Travel through Kruger National Park on a sunset game drive, looking for the Big Five and other wildlife as afternoon gives way to evening. The softer light changes the colours of the bush, while cooler conditions may bring different animal activity into view.

It is a chance to experience the park at a different hour from the included game drive, though sightings are always unpredictable. This optional safari is available at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

• 6 Breakfast (B)

• 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.

• 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.

Join a half-day game drive in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve, searching its hills and bushveld for wildlife, including members of the Big Five. Early light can make for a particularly atmospheric view across this KwaZulu-Natal landscape.

The reserve is closely linked to efforts that helped bring the southern white rhino back from the brink of extinction. A sighting is never assured, but that conservation history gives the drive special significance. This optional excursion is available at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Visit a village in Eswatini to meet local residents and learn about their language, customs and everyday life. This included MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience centres the people who call the country home rather than treating it as a scenic stop.

Spend time listening and asking questions in a setting that offers a personal introduction to Eswatini’s living cultural traditions. It is an opportunity to understand the place through local perspectives.

Walk through Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary with a local guide, watching for antelope, wildebeest and warthogs among the grassland and trees. Exploring on foot brings you closer to the smaller details of the landscape, from tracks in the earth to movement in the vegetation.

Mlilwane is one of Eswatini’s best-known conservation areas. With no Big Five in the sanctuary, this included walk offers a different pace and perspective from a vehicle-based game drive; wildlife sightings remain unpredictable.

Stay in thatched beehive-style huts at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary’s Main Lodge. Their rounded form draws on a distinctive style of traditional Eswatini architecture, making the overnight stay part of the cultural experience rather than simply a place to sleep.

The huts pair their characterful exteriors with ensuite bathrooms and familiar room comforts. Surrounded by the sanctuary’s natural setting, you can settle in and listen to the evening sounds of the bush.

Explore Kruger National Park and keep watch for wildlife across its bushveld landscapes. The park is home to elephants, buffalo, lions, leopards and rhinos, alongside a remarkable variety of birds and other animals; sightings depend on the conditions and the animals themselves.

One of Africa’s most renowned protected areas, Kruger gives you a sense of the scale and diversity of South Africa’s wild places. This included park experience is distinct from the separately offered optional sunrise and sunset drives.

Spend the night at an exclusive canvas-tent camp inside Kruger National Park, within the fenced Lower Sabie Main Camp beside the Sabie River. Tents come with stretchers, mattresses, linen, towels and charging outlets, combining a close-to-nature setting with practical comforts.

Gather around the communal firepit beneath the night sky and listen for the sounds of nocturnal wildlife. Lower Sabie also has a riverside restaurant overlooking a stretch of water where animals may come to drink.

Meet a Kruger ranger to learn how the K9 Watchdog Project uses trained dogs in its efforts to protect wildlife from poaching. Hear about the work behind conservation in a national park where protecting vulnerable species is a continuing challenge.

This included MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience connects a safari visit with the people and practical measures involved in safeguarding animals. The ranger also explains how contributions associated with the project support its work.

Head out on an included game drive through Kruger National Park, scanning the bush for wildlife as you travel through its changing scenery. Keep binoculars close for distant movement and watch carefully for animals that can be easy to miss from the road.

Every drive offers different possibilities: rhinos may be elusive, while birds and other wildlife can appear unexpectedly. This is a dedicated final chance to observe the park’s animals, separate from the optional sunrise drive.

Cruise the waters around St Lucia in search of hippos, with opportunities to watch for other wetland wildlife along the banks. Seeing these large animals from a boat offers a different perspective on the waterways beside the town.

St Lucia sits by iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised for its varied coastal and wetland ecosystems. This optional cruise is available at additional cost and can be booked on tour; wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Visit a local Zulu village near St Lucia to meet residents and learn about their customs, traditions and community life. Conversation with local people gives this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience a personal focus beyond the region’s wildlife and coastal scenery.

KwaZulu-Natal is closely associated with Zulu history and culture, which remain part of everyday life across the province. This optional visit is available at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Explore iSimangaliso Wetland Park on foot, keeping watch for antelope and signs of larger animals such as buffalo, rhinos and elephants. A walking safari draws attention to tracks, sounds and vegetation that are easy to overlook from a vehicle.

This UNESCO-listed landscape protects an unusual meeting of wetlands, coastal habitats and wildlife. Animal encounters vary, and larger species may not be seen. The optional walking safari is available at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Head out on a marine safari off the St Lucia coast to look for dolphins, sharks and other ocean wildlife. Depending on the season and conditions, whales may also be seen along this stretch of South Africa’s Indian Ocean coastline.

The excursion reveals a different side of the region’s biodiversity from its wetlands and land-based safaris. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, particularly for seasonal species. This optional marine experience is available at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Take a sunset game drive in the St Lucia area, watching the landscape change colour as daylight fades and looking for wildlife during the cooler evening hours. The experience includes a traditional South African buffet dinner.

The combination of a guided wildlife outing and a shared meal gives the evening a different character from a daytime safari. Sightings depend on animal movements and conditions. This optional experience is available at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Cycle through Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary on a guided mountain bike ride, taking in Eswatini’s open scenery while watching for antelope and warthogs. Riding offers an active way to experience the reserve, with time to notice its landscape beyond the usual view from a safari vehicle.

Mlilwane has no Big Five, giving this wildlife outing a different feel from a ride through predator country. Sightings still depend on the animals. This optional guided activity is available at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Set out on an optional sunrise game drive in Kruger National Park as the bush begins to brighten. Watch for wildlife in the cooler morning hours, including predators that may still be active following the night; no particular sighting is guaranteed.

The changing light, birdsong and close attention to movement make dawn a distinctive time to experience the park. Sunrise drives are offered during the Kruger stay at additional cost and can be booked on tour.

Gather at the Kruger camp for a traditional South African braai, the local style of barbecue, served with sides and desserts. More than a routine dinner, a braai is a social occasion built around food cooked over the fire and time spent together.

The camp setting adds the sounds and atmosphere of the bush to a familiar South African tradition. This optional dining experience is available at additional cost and can be booked on tour.