South Africa & Swaziland cycling holiday
| country: | South Africa |
| location: | Kruger National Park, Swaziland, South Africa wildlife reserves |
| trip type: | Adventurous cycling holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 30 Mar, 19 Oct, 21 Dec 2011: 12 Apr |
| price: | From £1750 - £1980 (13 days) including flights from the UK. Optional £300 single supplement. From £1240 - £1365 excluding flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
South Africa's landscapes and big 5 game viewing by bike.
South Africa is without doubt one of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth, where elephant and lion roam the wild savannah and rugged mountains rise from lush lowveld.
This unique cycling adventure takes us from the magnificent scenery of the eastern Transvaal, to the gamelands of Kruger National Park and the tiny kingdom of Swaziland, often referred to as the ‘Switzerland of Africa’, it is a rugged land with scenic rolling hills and remote villages.
Highlights include:Spectacular Blyde River Canyon. Pilgrim’s Rest gold mining town. Kruger National Park - Game viewing in search of 'Big 5' by bike. Swaziland - Wonderful scenery on traverse of Swazi Kingdom. Mlilwane wildlife sanctuary
Magoebskloof and Blyde River Canyon
Leaving Johannesburg, we head north east towards Magoebskloof, home of the fabled 'Rain Queen' made famous in Rider Haggards' novel 'She'. Here we begin cycling, taking in the dramatic scenery as we journey to the awesome Blyde River Canyon. Spending two nights here we cycle the panorama route, one of the most beautiful and popular travel destinations in South Africa, where the inland plateau declines abruptly, opening up fantastic views of the plains of the Lowveld a thousand metres below. We spend a night at the old gold mining town of Pilgrim's Rest, steeped in the history of pioneers, hunters and fortune seekers before continuing to the charming forestry town of Sabie.
Kruger and Swaziland
Established in 1898, Kruger National Park is one of the world's premier game reserves and home to abundant birdlife and game, including the Big Five. As well as game drives, we will have the remarkable opportunity to cycle on trails with armed field guides from our base on the Olifants River - a perfect opportunity to discover the wildlife and get deeper into this fascinating ecosystem. We also spend time at Marloth Park on Crocodile River on the southern border of Kruger before continuing to Swaziland and Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. With its idyllic location in a natural bowl beneath the Nyonyane Mountains, Mlilwane's grasslands make the perfect end to our tour as we cycle in search of more wildlife including giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, byala and warthog.
Accommodation, meals and transport: 1 night guestfarm, 4 nights restcamp, 2 nights hotel, 1 night lodge, 2 nights beehive huts; 10 breakfasts included. We use 24-gear mountain bikes with front suspension.
Group size: Approx 13 to 15 people plus tour leader, driver(s) and some field guides. Our leader cycles with you each day. 4WD support/safari vehicles with bike trailers are available to provide back-up or assistance if needed.
Cycling conditions: 250km over 7 days (average 35km/cycling day). Support vehicles with trailers follow the route in Mpumalanga. This allows flexibility in how much cycling you wish to do and enables support to be provided on steep sections ensuring cycling is either relatively flat or downhill, though some uphill sections are inevitable. Expect some exhilarating descents from high passes. Cycling in the reserves is a mixture of road and rough tracks, varying from 2 to 4 hours in duration. Cycling among game in Kruger NP is a safe activity sanctioned by the park authorities and we are accompanied by armed guides as a precaution.
South Africa is without doubt one of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth, where elephant and lion roam the wild savannah and rugged mountains rise from lush lowveld.
This unique cycling adventure takes us from the magnificent scenery of the eastern Transvaal, to the gamelands of Kruger National Park and the tiny kingdom of Swaziland, often referred to as the ‘Switzerland of Africa’, it is a rugged land with scenic rolling hills and remote villages.
Highlights include:
Magoebskloof and Blyde River Canyon
Leaving Johannesburg, we head north east towards Magoebskloof, home of the fabled 'Rain Queen' made famous in Rider Haggards' novel 'She'. Here we begin cycling, taking in the dramatic scenery as we journey to the awesome Blyde River Canyon. Spending two nights here we cycle the panorama route, one of the most beautiful and popular travel destinations in South Africa, where the inland plateau declines abruptly, opening up fantastic views of the plains of the Lowveld a thousand metres below. We spend a night at the old gold mining town of Pilgrim's Rest, steeped in the history of pioneers, hunters and fortune seekers before continuing to the charming forestry town of Sabie.
Kruger and Swaziland
Established in 1898, Kruger National Park is one of the world's premier game reserves and home to abundant birdlife and game, including the Big Five. As well as game drives, we will have the remarkable opportunity to cycle on trails with armed field guides from our base on the Olifants River - a perfect opportunity to discover the wildlife and get deeper into this fascinating ecosystem. We also spend time at Marloth Park on Crocodile River on the southern border of Kruger before continuing to Swaziland and Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. With its idyllic location in a natural bowl beneath the Nyonyane Mountains, Mlilwane's grasslands make the perfect end to our tour as we cycle in search of more wildlife including giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, byala and warthog.
Accommodation, meals and transport: 1 night guestfarm, 4 nights restcamp, 2 nights hotel, 1 night lodge, 2 nights beehive huts; 10 breakfasts included. We use 24-gear mountain bikes with front suspension.
Group size: Approx 13 to 15 people plus tour leader, driver(s) and some field guides. Our leader cycles with you each day. 4WD support/safari vehicles with bike trailers are available to provide back-up or assistance if needed.
Cycling conditions: 250km over 7 days (average 35km/cycling day). Support vehicles with trailers follow the route in Mpumalanga. This allows flexibility in how much cycling you wish to do and enables support to be provided on steep sections ensuring cycling is either relatively flat or downhill, though some uphill sections are inevitable. Expect some exhilarating descents from high passes. Cycling in the reserves is a mixture of road and rough tracks, varying from 2 to 4 hours in duration. Cycling among game in Kruger NP is a safe activity sanctioned by the park authorities and we are accompanied by armed guides as a precaution.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Johannesburg |
| Day 2: | Arrive Johannesburg; drive to Magoebskloof |
| Day 3: | Cycle to and visit Blyde River Canyon |
| Day 4: | At Blyde River; cycle panorama route |
| Day 5: | Cycle to Pilgrims Rest |
| Day 6: | Cycle to Sabie |
| Day 7: | Drive to Kruger National Park; game drive |
| Day 8: | In Kruger; game drives and cycle rides |
| Day 9: | Game drive to Marloth Park |
| Day 10: | Drive to Mlilwane; cycle ride |
| Day 11: | In Mlilwane; walks and cycle rides |
| Day 12: | Drive Johannesburg; fly London |
| Day 13: | Arrive London |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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On this unique cycling itinerary to South Africa we concentrate on the dramatic Mpumalanga region, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and Kruger National Park. Cycling in the Oliphants area of Kruger is a new innovation recently allowed by the park authorities and we are pleased to pioneer this new, ecologically friendly form of game-viewing. The cycle trails use existing game paths and our groups are accompanied by qualified and armed local field guides who will be there to give information on nature signs, wildlife sightings and to educate our groups more fully on the environmental threats facing the park's game.
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is Swaziland's oldest protected area, owned and managed by a non-profit making trust. We stay at Mlilwane restcamp, in the midst of a well-matured rehabilitated area. Tall indigenous trees, all grown from seed tower over the camp overlooking an artificially created wetland system, which is home to hippopotamus, crocodile and a variety of water birds including infrequent visiting fish eagles. The camp is unfenced with a continual stream of animals such as impala, warthog, nyala and ostrich walking between the facilities, quietly tolerant of human presence. During our time here we stay in 'beehive huts' with the look and feel of traditional Swazi homesteads with grass dome-shaped huts arranged in semi-circles semi-enclosed by traditional Swazi kraal fencing that fit perfectly with the surroundings. As well as further game-viewing by bike we also have the chance to track game on foot for perhaps the most authentic and least intrusive form of game-viewing.  As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
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. |