Tour Description
4 Day Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and St. Lucia Safari
This safari tour would be considered our best seller, it is designed for the traveler with a limited amount of time and wishes to get all the main highlights of the area in.
We start with a night in the town of St. Lucia, where you will enjoy a Hippo and Croc boat cruise. You will also go into the iSimangaliso Wetland Reserve and the beautifully stunning beach at Cape Vidal, an unspoiled beach paradise.
Then make your way across to the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve for your Big 5 safari! We stay within the actual reserve, immersing you in the wilderness and giving you the best African bush experience we can. Spend the next 2 days searching for wildlife and ticking off all Africa has to offer!
We will pick you up at Durban airport or your accommodation and transport you from Durban for your safari tour in Zululand. There are also a range of optional extras to choose from; night drives and the Cheetah Breeding Center to name a few, making a Hluhluwe Umfolozi safari one of a kind
4 Days / 3 Nights
Tour Duration
R23 650.00 pps
Tour Price
Min 2 Adults. Discounts apply for 4 or more people.
Highlights
Trip
• The best of Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve
• Big 5 Game Drive
• iSimangaliso World Heritage Site
• Hippo and Crocodile boat cruise
• All meals included
Full Tour Breakdown
Tour Overview
Tour Summary
Safari Includes
Safari Excludes
What To Bring
Arrive at Reserve & Afternoon Game Drive
Full Day Safari – Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve
Morning Safari & St Lucia Wetland Park
Hippo & Crocodile Boat Cruise & Departure
Disclaimer:
Guided transfers and return to Durban.
Accommodation, Reserve camp Bungalows (with En-suite bathrooms). BnB in St. Lucia.
Meals whilst on Safari: 2 dinners, 3 breakfast, 2 snack lunch, limited refreshments and tea/ coffee and breakfast snacks for entire time.
Game drives conducted in air-conditioned mini-bus, no limit.
Conservation (entrance) fees to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve and St Lucia Wetlands.
Hippo and Crocodile boat cruise
Gratuities for any service you may receive
Soft drinks and alcohol
Meals where indicated
Optional extra activities, open vehicle sunset game drive available
- You will need both warm and cold weather clothing, if it’s winter some areas will be very warm and in others, you will need a big jacket, maybe even a beanie. Summer is the rainy season so a waterproof windbreaker is a good idea.
- A bathing costume of sorts.
- Sunscreen and hat.
- Towel for swimming.
- Walking shoes of some sort, mainly for moving around camp at night.
- Insect repellent is a good idea. (Especially Summer). We are a low-risk malaria area.
- Binoculars are great to have.
- A camera is a must.
What To Look Forward To
Day By Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and afternoon game drive at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi
9:00AM – Meet and greet
Meet your EST guide and vehicle as your safari adventure is about to begin! Travel north to the surrounds of the rolling hills of Kwa Zulu Natal. The beauty is not only to be seen, it is also to be known as your guide explains the fascinating history of the area. Hear about the local tribes and their conflict with the arriving colonist, how the sugar cane farms came to be and the resulting Indian influence in the province.
12:00PM – Arrive at reserve
Enter the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve and immerse yourself within the Safari. Your private safari guide will use their years of expertise to find the myriad of wildlife that call this reserve their home. All this time, making your way toward camp, already compiling your bucket list of must see animals as you go.
13:30PM – Check in to accommodation – Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Camp
Arrive at your camp where you shall be situated for the next two days. It’s time to check in and get comfortable. Bear in mind you should always stay alert; there are game that might be walking right past your bungalow at any given time. Antelope, warthog and even zebra are popular on the lawns, giving you the chance to see them without moving very far at all.
15:00PM – Afternoon game drive
Leave for your afternoon game drive. As the heat of the day starts to wear off, so does the suns temporary hold on the animals subside, leaving you with a better chance of encountering them. The herbivores goal is to replenish themselves at the watering hole, while the predators are getting ready for what the cover of the nighttime brings. You will stop at a beautifully scenic spot along the way, for some snacks and a sun-downer (a thirst quenching beverage as the sun sets over the African landscape). Then it is back to camp before the darkness sets in.
19:00PM – Dinner
Dinner will be prepared by your guide in true South African tradition, cooked over hot coals under the African star-lit sky. If it is on the cards for you tonight, perhaps luck shall be on your side and you may receive a visit from some nocturnal animals such as hyena or genet cat.
Day 2: Full-Day Safari at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi
Dawn – Early morning game drive
An early start allows you to make the most of the day, which shall begin with a glorious African sunrise. However, that is not the only thing worth rising early for. Animals, such as lion and leopard are mostly nocturnal and the trick is to find them in action, getting their last minute business attended to before the heat slows them down. Not to worry though, the morning will be made easier with a steaming cup of coffee and a traditional SA biscuit (Rusk) to fire up those engines of yours. After a few hours of game viewing, giving you the opportunity to grow your checklist rapidly, you will stop along the way for breakfast snacks (biscuit, yoghurt, fruit and muffins) and another cup of steaming coffee/ tea.
11:00AM – Brunch
Your safari shall continue for a few more hours before it is time to stop for a cooked brunch on the banks of a tranquil river, under the shelter of a shady tree. With full tummies, make your way back to camp where your time is your own so spend at your leisure.
16:00PM – Afternoon game drive
Once you have worked up an appetite you will have lunch before heading off on a sunset game drive. As the ‘golden hour’ approaches the predators begin to stir, hopefully giving you the perfect photo opportunity in the soft light.
19:00PM – Dinner
Return to camp at sunset for another special meal cooked on the ‘Braai’ (BBQ). Magies vol, oogies toe (mouths full, eyes close) as they say in the local Afrikaans language. It is now time to rest after your long day of game watching.
Day 3: Morning Safari & St. Lucia Wetland Park
Dawn – Early game drive
Much like the previous day an early rise for a short game drive is on this morning’s schedule. It is a shorter drive as you are moving accommodation today. Your guide will be transporting you to another area within the park for an important change of scenery. This lends you the chance to experience something different and according to your guide’s vast knowledge of the habitats, they may assist you in trying to find those special creatures missing from your list. Coffee/ tea and breakfast snacks will be served out on your drive again and on return to camp a quick cooked breakfast shall be prepared.
10:00AM – Check out and onto St. Lucia
Check out, and do some game viewing on your way to the exit gates. Drive one hour towards the coast and the magnificent town of St. Lucia, the only town in the world completely surrounded by a national reserve, The iSimangaliso Wetland Reserve.
12:00PM – Lunch and explore
Once you have arrived in this quaint little coastal town, time is your own to explore at your will. Sit down for some lunch at your chosen local restaurant (own account) thereafter, check into your BnB accommodation.
14:00PM – iSimangaliso game drive
Enter the iSimangaliso Wetland Reserve. Here, you will spend the afternoon viewing wildlife and an array of stunning vistas. Visit the protected beach of Cape Vidal and feel the sand crunch between your toes, if you feel up to it maybe a dip in the warm Indian Ocean. Next stop is the Catalina boardwalk on Lake St. Lucia. Sit back and relax while you sip on a refreshing beverage as the sun sets over the lake. Experience hippo, crocodile and the incredible birdlife whistle by before returning back to your BnB.
19:00PM – Dinner in town
After a quick freshen up back at your accommodation we return to town for a scrumptious dinner and a chance to experience St Lucia by night (own account).
Day 4: Hippo and Crocodile boat cruise & Departure
7:30 – Morning at leisure
After a few days of early morning starts, this morning is yours to do with as you please. Take a walk down to the estuary mouth or amble around town, enjoy the gardens or simply have a lie in. When you are ready there shall be a cooked breakfast at the BnB, waiting for you to devour.
10:00AM – Hippo and Crocodile boat cruise
Swop the land for water as you take a two hour Hippo and Crocodile boat cruise on the estuary and Lake System. Get up close and personal with the hundreds of hippo that call this water course their home, offering you not only the opportunity to learn more about these magnificent creatures but the chance to capture them in photograph.
12:00PM – Departure
It’s time to check out and make your way back to Durban.
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