"A legendary safari that combines traditional game drive and walking safari activities"

8 days on this safari in the Kruger is designed to maximise your experience of fantastic South African hospitality with rare and exciting insights into the African bush!

This safari is a thought provoking journey into the soul of Africa unique in its unrivalled standard of guiding, mentored by a passion for wildlife and conservation, and made real by over 20 years of experience. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience of the wonders of nature - you cannot get any closer to the pristine, diverse and exciting processes of an ecosystem protected and shared by people that care. This is your opportunity to enjoy and experience what you would normally only view on a wildlife documentary.

Part one (5 days) Your guide Neil is a Kruger specialist in all aspects of this great place, his sense of passion and privilege and his remarkable ability to interpret ecological processes is thought-provoking to say the least. Neil's easy-going demeanour, responsible approach and quick sense of humour combine the art of professional nature guiding with five-star hospitality. Going the extra mile is all simply a part of Neil's passion for the Kruger. Neil's stories, interpretations and reflections on wildlife behaviour and ecology is very special, your experience with him is sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience of African wildlife while on safari in the world-famous Kruger National Park in South Africa.

Neil is accompanied by his hospitality chef on safari that spends his day preparing your meals, making sure that all beverages, table settings and mood fires are lit, cooked and ready to present the other part of a successful safari. Together they make an exceptional team in the bush - providing a 24-hour guiding and hospitality service unmatched in South Africa.

YOUR ITINERARY Spend early mornings tracking wildlife in our open safari game-viewing vehicle with perfect photographic opportunities. This safari (journey) is a story of connections: The invisible links between organism and environment that make up the fabric of a working ecosystem. Then back for a hearty breakfast and some time to either rest, do some bird watching, sit quietly in the game viewing hide and watch the animals come down to drink, or even sneak in a catnap before lunch. Once the midday heat starts cooling, we get ready for another memorable game drive returning with the sunset and to make ready for some conversation around a roaring bush fire complete with good food and wine courtesy of your own personal chef.

Fireside conversation: Kruger yesterday, Kruger today and Kruger tomorrow always highlight thought-provoking sentiment, and only silenced by the roar of a nearby lion, or the cough of a prowling leopard.

Game drive duration times are usually dependent on what's happening in the bush. A pride of lions on a kill, or watching buffalo interaction, or elephants, even simply exploring the diversity of this great wildlife reserve, means that we are well aware that mealtimes must be dynamic. Therefore we keep snacks and cold beverages on board in the vehicle, just in case.

Your first two nights are spent at a small private bushveld lodge, which is magnificent and situated in the southern Kruger. You will stay in a quaint, private en-suite cottage under thatch complete with ceiling fans and fresh linen and towels.

Nights three and four are spent in a more central Kruger lodge - on this day (travelling between camps we game drive to breakfast and continue onto the next lodge never leaving the bush. The night sights and sounds are extraordinary -- Africa is truly all around you.

Reflections on this safari bring back memories of exciting wildlife encounters, fascinating discussions and in the true spirit of South African hospitality - a lifetime experience of one of the world's great places where millions of years of history, people and wildlife combine to capture your heart and soul.

Included in this safari are return airport transfers, all accommodation in private bushveld lodges, all meals and refreshments, all game drives and guiding in our private open-sided safari vehicle, safari chef and a night drive.

YOUR VEHICLES Bearded Heron Safaris takes enormous care in ensuring that all our vehicles have the correct licences, insurances and maintenance plans to afford the best and most reliable transport facility for our guests.

The microbus (transfer vehicle) We use this air-conditioned, 11 seat microbus to transfer our guests to the Kruger and back from the Kruger.

The open-sided game viewing vehicle We use our specially designed game-viewing vehicle in the bush. The vehicle has nine separate seats, all beautifully situated to afford the best possible game viewing experience with a 360 degree view of what's going on around you.

The luggage/catering trailer All our safari itineraries are accompanied by a luggage and catering trailer with on-board freezer and equipment needed to ensure that all our foodstuffs, and beverages are always well protected, and frozen foods remain frozen during the safari.

YOUR ACCOMMODATION The choice of accommodation is the key to the privacy and exclusivity of this safari. We choose not to host our safaris in the public rest camps of the Kruger, preferring to conduct our itineraries out of the more private bushveld lodges (of which there are only five) and the guest lodges (of which we use four) which allows us to present unique, personal and much quieter safari itineraries than most.

YOUR FOOD AND BEVERAGES Nothing is too much trouble on our safari- and we start preparing menus long before your trip is set to start. We carefully plan all meals to ensure that our group of guests on any particular safari gets to taste our home-cooked and outdoor traditional fare. We do not compromise the quality of our food, or the quality of our wines on safari.

Mealtimes are planned as follows:

Early morning light breakfast Full breakfast after early morning game drive Light lunch before the afternoon game drive Dinner (mostly cooked and prepared around the fire)

YOUR EQUIPMENT We ensure that all leisure equipment like flashlights, binoculars, night vision monocular, spotlights and battery charging equipment are functioning and well looked after during your safari. A library of field guides and other wildlife books always accompany the safari.

Our first aid and puncture repair kits are always on hand, as is our recovery gear in the very unlikely event that we get bogged down or stuck during a game drive. We have GPS and digital camera facilities for guests who do not have their own, but would like a photographic record of their safari.

ACCREDITATIONS We operate as a legal and fully accredited national operator within the South African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) membership.

Neil is a fully qualified tourist guide, as well as national field guide and specialty Kruger field guides for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in South Africa. Neil is also a qualified field guide (nature guide) and trails ranger.

Letters of reference, testimonials and contact numbers of previous guests are all available on request should you require additional testimonials.

MEDICAL Our guides are qualified to offer first aid services, and carry an extensive first aid kit. Personal and specific medications need to be brought with on safari.

This part of your journey is fully inclusive of:
Transfer from JHB or Nelspruit
Kruger entrance fees
Min. 2 game drives per day during safari
Luxury accommodation in Kruger (en-suite bathroom and ceiling fan/air-conditioned)
All meals during safari (B/fast, light lunch and dinner)
All refreshments with meals
Licensed, professional and trained guide and assistant

Part two (4 days) You are ready to walk with the animals, armed with a respect, knowledge and appreciation of their behaviour, their ways and their sounds. This is undeniably a different level of experience - no longer sitting in the comfort of a game viewing vehicle as a watcher, you are ready to interact and participate in their daily routines and activities. Now we get closer, our senses and interpretations are directed at enjoying every moment, sound and field sign in the bush, understanding completely that the African bush has always been part of us. So you, like many people, leave with a nagging rhythm beating in your heart comforted only by your return.

There is a seamless change of accent and experience on day five. After breakfast (and one last game drive) you are driven to a bush pub and meeting place where you will be met by your guide who will host you for the next three nights under canvas in a non-fenced tented camp deep in the bush in the Greater Kruger National Park (private game reserve) where you will walk and drive among the Big 5!

In the mornings you set off at first light after a snack breakfast of rusks and coffee or tea. Enjoying the cool morning air we may walk directly from camp or else use a vehicle to get further out. Your guide will decipher the tracks and signs left by the passing animals during the night. The thrill of walking, tracking and getting up close to one of the creatures of the bush is an unforgettable experience.

On the walks there is a lot of emphasis on all the interesting things seen such as trees, plants, insects and birds. A big breakfast is prepared back in camp and then there is time to unwind and siesta during the heat of the day. After lunch is served it is time to head out again.

The afternoon activity is a walk/ drive combination, looking for tracks and activity in other areas. After the walk we drive to a beautiful spot in the reserve, where we'll have sundowners while waiting for a stunning African sunset. As the diurnal animals and birds anxiously get ready for bed, the stage and sounds change and a whole new world awakens. This is when we connect the spotlight and night drive back to camp, looking for the nocturnal creatures that are so rarely seen during the day.

Back in camp a hearty supper and a warm campfire will be waiting for you. After a long day in the bush there is nothing more rewarding then to sneak off to bed and listen to the sounds of the night under a blanket of the overwhelming African stars!

On the last day you will still go out for one last walk. Sniffing the typical scents of the bush you'll realize how much you've learned already! After breakfast it's time to pack up and go back to the bush pub, where you will pay the conservation fee and the drinks you've consumed in the camp. Then we say our goodbyes and transfer you back to the city.

YOUR ACCOMMODATION Each camp can sleep up to 12 people in large walk-in twin-bedded tents (linen is provided, so sleeping bags are not needed) with sown-in mosquito screens. Ablutions are separate but close with hot showers and flush toilets. Although there is no electricity, there is solar lighting, candles, lanterns and a campfire to guide you around the camp at night.

YOUR FOOD AND BEVERAGES Meals are prepared in the kitchen tent and served in the dining tent. Each safari is accompanied by one or two experienced and armed rangers and each camp is serviced by a Shangaan chef. Drinks are not included but they can be obtained through the honesty bar: you simply write them down and you will be charged accordingly when you leave the camp. Drinks such as beers, wine per glass, wine per bottle, gin & tonics, Savannahs, Smirnoff spins, cool drinks, juices and bottled water are available.

This part of your journey is fully inclusive of:

Transfer from JHB
Min. 2 game drives/walks per day during safari
Accommodation in walk-in twin-bedded tents (linen is provided, so sleeping bags are not needed) with sown-in mosquito screens
All meals during safari (B/fast, lunch and dinner)
Licensed, professional and trained guides, chefs and assistants

Not included:
Your entrance fees (approx. R100 per person)
Your beverages consumed

Cost
R15 600 per person sharing

DEPART: Mondays
RETURN: Mondays



NB: The above safari is fully inclusive of all accommodation, transfers, meals, guiding, conservation fees and refreshments.