A trip that includes a Big 5 Safari, a visit to the historic Zulu Battlefields, the stunning Drakensberg Mountains, and the stunning beaches south of Durban.
Duration: 13 Days
Grading:EASYMax Group Size: 6
Type:SMALL GROUPPrices from: £2565
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Tour Overview
This trip provides for a variety of experiences, including game viewing, a visit to a Zulu village and Kwa Zulu Natal’s historic battlefields, a stay in the stunning Drakensberg mountains – and finishes up at the unspoilt beaches south of Durban.
The trip commences with game drives in a relatively unknown game reserve rich with wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, rhino, hippo and giraffe. We travel on to the historical battlefields of Kwa Zulu Natal, where we sit under the shade of trees overlooking the battlefields and hear a local historian recount how the Zulus used tactical judgement, courage and aggressive spirit to overcome a mix of misunderstanding, miscalculation, and sheer bad luck which led to one of the worst defeats suffered by the British Army in the Victorian era.
The Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg – a World Heritage Site – provides some of the most scenic mountain scenery in Africa. Activity options here include walks to take in ancient bushman paintings, mountainous scenery and waterfalls, golf, horseriding and fishing.
We finish up on the beaches south of Durban, where in season, whales can be seen either from the shore or by boat. As might be expected, local restaurants serve excellent seafood here.
Accommodation is in excellent owner-managed or National Park Lodges which will provide us with picnic lunches and home cooked evening meals. Our guides are experts in local history and culture (for the Battlefields), wildlife and the environment, giving a quality experience for our guests.
This trip commences with game drives in a relatively unknown game reserve rich with wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, rhino, hippo and giraffe. At the historical battlefields of Kwa Zulu Natal, we sit under the shade of trees and hear a local historian recount how the Zulus used tactical judgement, courage and aggressive spirit to overcome a mix of misunderstanding, miscalculation, and sheer bad luck which led to one of the worst defeats suffered by the British Army in the Victorian era.
The Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – provides some of the most scenic mountain scenery in Africa. Activity options here include walks to take in ancient bushman paintings, mountainous scenery and waterfalls, golf, horseriding and fishing.
We finish up on the beaches south of Durban, where in season, whales can be seen either from the shore or by boat, the beaches are excellent for relaxation and local restaurants serve excellent seafood.
Guiding and support
We use qualified Botanists to lead this tour: their knowlege and passion for their country, its wildlife and cultures make for an informative and thrilling trip. At Isandlwana - in the Battlefields, we use a local historian to relate the story of the Zulu Battles.
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Tour Highlights
Listening to the sounds of the African bush round the evening fire - Game viewing in a wildlife-rich reserve - Visit a Zulu village and hear about the Zulu Battles - Activities in the stunning Drakensberg mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Relaxation on the beach – whale watching opportunities in season
Itinerary
Day 1 | Flight to Johannesburg
Overnight flight from London to Johannesburg.
Days 2 and 3 | St Lucia Wetlands Reserve
Transfer to St Lucia Wetlands Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site rich with birds and wildlife; and then free day for activites: whale watching, sunset cruise, visit a local Zulu village, BBQ on the sand dunes, hiking trails, etc
Day 4 | Game drives in Hluhluwe/Imfolozie Reserve
We take game drives in Hluhluwe/Imfolozie Reserve, where we overnight at a comfortable Lodge and sit round a campfire after dinner listening to the sounds of the African bush.
Day 5 | Zululand Battlefields
We drive to the historic Zululand Battlefields: this afternoon guests have an opportunity to visit a local Zulu village.
Day 6 | Ukhahlamba Drakensberg National Park
We spend the morning hearing about the battles of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, lead by a local historian guide, before driving on to the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg National Park, where we spend the next 3 days surrounded by magnificent mountain scenery.
Day 7 | Tugela Gorge hike
An opportunity to take a guided, easy 14km hike through the incredibly beautiful Tugela Gorge, which includes views of the famous sheet rock face of the ‘Amphitheatre’ (an 8km wall of cliff and canyon) and the Tugela waterfall which plummets 948m in five clear leaps. Alternative activities are available and can be arranged on request.
Days 8 and 9 | Cathedral Peak Nature Reserve
We drive on through the Park, on a little-travelled road past Zulu villages - to Cathedral Peak Nature Reserve. There is an opportunity to visit an Interpretive Centre for an insight into the art and culture of the San people, and take a short walk to see ancient bushman paintings before making our way to our lodge accommodation for a 2 night stay near Giants Castle.
This cosy farm-style retreat in the Drakensberg Mountains is a place of legendary culinary delight. Evening meals start with drinks and then a talk on their history and then a presentation on dinner: which is a 5 course adventure.
From the lodge, explore mountain trails, go horse riding, fishing, birding and swimming in mountain pools. The area is known for its fauna, flora and San rock art.
Day 10 | Luxury guest lodge
We continue on to the coast: little visited by international visitors, this stretch of coastline is unspoilt. In season (July –Nov), whales can be seen from the shoreline. The beaches are uncrowded and stretch for miles, and are perfect for swimming and relaxing. Seafood in local restaurants is excellent, and local shops provide for gift needs.
(Approx drive time 4 hours)
Our accommodation here for two nights is in a luxury guest lodge with sweeping ocean views 200 m from the sand, surf and rock pools. All rooms have their own private sundeck, and the lodge also has a pool and bar.
Day 11 | Whale watching and deep sea fishing
Optional whale watching and deep sea fishing trips (in season) will depart early morning: otherwise the day is given over to relaxation on the coast.
Day 12 | Flight Durban to Johannesburg
After breakfast we make our way to Durban airport for your return flight to London via Johannesburg.
Tourism is fundamental to Kwazulu Natal’s economy and this itinerary brings visitors to areas concerned with preserving the natural and historical surroundings.
Our guide on this trip is local, and a qualified botanist: his wildlife spotting skills and knowledge of the flora and fauna will make for an informative and exciting experience. His knowledge of local cultures will provide a valuable insight when passing through different tribal areas.
We keep group sizes to a maximum of 12 people to avoid overwhelming local communities and to ensure that our guests have maximum opportunity to interact with their guide and the locals. Small groups also give us the added benefit of travelling on back roads (we don’t need big coaches) and staying in smaller guesthouses and B&Bs which tend to be more homely and personal.
Our entry fees to the Game Reserve help fund a conservation programme to save the endangered black rhino, whose number in Africa has dwindled from 14 000 to a pitiful 2 550 in the past decade.
At the battlefields, we stay at a lodge built with the intention of providing employment opportunities for the local community and revenue to support the building of clinics and schools for the local Zulu village, which guests can visit.
The trip to the village is undertaken with small groups, and allows visitors to interact with villagers via a translator from the village. Visitors are likely to be invited into villagers’ homes, may visit the school and will be encouraged to ask questions.
The World Heritage Site of the Drakensbergs are managed by KZN Wildlife, who ensure that local communities benefit directly from the protected areas through managed natural resource use, craft markets, partnerships in eco-tourism developments and through a tourism levy.
We use accommodation that is small and locally owned, ensuring that the costs are retained in the local economy. A number of the lodges have been built using local materials, and are designed to blend in with their environment. They operate eco friendly policies which are intended to ensure they use natural resources with minimal negative effect on their environment.
Our Trusted Partner's Responsible and Sustainable Travel Policy
Tourism brings huge benefits to host destinations and its populations. The money spent by tourists often injects much-needed funds into local economies and provides jobs – and career prospects – in areas where jobs could otherwise be scarce. However, tourism on a mass scale can be detrimental - destroying the local environment, threatening ancient traditions and cultures, and bringing little real economic benefit to local people.
In terms of global warming, carbon dioxide emissions from air travel, road transport and accommodation - and we encourage our guests to act responsibly when using energy or buying air travel and balance the environmental impact of travelling with the huge benefits that sustainable tourism can bring to local people.
We are committed to offering sustainable tourism options that is sensitive to host cultures, benefits local economies and informs visitors about local cultures and the environment. Our itineraries have been fully researched and developed on the five principles below, which we believe will provide authentic, rewarding holidays that give a real appreciation of local cultures and environments for our guests.
Our Principles
Each of the itineraries we put together have been put together on the basis of the following principles:
Excellent, small, hospitable and authentic accommodation. Examples of the accommodation used includes luxury permanent tents, allowing guests a very comfortable but 'in-the-bush' experience, a luxury ranch which shares its home with a big cats foundation (with objectives to rehabilitate orphaned or injured cats back into the wild), or luxury lodges beautifully situated on game reserves in the thick of the African bush. Most accommodation chosen is small and owners will personally welcome guests and give advice on what to do locally.
Excellent Guides, giving guests a real opportunity to learn about local customs, the environment they are travelling through and wildlife they will see. Usually local to the area themselves, the Guides are passionate about their country and keen to pass on their knowledge. Their trained eyes and ability to speak local language / dialects makes all the difference when wildlife spotting and getting the low-down on what’s where from the locals.
Lots of activities: we aim to help guests make the most of their holiday, with a full menu of optional activities, but would always aim to ensure that recommended activities organisers are operating eco-sensitively. Examples might include a fly-in trip to a Himba tribe, eco-quad biking down the sand dunes, taking a dolphin-spotting cruise, a hot-air balloon flight over the desert, a visit to a tribal witch doctor or an evening star-gazing - with champagne - through telecscopes. Things that can't be done too easily back home!
Inside glimpses at local life: each of our group itineraries offers an insight to local customs or visits a charitable project supporting the local environment or community. The funds that are paid to visit these projects support their work and there are opportunities for guests to contribute further if they so wish. See individual itineraries for details but examples include a visit to a ‘big cats’ conservation project and a visit to a local school.
Eco-Tourism: we aim to make minimal impact on the environments we visit. Our logo is intentionally representative of our philosophy as we aim to leave only footprints behind.
The companies we work with in each destination have all signed up to our Responsible Tourism Policy and most have their own projects running to benefit local communities. Each group itinerary includes an eco-tourism statement which explains the benefits that visitors bring to the areas visited.
All lodges and accommodations used - being small - benefit the local communities by employing local people and ensuring that profits stay local.
Our itineraries aim to get off the beaten tracks, away from the main crowds to give a more priviledged – and usually far more rewarding – experience. We encourage guests to interact with local people, and believe that greater understanding between cultures promotes better social harmony. Getting to lesser-visited areas provides much-needed economic benefits to communities not on the main tourist maps.
Highlights of our trips may often be the more simple things: watching the sun set over the African bush, sitting round the evening fire with a drink, contemplating the mass of stars after dark, seeing the colourful hues change over the desert at sunrise, and falling asleep to the sounds of the African bush.
We ask our guests to respect local customs and traditions by ensuring appropriate dress and behaviour, heeding the advice of their Guide when around wildlife, buying locally made products (but avoiding products made from endangered plants or wildlife – if in doubt, ask your Guide), use water sparingly and turn off power when not using (eg air conditioning, lights, etc).If wishing to take photographs of local people, we advise that permission is sought and a small payment offered.
About our Trusted Partner
Native Escapes specialises in tailor made and small group trips to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique.
The company’s philosophy is built on 4 principles: we use high quality, small and authentic accommodation, qualified botanists or local historians as guides, include opportunities for lots of activities that are unique to the destination, and focus on ethical-tourism.
Trips offered by Native Escapes are different because we advocate travel in small groups, with highly qualified guides, whose passion for and knowledge of their environment makes a trip informative and fun. We use high quality accommodation – mostly 4 star equivalent or higher – in small lodges and bushcamps. Our itineraries offer experiences that you can’t have back home – like hot air ballooning over the desert, swimming with dolphins and watching wildlife from a canoe.
At the core of our philosophy is ethical travel: we work with suppliers who are ensuring that the benefits of tourism are widely spread: in Namibia, tracking cheetah activities benefit a local foundation dedicated to the rehabilitation of big cats back into the wild, in Zambia, the accommodation providers fund a medical clinic for the local village. We have also set up links with local schools and orphanages where our itineraries are based, and can advise guests on items they may wish to take to donate: such as stationery, toys or clothes. We have also teamed up with Against Malaria, a charity looking to expand the use of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets in Africa, with the ultimate aim of combating the disease which kills nearly a million people, mostly children, and mostly in Africa. We are buying a malaria net for every person who books with us, and clients can see where ‘their net’ ends up by visiting http://www.againstmalaria.com/nativeescapesagainstmalaria. Finally, we have set up a group on Facebook called ‘Travel with a Conscience’: to join, sign up at Facebook.com and type ‘Travel with a Conscience’ into the search box.
Wildlife, Mountains & Beaches : Wildlife Mountains and Beaches at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Wildlife, Mountains & Beaches
Whale watching : Wildlife Mountains and Beaches at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Whale watching
Mountain Walks : Wildlife Mountains and Beaches at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Mountain Walks
Beach time - Wildlife, Mountains & Beaches : Wildlife Mountains and Beaches at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
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