Safari in South Africa & beach holiday in Mauritius

Today, you’ll depart from your selected airport, with connecting flight(s) along the way.

Upon arrival in Johannesburg, South Africa, you’ll be met by our local partner, who will drive you to the four-star Kruger Gate hotel. The hotel is located by the Sabie River and offers colourful panoramic views of Kruger National Park.

Depending on when you arrive, you can spend the afternoon enjoying the spectacular views from the large communal terrace or the lookout tower – or relaxing by the pool.

The morning will be at your leisure, giving you time to recover from the journey and enjoy a relaxed start to the day. This afternoon, your first game drive of the tour awaits in Kruger National Park, one of the world’s most significant national parks. You’ll head out in a four-wheel-drive safari vehicle, and before long, all you need to do is keep your eyes and ears open – you never know what might be hiding around the next bend.

Kruger National Park has a long history. The area was established as a game reserve as early as 1898 and became a national park in 1926. Covering around 20,000 km², Kruger is South Africa’s largest national park, stretching approximately 350 kilometres from south to north and up to 65 kilometres from east to west.

There is an impressive range of wildlife to discover. The park is home to around 146 mammal species, 520 bird species, and 120 reptile species. And it’s not just the variety that is impressive – there are also large numbers of many species. The park is home to around 11,000 elephants, 2,000 lions, 1,000 leopards, 35,000 buffalo, 35,000 zebras, and well over 150,000 antelope, among others. In addition, around 2,000 plant species help create the diverse bushveld you’ll travel through.

The landscape changes between open grasslands, rocky areas, lakes, and waterways. Later in the afternoon, many animals make their way to the water to drink, and you may be lucky enough to see elephants cooling off or spraying water over their backs. Your guide will look out for both the larger animals and the smaller signs of life around you. Keep an eye on the antelope too – where there is prey, predators may be close by. With a little luck, you might catch sight of a leopard moving silently through the bush or lying hidden in the shade.

After the game drive, you’ll return to the hotel with the day’s first safari experiences fresh in your mind – and perhaps already with the feeling that one game drive is far from enough.

Today, you’ll experience the National Park from a completely different perspective – on foot. Early in the morning, you’ll be driven from the hotel to an area of Kruger National Park, where a guided bush walk awaits.

As soon as you leave the vehicle, the experience changes. You’ll make your way through the bush with all your senses engaged, and suddenly the small details become just as fascinating as the large animals.

Your ranger is trained to move through the wilderness on foot and will teach you how to read the landscape around you. You’ll learn to listen for sounds, follow animal tracks, and notice signs of what has passed through the area. Perhaps you’ll find a fresh footprint in the ground or spot a branch that has been broken in an unusual way. On a bush walk, it isn’t just the large animals that tell the story of life in the bush.

You may also be lucky enough to spot some of Kruger’s larger animals. Giraffes and zebras may be seen in the distance, and it’s fascinating to see how differently they react when you’re on foot rather than sitting in a safari vehicle.

Bush walks are not permitted for children under 12.

Remember to read our practical information about clothing requirements for a bush walk.

You’ll return to the hotel in the late morning, and the rest of the day will be free for you to enjoy. Relax by the pool, treat yourself to a massage in the hotel spa, or book an optional excursion if you’d like to experience even more.

Today, you’ll spend a full day on safari in Kruger National Park.

Here, you’re immersed in nature, and from the open-sided vehicle, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to take in the world around you – from the smallest details in the bush to the larger animals that suddenly appear.

You’ll set off early from the lodge, as the morning is one of the best times to go on safari. Many wild animals are active before the heat really sets in, while in the middle of the day they seek shade and rest. That’s why the lodge will prepare a packed breakfast for you to enjoy along the way, when your guide finds a suitable place to stop.

At lunchtime, you’ll stop in one of the park’s designated areas, where you’ll find both a café and a small shop. Afterwards, the safari continues, and you can lean back, feel the breeze, and keep an eye on the landscape as the kilometres roll by. Perhaps a herd of zebras will cross the road, an elephant will wander close by, or you’ll spot a predator lying hidden in the shade.

At the end of the day, you’ll return to the lodge after many hours in the bush – hopefully with a camera full of wonderful photos and a head full of new safari memories.

Today, you’ll swap the wild bush of the safari for the dramatic landscapes of the mountains. You’ll follow the Panorama Route through the Drakensberg Mountains, where the road winds through a landscape of rust-red cliffs, deep gorges, and lush green mountain slopes. It’s a day when you can simply sit back and let the views come to you.

The route will take you to Blyde River Canyon, which, with gorges up to 700 metres deep and stretching for around 60 kilometres, is one of the largest canyons in the world. Here, the landscape opens up into vast panoramas, and at God’s Window, you’ll enjoy one of the tour’s most far-reaching views across the green lowlands.

A completely different sight awaits you at the Three Rondavels. These three striking rock formations rise from the landscape in their distinctive rounded shapes, resembling the traditional rondavels – the round huts that have been common in many parts of southern Africa.

The Panorama Route is also rich in waterfalls. Along the way, you’ll visit one of them, depending on the route taken that day and how much water is flowing over the individual falls. It could be Berlin Falls, where the water plunges around 150 metres into a pool below, or Lisbon Falls, where the Blyde River divides in two before cascading 92 metres over an almost vertical cliff and coming together again further down.

One of the day’s most unusual stops will be Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Over thousands of years, water, sand, and small stones have worn their way into the rock, creating the deep, almost cylindrical holes that give the site its distinctive appearance. You can walk along footbridges over the formations and get a close look at the marks left in the rocks by the power of the water.

Around lunchtime, you’ll stop in one of the small towns along the route, where you can buy lunch before continuing through the changing landscapes of the Drakensberg Mountains.

You’ll return to the hotel in the late afternoon.

The day will be yours to spend as you please.

It’s time to say goodbye to Kruger National Park. You’ll be transferred back to Johannesburg, from where you’ll continue your tour to Mauritius.

Upon arrival in Mauritius, our local partner will meet you and drive you to your hotel.

The tropical island of Mauritius is one of the most exclusive and fascinating islands in the Indian Ocean. With its wonderful climate and friendly local people, this little island paradise is the perfect destination for an exotic holiday. Mauritius is often associated with relaxation and romance, but it’s also ideal for those who love gastronomy, water sports, and beautiful scenery. The island is surrounded by stunning beaches lined with swaying palms, crystal-clear waters, and colourful coral reefs. Inland, you’ll find lush forests, sugar-cane fields, mountains, cascading waterfalls, and dramatic coastlines dotted with small lagoons. In the capital, Port Louis, you’ll find excellent shops and fascinating museums.

The days will be yours to spend as you wish. If you would like to go on additional excursions, you can contact the hotel reception for an overview of the options available.

You will be picked up at your hotel and driven to the airport, where you will fly to your selected airport with connecting flights along the way.

You’ll land at your selected airport after a wonderful and experience-filled tour.