Adventure Truck trip: ‘South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini in a nutshell’

The travel schedule as described below is based on the program including activity package. If you do not book an activity package, the travel schedule will therefore deviate from the schedule described below. We recommend that you purchase the activity package prior to your trip (when booking) to avoid disappointment on the spot. If you book the activities in advance, you are assured of participation.

This journey takes you from the urban province of Gauteng, via the northern provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, to the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), the coast of Kwazulu Natal and the back-to-basic Lesotho, eventually ending in the Eastern Cape.

Travel schedule:

B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner

Day 1: Krugerpark (D)
At 07:00 in the morning you leave from Belvedere Estate lodge in Johannesburg in the direction of the Kruger Park. Get to know the South African landscape and stop en route for lunch (for your own account). As soon as you enter the Kruger Park by truck, the search for wild animals can begin! In the afternoon you can optionally participate in a Sundowner Drive with a guide in the Kruger Park. Your guide can help you book this activity in the morning.

Accommodation: Nkambeni Safari Lodge (permanent double tent with own bathroom)
Optional activity: Sundowner Game Drive

Day 2: Kruger National Park (B, D)
Get up early so that you can already start game watching in the morning hours. With an area of almost 20,000 km², the Kruger Park is the largest game park in South Africa. Your travel guide will take you all day to spot as much as possible of the Big Five. From the adventure truck with its large windows you have a beautiful view of the landscape. Travelers who have booked the Activity Package will enter the park today with an open 4×4 safari vehicle. In this way you can better sense the smells and sounds of the bush. In addition to the famous Big Five, the Kruger Park is home to no fewer than 336 species of trees, 49 species of fish, 34 species of amphibians, 507 species of birds and 147 different mammals. Tonight you can make a spectacular Sundowner Drive for the second time (again optional).

Accommodation:Nkambeni Safari Lodge (permanent double tent with own bathroom)
Included activity : Game-drive in the adventure truck
Activity Package: full day game-drive per 4×4 safari vehicle in the Kruger NP
Optional activity: Sundowner drive

Day 3: Krugerpark, Panorama Route (B, L, D)
Early birds can optionally participate in a bush walk through the park with an expert guide. A little later in the morning, the entire group leaves for the Panorama Route, just outside Kruger Park. Here you will visit the Bourke’s Luck Potholes, Blyde River Canyon, Three Rondavels, God’s Window and the historic mining village of Pilgrim’s Rest (if time permits). A day on which you cannot forget your camera to take beautiful pictures of the breathtaking scenery.

Accommodatie: Nkambeni Safari Lodge (permanent double tent with own bathroom)
Optional activity : Morning Bush Walk (if available)
Included activity: Visit sights Panorama Route, Pilgrim’s Rest

Day 4: Eswatini – Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary (B, L, D)
You start the day early with a cup of coffee and traditional ‘rusks’ for breakfast before you set off. While searching for members of the Big Five, you drive today to the southern exit of the Kruger Park. Have your passport ready because you are entering the kingdom of Eswatini. Today’s destination is the Mlilwane Game Reserve. Mlilwane means ‘Small Fire’ and this reserve is located in the beautiful Ezulwini Valley, which is also called ‘Valley of Heavens’. Because there are no large dangerous predators here, you can explore the area on foot (day distance ± 380, of which about 150 kilometers in Kruger NP).

Accommodation: Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary (double room with own bathroom)
Included activity: Game-drive from the truck when you drive through it Krugerpark  to the southern gate

Day 5: iSimangaliso Wetland Park (B, L, D)
In the morning you can take a walk / hike through the reserve or optionally participate in one of the many activities offered here such as mountain biking, game drives or a visit to Chief’s Village. In the afternoon the journey continues in a southerly direction and you cross the border to South Africa again. You are now in ‘Zululand’, the area where the mighty King Shaka once reigned. Tonight a Zulu Cultural Experience awaits you where you can learn more about this special tribe.

Accommodation: Shonalanga, or similar (double room with own bathroom)
Included activity: Nature Walk Mlilwane, Zulu Cultural Evening
Optional activity: Mountainbiking, game-drive, Swazi Cultural Excursion Mlilwane

Day 6: Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve (B, D)
You have another day full of nature and wildlife ahead! In the morning you drive to the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve. Here a local guide takes you on a safari in 4×4 vehicles. The Reserve is the only park in the KwaZulu-Natal province that is run by the state. You can also spot the famous Big Five here. Thanks to a large-scale conservation project, the park has the largest population of white rhinos in the world. In the afternoon you drive back to your accommodation in St. Lucia where you can take an afternoon nap before you leave for a boat cruise. During this cruise you can spot hippos and crocodiles.

Accommodation: Shonalanga, or similar (double room with own bathroom)
Activity Package: Game-drive in Hluhluwe Imfolozi NP, boatcruise St. Lucia

Day 7: Durban (B)
Today you drive to Durban, a famous surfing destination and is very popular with both South Africans and tourists. This afternoon you can relax on the beach or you may want to visit the uShaka Marine World aquarium. The largest group of Indians outside of India live in Durban and therefore you can enjoy the delicious authentic Indian cuisine (day distance ± 240 kilometers).

Accommodation: Garden Court South Beach Hotel (double room with own bathroom)
Optional activity: Dinner at a local restaurant, uShaka Marine World

Day 8 en 9: Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park (2xB, 2xL, 2xD)
You leave the beautiful beaches of Durban, after a last beach walk or dive in the water, behind you and travel inland to the Royal Natal National Park, part of the Drakensberg. This is South Africa’s highest mountain range with peaks of 3000 meters and more. You can go hiking and view rock paintings, among other things. Along the way there will be a stop at the waterfall of Howick and at the place where Nelson Mandela was arrested (day distance ± 265 kilometers).

On the second day in the Drakensberg you can take a walk in the mountains under the guidance of your guide and a local guide, visiting San rock drawings along the way. The local guide will tell you everything about these beautifully preserved petroglyphs. Everyone is encouraged to go for a walk in nature, the distance and the pace can be adjusted to the wishes of the group. If possible, several groups can also be formed as there is a large variation in walking / hike tours. It is of course also possible to stay at the camp and take a dip in the pool, have a drink at the bar or simply enjoy the beautiful views.

Accommodation: Monks Cowl (double room with own bathroom)
Inclusive activity: Hike with own guide  in Royal Natal National Park

Day 10 en 11: Lesotho – Malealea (2xB, 2xL, 2xD)
A nice route today to the border with Lesotho. Along the way you will stop at a ‘Vulture Restaurant’ where you can hopefully see the huge vultures enjoying a nice snack. You drive to the border through the beautiful Golden Gate Highlands National Park. You pass the capital Maseru and climb higher and higher into the mountain kingdom (day distance ± 550 km and a border crossing).

Accommodation: Malealea Lodge (double room with own bathroom)
Included activity: Ride through the Golden Gate N.P. with the  truck, morning walk , Lesotho Village Visit
Optional activity: Pony trekking, hiking

Day 12: Graaff Reinet (B, L, D)
You leave the ‘Kingdom in the Sky’ and drive along the Orange River (also called Garieprivier) and through the Karoo, a dry half-desert landscape. The journey ends today in the historic village of Graaff Reinet, the fourth oldest village in South Africa. You can optionally take a sundowner tour to the Valley of Desolation. (N.B. in the South African winter months, this tour will be replaced by a sunrise tour the following morning). This beautiful valley gives you a unique view over the fields and the small village and this is an extra nice picture when the sun begins to sink.

Accommodation: Profcon Resort (double room with own bathroom)
Optional activity: Valley of Desolation Sundowner or Sunrise Tour

Day 13: Graaff Reinet – Addo Elephant National Park (B, L, D)
This morning a local guide will take you past a number of historic buildings in Graaff Reinet and you will gain more insight into a piece of South Africa’s history. Then your tour continues to the Addo Elephant National Park. Addo is the habitat of no fewer than 600 African elephants, but you will also find the Cape buffalo, lion, black rhino and various antelopes. In the afternoon you will visit this park (day distance ± 153 kilometers).

Accommodation: Kudu Ridge Lodge (double room with own bathroom)
Activity package: Historical tour Graaff Reinet
Included activity: afternoon game-drive in Addo NP in the Nomad truck

Day14: Addo Elephant N.P. (B)
After breakfast you will be taken to Port Elizabeth, where your tour ends (day distance ± 160 km).

Optional activities (indicative):

All information is subject to change. Accommodations or routes can be changed if necessary. When traveling alone, sharing a room is not possible.

Big or small groups?
This adventure truck trip is performed as standard in a group of a maximum of 20 participants under the guidance of a guide and a driver.

You can book this trip including or excluding flight.

If you want to take out travel and cancellation insurance, click: travel insurance
If you need advice or more information, please contact us click: contact

Travel time: 14 days , 13 nights

Departure 2019:
August 4, 7, 14D, 21*, 28
September 1, 4, 11, 18*D, 25, 29
October 2, 9, 16*, 23D, 27, 30
November 6, 13*, 20, 24D, 27
December  4, 11*, 18, 22, 25D

* = guaranteed departure / D = German-language journey.