Kruger & Coast

Intrepid Travel Premier
Has very high quality customer experiences and demonstrated commitment to responsible travel practices. read more
4.6 . Excellent
94%
Travel Style: Array Full on
Physical Level: All or most of day hiking or biking, hills included. Moderate
Lodging Level: You'll stay in no-frills, but clean and comfortable, hotels or guesthouses. A 'Basic' trip might also involve a few nights of camping. Basic (2*)
9 days
From: $ 959 $ 107 / day
Checking price

Overview

Highlights (Bullets)

  • Experience a once-in-a-lifetime chance to camp at the Black Mambas headquaters, the world's first all-female anti-poaching unit. Join them for a bush walk to search for snares and hear their inspiring stories around the campfire in the evening.
  • Go on an epic safari in search of lions, hyenas and more through Kruger National Park – one of the largest National Parks in southern Africa.
  • Go overland in a purpose-built truck and stop to take in geological wonders like Bourke’s Luck Potholes along the Panorama Route.
  • Experience St Lucia from a whole new perspective on a guided Boat Safari down this UNESCO-listed landmark.
  • Swap four wheels for two legs on a guided walking safari through the Hlane Royal National Park with an expert Swazi guide, keeping an eye out for antelopes and zebras passing by.
  • By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, Patinaai Osim Community Care Organisation. Donations support their livelihood programs which help indigenous Maasai women identify alternative income-generating activities to support their families.

Short Description

Experience the diversity of southern Africa on a nine-day adventure that takes you to wildlife-rich game parks, idyllic beaches, wetlands and small villages, exploring with a local leader along the way. Search for lions in Kruger National Park, enjoy a bushwalk accompanied by members of the world's first all-female anti-poaching unit, relax on the sands of Cape Vidal and more. A mixture of included activities and free time make this tour perfect for travellers who want the benefit of on-the-ground local knowledge with some of the freedom of independent travel.

Style Small group tour
Spend most of the time outdoors. Common trip themes and activities include cycling, hiking, kayaking, whitewater rafting.
Itinerary Focus Active
You'll stay in no-frills, but clean and comfortable, hotels or guesthouses. A 'Basic' trip might also involve a few nights of camping.
Lodging Level Basic (2*)
Flight & Transport Inclusions All internal ground transport
Start City Johannesburg
End City Durban

Attractions & Cities Visited

Durban Johannesburg Kruger National Park

Activities & Interests

Land expedition Wildlife viewing

Age Requirement

15-99

No Single Supplement
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Itinerary

Day 1 Johannesburg

Sawubona! Welcome Johannesburg, the sprawling South African capital. In Joburg (unlike a lot of city nicknames, this is one people actually use) mansions stand alongside humble tin abodes and there are as many green parks on the outskirts of the city as there is concrete jungle in the centre. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm. If you can’t wait to begin exploring and arrive with time to spare, why not make your way to the Apartheid Museum and start your journey with some crucial history before you meet up with your group.

Day 2 Greater Kruger National Park - Black Mambas HQ

Rise and shine for a long day’s drive to the outskirts of Kruger National Park where you'll be lucky enough to camp for the evening at the Black Mambas headquarters. The Intrepid Foundation is proudly partnered with Helping Rhinos, who directly support the work of the Black Mambas - the world's first all-female anti-poaching unit. Made up of a team of 36 young African women, the Mambas patrol 20,000 hectares of the Balule Nature Reserve, part of Greater Kruger National Park. Turning a traditionally male-dominated industry on its head, they’re putting their female prowess to work protecting Kruger National Park's wildlife in an unconventional way. You'll join them on a bush walk to learn how they find and destroy snares firsthand. Enjoy a special dinner by lantern light and later, relax by the campfire with the Mambas as they share stories about their path to becoming a Black Mamba and conservation work.

Day 3 Kruger National Park

Wave goodbye to the Mambas and take a scenic drive along the famous Panorama Route through some of the most stunning scenery South Africa has to offer, such as Bourke’s Luck Potholes. In the evening, choose to relax at your camp, located in Kruger National Park, or perhaps head out on an optional night drive with the park guide. The optional night drives are a chance to spot nocturnal animals and perhaps even a night-time predator or two – maybe catch a lion or hyena out hunting, or perhaps an impala out in search of a late-night feed.

Day 4 Kruger National Park

Rise early and enjoy a light breakfast before heading out on 4x4 jeeps for a full-day game drive. Most of your day will be spent spotting game, birdwatching, and stopping at various waterholes and viewpoints to rest along the way. Kruger National Park is one of the largest National Parks in Southern Africa. It boasts over 500 bird species, 100 species of reptile and 150 mammal species, including the Big Five and the endangered African wild dog. Drive through some of Kruger’s prime game viewing areas on your way to camp and try to spot some of these amazing creatures straight away! Set up camp and get settled for the evening.

Day 5 Hlane Royal National Park

Start the day with a slow game drive through Kruger, covering between 20 and 70 kilometres (depending on what animals you see along the way) in the park then exiting by mid-morning. Hit the road towards Hlane Royal National Park. Travel south-east and cross the border into the kingdom of Eswatini, a country nestled between Mozambique, Northern Zululand and Mpumalanga. Arrive at Hlane Royal National Park, a vast expanse of bushveld with ancient hardwood trees, and begin exploring immediately on a guided game walk. The walking safari, led by a local guide, will give you the best understanding of how large and complex the ecosystem in this park is. With a professional ranger by your side, you’ll look out for animals like rhino, giraffe, and elephant while also searching for tiny creatures like snakes, spiders, and small mammals (don’t worry, there’s no lions in the section of the park where you’ll be walking). You’ll spend tonight at a camp within the national park.

Day 6 Hlane Royal National Park

Today you’ll have the opportunity to further explore Hlane Royal National Park at your leisure. You might like to book an optional 4x4 game drive within the park, where you can expect to see all kinds of animals like antelopes, elephants, zebras, rhinos, and lions. Guided by a local Swazi guide, these drives typically take 2-2.5hrs either in the early morning or late afternoon. Another optional activity for today is to visit the Hlane Umphakatsi (Chief Village) - a tour of the authentic living homestead and opportunity to discover the Swazi way of life. You'll learn more about the traditional culture here, get to know the locals and even get a chance to try your hand at day-to-day activities. You’ll discover how Umphakatsi is a special village since it is one of the few with a female Chief: Inkhosikati.

Day 7 St Lucia Estuary

Depart Hlane this morning and cross the border to Lake St Lucia, part of the St Lucia Estuary, stopping at a shop for supplies along the way. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1999, St Lucia Estuary is home to thousands of varieties of birds, mammals and reptiles, including hundreds of hippos and crocodiles. On arrival at camp, jump onboard a Hippo Boat Safari which offers a different perspective to traditional Game viewing with the chance to spot creatures cruising down the estuary, or basking on the banks.

Day 8 St Lucia Estuary

We'll take a day trip to Cape Vidal today for some time by the sand in the sun. Cape Vidal lies within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site and sits on the exquisite Zululand coast – home to a rich array of marine life. This area is visited seasonally by humpback whales during their migrations, as well as loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles that come to the beaches north of Cape Vidal from November to February to nest. You can spend the day relaxing on the beach or speak to your leader about booking some of the optional activities in the area. You’ll head back to your camp at Lake St Lucia this afternoon.

Day 9 Durban

Continue to Durban after breakfast today. With no activities or accommodation planned, your adventure comes to an end on arrival today. Durban is South Africa's second most populous city, boasting sandy beaches and a glitzy nightlife – a great place to extend your stay and enjoy some leisure time. Perhaps take the opportunity for a final dinner with your fellow travellers this evening.

Availability

Checking price
Price From $ 959
Price Per Day: $ 107 per day
Checking price
Start DateFinish DateBase PriceAvailability 
Dec-09-2023Dec-17-2023$ 1,245Sold Out Reserve
Dec-16-2023Dec-24-2023$ 1,660Sold Out Reserve
Jan-13-2024Jan-21-2024$ 95917 spots left Reserve
Feb-17-2024Feb-25-2024$ 1,09616 spots left Reserve
Mar-09-2024Mar-17-2024$ 1,09612 spots left Reserve
Apr-13-2024Apr-21-2024$ 1,09616 spots left Reserve
May-11-2024May-19-2024$ 1,09622 spots left Reserve
Jun-15-2024Jun-23-2024$ 1,14015 spots left Reserve
Jul-20-2024Jul-28-2024$ 1,18412 spots left Reserve
Aug-10-2024Aug-18-2024$ 1,18422 spots left Reserve
Sep-07-2024Sep-15-2024$ 1,18418 spots left Reserve
Sep-21-2024Sep-29-2024$ 1,18420 spots left Reserve
Oct-05-2024Oct-13-2024$ 1,14022 spots left Reserve
Oct-19-2024Oct-27-2024$ 1,14022 spots left Reserve
Nov-02-2024Nov-10-2024$ 1,14022 spots left Reserve
Nov-16-2024Nov-24-2024$ 1,14021 spots left Reserve
Dec-07-2024Dec-15-2024$ 1,18422 spots left Reserve
Dec-21-2024Dec-29-2024$ 1,48021 spots left Reserve
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4,407 Intrepid Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings

94%
4.6 out of 5 (100+ reviews)
Excellent 3,319
Great 671
Average 144
Disappointing 80
Terrible 193
Value
4.6
Guide
4.6
Activities
4.6
Lodging
4.6
Transportation
4.6
Meals
4.6

Kruger & Coast

The scenery was amazing and intrepid's choice

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
The scenery was amazing and intrepid's choice of venues were very good but Emma and Alf made this trip the best. They made us feel more like friends than clients. I never needed anything as Emma and Alf were always one step ahead making sure that everyone was well looked after. Emma's knowledge is unbelievable and her patience incredible. If I was ever to come back to South Africa I would want to be on tour with these guys.
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Guide(s) : Emma and Alf were knowledgeable

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
Guide(s) : Emma and Alf were knowledgeable, patient, funny and flat out amazing. _x000D_
Itinerary: incredibly varied itinerary (countryside, beaches, game viewing, cities) kept things interesting. Several two night stops also helped break up the trip.
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Excellent itinerary, wonderful guides, and a good

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
Excellent itinerary, wonderful guides, and a good value.

It's a great balance between independent travel

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
It's a great balance between independent travel and seeing places I wouldn't find on my own, plus meeting people from all over the world.

I enjoyed the pace of the 9

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
I enjoyed the pace of the 9 days. We got to see so much but never felt rushed. It was fun to do a Basic travel experience at my age - not having done such a trip in many years - and we were fortunate that our group was so welcoming and fun. The guide and driver were a big part of the experience - Emma Broom and Alfred - and helped unite the group.
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Company Reviews

Avoid Intrepid

1.0
Details
Value1.0
Guide1.0
Activities1.0
Lodging1.0
Transportation1.0
Meals1.0
Many recent reviews are pointing to a sharp decline in quality and service with Intrepid. My recent experience echoes all that has been mentioned. They are appalling at responding to serious concerns. I have countless auto responses from its laughingly useless and lazy customer service department. Their financial management is a joke. They couldn't find my payment despite my twice providing traces from my bank. They are pathetic liars about not just the money. They lied about their failure to send me any information about my upcoming trip, how they omitted me from the group email circulation. They lied about anyone including a 'senior manager' trying to phone me.
Even the length of the trip is a con with first day being nothing more than a brief meeting at 1800. The last 'day' being breakfast at the hotel with not a sight or sound of the Rep.
Intrepid is a dishonest mess. They are now purely concerned with making money.
Do not use this company. They are terrible and there are many better (and safer) providers out there.
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Details

Flight & Transport Inclusions

All internal ground transport Overland vehicle

Group Size

Small Group - 24 max

Maximum Number of People in Group: 22

Accommodations

Camping with facilities (4 nights),Camping with basic facilities (3 nights),Hotel (1 night)

Guides

You will be accompanied by 3 crew members - Group Leader, Cook and Driver. Your Group Leader’s role involves organizing the overall operation and smooth-running of the trip, managing trip logistics, coordinating the tipping kitty (where applicable) and will form work groups to take turns cooking, cleaning and shopping (from time to time your leader may drive as well). Your Group Leader will work towards making the trip as safe and enjoyable as possible for all travellers. Intrepid trips are built around the co–operation and participation of all the group members under the supervision of the group leader. The group leader will show the group how to set up and use the equipment. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local guides where we think more specific knowledge will add to the enjoyment of the places we are visiting, especially when tracking and identifying game - we think it's the best of both worlds. Regardless of the country of origin, our Group Leaders are chosen for their leadership skills and are wonderful ambassadors for our company and our beautiful continent and its people. Your Cook is responsible for the cooking and will help to coordinate the work groups for preparing the meals and washing up! Cooks are also responsible for organising food shopping (they are always happy to have you on board) and most importantly, they make sure high hygiene standards are kept at all times while camping. Your Driver’s main responsibility is to get you to your destination safely; they are also responsible for the maintenance of the vehicles along the way. Everyone is expected participate and carry their share of the workload/duties, making camp chores easier. The duties rota system is adopted where all members share in general camp duties – cooking, shopping, washing up etc. If the whole group participates it will be quicker, easier, and more fun. We endeavour to provide the services of an experienced leader and crew; however, situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders.

Age Notes :

Min. Age: 15

Max Age: 99

Additional Information

Finish point

  • Road Lodge Umhlanga Ridge
  • Cnr Medigate and Hospital Road Umhlanga Ridge
  • Durban
  • 4321
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • Phone: +27 315807200

Trip ID#:

intrepid-UBOE

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