Community & Wildlife Luxury Safari: Kruger & the Kalahari

10 days
4.9 /5
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Based on over 1000 Verified Reviews.

Highlights

  • Search for the Big 5 in Thornybush Game Reserve
  • Engaging community tour at Nourish Eco Village
  • Enjoy the malaria-free Tswalu Private Reserve
  • Experience the only lodge within the Kalahari reserve
  • Thrilling desert animal sightings like pangolin & antbear
  • Spend a night under the Kalahari sky
  • Introduction to the Tswalu Foundation Research Projects
  • Involvement in wildlife projects at Tswalu, if available

Overview

Experience two very different wildlife destinations on this 10-day safari - you begin at Thornybush Game Reserve in the Kruger National Park before heading off to the Kalahari's Tswalu Private Game Reserve. Escape to the peaceful Saseka Tented Camp in a private reserve bordering the Kruger National Park. it is here that you will enjoy five days exploring this beautiful landscape, encountering the Big 5 while staying in a luxurious safari camp.

After your Kruger safari, spend a comfortable night in Johannesburg before journeying to the edge of the Kalahari and the superb Tswalu Private Game Reserve - the largest privately owned reserve in South Africa. Enjoy game drives, guided dune walks and excursions to view San rock art; you can also simply relax at the spa or by the pool. For the perfect end to your adventure, spend an evening stargazing, or even arrange for a sleep-out under the clear African night sky.

 

Why Is This a Trip with a Purpose?

  • At Saseka in Kruger, join a community tour at Nourish Eco Village - an immersion into Shangaan culture that includes mat weaving, trying traditional food and beer, visiting projects that support education in the area, as well as meeting a traditional healer (Sangoma).
  • At Tswalu in the Kalahari, visit the community clinic, local pre-school and be introduced to the Tswalu Foundation research projects. The Tswalu Foundation has grown into a world leader in the field of environmental research within the southern Kalahari, and attracts research teams from across the globe. You will also experience guided dune walks and excursions to view San rock art.

Make a Positive Impact Through Travel

This Positive Impact Safari includes a donation to a Wildlife initiative

When you book this safari Go2Africa will donate $20 to support the Endangered Wildlife Trust with tracking and monitoring equipment required to provide protection for endangered species.

Summary

  • Tour Duration: 10 Days

Accommodations Visited

Day to day

Itinerary

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Day 1: Escape to the Wild Northern Kruger

Kruger Private Reserves, Thornybush Game Reserve, South Africa
Detailed breakdown

Day 1: Escape to the Wild Northern Kruger | 4 Nights

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Kruger Private Reserves, Thornybush Game Reserve, South Africa

Your journey begins in the Thornybush Game Reserve, 14,000 hectares of untouched wilderness, at Saseka Tented Camp. This is a superior safari lodge in the private reserve and offers a spectacular bird-watching and game-viewing experience. Saseka is the Tsonga word for ‘beautiful’ and if you’re lucky, you might get to witness the majestic female leopard that resides in the surrounding area and goes by the same name.

Situated in an elevated position, this Thornybush tented camp flaunts sweeping views over a riverbed. Take up a seat at the bar, by the pool or perch on your private deck – you’ll be spoilt for choice in picking an area to relax and soak in the surroundings of the African bush.

Day 2 – 4: Get Close to the Big Five & Engage with the Local Community

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Staying at Saseka Tented Camp is an intimate and exclusive affair. Between morning and afternoon game drives, relax on the main deck overlooking the dry riverbed where the wildlife roams nearby. Spend your days exploring this stunning reserve searching for the famed Big 5 and other fascinating species.

On your second day at Saseka Tented Camp, you will join a community tour at Nourish Eco Village, spending your morning engaging in cultural tourism. You will learn all about the various projects that support education and the livelihoods of the local community. This is an immersion into Shangaan culture: you can try your hand at mat weaving, taste traditional foods and local home-brewed beer, as well as meet a traditional healer (Sangoma).

Day 5: Spend a Night in Johannesburg | 1 Night

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Johannesburg, South Africa

You will arrive in Johannesburg today and be transferred to the Peech Hotel for your overnight stay in Johannesburg. Set within two acres in the residential suburb of Melrose, the Peech Hotel is a true boutique-style luxury stay. The mature garden is home to a quiet pool, and inside the hotel you’ll find cottage-esque rooms, decorated in rich African tones. The location feels both private and central being located near the city’s main shopping hubs and adjacent to boutiques, cafés and the park of Melrose.

Day 6: Journey to the Edge of the Kalahari | 4 Nights

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South Africa

Transfer from the Peech Hotel to the airport for your connecting flight to Tswalu Private Game Reserve on the edge of the Kalahari desert, where you spend four nights at the luxurious Motse Lodge.

A stay at Motse Lodge provides the chance to explore the beautiful and surprisingly diverse landscapes of the Kalahari. Malaria-free Tswalu is the largest private game reserve in South Africa and is home to lion, king cheetah, giraffe, pangolin, Cape buffalo and both the white rhino and the highly endangered black rhino. Smaller animals include the bat-eared fox and aardvark while the bird life is incredibly rich and varied. Enjoy game drives, guided dune walks and excursions to view San rock art, or treat yourself to a spa treatment or a spectacular hot-air balloon ride. Order an iced cocktail and relax by the swimming pool in the heat of the day.

Day 7 – 10: Sleep Out Under the Clear Kalahari Sky

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During your stay at Tswalu Kalahari, you will visit the community clinic as well as the local pre-school and be introduced to the Tswalu Foundation’s research projects. The Tswalu Foundation has grown into a world leader in the field of environmental research within the southern Kalahari and attracts research teams from around the world.

In order to generate income for research, a core objective is to stimulate interest among guests through ongoing interaction with both researchers and staff. If available, you will have the chance to get involved in some of the wildlife projects on the go at the time of your travels. To end an already luxury safari experience, you will sleep out under Kalahari skies, surrounded by the calls of nocturnal animals, on the Malori sleepout deck.

Day 11: Your African Safari Comes to an End

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Fly back to Johannesburg for your connecting flight home out of OR Tambo International Airport.

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Inclusions

  • Return flights from OR Tambo International Airport to Hoedspruit Airport
  • Return flights from OR Tambo International Airport to The Motse @ Tswalu
  • Return road transfers from Hoedspruit Airport to Saseka Tented Camp
  • Return road transfers from OR Tambo International Airport to Fairlawns Boutique Hotel
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Exclusions

  • International flights
  • Airport taxes
  • All meals and drinks not specified
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Items of a personal nature

Rates

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Dates Price
2022-10-01 — 2022-12-18 $14,150
2023-01-06 — 2023-01-31 $13,845
2023-02-01 — 2023-05-31 $12,715
2023-06-01 — 2023-06-30 $12,730
2023-07-01 — 2023-08-31 $13,825
2023-09-01 — 2023-12-31 $13,810
Our rates are per person sharing unless we note differently. Please treat all pricing as a guide only:
  • All rates are subject to availability and may change without notice.
  • Single supplements may apply.
  • Request a quote or speak to one of our African Safari Experts for the best, most current rates available.