Safari & holiday to South Africa for the over 50s
| country: | South Africa |
| location: | Kruger National Park, Swaziland |
| departures: | 2008: 6 Sep, 1 Nov, 13 Dec |
| price: | From £1799 - £1849 (16 days) including flights from the UK, or from £1299 - £1349 excluding flights |
| late availability: | Late availability on 6th September departures. Special offer: Free insurance on late availability departures |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Explore this diverse land of prolific wildlife, historic Zulu battlefields and wonderful mountains. This is a relaxed and comfortable trip - the perfect South African experience.
Mpumalanga & Kruger: Your journey of discovery begins at the stunning Bourke’s Luck Potholes, absorbing the views from God’s Window over Blyde River Canyon and visiting the ancient gold mining town of Pilgrim’s Rest. Then on to Kruger National Park which stands in a class of its own. Enjoy spectacular game viewing of the big five - elephant, rhino, leopard, lion and buffalo.
Swaziland, Zululand & Drakensberg: After walking in the Swaziland hills of the Malolotja Reserve, you’ll travel down to the wetlands of St. Lucia and on to Hluhluwe National Park with its very high concentration of rhinos. Heading inland it’s off to the Zulu battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift before finding yourself in the Drakensberg Mountains. Here dramatic spires of rock and wide grasslands offer amazing walking opportunities.
Accommodation: In Johannesburg you’ll stay in a modern-style hotel with en suite facilities. The tented lodge/chalets used are fixed camps with shower rooms. In our cabin accommodation there may be shared bathrooms.
Dining out: Trip price includes 12 breakfasts, 11 lunches & 10 dinners. Meals are prepared by the group leader in a communal kitchen or around a campfire. The ‘braai‘ (short for braaivleis) is an Afrikaans word literally translated as ‘meat grill’. It is basically a barbecue, and at any national park or resort you’ll never be too far away from a braai stand. A variant on the braai is a ‘potjiekos’ (pot food), in which the food is cooked outdoors in a three-legged cast iron cauldron over an open fire.
Transport: We use a comfortable private minibus/safari vehicle which has big windows ideal for game viewing and watching the passing scenery. Optional walks are guided by your expert local group leader and a variety of knowledgeable guides.
Mpumalanga & Kruger: Your journey of discovery begins at the stunning Bourke’s Luck Potholes, absorbing the views from God’s Window over Blyde River Canyon and visiting the ancient gold mining town of Pilgrim’s Rest. Then on to Kruger National Park which stands in a class of its own. Enjoy spectacular game viewing of the big five - elephant, rhino, leopard, lion and buffalo.
Swaziland, Zululand & Drakensberg: After walking in the Swaziland hills of the Malolotja Reserve, you’ll travel down to the wetlands of St. Lucia and on to Hluhluwe National Park with its very high concentration of rhinos. Heading inland it’s off to the Zulu battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift before finding yourself in the Drakensberg Mountains. Here dramatic spires of rock and wide grasslands offer amazing walking opportunities.
Accommodation: In Johannesburg you’ll stay in a modern-style hotel with en suite facilities. The tented lodge/chalets used are fixed camps with shower rooms. In our cabin accommodation there may be shared bathrooms.
Dining out: Trip price includes 12 breakfasts, 11 lunches & 10 dinners. Meals are prepared by the group leader in a communal kitchen or around a campfire. The ‘braai‘ (short for braaivleis) is an Afrikaans word literally translated as ‘meat grill’. It is basically a barbecue, and at any national park or resort you’ll never be too far away from a braai stand. A variant on the braai is a ‘potjiekos’ (pot food), in which the food is cooked outdoors in a three-legged cast iron cauldron over an open fire.
Transport: We use a comfortable private minibus/safari vehicle which has big windows ideal for game viewing and watching the passing scenery. Optional walks are guided by your expert local group leader and a variety of knowledgeable guides.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | Overnight flight to Johannesburg |
| Day 3: | Pilgrim’s Rest, Bourke’s Luck Potholes |
| Day 4: | Blyde River Canyon |
| Day 5-6: | Kruger NP; game drives |
| Day 7: | Game viewing; drive to Swaziland |
| Day 8: | Walks in Malolotja |
| Day 9-10: | St. Lucia wetlands & Hluhluwe wildlife |
| Day 11: | North coast beach |
| Day 12: | Zulu battlefields; Rorke’s Drift & Islandwana |
| Day 13-14: | Drakensberg Mountains; walks |
| Day 15-16: | Drive to Johannesburg; overnight flight to London |
over 50s holidays
This trip has been specially designed for, and is exclusive to, travellers over 50. On these trips, the typical group size is just 12, and we never exceed 16. This means better service for you, the chance to use smaller hotels, more freedom to reach out of the way places and more of a sense of camaraderie and fun. Over half of our travellers book independently and we do not charge an additional single supplement. Most travellers are aged between 50 and 70 and there is no upper age limit. It’s attitude and a love of travel that counts!how this holiday makes a difference
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We support a project in this area to take disadvantaged local children to game parks so that they can experience a safari for themselves and learn about the conservation issues of their country. Our local agent works on this project in conjunction with the SOS children’s home in Ennerdale Johannesburg. The children spend a weekend in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve giving them a chance to see some of the wildlife indigenous to South Africa. It also introduces the children to conservation issues and hopefully will encourage some of them to go on and study conservation and the natural world in the future. Clients who travel with us will automatically receive a copy of our Responsible Travel leaflet. This contains details and advice on how you can make a positive difference when you travel.
We work in partnership with Plan International. Plan works with some of the world’s poorest communities where three out of four children die before the age of five. We also support Friends of Conservation – an international charity committed to working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and the wildlife with which they share the natural habitat and ecosystems. Global warming is a real issue and is a direct result of your travel. We have teamed up with Climate Care to give you the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions from your flight. You’ll be asked upon booking if you want to donate – with set amounts from £5. As a company we offset the carbon emissions from all staff travel in full.  We’ve highlighted a few of the ways in which we offer our support, financially or otherwise, and now you can, too. We have set up our own foundation, which will administer funds donated by you. A small donation of £1 per person will be taken when booking a holiday and that money will be put to good use by one of our carefully selected projects. If you don’t want to make the donation, just tell us when you call. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |