Trekking South Africa

The day after arrival in Johannesburg, right after the tour briefing we depart Johannesburg and head east towards Mpumalanga. We shall visit the gold mining town of Pilgrims Rest during the afternoon, of course we cannot miss the viewpoint over God’s Window. Stretching our legs on a short walk from Mac Mac Pools we head to our chalets on the edge of the escarpment.

Long walk in the morning to Blyde River canyon is very enriching as we make our way from the rim down into the canyon with views over the Three Sisters and the river below. After lunch we take a part in a private game reserve in the Lowveld, and enjoy the afternoon game drive leading into the night one with a spot light. Tonight our basic tented campsite is an occasion to taste the wilderness of big game country around the campfire.

The most impressive moment of our tour is an early morning game walk with guided by a local ranger. In silence we venture into the bush, learning the tracks and other signs of the wildlife we can track on foot. After that Kruger National Park is our next stop. In this Big game country we spend the next day searching for the elusive leopard, the majestic lion and the mighty elephant.  We can extend the game viewing in the morning and throughout the all afternoon in our tour vehicle with the midday spent hidden from the heat, resting in the camp. Our professional guides will share their extensive knowledge of ecology, fauna and flora during our time in the bush. 

Entering the Kingdom of Swaziland we travel through a lush fruit farming area before we head into the mountains of Swaziland. We spend two nights on the outskirts Malalotja Nature Reserve with a full day walking through this seldom exploring mountainous reserve. The Swazi people carry rich cultural heritage and we shall visit the craft and medicine markets we pass through the capital, Mbabane.

We enter back into South Africa and head into the heart of Zululand. We shall spend a morning in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve where rhino protection is the major priority. In the late afternoon we shall walk 2-3 hours through the forest in False Bay and alongside the river mouth we hope to spot birds and learn about the importance of this wetland. Isimangaliso is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park's uniqueness is in its outstanding combination of river mouths, lakes, subtropical coastline, forests and wildlife.

We leave the shoreline and travel through the picturesque 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 some time at the edifying Talana museum before we settle into our lodge and have some spare time in the afternoon. The very next morning we explore the Isandlwana battlefield before we jump in an exciting 4-5 hour hike tracing the steps of the two British fugitives through the undulated hills of Zululand to the Buffalo River. Later on the day before returning to the lodge we visit Rorke's Drift .

We shall glance the greatness of the Drakensberg Mountains or uKhahlamba “Barrier of Spears”. We stay overnight at the base of the “berg” (1600 m) and a full day we spend by walking on the mountain trails before taking an refreshing dip in the clear mountain streams of the Royal Natal National Park. The crisp mountain air is stimulating and our lodge is a sensational place to relax and enjoy the magnificence of the mountain views.

The following morning we move to Witsieshoek which lies at the foot of Sentinel Peak. At the end of a rough road we start our trek, including a short chain ladder section heading to the top of Drakensberg Amphitheatre and the beautiful Tugela Falls (3000 m), which offers unique views down into KwaZulu-Natal. After our walk we get back to the lodge perched high in the mountains (2300 m) overlooking the Mont-Aux-Sources mountain range.

Our trekking adventure in South Africa is coming to an end, we make our way back to Johannesburg where we spend the last night in Johannesburg, before catching our departure flight back home.