bush camping, kruger game drive with Acacia Africa

Day 1 Johannesburg – Oliphants River / Greater Kruger National Park Departing Johannesburg, across scenic Mpumalanga, we enjoy spectacular mountain scenery, Blyde River Canyon and the Three Rondavels rock formations. After lunch we visit Kapama cheetah research centre where volunteers rehabilitate displaced, traumatized predators and endangered mammals. Making our way to an isolated bush camp on the Oliphant’s River’s banks, populated with hippo and crocodiles, we relax and enjoy our first night watching wildlife in the stillness of the evening.

Day 2 Oliphants River - Kruger National Park
Rising to an early breakfast and the distinct sounds of Buffalo, Hippos and indigenous birds, we join a morning river cruise. After exploring the habits of many wild animals and birds inhabiting the Oliphants River banks we board our vehicle, passing one of the world’s largest open cast sulphur mines, and enter the Phalaborwa gates into Kruger National Park, enjoying the afternoon winding along beaten tracks of some 2 million hectares with a high possibility of spotting some of the “Big 5”. The night is spent camping in a tranquil rest park sharing experiences around a campfire.

Day 3 Kruger National Park
Today is spent traversing the Kruger, tracking game, both in the morning and afternoon, avoiding the hot midday sun where we enjoy the peacefulness the rest camp has to offer over lunch time. We return to our camp in the late afternoon, happily exhausted and highly satisfied with the day’s events. Dinner is enjoyed gathered around our camp fire crackling in the stillness of night.

Day 4 Kruger National Park – Polokwane
A game drive at sunrise, returning to camp for a wholesome breakfast we pack up camp exiting the Kruger National Park. The day’s journey takes us over scenic mountain passes and through flourishing citrus farms to the Limpopo Province, known as the Eco-tourism destination in Southern Africa. With over 21 species of mammal, including white rhino, and 200 species of birds we enter the National Game Reserve and set out to explore on foot. The night is spent at a nearby lodge camp where we prepare for our journey crossing the Great Limpopo River into Botswana.

Day 5 Polokwane – Elephant Sands / Nata
After breakfast, embarking a pleasant two hour road trip to Botswana, crossing the Limpopo River, clearing immigrations and changing currency into “Pula”, we meander through vast open savannahs, and local villages including Palapye, lunching in Francistown, a once thriving gold mine. We complete our road trip crossing over “veterinary fences” into wilder habitat where elephants roam freely. Bypassing the Magadigadi pans we arrive at the tranquil rustic setting of Elephant Sands lodge late afternoon, spending the night surrendering to Africa on her own terms.

Day 6 Elephant Sands – Livingstone / Zambia
Today we take a short journey north crossing the Great Chobe River via a rickety yet safe pontoon onto the river shore of Zambia, home to Victoria Falls. Arriving at our waterfront resort in Livingstone, over lunch you may choose excursions or adventure actives for the next day. Now we enter Victoria Falls National Park witnessing the intense exhilaration of energy generated from this natural wonder, and early evening we join a peaceful sunset cruise on the Zambezi soaking up African ambience with elephant and wild buck wondering the muddy banks. We return to camp for an enjoyable evening.

Day 7 Livingstone / Victoria Falls
Today is a free day where we have many opportunities to explore and enjoy what this magnificent destination has on offer. The Zambezi boasts one of the world’s highest rated rivers for pure white river rafting. Or you may visit the David Livingstone museum, explore the colonial town on foot, visiting the local trading markets, visit the neighbouring Zimbabwean town, take a leap of faith bungee jump to the foot of the falls, or an elephant back safari. The night is spent in awe on the banks of the mighty Zambezi exchanging amazing experiences.

Day 8 Livingstone – Chobe National Park / Botswana
After a relaxed breakfast we set off to experience some of the best that wildest Botswana has to offer. Crossing the wide Chobe River by ferry we set up camp near Chobe National Park on the outskirts of Kasane in time for lunch. Embarking an open 4x4 safari cruiser, we explore Chobe National Park which has the largest concentration of game in Africa. Returning to camp early afternoon, we re-enter Chobe, this time on a river boat cruise giving us an in-depth perspective of life on the banks of the Chobe River. Content, we relax the night under the African skies.

Day 9 Chobe National Park – Maun / Okavango Delta
Following an early breakfast, our easy paced expedition to the lifeline of Botswana - the massive, remote Okavango Delta, begins. Driving south with a definite possibility of encountering elephant and buffalo, we lunch and refuel in Nata, continuing, through savannahs, Gwetto and local villages, we arrive in Maun late afternoon, the gateway where we stock up on supplies for our three day excursion into the wildest and remotest territory in Africa. Basing ourselves at a tranquil bush camp out of town, we enjoy the night in the calm surroundings of Sitatunga camp.

Day 10 Maun – Okavango Delta
Bags, food and sunscreen packed, we board our 4x4 bush tracker for the Okavango Delta, the only inland delta of its kind in the world. Our local guides, familiar to the region, gently pole us out onto the narrow flat waterway on mokoro’s, setting up a bush camp under shade setting down for lunch. The afternoon is spent either on a game walk with our local guides, viewing hippo from your mokoro or simply resting. The nights are enjoyed with sounds of wild animals in the distance around our campfire with our guides singing traditional Tswana songs.

Day 11 Okavango Delta
Today we join our guide for an informative trek through this marvellous savannah terrain. The Okavango's water is remarkably clean and pure, safe to drink and bathe in. The delta environment has large numbers of crocodile, red lechwe, sitatunga, elephant, wild dogs, buffalo, wattled crane and common mammals and bird life. If our camp is in reasonable walking distance to a local village, we stand a great chance of visiting these humble folk before retiring to camp for another night of laughter and stories gathered around a sparkling fire.

Day 12 Okavango Delta – Maun
After a last morning game walk and Delta breakfast, we pack up loading our mokoro’s, gliding over still waterways returning to the polers’ station where our 4x4 awaits us. Crossing the buffalo fence back to civilization we enjoy the luxury of hot showers with lunch. Revitalized, we may either join our guide exploring on foot the shopping area or take a flight around the Delta, an aerial view of the vastness of the surroundings leaving you breathless. Returning to camp for a wholesome dinner, we enjoy the night under the stars with the distinct scent of wild sage in the air.

Day 13 Maun – Khama Rhino Sanctuary
We leave Maun after breakfast cutting through the greater Kalahari region via Mopipi, seeing vast salt pans in the distance, arriving in Khama Rhino Sanctuary, a community based wildlife project benefiting local community and protecting a great many endangered rhino. This afternoon we enjoy an open game drive with local rangers. Camped securely in the sanctuary of the woods, we spend our last bonding with Mother Africa.

Day 14 Khama Rhino Sanctuary – Johannesburg / South Africa
On our final day we wake up to the sweet aromas of the bushlands around us. We leave our hosts heading for the small mining town, Serowe, before joining the main route to Martins Drift border post. Crossing the Limpopo River into South Africa, en- route we enjoy the scenic views noticing the changes of vegetation and populated civilization. Travelling via Mokopane for a lunch break, we drive into Gauteng province, arriving in Johannesburg in the late afternoon where the tour ends.

Transport

Minibus, foot

Accommodation

Twin share chalets and guest houses with en suite facilities (11 nts), bush camping with basic features (2 nts)