‘South African bush’ 4×4 camping trip

When you arrive at OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg, a driver will meet you and bring you to your accommodation. Depending on the time you arrive, you can use the day to recover from your trip, take a tour through Johannesburg, visit the apartheid museum with a guide or visit the famous township of Soweto. If you arrive early and you want to pick up your camper immediately and start your journey, this is of course also possible.

Overnight at Outlook Lodge Lakefield based on bed and breakfast. You can
peacefully acclimatize at this 4-star lodge with swimming pool and spacious garden. Lunch and / or dinner at the accommodation can also be arranged.

Today you pick up your 4×4 camper at the camper depot in Johannesburg where you will receive an explanation and instruction about your vehicle. Take plenty of time to get everything explained. Then you leave for your first overnight address. Make sure you do your shopping on the way before you enter the Marakele park and don’t forget to buy extra drinking water. For example you can make a stop in Thabazimbi at the shopping mall (Thaba Mall), this is the last place before you enter the park.

Today you have a distance of almost 300 kilometers to drive, so don’t leave too late. You drive north to Pretoria and then continue via the N1 highway to Bela Bela. Then you drive in a westerly direction through an area characterized by cattle breeding. The next two nights will take place at the Marakele National Park what belongs to the Waterberg area.

Marakele means ‘Place of Sanctuary’ in Tswana. The park is located between a dry western part and a wet eastern part of South Africa. It consists of grassy hills, deep valleys and high mountains. In 1994 it was named national park, the name of the park was then Kransberg National Park.

There is relatively much rain in this area, which means that the park is considerably overgrown and generally green in color. All large animals are present; elephants, black and white rhinos, leopard, buffalo’s, lions, cheetahs, wild dogs (reintroduced) and brown hyena’s. Marakele also has one of the largest Cape Vulture colonies in the world (around 800 breeding pairs). You can drive through the park with your own car / camper in search of wild animals, keep in mind the maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour, stay on the indicated paths and leave your vehicle only in designated places.

The Bontle Rest Camp where you will spend two nights, you immediately give an Out of Africa experience! Located at the end of a narrow, winding path towards the Waterberg mountain pass, you will experience your first unforgettable camping experience.

Today you will spend more than 4 hours on the road to the next camping spot in another part of the Waterberg region. The name ‘Waterberg’ was given to this area by the Voortrekkers because of the many streams, waterfalls, ponds and swamps. The fastest route to the next camping site is via the N1 highway in a northerly direction to Polokwane and from there to the Waterberg Wilderness Reserve. A nice area to drive through, but you will only see the true beauty when you enter the parks.

Waterberg is a vast piece of nature in the Limpopo province that has been declared a protected biosphere reserve by UNESCO. It is so beautiful here and the landscape is so varied that the Waterbergen are often called the best kept secret of South Africa.

Because there are no large predators in the Waterberg Wilderness reserve, you can go hiking or cycling with mountain bikes here. Horse riding is also possible. Fantastic to stand face to face with giraffes, zebras, wildebeests and antelopes.

The Waterberg Wilderness Reserve where you will camp for the next two nights is one of the more unspoilt scenic and natural areas in South Africa. Due to the rugged nature of the reserve, a 4 × 4 vehicle is necessary. Certain parts of the Waterberg Wilderness Reserve offer spectacular views of the surrounding hills and valleys and exploring the impressive gorges with natural streams and lakes is certainly a highlight.

Today you drive 170 kilometers to your next destination: Mapungubwe National Park in the north of the province of Limpopo against the border with Botswana. You follow the R521 in a northerly direction. Make sure you drive into the village of Alldays to refuel and possibly do a few small groceries before you enter the park.
The park consists of two parts: Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape and Mapungubwe World Heritage Site. Here you will stay for the next two nights.

In the 1930s, the then white owner of this piece of land, Mr. Van Graan, found remains of gold objects. Subsequently archaeologists found many objects that give a clear picture of how people lived in this area in the 8th and 9th centuries. It is suspected that this African kingdom has become rich through trade with East Africa and with the then Persia, Egypt, India and China. The most striking and most important finds were a statue of a golden rhino, a golden bowl and a golden scepter.

The park is very varied, first it is flat with sandstone formations, then again woody and then mountainous. It has been part of SANparks (South African National Parks) since 1995, and since July 2003 it has been declared a World Heritage Site. All known animals can be found here: elephant, giraffe, zebra, black rhino, white rhino (rare), kudu, warthog, moose, wildebeest, impala, red hartebeest, klipspringer, ibex, gemsbok, diver, waterbuck, bosbok, lion (rare), leopard, brown and spotted hyena (rare), forest hog, aardvark, cheetah (rare) and wild dog ( rare). And don’t forget the approximately 400 species of birds.

You will not be bored for the next two days, there are plenty of activities including a Tree top walk (canopy tour), morning bush walk, afternoon or evening game drives with guide, an Eco route for self-driving, bird watching, a guided visit to Mapungubwe Archeological Site and the San Rock murals. ‘The Confluence’ is a three-country point with a view over the point where the Shashe and Limpopo rivers meet. There are picnic areas in the shade, toilets and a small shop.

You will stay two nights at the small Mazhou Camp Site in the Mapungubwe Park. In the park there is a restaurant where you can go for breakfast, lunch and dinner and there is a small shop with basic necessities (note: there is no ATM in the park).

Today you will head east to the world most famous Kruger National Park where you will stay the coming nights and go on safari with your own camper! The park is exceptionally rich in mammals and birds and this in combination with the surface makes it one of the best game reserves in the world. The park has an extensive network of roads and camps, but luckily that does not affect nature. There are, however, rules that you must adhere to both to protect the animals and to guarantee your own safety. Consider the maximum speed, always keep a sufficient distance from wild animals, only get out at the designated places, keep windows closed and make sure you arrive at dusk at the camp. The best times for spotting animals are the early morning until around 10 a.m. and the late afternoon. A quiet picnic at a drinking place or in the camp is a good way to spend the hottest hours of the day.

From Mapungubwe it is about 270 kilometers to the Punda Maria camp in the Kruger Park, a journey of at least 4 hours. You enter the park at the Punda Maria gate and then the game search can begin! When you enter South Africa’s National Parks, you pay a lot conservation fee.

The northern part of Kruger Park is an area with a unique biodiversity. This is one of the few places where forests with fever trees grow next to forests with colossal baobabs. These trees stand along the banks of the Limpopo and Luvuvhu rivers. Between the massive dark brown trunks of the baobabs, the slender, pale and luminous green trunks of the fever trees gleam softly.

Just beyond the Punda Maria entrance is the eponymous Punda Maria rest camp where you will spend the coming night. The camp is located in the Sandveld region that is known as the botanical garden of the Kruger National Park. Here you will find many plant species, unique in their kind. Also a lot of game comes here such as the impala, zebra, buffalo, elephant, moose and sable antelope. The bird lover also looks his eyes out, because the area is a true bird paradise!

In the small camp you can enjoy a barbeque, relax with your camper, or simply admire the beautiful landscape! Thanks to the many facilities you will get a great safari experience! In the Punda Maria Rest Camp you can also book an organized game drive with ranger. There is also a small shop with a restaurant and a gas station.

Enjoy your own game drive while driving to your
next overnight camp. You will see that the vegetation is changing towards the central part of the park and therefore also the animals present. Don’t forget to stop close to a watering place to see if there might be wild game. The total distance to the Letaba Rest Camp is less than 180 kilometers, but because you have to stick to the speed limit and you want to have time quietly on the way to spot game, this ride will certainly take four hours. We advise you not to leave too late and make a lunch stop en route at the Mopani Rest Camp.

The  Letaba Rest Camp is a green oasis located on the edge of the mopani belt on the eponymous river and in the middle of the Kruger Park. Due to the presence of the Letaba river, this is one of the best places to see wildlife in the winter. Elephants and buffalo are widely seen here and lions are the dominant predators. The omnipresent mopani bushes can make it difficult to find wildlife, but from the not too large camp you have a beautiful view of the river where animals can almost always be seen. It is a malaria area so take care of prevention. Always have a flashlight in the dark!

You will stay two nights at this camp so that you can explore the area well and possibly book a game drive or bush walk with an expert ranger.

Lower Sabie is your next stop and also last in the Kruger Park and is located on the southeast side of the Kruger Park, fairly close to the border with Mozambique. The distance from Lebaba is approximately 170 kilometers and you can make a stopover on the way, for example Satara Rest Camp.

Your final destination, Lower Sabie Rest Camp, is one of the oldest rest camps within the Kruger Park. It is a popular location for South Africans to go on safari. The camp is on the Sabie River and traditionally forms a good environment for game.

The closest concentration of leopards is said to be here, the trees on the river in any case provide a good environment for these animals.

Lower Sabie Lower Sabie is also a well-equipped camp with quite a few rondavels, chalets and camping pitches. There is a restaurant whose deck is built above the river. Along the river are benches from where you can observe the animal life in and around the river. The camp also has a reception, shop and cafeteria.

Enjoy your last night among the wild animals!

You can leave the Kruger Park via various exits. If desired, you can make a game drive this morning (with your own car or with a ranger) or bush walk.The shortest route to your next stop is through the Skukuza Rest Camp to the Kruger gate to leave the park. Then you drive via Hazyview to your final destination Sabie, a total distance of 145 kilometers. The town of Sabie is located at an altitude of around 1,000 meters and the former Voortrekkers usually stored their base camps in this area because of the height there was less chance of malaria. From here the men went into the low field (which also houses the Kruger Park), to hunt.

Various hiking and mountain bike routes have been mapped out from Sabie. The Mac Mac Pools are located about 15 kilometers north of the village, and you can swim in a crystal clear water on a warm day. A three-kilometer walk can be made from here, you pay a (small) entrance fee for the Mac Mac pools. Sabie is also the starting point for many routes to picnic areas and viewpoints with views of waterfalls such as the Sabie, Horseshoe, Lone Creek, Bridal Veil and MacMac Falls.

In addition to the many waterfalls that you can visit, you should definitely reserve a day for a ride along the Panorama Route. Here you will find beautiful scenery and you will be able to take incredibly beautiful photos in clear weather. From your accommodation to the northernmost vantage point of the route, the Three Rondavels, is a distance of about 90 kilometers. To explore this area, drive north from the property to Graskop and then through the Blyde River Canyon nature reserve where you will first be past the lookout point named Gods Window . You can then make a stop at Bourke’s Luck Potholes where you can admire huge holes. After you have also visited the Three Rondavels, you drive back to Graskop from where you can, if time permits, make a trip to the nearby Pilgrims Rest. This old mining village is an open-air museum and definitely worth a look. Graskop itself is also nice to visit and recently there has been a ‘glass lift’ with which you can descend into the canyon and see this area from a different perspective.

Your campsite is for the next two nights Merry Pebbles.

Today, unfortunately, the last day of this unique holiday has arrived. You drive in a southerly direction to the N4 motorway towards Johannesburg (approximately 350 kilometers). We hope you enjoyed this adventurous journey in Africa! You must hand in your motorhome before 4 pm at the depot in Johannesburg. You can then be taken to the airport. If you fly back late in the evening, you still have time to quietly have a bite to eat at the airport and perhaps buy some last souvenirs.