Amazing Kruger Educational Tour

Arrive at Oliver Tambo International Airport, where you will be met by your Guide. Transfer to your hotel where you check-in and freshen up. Tonight you enjoy dinner at Moyo at Melrose Arch. This a unique destination for a sophisticated African experience. Inspired by the tradition and values of their ancestors, Moyo is a celebration of and commitment to the beauty of Africa and the industry of her people. Their famously warm hospitality and modern African ambiance make the Moyo experience an unforgettable one. After dinner stays overnight at the hotel.

Enjoy an early breakfast. Depart for Mpumalanga via Witbank and Middelburg. Travel via the town of Dullstroom. The area is known for its cool, sub-alpine climate and its misty atmosphere, reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands. It is also known as a habitat for the three endangered cranes, a vast variety of wildflowers, and rare species of mammals – a true paradise for the nature lover. Travel via the spectacular Long Tom Pass which derived its name from the Long Tom cannons used during the Anglo-Boer war. The original Long Tom Pass was a treacherous one, with steep gradients hairpin bends and hair raising drops. Enjoy the breathtaking views of the Sabie valley, more than 1 000 meters below. Situated only 100 meters from the Paul Kruger Gate of the Kruger National Park, is Protea Hotel Kruger Gate. This hotel provides you with the ideal location from which to experience wildlife first-hand. Surely, one of the most memorable moments of your visit will be dining in the stunning open-air Lapa Restaurant under the African stars.

The Kruger National Park stretches north to south for about 350 kilometers and is bordered by Mozambique to the east and Zimbabwe to the north. Its two million hectares of territory teem with life, including 147 mammals, 507 birds, 114 reptiles, 34 amphibians, 336 trees, and 49 fish species. You will have great opportunities to see the Big 5 animals of Africa, being the lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo, as well as a great deal of antelope and other African wildlife. Jakob Louis van Wyk introduced in the Volksraad of the old South African Republic, a motion to create the game reserve which would become the Kruger National Park. That motion, introduced together with another Volksraad member by the name of R. K. Loveday, and accepted for discussion in September of 1895 by a majority of one vote, resulted in the proclamation by Paul Kruger president of the Transvaal Republic, on March 26, 1898, of a “Government Wildlife Park.” This park would later be known as the Sabi Game Reserve and was expanded into the Kruger National Park in 1926. The park was initially created to control hunting and protect the diminished number of animals in the park.

Enjoy a Full Day Game Drive on an open 4 x 4 vehicle in the Kruger National Park including lunch. Expert guides should increase your chances of seeing all members of the “Big Five” plus other magnificent wild species. Return to your hotel. Enjoy dinner and overnight.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before exploring the Panorama Route. Visit Blyde River Canyon, the largest Green Canyon in the world and the third-largest overall. View the Three Rondawels, huge cylinders of rock with hut-like pointy ‘roofs’, arising out of the far wall of the canyon. Continue to Bourke’s Luck Potholes where you throw a coin and make a wish at this magnificent water sculptured sandstone. Minor imperfections in the dolomite rock have been worn away by the swirling water with its load of grit and pebbles, causing “potholes” to appear. Thomas Bourke, an early owner of the farm on which this feature is situated, discovered gold at the bottom of the holes. Visit God’s Window for panoramic views. Enjoy lunch at the Royal Country Hotel (included). Travel to Pilgrims’ Rest, the oldest mining town in South Africa, now a declared national monument. Take a stroll down the street of this old mining town and let your imagination take over. Soon your mind will transport you to yesteryear with golddiggers, ox wagons, and lively music from the canteens.

After breakfast, you will experience the thrill of close encounters with the majestic African Elephant during your Trunk in Hand Experience at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hazyview. Witness their intelligence, their compassionate nature, and sheer delight interacting with their human counterparts. The interaction with the elephant offers you the opportunity to touch the elephant, exchange trunk greetings and offer tasty treats and walk trunk-in-hand with the elephants. Experienced Elephant Handlers share their in-depth knowledge of fascinating behavior.

In the afternoon visit the Shangana Cultural Village. During the tour, you will be led by trained guides along a winding path through the bush and past fields where crops are grown. After gaining permission, you enter a living village where you meet the resident Shangaan family and learn aspects of history, customs, and traditions. You are encouraged to interact and really experience the way of life. The tour then proceeds to the mystical kraal of the sangoma (traditional healer) to learn about traditional medicines, before returning to the Marula Market. Here you would also be served a full traditional lunch with the family – an intimate and unforgettable experience. The menu includes honey-glazed sweet potatoes, freshly baked maize bread, chicken stew, and other traditional dishes. During the visit, each guest will also receive a traditional African Djembe drum, where a qualified drummer will guide the group to play together and within minutes the group will be enjoying an hour of exhilarating, stress-relieving energetic drumming session. Return to your hotel, and freshen up for dinner. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Today you return to the Kruger National Park for another Full Day Game Drive in open 4×4 vehicles to search for the animals not yet found. During the game drive, you will also enjoy a picnic lunch. Overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, travel back to Johannesburg. If time permits you can travel to Sandton. Spend your last few minutes in “Shopper’s Paradise”. Endless shops await your attention in the Sandton Square Centre. Proceed over the sky bridge into the Sandton City complex, or wander across to the Village Walk center with its boutique shops. Transfer to the OR Tambo International Airport in time for your outbound flight.

Check-in for the return flight home, assisted by our Tour Director, and return home. Here ends our Kruger educational tour!