Kwa-Zulu Natal tailor made tour, South Africa
Personal guide throughout. Park fees. Game drives.
Some activities.
Meals as described.
Description of Kwa-Zulu Natal tailor made tour, South Africa
South Africa's Kwa Zulu Natal region contains two World Heritage Sites, the fascinating Zulu Battlefields and beautiful coastline as well as some lesser known game reserves for safaris. The area is rich in culture, history and scenery, making an ideal destination to explore with a local guide.
Your exploration of the Drakensberg Mountains combines superb hiking in places like the Didima Valley with a chance to cool off in mountain pools and also discover some of the many sites featuring prehistoric San rock art. Moving on to the Battlefields area at the heart of Zululand, visit famous conflict sites at Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift with local guides who will add not only historical context but also insights into Zulu traditions and culture.
In the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, expert game trackers and botanists will bring you closer in every sense to the breathtaking wildlife of Africa's oldest game reserve – including the continent's largest concentration of White Rhino.
The St Lucia estuary and iSimangaliso Wetland Park provide a marvellous finale in the shape of World Heritage wonderland where indigenous forests merge into wetlands fringed by the Indian Ocean. Featuring five contrasting eco systems there's an abundance of contrasting wildlife, where you can spot whale and dolphin on an estuary cruise, then do a guided game walk to see hippos and crocodiles. Add exploration of the local sand dunes and visits to a Zulu village.
NOTE: The itinerary below is a sample: this is a privately guided trip, so we can amend to suit different durations and to reflect specific interests
Price information
Personal guide throughout. Park fees. Game drives.
Some activities.
Meals as described.
Departure information
Travel guides
Reviews
2 Reviews of Kwa-Zulu Natal tailor made tour, South Africa
Reviewed on 02 Sep 2022 by Elizabeth Gillam
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
It's difficult to pick just one as it was all amazing. Walking through the landscapes at ground level on a walking safari is something I will never forget. Seeing things from the animals view and the heightening of the senses to the sounds and smells around you. Then the game drive and the privilege of watching a leopard and her cub stroll through the bushes and taking a drink by the water before finding a cool shaded spot in which to rest from the heat of the day. To finish a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river watching four adult elephants swim right across in front of us. And of course the spectacular Victoria falls.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If your on Safari don't go with a list of things to see, appreciate the things you do see. This is nature and it's not predictable. Relax and enjoy what nature has to
show you.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes I do feel that the holiday benefited local people. The countries we visited have high rates of unemployment and the people we spoke to expressed appreciation for the variety of jobs that tourism creates. The camps we stayed in were conscious of the environment in the way they used local produce and water was purified by osmosis reducing the need for plastic bottles.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fantastic!!
Reviewed on 13 Jan 2020 by Jon Templeton
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Safari - seeing ‘big five’
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Enjoy every minute of your trip
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I hope so
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Brilliant
Responsible Travel
Planet
The accommodation that we use in the Drakensburgs, bases its ethos on the conservation of the region. For the last ten years, they have planted and preserved, changing a Wattle infested wasteland into a rehabilitated conservation area. Indigneous trees and man-made forests continue to flourish and the resultant birdlife (once non-existent) has become abundant. This ethic has resulted in the return to the region of the Mountain Reedbuck, Vaal Rhebuck and the Eland.Hulhuwe-Umfolozi is the oldest National Park in South Africa and is the birthplace of rhino-reservation, breeding the species back from. As the home of Operation Rhino in the 1950s and '60s, the Park became world renowned for its white rhino conservation. The Rhino Capture Unit of the park can take credit for helping save the endangered White Rhino from the brink of extinction.
Today the reserve has over 1,600 white rhino and has moved hundreds of these magnificent animals to game reserves around the world. The private guide on this trip is a former ranger in the park, as well as being a qualified botanist, so is best placed to given a full account of the white rhino conservation efforts and encourage guests to support this vital conservation programme on top of this trips overall contribution to the scheme.
People
The accommodation used the in the battlefields area has involved the local community from its inception. The land was purchased from the community, so they were provided with capital for infrastructure improvement. The community has an equity stake in accommodation, so benefits from the profits. Guests are also encouraged to attend the local school and contribute to lessons in English or Afrikaans.The trip goes into the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. iSimangaliso boasts the largest protected area of recorded and potential Stone Age and Iron Age sites in South Africa and is located in one of the most deprived areas of the country. It is managed by the ISimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, which was established in 2000 through the World Heritage Convention Act.
In response to the poor socio-economic conditions of the area, the Authority was given a specific mandate by national government to not only facilitate the protection and conservation of the natural World Heritage Site, but also to optimise sustainable poverty reduction and economic empowerment of communities living in and adjacent to the Park through tourism and related development. It has been so successful that it was a finalist in the WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow awards in 2011.
This helps contributes towards the work that the authority are undertaking.
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