Walking South Africa 14 Days

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Walking South Africa

ITINERARY

A walking focused safari exploring a variety of scenic and cultural destinations within South Africa, including a visit to the beautiful Kingdom of Swaziland. This is an active holiday and the day walks range from leisurely to challenging, and provide a unique adventure for those interested in a walking holiday. Highlights include the Panorama Route, Kruger National Park, a visit to the old mining town of Pilgrims Rest, the iSimangaliso World Heritage Site at St. Lucia, Hluhluwe Game Reserve, the Dundee battlefields and the majesty of the Drakensberg Mountains.

Day 1 MPUMALANGA [chalet -LD]
[B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner]
After the tour briefing at 06:30am, we depart Johannesburg and head east towards Mpumalanga. During the afternoon we visit the gold mining town of Pilgrims Rest, and the viewpoint over God’s Window. Stretch our legs on a short walk from Mac Mac Pools and then make our way to our chalets on the edge of the escarpment.

Leisurely – Mac Mac Walk – short easy walk to stretch your legs. 2-3km, less than one hour. On a foot path with very limited altitude change.

Day 2 - 3 KRUGER PRIVATE GAME RESERVE[lodge BLD]
Blyde River canyon is our first long morning walk as we walk from the rim of the escarpment down into the canyon with views over the Three Sisters and the river below.

After lunch we make our way to a private game reserve in the Lowveld, and enjoy an afternoon game drive leading into a night drive with a spot light. Tonight our tented lodge is an opportunity to experience the wilds of big game country around a campfire. A highlight of our tour is the early morning game walk with a local ranger. Quietly we venture into the bush, learning the tracks and other signs of the wildlife we hope to track on foot.

Moderate – Blyde River Canyon – 3.5hr walk on good paths with some rocky sections.

Leisurely – Big 5 game walk - early morning 3 – 4 hr bush walk with ranger to spot game.

Day 4 KRUGER NATIONAL PARK [chalet BLD]
This is Big game country, where we spend the day in search of the elusive leopard, the majestic lion and the mighty elephant. We game drive south through the reserve as your professional guides will impart their extensive knowledge of ecology, fauna and flora during our time in the bush.

Day 5 - 6 KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND [chalet BLD]
We enter the Kingdom of Swaziland and travel through a lush fruit farming area before heading into the mountains of Swaziland. We spend 2 nights on the outskirts Malalotja Nature Reserve with a full day to walk through this seldom explored mountainous reserve. The Swazi people have a rich cultural heritage and we will visit the craft and medicine markets on day 7 as we pass through the capital, Mbabane.

Challenging – 4 - 6hr walk through undulating hills of Malalotja Game Reserve to a beautiful waterfall. Uneven paths and this walk has sections of steep gradients.

Day 7 - 8 ISIMANGOLISO WETLAND PARK [lodge Bx2 Lx2 Dx1]
We cross back into South Africa and head into the Zululand heartland. We will spend a morning in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve where rhino conservation has been a priority. In the late afternoon we will visit False Bay for a glorious 2-3 hour walk through the forest and alongside the estuary spotting birds and learning about the importance of this wetland. Isimangaliso is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park's uniqueness lies in its remarkable combination of estuarine lakes, subtropical coastline, forests and wildlife.

Leisurely – 2-3hr gentle walk through sand forests and along the estuary shoreline.

Day 9 - 10 ZULULAND [lodge BL-]
We leave the coastline and make our way through the scenic hills and valleys of Zululand to the small town of Dundee. Here battles were fought between the Zulus, British and the Boer troops - war cries still resound in the hills. We spend time at the informative Tulana museum before we settle into our lodge and have some free time in the afternoon.
The following morning we explore the Islandlwana battlefield before we embark on an exciting 4-5hour hike tracing the steps of the two British fugitives through the undulating hills of Zululand to the Buffalo River. Later in the day we visit Rourkes Drift before returning to the lodge.

Challenging – 4-5hr Fugitives Drift trail through Zululand on uneven paths. It has strenuous sections with some steep gradients. Complete hike is dependent on the Buffalo River water level crossing.

Day 11 - 12 DRAKENSBERG [chalets BLD]
Witness the grandeur of the Drakensberg Mountains or uKhahlamba “Barrier of Spears”. We overnight at the base of the “berg” (alt. 1,600m) and spend a full day walking the mountain trails before taking an invigorating dip in the clear mountain streams of the Royal Natal National Park. The crisp mountain air is refreshing and our lodge is a fantastic place to relax and enjoy the splendour of the mountain views.

Moderate – Blyde River Canyon – 3.5hr walk on good paths with some rocky sections.

Challenging – 2-3hr gentle walk through sand forests and along the estuary shoreline.

Day 13 DRAKENSBERG [chalet BL-]
We start the day with an early breakfast and make our way to Witsieshoek at the foot of the magnificent Sentinel Peak. At the end of a rough gravel road we start our trek, including a short chain ladder section, to the top of the Drakensberg Amphitheatre and the beautiful Tugela Falls (alt. 3,000m), offering unparalleled views down into KwaZulu-Natal. After our walk we make our way to the lodge perched high in the mountains (alt. 2,300m) overlooking the Mont-Aux-Sources mountain range.

Challenging – 5-6 hrs walk on uneven paths to the top of the Amphitheatre with a short section of chain ladders.

Day 14 JOHANNESBURG/TOUR ENDS [BL-]
A leisurely start to the day, with the chance to spot the endangered bearded vulture soaring overhead, before we make our way back to Johannesburg. Tour ends at +/-17:00.