Search for the Big Five on a half-day game drive in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. An early visit offers the chance to watch for animals while the bush is still cool and the light is low.

The reserve holds a special place in conservation history for its role in bringing the southern white rhino back from the brink of extinction. This optional game drive is at additional cost and bookable on tour; wildlife sightings are never guaranteed.

• 6 Breakfast (B)

• Marrakesh: A modular trip means fellow travellers will join and leave at various locations. There’ll be some goodbyes, sure, but there’ll also be plenty of hellos with new like-minded travellers.
• Cape Town: Generally, the tap water in most of the locations we visit is safe to drink (and readily available too!) We don’t provide bottled water due to our sustainability promise, but your Trip Manager will sort you out for anything you might need during the trip.
• Cape Town: The question should be – when is it not the best time to travel to South Africa?In the summer (October to April), you’ll find perfect beach weather at our coastal destinations, and lush green landscapes everywhere. It also tends to be the birthing season (baby animals!!!). Winter (May to August) in South Africa is probably the best time for safaris since you’ll find wildlife gathering around waterholes.Luckily, the chances of spotting the Big 5 is equally good throughout the year. And if you’re here for the whales, visiting between June to November would be your best bet.
• Cape Town: You can book your flights with departure times after 7pm on our last day. We’ll arrive at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at around 4pm.
• Cape Town: We recommend that you book an Uber from the airport. It’s the easiest and most convenient way to get to the start locations on our trips.
• Chobe National Park: As the name suggests, a Special Stay ain’t your ordinary accommodation – it’s much more than that. Think of it as an experience in its own right. On this trip, you’ll be able to camp under the stars (all while being surrounded by wildlife) at your Special Stay.
• Amboseli: Nope, you’re all good! All equipment (tents, sleeping bags, etc) will be provided for you.
• Amboseli: You don’t have to. Your road crew will set up camp, cook meals, and clean up afterwards – but you’re always welcome to help!
• Amboseli: You’ll have access to proper bathrooms with real toilets, hot showers and everything you need – just shared with the crew.

• Mbabane: We’ll cross the border to Eswatini and travel to a local village where we’ll meet some locals, spend time with them and find out all about their culture and everyday life.
• Kruger: Our Special Stay is located right inside one of Africa’s most famous National Parks and is also within one of its most popular Main Camps – Lower Sabie. The fenced-in camp is perched on the banks of the Sabie River with a shop, swimming pool and riverside restaurant (to look out for wildlife coming down to drink!). Our exclusive camp comprises of canvas dome tents with stretchers, mattresses, linen and towels plus charging outlets and a communal firepit to sit around late into the night gazing at the stars and listening to the calls of nocturnal animals.
• Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary: Traverse through Mlilwane on your own two feet, keeping your eyes peeled for antelope, wildebeest and more as you go. With a local guide on hand to make sure everyone is going the right way.
• Kruger National Park: We’ll go on an adventure in the world famous Kruger National Park, keep your eyes peeled for animal sightings!
• Kruger National Park: Wanna know how K9 Dogs protect wildlife? Come meet one of our Rangers who’ll tell you all about the K9 Watchdog Project, their fight against poachers, and how your donations from the MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience helps them save Africa’s wildlife from extinction.
• Kruger National Park: Keep your eyes peeled and those binoculars close. We’re heading out to spot more magnificent wildlife (cross those fingers for rhino’s!) and stunning scenery with our last game drive as we say goodbye to Kruger.

Visit a local village in Eswatini to meet residents and learn about their culture, language and everyday life. This included MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience centres on conversation with the people who call the country home.

Listen to local perspectives on customs and community life in a setting that offers more than a view from the road. The personal exchange with residents gives travellers a grounded introduction to Eswatini’s living heritage.

Stay in a beehive-shaped thatched hut at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary’s Main Lodge in Eswatini. The distinctive rounded design draws on a traditional local building style, making the overnight stay part of the cultural experience rather than simply a place to sleep.

Settle into the sanctuary’s natural surroundings with the comfort of an ensuite bathroom and hotel-room amenities. The thatched setting at Mlilwane offers a memorable contrast to a conventional safari lodge.

Explore Eswatini’s Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary on foot with a local guide, watching for antelope, wildebeest and warthogs as you cross its open landscape. Walking brings you closer to the tracks, sounds and small details that are easy to miss from a vehicle.

Mlilwane offers a different pace of wildlife viewing from the Big Five reserves on this journey. Your guide helps the group navigate while the quiet of a walking safari leaves room to notice the surroundings.

Sleep inside Kruger National Park at Lower Sabie, in an exclusive camp of canvas dome tents equipped with stretchers, mattresses, linen, towels and charging outlets. Gather around the communal firepit and listen for nocturnal wildlife beyond the fenced main camp.

Lower Sabie stands beside the Sabie River, where animals may come to drink. A swimming pool, shop and riverside restaurant add comfort without losing the sense of being immersed in one of Africa’s best-known wildlife landscapes.

Meet a ranger in Kruger National Park and learn how the K9 Watchdog Project helps protect wildlife from poaching. Hear about the work behind anti-poaching efforts and the role trained dogs can play in protecting threatened animals.

This included MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience looks beyond sightings to the challenges of conservation. The ranger’s firsthand perspective gives context to the wildlife you encounter and explains how visitor donations support the project’s work.

Travel through Kruger National Park on an included game drive, scanning the bush for wildlife as your vehicle makes its way through the reserve. Keep binoculars ready for rhinos and other animals; every sighting depends on what moves through the landscape.

Kruger’s varied habitats support a remarkable range of species, including the Big Five. The unpredictability of wildlife viewing is part of the experience, with each stretch of road offering a fresh chance to spot animals in their natural habitat.

Cruise the waters near St Lucia in search of hippos in their river habitat. A boat-level view offers the chance to watch these imposing animals surface and move through the water while you take in the wetlands surrounding the town.

St Lucia lies beside the UNESCO-listed iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a landscape known for its rich aquatic wildlife. This optional cruise is at additional cost and bookable on tour; sightings remain subject to wildlife conditions.

Visit a local Zulu village near St Lucia to meet residents and learn about their culture, customs and traditions. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience offers an opportunity to hear directly from local people rather than relying only on what you see while travelling through the region.

KwaZulu-Natal is closely associated with Zulu history and living heritage. The community-led encounter adds a human dimension to time spent on the Elephant Coast. This optional visit is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a walking safari, keeping watch for antelope and signs of larger wildlife, including elephants, buffalo and rhinos. Moving on foot changes the scale of the experience: tracks, vegetation and the sounds of the bush become part of what you notice.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site protects a mosaic of wetland and coastal habitats. The walk is optional, at additional cost and bookable on tour; wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Head out on a marine safari from the St Lucia area to search for ocean wildlife. Watch the water for dolphins and other marine life, with the possibility of whales or sharks depending on the season and conditions.

The Elephant Coast is a meeting point of beach, wetland and Indian Ocean habitats, giving this outing a distinctly different perspective from an inland game drive. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; sightings vary.

Take a sunset game drive near St Lucia, watching the light soften across the landscape while searching for wildlife. The outing pairs time in the bush with a traditional South African buffet dinner.

Evening brings a different atmosphere from a daytime safari, as temperatures ease and animals may become more active. The shared buffet meal gives the experience a sociable close. This optional excursion is at additional cost and bookable on tour; sightings depend on conditions.

Ride through Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary by mountain bike on a guided outing, covering its trails at a more energetic pace than a safari walk. Look out for antelope and warthogs as you move through the Eswatini wilderness.

Mlilwane has no Big Five, making it a distinctive setting for active exploration on two wheels. The open-air ride through wildlife habitat rewards attention to both the animals and the scenery. This optional activity is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Set out on a sunrise game drive in Kruger National Park, when the air is cool and the first light reveals the bush. Watch for predators and other wildlife that may still be active around dawn.

Kruger’s early hours offer a particular atmosphere: changing birdsong, long shadows and the possibility of fresh tracks from overnight movement. This dawn safari is optional, at additional cost and bookable on tour; animal encounters depend on the day’s conditions.

Explore Kruger National Park on a sunset game drive, searching for the Big Five and other wildlife as daylight fades. The changing light brings a different character to familiar bush scenery and makes watching the horizon part of the experience.

Animals move on their own terms, so no particular sighting is assured. The appeal lies in observing the reserve at dusk, when the landscape shifts toward evening. This optional drive is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Gather at the Kruger safari camp for a traditional South African braai, or barbecue, served with local sides and desserts. This is a shared dining experience rooted in the South African custom of cooking and eating together around the fire.

In a camp within Kruger National Park, the meal comes with the sounds and atmosphere of the surrounding bush. The fireside setting makes it more than a routine dinner. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.