Kruger and Swaziland Express

Arrive in Johannesburg any time and make your way to the joining point hotel. A brief departure meeting will be held in the hotel reception area in evening on Day 1 of your tour. Upon arrival look for information from your tour leader on the hotel bulletin board regarding the meeting time.

Our starting hotel is located outside of the city of Johannesburg, but take some time on an excursion to Soweto or to the famous Apartheid Museum.

George Harrison discovered gold near present-day Johannesburg in March 1886 on the Witwatersrand. Surveyors were instructed by the government to lay this farm out as a future town. They completed their work on 03 Dec 1886. The name Johannesburg was written for the first time on their plans of streets and stands.
Only five days after the completion of the survey the first 986 stands were auctioned, and the first building to be erected was a corrugated iron hut. Within 12 months, Johannesburg was the second largest town in Transvaal, and by the middle 1890s there were 20 separate mining companies working from headquarters in Johannesburg.
The Transvaal government granted Johannesburg municipal status in 1897. Later, the city became almost deserted with the advent of the Anglo-Boer war on 11 Oct 1899, as trainloads of refugees fled. Johannesburg was placed under martial law, to protect the existing claims. After the war, the labour shortage led to a proposed suggestion to import Chinese labour. The first load of 1055 Chinese labourers arrived in 1904. By 1905 they numbered 46,895. In December of 1905 the British liberal party ( who just won the national elections) suspended the Chinese recruitment. Between 1903 and 1997, 55,877 miners had been killed in mine accidents. In the same period 47,229 tons of gold had been produced.
Johannesburg officially became a city in 1928, and by 1960 it had more than 1 million inhabitants. Today, Johannesburg is fondly known as eGoli, or place of gold.

Approximate Distance: 400km
Estimated Travel Time: 7 hrs

Depart Johannesburg early and head east towards the Mpumalanga region of South Africa. Pass a dramatic landscape that is characterized by mountains, panoramic passes, valleys, rivers, waterfalls and forests. Camp for the night in Blyde River Canyon and along the way take in the breathtaking views from God's Window.

The Blyde River Canyon is one of the most spectacular canyons in Africa and its cliffs rise between 600m-800m from the riverbed below. At the ‘Three Rondavels viewpoint’ (also called ‘The Three Sisters’) is an unforgettable view of three huge rock spirals rising out of the far wall of the canyon. Their tops appear to have a hut-like rounded roof. Where the Blyde River and the Treur River meet, water erosion has formed one of the most remarkable geological phenomena in the country, known as ‘Bourke’s Luck Potholes’. Over thousands of years, surreal cylindrical rock sculptures created by whirling water have formed a series of dark pools which contrast artfully with the streaked white and yellow lichen covered rocks. Following the road and the Treur River south, there are further viewpoints; Wonder View, God’s Window and the Pinnacle.
The Three Rondavels are named after the Swazi Chief - Maripi’s wives. From the lowest to the highest, they are Magabolle, Mogoladikwe and Maserote.

Approximate Distance: 250 km (excluding game drives)
Estimated Travel Time: 8 hrs (with stops)

Welcome to big game country! Search for lion, elephant, rhino and many other animals in one of Africa’s greatest wildlife areas on our transfer through Kruger National Park in our own vehicle, making our way south towards our camp Pretoriuskop. Enjoy an optional late afternoon game drive in an open vehicle where you will have a chance to search out some more incredible wildlife. The next day we will enjoy more wild animals while we are driving through the park to our next restcamp.

The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares is unrivaled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.
Truly the flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 types of trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural assets.

Approximate Distance: 200km
Estimated Time: 4.5 hrs

Today we leave the wildlife of Kruger behind us, and enter into Mozambique, a colourful, vibrant, fascinating country. The journey takes us to the capital of Mozambique, Maputo. Several rivers meet the sea at this wonderful locale, and two islands, Inhaca and Portuguese, lie just off the coast.

Notice the definite Latin flare to the city of approximately two million people, as Maputo openly embraces it’s Latin heritage. This is a unique feel to this city, with its popular seafront, colonial architecture, and colourful jacaranda trees, Maputo has style. There are also some excellent restaurants where you can enjoy cool drinks and peri-peri prawns. The infamous Fere de Populare has dozens of bars and discos where Mozambicans dance well into the night to seductive Latin beats.

Spend the day here exploring the city, starting at the top of Av Samora Machel outside the imposing Cathedral of Nossa Senhora da Conceicao. Continue down the road and pass the Casa de Ferro (Iron House), which was designed by the same architect as the Eiffel Tower, and the Jardim Tunduru, the botanical gardens. Wind your way to the railway station on Praca Trabalhadores where you can view the large, imposing central dome, also designed by Monsieur Eiffel. Finally, make you way to the Av 25 de Setembro to find the Central Market, where you can fill your shopping bag and empty your wallet!

Days 7-8 Kingdom of Swaziland (2B,2L,2D)
Approximate Distance: 280km
Estimated Travel Time: 7 hrs

The mountainous Kingdom of Swaziland, lead by King Mswati III, is one of three monarchies in Africa. Here explore Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, which is situated in the Swaziland’s “Valley of Heaven”, the Ezulwini Vallley. In your free time visit a Swazi village (optional) and dive into the culture or take the opportunity to go horse riding, mountain biking, trailing, or game viewing.

Mlilwane was the first wildlife sanctuary in Swaziland, created in the 1950’s by a well known Swazilander, Tedd Reilly, on his farm. He has been instrumental in the conservation of Swaziland’s natural heritage for many years. This reserve is a gentle relaxed place with zebra, many antelope species and crocodiles. Several hippos have become so used to being fed in the afternoon, that these enormous beasts plod out of the dam to chomp, dribble and munch in front of the Hippo Haunt Restaurant. So close are they, that your entire camera frame is filled with their wide toothy mouth and glistening nostrils. Around the restcamp a variety of animals mill around looking for food, but watching a warthog snuffling near the camp fire while his friend roasts on a spit above, is somewhat disquieting. This reserve offers hiking, cycling and horse riding.

Approximate Distance: 277km
Estimated Time: 6 hrs

Today we depart for the beautiful Zululand area, re-entering South Africa into one of its most diverse regions. We stay in the St. Lucia area near the coast. Here take the optional boat trip on the estuary or go for a horse ride on the beach. On day 10, visit the Umfolozi Game Reserve (optional) which is a safe haven for both the white and black rhino, and as well lions, buffalo, elephant, and leopard call the reserve home. Spend the closing part of the day on a game drive and stop at waterhole hides to watch game come down to drink.

The St. Lucia Wetlands is a huge expanse of estuaries which is dominated by Lake St. Lucia, the largest estuarine body of water in South Africa. The St. Lucia Marine Reserve, which extends roughly from Sodwana in the north to Mapelane in the south, contains no less than five different ecosystems, and is home to complex body of vleis (wetlands), pans, swamp forests and grasslands. These include the lake itself, a wilderness area known as Mfabeni and Tewati, a marine conservation area, the reed and papyrus wetland of the Mkuze swamps and western shores, and a fossil shoreline more than 25,000 years old.This was the first game reserve in South Africa. Today the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park stands as a beacon to the efforts for conservation in South Africa.

Approximate Distance: 275km
Estimated Time: 6 hrs

Spend most of the day travelling the coast to Durban. Here you may say goodbye to some travellers who are finishing their trip here, and you may also by met by new Gap Adventures travellers beginning their trip here in Durban. Explore the beach and dive into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean just out the front door of our guest house.

Very little is known about the first residents of the area around Durban as there is no written history of the area before it was “discovered” by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama in 1497. Da Gama had applied the name Natal (nativity) to this stretch of coast, first seen on Christmas day of that year. The first European settlers in the area where mostly survivors of shipwrecks. One of these survivors, Rodrigo Tristaa, survived a wreck in 1552 of the Portuguese galleon Saint John, was the first to make his home here.
The Zulu nation’s formation provided wealth for a trade market in this area - European merchants set up a harbour where the base of trade with Zulus could be formed. Durban was thus created by a population of 26 hard-living traders and ivory hunters. It was named on 23 June 1835, after the governor of the Cape, Sir Benjamin D’Urban. The centre of Durban grew around its sugar cane plantations, as large numbers of Indians were brought to work on the plantations. As a result, present-day Durban it the city with the largest Indian population outside of India.
The city has grown into one of South Africa's best-known and most popular coastal resorts and commercial ports. With stretches of safe, sandy beaches and abundance of holiday accommodation destinations available and all-year sunshine attract visitors to this festive city every year. This city is enjoyed for its vibrant mix of cultures and experiences, with a large diverse population of people. The beach front area has the usual attractions, from fair grounds to restaurants, to water sports and the now world famous “uShaka Marine World”.

Depart Durban at any time.