Selfdrive through Kruger Park, Eswatini, Hluhluwe and the Drakensberg (budget)

After you have arrived at Johannesburg airport you will be met and taken to your accommodation for the first night. You stay one night in Outlook Lodge, based on bed and breakfast.

You stay two nights at Rissington Inn on a bed and breakfast basis.

For today we recommend that you visit a number of sights along the Panorama Route. Visit the beautiful viewpoint of God’s Window north of Graskop, where you have a beautiful view of the landscape in clear weather. Then continue the route to Bourke’s Luck Potholes where large potholes are carved into the rocks. Even further north you will find the Three Rondavels where you can take beautiful pictures of the Blyde River Canyon. You pay admission to the various sights along the Panorama Route. From your hotel to the Three Rondavels (the farthest point) is a distance of approximately 92 kilometers. The route takes you through a beautiful mountainous landscape. If you have time left at the end of the day, you can drive from Graskop to the old mining village of Pilgrimsrest. Here you go back in time, a nice end to a beautiful day.

Today is the day, you are looking for the Big 5! Today you will drive through the beautiful Kruger National Park to the Satara rest camp. At the entrance of the park you have to pay a conservation fee and show your passport. The allowed speed in the park is a maximum of 50 km per hour on the asphalted roads, this gives you the opportunity to look around and enjoy the wildlife. Keep in mind your total travel time, although today’s journey is short in terms of kilometers (150 km from your accommodation), it can take a long time, especially if there is an elephant on the road, for example! You can enter the park via the Phabeni Gate (a 20-minute drive from your accommodation) or the somewhat further away Kruger Gate. When you drive through the park, always keep a safe distance from the animals, only get out at designated picnic areas or at the camps in the park and make sure you arrive at your overnight address before dark.

You stay today in the particularly beautiful Kruger National Park and head south. The Lower Sabie Rest camp is located here. Nature has been generous in this camp, there is an abundance of trees, including the huge Egyptian wild fig tree. You can imagine that these trees attract numerous birds and insects. The trees bear fruit twice a year, a true gift from nature. Just like the fruit, the water in the area also attracts many animals, they come to quench their thirst on the Sabie River. There is no better place to think from where you can watch this eternal life cycle that takes place here. You can choose different routes through the park to drive to your next accommodation, the shortest route is 100 km.

You stay two nights in Lower Sabie Restcamp (or similar), in a bungalow based on accommodation. There is also a shop and a restaurant at this camp. The Lower Sabie Rest Camp is beautifully situated along the banks of the Sabie River, one of the few rivers in the park that flows all year round and therefore attracts lots of wildlife. From the deck in the camp you can enjoy breathtaking views of the river and the Lebombo mountains behind. You may also be able to spot some animals such as lions and hippos.

You stay one night in the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in a traditional beehive hut based on bed and breakfast. This traditional round ‘thatched hut’ is equipped with beds, but has no windows. If you prefer to use a different type of accommodation, let us know.

The Mlilwane Game Reserve offers many activities that you can use, such as hiking, horse riding, mountain biking and game drives. If you wish to make use of these activities, we will gladly reserve these for you to avoid disappointment on the spot. In that case we advise you to book an extra night in Swaziland to have sufficient time for these excursions. The day distance for today is around 240 kilometers, take into account a travel time of more than 4 hours (+ border formalities).

The oldest game reserve in South Africa is waiting for you. You drive a bit through the fascinating Eswatini and then cross the border to South Africa on the way to the Hluhluwe Game Reserve. This reserve is located in the heart of Zululand in the KwaZulu Natal province. Hluhluwe is the area where Zulu kings like Dingiswayo and Shaka went hunting and where later the first laws were introduced to protect the wild animals, with the result that today the Big Five can roam freely in the vast green savannah.

Game spotting is the main attraction in this 96,000-hectare area. A park that has become known for successfully saving the rhino. Today, rhinos are frequently poached in South Africa and protection is still very much needed. You can see beautiful scenes at the water places in the park where all kinds of animals come to quench their thirst, play and bathe.

You stay two nights at KZN Wildlife Giant’s Castle Resort (or equivalent) in a Mountain View chalet based on accommodation. We advise you to do some shopping before you enter the park. There is a restaurant and a small shop in the camp. This camp is located in the middle of the beautiful Drakensberg, on a plateau that offers breathtaking views.

You stay one night in Clarens Retreat (or similar) based on accommodation. In the village there are restaurants and a (small) supermarket.