Family South Africa Safari and Beach Adventure

Our tour starts today in Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, once home to both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. A city of stark contrasts and infamous history, Johannesburg is going through rapid change and urban regeneration right before our eyes. For those arriving in time today, our tour leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 12pm for a welcome meeting. Should you miss the welcome meeting, they'll inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up. Our hotel for tonight has a swimming pool and lovely gardens that you can feel free to relax in after your flight. Later in the afternoon, we can also provide transport to the nearby Nelson Mandela Square, an open-air piazza in Sandton which has lots of shops and dining options. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB). Please note, the majority of flights land in Johannesburg in the early morning and we can't facilitate an early check-in at our hotel. Luggage storage is available if you'd like to drop your bags before exploring.

Leaving our hotel after breakfast, we'll head out of Johannesburg through the Lowveld which stretches before us into the distant horizons. 'Lowveld' translates from Afrikaans into English as 'the low bush' and the area has been inhabited since Stone Age times thanks to its plentiful water supply from mountain rivers and waterfalls. Our destination is Graskop, a small town in the province of Mpumalanga, a peaceful location surrounded by forestry plantations and dramatic rock outcrops. Please note, due to accommodation availability, we might switch the running of Day 2 and Day 6. If this happens, you'll still experience every aspect of the itinerary and the travel time will remain the same, just with an adjusted running order.

This morning, we'll set off towards the Tshukudu Game Reserve. Along the way, we'll make several stops at viewpoints, including at the aptly named God's Window and the awe-inspiring Blyde River Canyon. We'll also stop at the surreal Bourke's Luck Potholes, a collection of pebble-eroded formations at the confluence of the Treur and Blyde Rivers. We aim to arrive at the Tshukudu Game Reserve around 2pm. Tshukudu is the Sotho word for 'Rhino', but the reserve is home to more beasts than just that - today we'll have our first chance of spotting the Big 5. The park is known to boast the most spectacular of South Africa's wildlife, including lion, elephant, rhino, hippo and even the elusive leopard and cheetah. It's also renowned for its lion breeding and rehabilitation programmes, nursing sick, orphaned or injured animals of all shapes and sizes back to health for re-introduction to the wild. This afternoon we'll go on our first game drive.

Today, we'll head out to spot more of South Africa's wildlife, both from our vehicles and on a walking safari in the reserve. The walk will be led by experienced rangers who are acknowledged experts in the bush and are more than happy to pass on their knowledge. Ask as many questions as you can! Afterwards, we'll head back to our lodge where you're free to relax in the pool and soak up the later afternoon sun.

After a hearty breakfast this morning, we'll bid farewell to Tshukudu and drive to the southern gate of Kruger National Park (a two-hour journey). We'll stop for lunch and a swim at one of the national park camps before continuing further into the park. As one of the world's premier game reserves, Kruger National Park is a bucket-list experience. The park is home to the Big 5 and more, so what we missed in Tshukudu, we might well spot here. Kruger is the largest game reserve in South Africa, covering an area about the same size as Wales. It was established in 1898 to protect big game that had almost been hunted to extinction. The park is now one of the most prolific animal habitats in South Africa, committed to animal conservation and patrolled by armed rangers to prevent illegal poaching. A large number of species call this park home, including elephant, lion, black and white rhino, leopard, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, wild dog, hyena, wildebeest and almost all of South Africa's species of antelope. The bird life is just as impressive with crowned cranes, bee-eaters, sunbirds and vultures. This evening, we'll drift off to sleep to the sounds of the African bush at our campground.

We'll have an early start this morning, but it'll be worth it for the chance of spotting Kruger's creatures. Leaving our camp shortly after sunrise, we'll head out for our morning game drive. We'll stop at various watering holes where we might see buffalo or antelope taking an early morning drink and hopefully a pride of lions nearby. Our morning drive will be capped with a lunch break before we head out on an afternoon drive.

We'll have another game drive this morning before we head south to Eswatini, passing through the rural townships and mountain scenery of the Blyde River Canyon escarpment. The small kingdom of Eswatini is a tiny and independent land, inhabited by the Swazi people who revere their king and retain an age-old culture and traditions. Our journey takes us through some spectacular scenery in the Ezulwini Valley, past traditional homesteads, curio stalls and the old mining settlement of Piggs Peak before we eventually enter one of Eswatini's best wildlife reserves, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, later this afternoon. For the next two nights, we'll stay at a camp within the sanctuary. Located beneath the Nyonyane Mountains, it's a haven of tranquillity. Our accommodation will be divided between dome-shaped bee huts, rondavels and traditional huts and we'll have all of the mod cons, including showers, toilets, an outdoor swimming pool and a restaurant/bar - it's rustic in the very best sense of the word. We'll share the camp with warthogs and ostrich, too, in fact, the restaurant overlooks a lake where you can spot the resident hippo and waterbirds. Please note, due to the high demand in Mlilwane, our accommodation is subject to change without notice and might differ from the description above. We'll always endeavour to stay within the park, however, some departures might stay at a hotel up to a 15-minute drive away from the sanctuary.

We'll head out on a walk this morning, in search of zebra, wildebeest, impala, nyala and warthog. Mlilwane has a large area of open grasslands, so game viewing is relatively easy. This afternoon, you're free to relax or take part in one of our optional activities. The great advantage of Mlilwane is that there are no big cats, so you can get a different game-viewing experience, heading out on foot. You might like to try one of the self-guided mountain walking trails, following the historic aqueduct around the Nyonyane Mountains; or one of the riverside trails in search of birdlife and hippo.

Crossing through Eswatini, we'll head for the southern border point at Golela, passing back into South Africa and continuing through KwaZulu Natal to the northern settlement of Kosi Bay, close to the Mozambique border. For the next two nights, we'll stay close to the shores of the Indian Ocean. Our accommodation is a lodge set amidst a wetland area of lakes and forest, home to a rich diversity of birds and animals including hippos and crocs. On arrival, we'll have some free time to explore and enjoy the protected area, which was declared a nature reserve back in 1950. It's considered one of the most pristine lake systems along the South African coast.

Today we'll make the most of the coastal setting, with a walk along the beaches and forests of this area. We'll be hoping to spot small antelope and the astounding variety of birds that live here. If you'd like to get out in the water, you can snorkel at Kosi Bay Mouth, the estuary and over the coral reef (weather dependent) with equipment available from the lodge.

Travelling down the coast this morning, we'll head towards the greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, situated on the coast of the Indian Ocean. This wonderful wetland reserve was recently granted World Heritage status as the largest estuarine lake system in Africa. Whilst in St Lucia, you can choose to take part in one of several optional activities. There is the option of a night drive to spot giant turtles coming ashore and between June and November, there'll be the option of whale watching, too.

We'll get the chance to relax today with another day on the coast. Again, there'll be optional activities on offer, including whale watching (June to November) and turtle watching (November to March). There's also the option to join a boat trip on the St. Lucia River to spot hippos and crocodiles.

Departing St Lucia this morning, we'll drive south along the coast to Durban's International Airport (DUR), aiming to arrive at around 2pm, where our trip ends. The earliest your flight can depart is 4pm. If you are taking an evening flight from Durban, it's possible to make a stop at Umhlanga Beach en route to the airport. The beach is just ten minutes from Durban city centre and boasts expansive golden sands stretching northwards of 200 kilometres/124 miles. There are plenty of restaurants and bars, as well as a shopping centre to pick up last-minute souvenirs.