Description
Overview
Countries visited: South Africa
This tour includes the best of both worlds – a safari and beach holiday – on this 6-day adventure in the Kruger National Park and on the wild KwaZulu Natal coastline.
Begin with excellent Big Five game viewing and safari walks at Rhino Post Safari Lodge, one of the country’s finest and most rewarding private reserves before lapping up the luxurious beach life at Thonga Beach Lodge, set on the balmy KwaZulu-Natal coastline and sheltered by a bird-filled coastal forest.
This tour is ideal for solo travellers, groups of friends, couples, romantic getaways, wildlife and photographic enthusiasts.
Itinerary
Day 1 & 2:
Johannesburg to Rhino Post Safari Lodge
Fly in from Johannesburg (OR TAMBO) to the newly refurbished Skukuza Airport situated within the Kruger National Park (55 minutes flying time). You will be transferred in an open 4×4 vehicle to Rhino Post Safari Lodge (20 minutes) which is situated on a 12000-hectare private concession in the Kruger National Park. It is approximately 10km northeast of Skukuza Rest Camp. The concession shares a 15km boundary with Mala Mala in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, with game moving freely between the two reserves and comprises of environmentally sensitive areas previously unexplored, with huge diversity of both fauna and flora.
Rhino Post Safari Lodge is built on the banks of the dry Mutlumuvi riverbed using natural materials of stone, wood, thatch & canvas. Stilts raise the 8 spaciously appointed suites along the riverbank, allowing views of the Mutlumuvi riverbed from your bedroom, bathroom and private deck. The suites are set out in an open plan style with wooden floors, thatched roofs, canvas walls and glass doors and windows. Each en suite bathroom includes a deep, freestanding bath, ‘his & hers’ basins, a separate toilet and an outdoor shower surrounded by thick reed poles. The raised walkways linking the spacious rooms to the main area, allows wildlife to walk through underneath, undisturbed by mankind.
On arrival at Rhino Post Safari Lodge, after a refreshing drink and a brief introduction to the lodge, you will be shown to your room. After settling into your suite, guests are invited down to the lounge, overlooking the water hole to enjoy a scrumptious high tea before departing for an afternoon / evening game drive.
Game-drive safaris at Rhino Post Safari Lodge are conducted in specially adapted open 4×4 Land cruisers, with professional guides.
At sunset the game drive will stop for sun downer drinks while watching an African sunset before continuing into the night, spotting nocturnal animals. Returning to the lodge in time to freshen up, enjoy a drink before a sumptuous dinner on the deck as you recount the day’s events, all the while accompanied by the night sounds of the bush.
Day 3 -5:
Flight to Thonga Beach Lodge
Road transfer (open 4×4 vehicle – 30 minutes) to Nelspruit (KMIA) Airport. Here you will board your aircraft for a spectacular scenic flight over Swaziland to Mazengwenya Airstrip (1hr 15 mins flying time). At Mazengwenya you will be met by a member of staff from the lodge and transferred in open 4×4 vehicle to Thonga Beach Lodge.
On arrival at Thonga Beach Lodge guests will be shown around the lodge & taken to their room and given time to unpack and relax before coming through to some enjoy an afternoon activity. After enjoying one of the many activities hosted at Thonga you will have time to freshen up before coming through for a delicious meal under the stars.
Thonga Beach Lodge is set on the secluded Mabibi Bay, in the heart of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park, an internationally recognized World Heritage Site. With direct access onto the pristine shores of the Maputaland coast, this luxury lodge is the ideal place to discover one of the last unspoilt and undeveloped wilderness beaches left on the African continent. Mabibi is a magical place of tranquil swimming bays and snorkelling reefs, coastal forests, grasslands, bush, shimmering lakes and exquisite sandy beaches. It’s clear, warm waters offer superb snorkelling and fantastic offshore scuba diving.
Activities at Thonga Beach Lodge include scuba diving, Open Ocean experiences, kayaking and sundowners at Lake Sibaya, guided snorkelling, seasonal turtle drives/walks, Tsonga Cultural tours and forest walks. Whether a walker or a diver, there are a wealth of activities to explore this beautiful hideaway, or maybe simply relax with a Sea Spa treatment or on the beach deck.
Scuba diving at Mabibi is phenomenal. The professional lodge diving team can accommodate enthusiasts, from the beginner to the veteran. For those who don’t dive, there is an Open Ocean Experience. An exciting launch through the surf in front of the lodge takes guests beyond the breakers to a world of dolphins, whales and snorkelling. The warm Indian Ocean supports a myriad of fish and marine life. Guests can sometimes swim with dolphins or whale sharks, or snorkel with Manta rays and giant turtles.
In Summer there are nocturnal walks and drives along the beach in search of pre-historic turtles laying their eggs. Witness the culmination of an incredible journey as giant Leatherback and Loggerhead turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in carefully prepared nests. Turtle tracking is offered in the evening from November to end-February (for the laying from Nov to Jan and hatchlings from end Dec to end February.) Every precaution is taken to ensure these magnificent creatures are not disturbed during the laying process and data collected from the turtle drives are submitted to the Ezemvelo Turtle Monitoring programme.
Day 6:
End of Tour
After breakfast you will check out of Thonga Beach Lodge and be transferred in open 4×4 vehicle to Coastal Cashews where you will met by a 2 x 4 vehicle which will transfer you back to Richards Bay Airport. The first 5 kms are on a gravel road and thereafter you will travel on good tar roads bypassing typical rural villages, through parts of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park, via the town of Hluhluwe to Richards Bay Airport (3 hours driving). From Richards Bay you will catch your scheduled flight back to Johannesburg (OR Tambo)
Wildlife
Wildlife at Rhino Post Safari Lodge
The concession shares a 15km unfenced boundary with the famous Mala Mala and Sabi Sand reserve with an abundance of wildlife moving freely between the two reserves
More Info
Includes:
Kruger National Park
Rhino Post Safari Lodge
The above rates are fully inclusive of safari room accommodation, meals, teas & coffees and safari activities, excludes all drinks except on evening game drive.
Kwazulu-Natal
Thonga Beach Lodge
Accommodation in a Forest View Room. Meals,teas & coffees. Use of snorkelling equipment. Guided walks. Kayaking and sundowners at Lake Sibaya. Cultural tours to Mabibi Community.
Excludes:
Packages exclude all drinks except where stipulated, park fees, chargeable activities, gratuities, items of a personal nature, travel insurance
Minimum of 2 guests needed for departure
Rates include a fixed budget for flights during this tour. Flights may cost more, depending on travel dates. If so, your quote will reflect this.
FOR SPECIAL DISCOUNTED RATES AND LONG STAY RATES PLEASE KINDLY
CONTACT US ON + 27 606191220
OR
EMAIL [email protected]
FOR MORE INFORMATION
