Kruger, coast and cape holiday in Southern Africa
Highlights
Johannesburg | Kruger National Park | Hlane Royal National Park | Swaziland | Kosi Bay | St Lucia Estuary | Zululand | Durban | Drakensberg | Lesotho Highlands | Wild Coast | Cintsa | Addo Elephant National Park | Garden Route | Tsitsikamma National Park | Oudtshoorn | Swellendam | Cape Agulhas | Cape Town |Description of Kruger, coast and cape holiday in Southern Africa
Take three weeks to travel South Africa from Johannesburg to Cape Town with an inordinate amount of awesome natural and cultural highlights to be enjoyed along the way.The first stop on this three week holiday is Kruger National Park where safari tours take you in search of some of South Africa’s best loved wildlife in some exceptional protected habitat.
Next you’ll travel South Africa via the coast with the beaches of Kosi Bay providing plenty of chances to rest and soak up the sun prior to visiting Zululand and learning more about the traditional tribal culture and ancient heritage of South Africa.
From the Wild Coast to the Garden Route your South Africa holiday continues towards Cape Town with some stunning coastal, wetland and savannah landscapes combining to great effect as you immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the region culminating in the R320 winery route.
Hello. If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. Rosy & team.
01273 823 700 rosy@responsibletravel.com
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Small group adventure
What is a small group adventure?It's a great way to travel! Whether you are travelling on your own, with a partner or with friends, a small group trip is a fantastic way to see the world. You'll travel on a fixed itinerary that has been designed to help you discover the best of region. From the known highlights, the hidden gems that you won't find in the guidebooks.
Itineraries run on set departure dates, accompanied every step of the way by an English speaking local group leader. You chose the itinerary and the date that suits you best and you book on.
Why travel on a small group adventure?
Small groups allow us to explore where larger tour groups can't. Our maximum group size of 16 travellers allows us to use local transport to get from A to B, to visit rural villages, spend time with the locals and even stay at a local home overnight, and it allows us to give our travellers genuine, real life experiences of the countries we are visiting; what you'll be doing and how you'll travel depends entirely on your chosen itinerary.
Is an adventure right for me?
The word adventure means something different to everyone, and our range of trips reflects that. Whether you want to explore local markets, visit out of the way temples and meet local people or go on an early morning safari drive searching for the 'big five', we'll have a trip for you. If you are looking for a physical challenge such trekking the Kokoda Track or summiting Kilimanjaro, we can help with that too.
So what can I expect on this trip?
This is one of our Basix trips, designed specifically for budget travellers who still want the security of group travel without lots of added inclusions. These trips don't have many included activities and meals are rarely included in the price, giving you the opportunity to search out local restaurants and sample regional specialities to your heart's content. The amount of free time in these itineraries means that the Basix trips often appeal to younger travellers looking to explore independently and tailor the trip to your own interests. You often won't spend too many days in any one place and you'll pack lots of different locations into your holiday.
As you might expect, accommodation on a Basix trip will be fairly basic! We'll stay in 1-2 star accommodation, often including homestays and there may be nights where the group stays somewhere multi-share / in a dormitory-style. Most accommodation however will be twin share; with solo travellers automatically roomed with a fellow group member of the same sex, this means that there are no single supplements on Basix trips.
On camping trips you will be expected to help out around the camp; putting up and taking down your own tent, helping with meals and other camp duties. We often find the nights where we are without a few creature comforts are those that are most amazing; wild bush camping in Serengeti anyone?! We'll use local transport where ever possible which is a great way of seeing the country and meeting locals as we travel.
Can I book my flights with you?
Yes! We are a fully ATOL bonded tour operator meaning that we can book flights from the UK as part of your holiday package. Just ask us for a quote including flights when you make your enquiry.
Responsible tourism
Responsible tourism: Kruger, coast and cape holiday in Southern Africa
Environment:
Travelling in a small group of 4 to 16 like minded travelers one has the best opportunity to visit remote areas to experience the cultural and natural heritage of Southern Africa first hand with minimum impact. Small group travel also allows us to stay in many national parks such as Kruger NP, Addo Elephant NP and Tsitsikamma NP ensuring that we contribute to the local conservation projects where large groups generally have to stay in bigger tourist establishments outside of the park.
Being a full participation camping tour it also has some of the least carbon emissions in comparison to accommodated tours. We also provide purified drinking water on all our tours to avoid buying plastic bottled mineral water and encourage clients to purchase locally produced cotton shopping bags for the duration of the tour to avoid plastic shopping bags.
In Swaziland we visit and overnight at the Hlane Royal National park where we have the opportunity to go on a guided wilderness walk with a local Swazi wildlife ranger hoping to spot some of Africa's premier wildlife such as white Rhino on foot.
Community:
This tour also offers great opportunity to visit more remote communities and interact with the locals and dine in local restaurants which is not always possible in big groups.
In Mozambique we stay in the lush Malongane Coastal marine National Park. Using the local operator one has the opportunity to experience activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling and boat cruises from the national park thus promoting local interaction and encouraging the local trade. There is also a great opportunity to interact with the local Mozambiquean citizen living on the outskirts of the National park and making a living through farming in the buffer zone of this greater biosphere reserve.
In the Transkei region we overnight in a community run establishment with plenty of optional excursions hosted by community members such as visiting their village, game drives with a local guide in the nearby community reserve and trying a hand at surfing at the local surf school. Other activities include a visit to the local craft centre, hiking, kayaking and mountain biking.
2 Reviews of Kruger, coast and cape holiday in Southern Africa
Reviewed on 28 Nov 2011 by Christine Ketchen
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
There are very many wonderful bits to the holiday. I particularly enjoyed my time in Lesotho and the town tour there and the township tour in Oudtshoorn. I was very thrilled by the countryside. I found Chintsa and Tsitsikamma very beautiful but looking at the rolling, changing landscapes was very enjoyable.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take a variety of clothing. Don't assume that it will be dry in November even in a part of the country that is normally hot and dry. (Outdtshoorn)
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Hopefully. We had a wonderful response from the people in Lesotho and in the township outside Oudtshoorn. The trips certainly gave us the tourists, insight into conditions for black and coloured people and we tried to convey our gratitude and appreciation for this opportunity and their hospitality. With regard to the environment, we were respectful and careful not to leave waste and bought local produce where possible.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Amazing. Each day there were new things to see and experience. The range of activites was very broad and I was able to do as much and as little as I wanted to on freer days. I would not have been able to arrange so many activities if I had travelled alone. Gerrit and Jim were outstanding and nothing was too much trouble for them in ensuring we had all we needed for a good holiday. Gerrit's knowledge of wildlife was excellent. They passed on their love of South Africa.
Reviewed on 25 Jun 2011 by Helen Wightman
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Kruger.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If going in winter take your own 4 season sleeping bag.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent.
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