Your holiday starts at Johannesburg Airport at breakfast time where we will meet with our guide. We then take the long drive to Mpumalanga and the small town of Graskop. En route we will travel via the Long Tom Pass and stop off to look at the cannon on the top. The pass was named after "The Long Tom", silver cannons used in the Second Boer War and a commemorative cannon sits on top of the pass. The Long Tom Pass was once a treacherous journey of steep hairpin bends and hair-raising drops and was originally the route followed by pioneer wagon drivers transporting goods from Mozambique to Lyndenburg. We'll also stop off for a picnic lunch at Lone Creek Falls, a 70m waterfall close to the town of Sabie. This is a great place for a swim in hot weather. We'll also view the impressive Mac Mac falls before travelling on to Graskop, where we check into our accommodation at Mogodi Lodge. Accommodation will be in family chalets, each with 2 separate rooms, a shared bathroom and open plan lounge. Drive time today will be around 6 hours plus stopping time (450km).

The magnificent Panorama Route drive in Mpumalanga is best-known for its cultural heritage and its dramatic landscapes. Today we will check out God's Window, Bourke's Luck Potholes and the Blyde River, home to spectacular wildlife and birdlife and some of the best views in South Africa. We'll then journey on via the Abel Erasmus Pass and the JG Strydom tunnels to Moholoholo Mountain View. We arrive in the late afternoon and head out in the open game drive vehicle in search of some of the many animals on the reserve. We have a good chance of seeing buffalo and all the plains game. Drive time today will be approximately 3 hours plus stopping time (150km).

After breakfast we’ll visit the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre for a guided tour. The centre, established in 1991 is home to many wounded animals and the aim of the project is to contribute to the conservation of endangered species and the rehabilitation of injured and poisoned wildlife. Animals at the centre include lion, leopard, serval, lynx, honey badger, eagles, vultures and can include an array of baby animals depending on when we visit! After our tour we’ll drive into the Kruger National Park spotting for big game as we drive to our camp. We’ll overnight at a Kruger Park campsite, which has a swimming pool and small shop. Drive time 2 hours (150km) plus game drives in the park. Swimming: At campsite pool.

Today we'll enjoy morning and late afternoon game drives (in our vehicle) in the world-famous Kruger National Park. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of almost 20,000 square kilometres is unrivalled in terms of biodiversity and is a world leader in advanced environmental management policies. Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 113 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals, including the "Big Five": lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant and Cape buffalo. Each of our game drives today will be for around 3 hours, giving us plenty of time to spot the "Big Five" and more! Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to see the animals, so we'll take some out during the heat of the day to rest and chill out by the pool. Swimming: At campsite pool.

After a final morning game drive (3 hours approximately) in the Kruger, we’ll leave the park and cross the border into eSwatini. ESwantini is one of the smallest countries in Africa and is one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies. Bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa and to the east by Mozambique, the country is named after the 19th century king, Mswati II and is about the same size as Wales. Despite its small area, the country has a variety of landscape including mountains, savannah and rain forest. We’ll drive to the King of eSwatini's traditional hunting reserve, now a game reserve - Hlane. In the afternoon we’ll set up camp and sit around the waterhole at sunset, looking out for rhino who come down to drink. Drivetime today will be 3 hours (280km) and we’ll enjoy a 3 hour drive in the Kruger in the morning.

In the morning there is the option to take a guided game walk through the reserve with a good chance of seeing rhino. Note that children must be aged 12 and up to take part in the game walk. Alternatively families can take a game drive or relax by the waterhole. After a late brunch we'll drive to Mantega Nature Reserve where in the afternoon we'll enjoy a guided tour through a traditional village. The Mantega Village is a mini-complex huts, each with its own specific purpose. Kraals (or byres) for cattle and goats, reed fences that serve as windbreaks and various other structures. With traditional artefacts on display, the village showcases many facets of the ancient Swazi way of life. We then transfer to our camping accommodation at Mlilwane for the night. Approx drive time 2 hours (130km). Swimming: At the swimming pool at the campsite.

After an early start we drive through southern eSwatini before re-entering South Africa at the Lavumisa border. From here we drive to St Lucia, via the Pongolapoort Dam, the third largest in South Africa. We arrive in the afternoon in time to set up camp. Drive time around 5 hours (350km).

The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of 13 protected areas and is the largest estuarine system in Africa. The marine conditions in the estuary have resulted in a variety of landforms and ecosystems, including wide submarine canyons, sandy beaches, forested dunes and a mosaic of wetlands, grasslands, forests, lakes and savannah. As this is such an extensive area with a wide range of different habitat environments, animals of all sorts may be seen including hippos and crocodiles on the St Lucia estuary. Wildlife in the park also includes nesting turtles on the beaches, migrating whales, dolphins and sharks offshore and huge numbers of birds including pelicans, storks, herons and terns. In the morning we enjoy a boat tour on the St Lucia estuary and will be on the look-out for birdlife and wildlife with a good chance of seeing both. In the afternoon we travel Cape Vidal where we have a chance of seeing Rhino. We will spend some time at a good swimming beach and in exploring the interesting inter tidal pools. Later we return to our campsite for dinner.

After breakfast at camp we drive to the Natal north coast which will be our base for the next two nights. Drive time approximately 4 hours (300km). On arrival we can enjoy the coast and the beach, and relax.

A free day. Our ocean view accommodation is right on the long sandy Umdloti Beach. We can walk along the beach to the main area, where there is a tidal pool for swimming. We can watch the waves and the surfers during the correct conditions. We can relax in this small town by the beach, or discuss options with our leader to venture further afield.

We depart the apartments after breakfast and head inland, via Durban and Pietermaritzberg, crossing the South African Highveld before reaching the town of Bergville close to the Drakensberg Mountains. Rising above 3000m on the western edge of KwaZulu Natal, the rugged escarpment is known by the Zulus as “uKhahlamba” – barrier of spears. The escarpment stretches for almost 200kms and forms the border between South Africa and Lesotho. Arriving at our comfortable accommodation in the afternoon, we should have time for a short walk to explore the area. Drive time today will be around 5 hours (400km).

We have a full day for walking in the nearby Royal Natal National Park, at the foot of the dramatic Drakensberg escarpment. The park was founded in 1916 and contains some of the most spectacular scenery in Africa. The main feature is the Amphitheatre, a rock wall 5kms in length and 1000m in height that forms part of the escarpment and most famously was the backdrop to the battle scenes in the film “Zulu” starring Michael Caine. Five rivers rise at the top of the escarpment, most dramatically the Tugela River which plummets 948m and is the world’s second highest waterfall. Today we can choose to walk the Tugela gorge to visit the foot of the falls or try shorter walks to nearby Tiger Falls and the cascades where there is a lovely swimming spot and we can also see some bushmen paintings. For those who have extra adrenaline, it’s possible to visit (optional, entrance fees payable locally) a local adventure centre, All Out Adventures where you can try mountain biking, paintballing, quad bike tours or Go Ape style treetop adventures.

After breakfast we drive back to Johannesburg Airport in time for an afternoon check-in. Your holiday ends at Johannesburg Airport. Drive time will be approximately 6 hours (500km).