Safari Madness
This package is on a space available basis,based on a am arrival in South Africa on Day 2.The International flight used to base the rate on is a early am departure from New York.
We can use a later pm departure to accommodate flights into JFK from other cities,however a extra night will be needed to accommodate this.
Rates below are for the time period Jan 15th through to April 30th.
Travel out of these dates can be quoted,and add ons to these packages can be created.
The rates below are based on the air/land space being available and any changes in the air/land due to availability problems will result in an amended quote.
$13,535 per person cash disocunted rate, $14,077.00 per person credit card.
Single rates available.
Again note this package is based on the air/land being available at the time of booking.
The final cost of the package can be changed due to financial currency changes,air/oil/security taxes, and other availability factors.
Day 1)
Depart New York on Business Class Air. Travel in comfort and style with Business Class lounge access,delicious meals and drinks,extra space to work or relax,and on some flights flat beds on long-haul flights.
Day 2)
After passing through passport control/baggage collection/customs in Johannesburg,you will enter into the arrival hall of the Johannesburg International Airport.
Look out for our representative.They will be holding a name-board with your surname on it.They will meet you and assist you at the airport for your flight to Kruger Airport.
Its a short flight 1 hr or less.
You will be met in the smaller regional airport, and transferred to your boutique hotel in the Hazyview area.
Drakensberg Escarpment
The Drakensberg Escarpment offers welcome relaxation after the excitement of a safari.
This area of sculpted peaks and deep ravines, tumbling streams and green valleys is only two hours drive from the private game lodges and the Kruger, and three hours from Johannesburg.
The region provides a marked contrast to the sub-tropical bushveld, with scenic mountain passes, relaxing walks, horse riding and golf all on offer. The drive alongside the Blyde River Canyon, a majestic red sandstone gorge with sheer cliffs plunging into waters below, is magnificent. Gentle walking trails connect a series of delicate waterfalls.
Nearby is Pilgrim’s Rest, a restored mining village that was the epi-centre of the 19th century gold rush, and the town’s many preserved houses and museums bring alive this fascinating history of false hopes and dashed dreams.
The heart-warming Cheetah Research and Breeding Centre at Hoedspruit, the Museum of Man and the Shangaan cultural village are also well worth a visit.
Your driver will take you to the Highgrove House, your lodging for the night.
Highgrove House – Executive Orchard Suite – 1 night
Includes: Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Set amid indigenous forests and surrounded by orchards of avocado, banana, litchi and olive trees, Highgrove House is an exclusive luxury retreat that has been tastefully restored to its colonial splendour.
The homestead lies in the Kierpersol area of the Drakensberg Escarpment where eight suites have sweeping views across the valley.
The bedrooms and bathrooms are magnificently appointed.
Six luxury and two orchid suites have overhead fans and separate sitting rooms with log fires.
The orchid suites have their own gardens with private plunge pools and saunas.
The large swimming pool is surrounded by tropical gardens with magnificent views. Breakfasts are served al fresco under the Victorian gazebo.
The cuisine at Highgrove is rated among the best in South Africa, and the restaurant has been awarded the Chaine de Rotisseurs blazon and offers an exceptional wine cellar as well.
Activities include:
- Horse riding
- Walking,
- Bird watching,
- Hot air ballooning,
- A day in the Kruger Park,
- Exploring the scenic wonders of the region.
2014 Luxury Hotels of the World Awards Winner
Day 3)
Panorama Tour Country lodge to Game lodge
| Includes: | · Professional driver/guide with PDP,
· Vehicle entry fees to all parks and reserves, · Per person gate fee to private reserves, · All fuel and toll fees, · Bottled mineral water |
Today you have an early start to enjoy a scenic transfer/tour to your game lodge via some of the highlights of the Drakensberg Escarpment region.
Depending on what time you get away, you will usually visit the scenic Blyde River Canyon, stopping at God’s Window, Bourne’s Luck Potholes and Three Rondavels along the way, and then you’ll explore the historic village of Pilgrims Rest.
Time is allowed for shopping for crafts at the various craft vendors along the way.
You arrive at your game lodge at approx 3pm to allow time for tea and a quick change prior to your afternoon game drive.
Sabi Sands Game Reserve
A safari is nearly always an important part of a holiday in Southern Africa – words cannot describe the thrill of tracking a leopard on the hunt or observing a breeding herd of elephants at a waterhole.
The Sabi Sands, the Timbavati and the Manyeleti private game reserves all share an open border with the Kruger so animals move freely.
The 65,000 ha Sabi Sands is considered to have some of the best Big Five game-viewing in the country with an open border with the Kruger so animals move freely in and out.
Due to a long history of sensitive game-viewing, the animals are mostly relaxed allowing superb game-viewing, especially of leopard
So diverse is its habitat and wildlife that you have an excellent chance of experiencing close encounters with the ‘Big 5’ – elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard – as well as many species of antelope, several dog-like species including spotted hyena and cape hunting dog, jackal, and a variety of smaller mammals.
The Sabi Sands comprises a number of private game lodges which cooperate in conserving their valuable heritage.
Some of the world’s finest game lodges are found here, together with some less well-known bush camps.
This is an intimate and informative experience.
You enjoy game drives in open-vehicle game drives with an experienced ranger and a local Shangaan tracker who work together to give you a deeper understanding of the wildlife and the natural cycles of the bush.
Drives are in the early morning and late afternoon when game is most likely to be active. Tracking Africa’s big game, the evening safari departs after afternoon tea.
After enjoying the bush sunset, the evening holds a sense of anticipation as the rare and elusive nocturnal species begin to hunt.
The evening meal is often enjoyed in a ‘boma’ or even in the bush around an open fire, which many guests feel is a particularly evocative treat.
Tree Camp, Londolozi – Suite – 3 nights
| · Full Boad & Game Activities (two game drives daily in open landrovers,
· nature walks accompanied by experienced armed trackers), · accommodation, · teas and coffees, · soft drinks, · house wines, · local brand spirits and beers, · transfers to0from Lodolozi Airstrip to lodge, · emergency medical evacuation insurance, l · laundry
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Tree Camp embodies the very essence of Londolozi’s continuous striving to transcend and redefine the journey to the wilderness.
This is a place of connoisseurship, leopards, orchids, lanterns and lead wood trees. Guests spend lazy afternoons on their decks, champagne in hand as they survey the ancient landscape, elephants feeding below in the river.
Elegance and simplicity are the hallmarks of theTree Camp sanctuaries.
In every detail and feature, from the private swimming pools and contemplation decks (salas) to the Ralph Lauren wallpaper and chocolate plaited leather beds, this exclusive camp provides a matchless showcase of African excellence.
Londolozi, Sabi Sand has a justified reputation as one of the finest private game reserves in Africa and is most famous for its leopards. Londolozi has also recognised that ecotourism is only viable if it involves the inclusion of the communities living in and around the Reserve.
Spanning the verdant banks of the Sand River, Londolozi offers four exclusive camps where the raw splendour of the bush perfectly blends with luxurious accommodation.
Londolozi, meaning “protector of all living things” in Zulu, is known for its far-sighted methods of bush clearing as a means of restoring the area to its original mosaic pattern of woodland and open grassland.
The impact on the wildlife has been dramatic and today Londolozi has some of the best game viewing in Africa.
As well as morning and afternoon-into-night game drives with professional rangers and Shangaan trackers, guests can also enjoy interpretative walks through the staff village, with visits to the school and the community crafts centre.
Dramatic bush breakfasts, sundowners and dinner banquets are regularly hosted at various scenic wilderness locations on the Reserve.
Tree Camp’s accommodation consists of six suites with Bedouin-inspired beds swathed in muslim.
Each suite has its private oasis – a plunge pool in a secluded patio garden.
The living areas lead out to a generous wooden deck shaded by an ancient Ebony tree and suspended high above the Sand River.
Furnished in classic African safari style, the living areas feature comfortable furniture, books, African art and artefacts and a welcoming fireplace.
True to its name, Tree Camp nestles in a bower of indigenous trees, seemingly suspended in the branches.
A large swimming pool with a waterfall cascading over granite boulders is a welcome respite during the heat of a summer’s day.
At night, guests enjoy lavish dinners of Pan-African cuisine, served in a boma.
Day 6)
After your last morning game drive and breakfast you are transferred to your next game lodge in the Southern Sabi Sands.
Lion Sands Ivory Lodge – Villa – 3 nights
| · Full Board & Game Activities (two game drives daily with FGASA qualified ranger & tracker,
· specified inclusive safari activities – bush walks, · Hippo tour, · astonomy, · wildlife lectures, · bush breakfasts, · picnic lunches & bush dinners, · Henna Pre-school visit), · accommoation with private lounge and plunge pool, · teas/coffees, drinks (all soft drinks and selection of beers, spirits & house wines), · maxi bar in room (all soft drinks and selection of local beers, spirits & house wine), laundry, · game drive refreshments & snacks, · Skukuza Airport transfers, · Sabi Sand & Kruger National Park entrance fees, · Wi-fi in public areas
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Lion Sands Private Game Reserve is situated in the Southern portion of the 65,000-hectare Sabi Sand Game Reserve, an area well known for its spectacular game viewing being at the confluence of two major rivers.
Lions Sands safari philosophy is to offer an informative and holistic safari experience, ensuring that all spheres of the eco-system, from the smallest insects to the mighty African elephant are viewed as a whole.
It’s not everyday that one gets to appreciate the African bush in such lavish comfort and style. Ivory Lodge is the ‘Piece de Résistance’ of Lion Sands Sabi Sand. Utterly private, very intimate and astonishingly beautiful, the Lodge offers a discreet and personally tailored experience to guests who are connoisseurs of Life’s finer things.
Ivory lodge is Lion Sands’ new luxurious lodge, built on the banks of the Sabie River with magnificent views over to the open sand banks of the Kruger.
It focuses on sensitivity to the environment and complete privacy for its guests.
Six ultra-luxurious suites are huge (165m² in size and are positioned at least 20 meters apart) all have breath taking views over the Sabie River, so that game viewing can be done from the luxury of one’s private suite.
The interiors have a contemporary, Afro-European elegance.
Each has an en-suite bathroom, outdoor & inside shower, courtyard, lounge with fireplace, wooden viewing deck, patio & private plunge pool. The bedroom & bathroom areas are air-conditioned with overhead fans. Telephone and internet access.
The main lodge & entrance building comprise a private lounge & bar, wooden viewing decks, wine cellar, gymnasium & health spa, curio shop & both an indoor and open-air boma dining area.
Day 9)
This morning after your game drive and breakfast you are transferred to Skukuza Airport.
On arrival at Skukuza Airport, you check-in for your scheduled flight to Johannesburg International Airport.
Please note that there may be no announcements at or around the domestic departure gates.
On arrival at the Johannesburg Airport, you make your way to the International Terminal for your flight back home.
Day 10)
Arrive USA.