an afternoon safari is guides have information about earlier sightings and where they took place, so sightings will be more frequent. Watering holes are a popular spot during this time, as many animals look to cool down and nothing is more pleasing than watching elephants play in a river or mud pool. The later the day gets, and the closer it gets to the park’s closing time, the better the chances of sightings become, as the animals become more active as the heat dissipates. Return to the hotel in time for dinner. Accommodation: Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Rise early this morning for one last chance to see the wonderful wildlife of Kruger National Park. Again, the leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs and lions are most active at this time of the day. We safari for around three hours before our breakfast break; after, we probably head to a waterhole to watch the animals quench their thirst before taking on the heat of the day. Finishing at midday for lunch, enjoying the rest of the day to relax, perhaps around the pool or in the garden lounge with a glass of wine to hand. Accommodation: Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Having immersed ourselves in the wonders of Kruger, it’s time to bid farewell to the great national park. Today is instead dedicated to exploring the Panorama Route, a famously scenic drive in the Mpumalanga province. It starts with a tranquil boat cruise on the Blyde River, surrounded by the stunning Blyde River Canyon. Glide past towering cliffs, lush greenery, and unique rock formations, such as the Three Rondavels. We then jump in the vehicle to visit some of the other natural wonders of the Panorama Route, including the striking Bourke’s Luck Potholes and God’s Window, which provides sweeping views of lush forests, waterfalls, and the lowveld below. We also head to Graskop Forest, where we ride the Viewing Lift, a 167ft (51m) ascent into the heart of the Afromontane forest. The glass walls provide excellent views over the Drakensberg Escarpment. At the top, you can take part in optional activities, such as a thrilling zipline experience or a cliff walkway. Accommodation: Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
The adventure ends in Hazyview today, and we begin our return journeys home. Alternatively, if you’d like to extend your adventure, speak to your sales representative to discuss our large range of extension options.
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Tour Operator
Exodus Travel
It’s all about adventure That is what Exodus was founded upon 50 years ago, and what the company is still all about. Discovering countries, cultures, environments, cities, mountain ranges, deserts, coasts and jungles; exploring this amazing planet we all live on. At Exodus, we know what makes you tick when it comes to holidays. It’s a desire shared by so many others. A yearning to visit new places and come home with a real sense of what they’re all about. This means delving into local traditions, cultures, cuisine, lifestyles – anything that contributes to its unique identity. At the same time, we always remember that we are only guests. So we travel courteously and respectfully, in smaller groups to minimise our impact, to ensure that every Exodus holiday is a beneficial experience for everyone involved. This is a philosophy we take with us around the world, helping you reach some incredible destinations on 500 itineraries across over 90 separate countries. We also strive to provide as much flexibility and choice as we possibly can, making it simple for you to experience a very different holiday. Exodus started life on 4 February 1974 when two friends got together to provide an overland truck to travel to the Minaret of Jam, deep in the heart of the Hindu Kush, the most inaccessible of the world’s great monuments. See our history page for more details about how we began and how we have grown over the past 50 years. Never travelled with Exodus before? Visit our New to Exodus page for some useful, first-timer information.
In Business Since 1974
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