14-Day South Africa Highlights Tour with Kruger, Eswatini and Durban

• Upon arrival at O.R. Tambo International Airport, an English-speaking representative will meet you and escort you to your awaiting transfer vehicle.

• Transfer to your hotel, embarking on a Soweto tour en route. Soweto, its name created from the acronym South Western Townships, has made its mark on the psyche of New South Africa. It played a crucial historical role in the early days of resistance, when the ANC (African National Congress) took a more vocal and visible stand against apartheid. Soweto rose to meet the challenge, embracing a more political, dynamic, and violent attitude, as witnessed during the uprisings of 16 June 1976 against apartheid and the many injustices faced by non-Europeans in old South Africa. Today, it is a muddled mix of poor and wealthy - a sprawl of shanties, mass-produced shoebox houses, and more solid middle-class homes.

• This evening, get to know your guide and fellow travel companions better during a welcome dinner at a restaurant near or at your hotel. (D/B/B)

• After breakfast, check out and travel with your English-speaking guide to the 'Land of the Rising Sun', Mpumalanga Province (approximately a 5-6 hour drive).

• En route to your overnight hotel, explore part of the famous scenic Panorama Route. This great escarpment is the kind of place where brochures and guidebooks run out of original adjectives to describe the mountain scenery and magnificent panoramic views.

• See the spectacular Blyde River Canyon with its Three Sisters guarding over you. See where the Blyde River ('river of joy') and the Treur River ('river of sorrow') meet; water erosion has formed one of the most remarkable geological phenomena in the country, known as Bourke's Luck Potholes. Over thousands of years, surreal cylindrical rock sculptures created by whirling water have formed a series of dark pools that contrast artfully with the striped white and yellow lichen-covered rocks.

• There are different viewpoints following the road and the Treur River south, including Berlin Falls and God's Window.

• Later in the afternoon, arrive at your overnight hotel in Graskop, formerly a famous timber town and today a renowned stopover with its interesting little souvenir shops catering to tourists.

• Check in and freshen up for dinner in a local restaurant. D/B/B.

• After a hearty breakfast, depart for the famous Kruger National Park.

• Entering at Kruger Gate on the western border of the park, enjoy game watching, a South African term for searching for the famous Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and African buffalo.

• Upon arrival at the lodge, spend time at leisure around the swimming pool with an island bar for refreshments.

• Accommodation is in luxury air-conditioned tents.

Dinner in the lodge restaurant or open-air Boma. D/B/B.

• Early in the morning, with a pre-packed breakfast, a full-day safari in Kruger National Park is arranged for you. An English-speaking game ranger will guide you through the bush in an open safari vehicle in search of the 'Big 5', as well as other African animals seen nowhere else in the world in their natural habitat.

• A lunch stop is included at one of the various rest camps inside the park (for your own account).

• After a late afternoon arrival at the lodge, spend time at leisure until dinner in the lodge restaurant or open-air Boma. D/B/B.

• Early morning breakfast before check-out.

• Enjoy an enchanting drive to the tiny Kingdom of Swaziland, a former British Protection Territory now ruled by King Mswati III. Witness a Swazi cultural experience at the Matsamo Cultural Village before visiting the famous Ngwenya Glass Works to see master craftsmen fashion collectable figures and functional art out of molten glass.

• Your next stop is the capital city, Mbabane, known for its vibrant markets packed with woven baskets, beadwork, and carvings.

Hotel accommodation in Manzini, Swaziland. Dinner for your own account. B/B.

• After breakfast, travel to Zululand with its bushveld and sugarcane fields environment.

• Arrive in St Lucia, a famous holiday town on the eastern coast and South Africa's largest and most pristine inland body of water. Accorded World Heritage status in 1999, these wetlands extend for 80 kilometres and feature five ecosystems: marine, shore (between lake and sea), reed and sedge swamps, lake, and western beaches (fossil corals, sand forest, bushveld, and grassland).

• Spend the remainder of the day at leisure in the small town with its unique little shops and restaurants.

Dinner for your own account. B/B.

• Have a late breakfast before transferring to Lake St Lucia for a boat safari, where a game ranger will guide you and point out hippos, crocodiles, and birdlife from this vantage point.

• Later in the afternoon, another surprise awaits you - Dumazulu Village. A qualified guide will accompany guests on a tour of the village and explain the various ancient manufacturing traditions.

• The knowledgeable guide will also answer questions and provide insights into the heritage and culture of the Zulu nation.

• Guests can watch and learn about Zulu traditions including basket-weaving, spear and shield making, beadwork, pot-making, Sangoma bone-throwing, and spectacular Zulu dancing. The Dumazulu Traditional Village is home to over 50 Zulu residents forming part of a 'living museum'. The village is also connected by walkways to the main dining area and bar, where visitors can end their tour enjoying a delicious meal and a cup of tea or coffee, followed by a visit to the world-renowned Curio shop for that reminiscing gift. An added attraction is the snake and crocodile park, which consists of many indigenous and exotic reptiles. D/B/B.

• After breakfast, check out and travel inland towards the Drakensberg Mountains. En route, embark on a battlefield tour, including visits to two of the most famous Anglo-Zulu War sites - Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift. At Isandlwana, on 22 January 1879, an entire British army was annihilated by a force of 25,000 Zulu warriors. White cairns scattered across the battlefield mark the positions of buried British soldiers. At Rorke's Drift, 100 British soldiers defended this position against 4,000 Zulu warriors in a 12-hour engagement. A record number of 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders.

• Upon late afternoon arrival at your overnight resort on the way to Bergville, check in and spend time at leisure until dinner at the resort restaurant. D/B/B.

• Enjoy this day at your own leisure.

• Established in 1852 and steeped in history, the Sanford Park Country Hotel is gently nestled at the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains, a World Heritage Site in its own right. Sanford Park's 41 hectares are conveniently located from the N3 between Johannesburg and Durban and offer dramatic views of the Berg.

• Apart from a dam teeming with bass for fishing enthusiasts, there are hiking trails meandering along natural springs and streams. D/B/B.

• After breakfast, check out and travel to Durban. Durban is the gateway to KwaZulu Natal and the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, the world-famous Drakensberg, and South Africa's beautiful wildlife parks. On the east coast of South Africa lies the subtropical city of Durban; the Zulu name Thekweni describes the town perfectly. Thekweni means 'where the Earth and Ocean meet', and the city centre overlooks a golden beach. It's all about the beach in this surf-friendly city. This is South Africa's playground, and its carnival atmosphere makes it great for family holidays. However, Durban is also a bustling deep-sea harbour and international conferencing destination, making this city a hive of activity for business people and tourists alike.

• On arrival, check into a hotel and spend the remainder of the day at leisure. Consider an optional visit to uShaka Oceanarium, a world-class facility. Construction commenced in August 2002 on the R750 million uShaka Marine World in Durban. The development consists of an oceanarium, dolphinarium, water park, and retail area. Construction and commissioning were completed at the end of April 2004, within time and budget. This massive development is an outstanding example of a complex multi-disciplinary engineering design and fast-track construction project culminating in a successful project. The uShaka Oceanarium and dolphinarium, with an exhibit volume of 17,500 m3, replaced the old Sea World and is the seventh-largest aquarium globally.

Overnight in a hotel on the beachfront. Dinner for your own account. B/B.

• Take a stroll down the beachfront and do souvenir shopping at the little shops along the beach.

• Work on your tan on the beautiful beaches available.

Overnight in a hotel on the beachfront. Dinner for your own account. B/B.

• After breakfast, start the journey to Golden Gate Highlands Park in the northern Drakensberg region. Stay overnight at Golden Gate Brandwag Hotel, almost halfway to Johannesburg. Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti Mountains of the northeastern Free State lies the Golden Gate Highlands National Park.

• The park derives its name from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the park's sandstone cliffs, especially the imposing Brandwag Rock standing vigil over the main rest camp. This 11,600-hectare unique environment is true highland habitat, providing a home to a variety of mammals - black wildebeest, eland, blesbok, oribi, springbok, and Burchell's zebra - and birds, including the rare bearded vulture (lammergeier) and the equally rare bald ibis, which breed on the ledges in the sandstone cliffs. Ribbokkop, the highest point in the park, reveals a breathtaking tapestry of red, yellow, and purple hues as its warm shades merge with the cool mountain shadows towards evening. D/B/B.

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and start the journey back to Johannesburg. Being the last evening of your South African tour of discoveries, bid farewell to your fellow travel companions and guide during dinner, included in the tour cost.

• Dinner will be at Carnivore restaurant.

Overnight accommodation in a guest house near O.R. Tambo International Airport. D/B/B.

• Enjoy breakfast at the guest house.

• Your transfer to the airport will be arranged when required.