10-Day South Africa Safari from Johannesburg with Parks and Heritage

• Arrive at Tambo International Airport at 06:00.

• Depart from the airport for Mapungubwe National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ancient fortress, and burial place. Excavations in the 1930s uncovered a royal graveyard containing human remains and several artefacts. Mapungubwe is an essential link to the indigenous African past and was declared a World Heritage Site in 2003.

• Check in to your hotel and enjoy the view while relaxing.

• Head out for a night safari.

• At 05:00, depart for an early morning safari game drive, searching for crepuscular mammals such as leopards, caracals, African wild cats, and other game for 3 hours.

• After freshening up and breakfast, depart for a heritage site walk, followed by lunch.

• Head for a day drive to the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers, where the borders of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana meet.

• Return to the lodge and relax.

• Depart for a safari sundowner drive.

• After breakfast at 06:30, check out and depart for Polokwane.

• Visit Schoemansdal, a Voortrekker town and museum west of Louis Trichardt. Built on the site of an original Voortrekker village, it depicts aspects of the Trekkers' lifestyle.

• Then head to Bakone Malapa Village and visit Bakone Malapa Museum, a traditional Pedi homestead where visitors can see the everyday practices of a traditional household.

• Enjoy lunch with traditional cuisine, then head for shopping around Polokwane.

• Depart for Percy Fyfe Nature Reserve, check in, and enjoy the surroundings.

• At 16:30, depart for a sunset safari to search for diurnal and nocturnal animals.

• View the sunset with Amarula - "The Spirit of Africa" - while enjoying drinks and snacks.

• After breakfast at 06:30, check out and depart for Venda and Thohoyandou.

• Check in in Venda and have lunch at Aluwani Restaurant for Vha-Venda cuisine.

• Depart for a must-visit trip to Tshatshingo potholes and the mystical lake of Dzivha Fundudzi. This lake is of spiritual significance to the Venda people, as is the sacred forest at Phiphidi.

• Then head off to see Venda artists in Thohoyandou, an area highlight.

• Shop around and check in at Protea Hotel.

• After breakfast at 06:30, check out and depart for Modjadji Nature Reserve, north of Tzaneen. It is named after the legendary Rain Queen, Modjadji, the traditional ruler of the Lovedu people.

• Explore its cycad forest, the world's largest concentration of the unique species Encephalartos transvenosus, also known as the Modjadji Palm. The Lovedu have conserved this forest for many generations.

• Check in and have lunch.

• Head off for various activities, such as foot angling, boat angling, and canoeing.

• At 05:00, depart for an early morning forest hike and game walk.

• Return to the lodge, freshen up, and head for breakfast.

• Depart for Bela Bela (Warmbaths) and visit Thaba Kwena, where you will encounter a massive gorge of crocodiles.

• Visit the welcoming curio shop, where you will find various gifts, souvenirs, and leather products, including wallets, purses, and belts.

• Depart for Waterberg Zipline Adventures, a two-hour ziplining activity from one platform to another in the middle of the splendid Waterberg Mountains and the Waterberg Biosphere Region.

• Then enjoy lunch and shop in Bela Bela.

• Then head to the five-star Zebula Nature Reserve and Bush Lodge, check in, and marvel at the view.

• Head for an adventure elephant-back safari and return to the lodge for supper.

• Depart for a night safari drive and return for an overnight stay.

• After breakfast at 07:00, depart for a guided walk and a quad safari.

• Return for an animal encounter tour, where you interact with cheetahs, lion and tiger cubs, snakes, caracals, and other animals.

• Have lunch and depart for adventure activities such as clay target shooting, paintballing, archery, and a horseback safari.

• Relax at the swimming pool, rejuvenate yourself at the spa, and then head for supper at the restaurant.

Overnight at Zebula Lodge.

• Depart for Thabazimbi and Marakele National Park, home to both the big and small 5. It also holds the title of the world's largest breeding colony for Cape Vultures.

• Take a Thabazimbi tour, have lunch, and then depart for Marakele National Park.

• Check in, enjoy the surroundings, and then depart for a sundowner safari game drive and safari bush braai, meaning a meal in the bush under a galaxy of stars.

• Return to the lodge for showers and an overnight stay.

• After breakfast, head out on a hiking trail with a packed lunch.

• Return to the lodge and spend the day relaxing by the pool.

Have a campfire supper at night.

• Depart for the Lenong/Vulture viewpoint drive after breakfast.

• Return, check out, and depart for Marakele Predator Centre.

• Head for Tambo International Airport; on the way, have lunch and shop in Johannesburg.