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Collection from Jo'burg:
Departing at 7.00 - 7.30am
from any hotel in Johannesburg or off any early morning flight arriving at Jo'burg's
Oliver Tambo Int Airport, you comfortably travel East for approx 4 hours to 'Nelspruit' the capital of Mpumalanga Province.
At Nelspruit you have an opportunity to do some last minute shopping, to stock up the cooler box with some drinks, film, snacks,
mosquito repellent etc.
Travelling North you pass through places such
as 'White River' and 'Hazyview' and through 'Bushbuck Ridge' and
'Boboskrand', all these areas being traditional tribal areas.
You pass through rural villages, stopping to ask to take photos
of native life and culture.
Collection from KMIA, MQP,
HDS:
Your Safari Ranger will meet you off your
domestic flight and will proceed to start your safari by driving to the game rich Northern region of the Sabi Sands Reserve. You pass through rural villages, stopping to ask to take photos
of native life and culture.
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Day 1: Johannesburg
- Sabi Sands Reserve (L D)
You enter the Sabi Sand Reserve and make your way to the Lodge.
You
check in, move into your chalet to freshen up, ready for lunch
at approximately 2.00pm. After lunch, you have time for leisure
- siesta, swimming and socializing.
At 4.00pm afternoon tea
and coffee is served. Afterwards you make your way to the open
4x4 Land Rovers and start your first afternoon game drive.
Being your first open vehicle game drive you are given
a 5-minute safety talk by your game ranger. The tracker sits on
the front of the Land Rover in his special seat, up front checking
for fresh tracks and spotting the wildlife as we drive around
on the game drives. During the night drives your tracker uses
a powerful spotlight, swinging left and right searching for the
nocturnal animals.
Your game ranger with his tracker find you all
the general wildlife - Impala, Warthog, Giraffe and Waterbuck whilst making our way to a Lion Kill. During the morning a resident
pride of 12 Lions (5 cubs) had killed an adult Giraffe. We
arrive and find all the Lions sleeping under a shady tree with
Vultures filling the surrounding trees, waiting in anticipation.
The Vultures had been arriving all day. The big dominant male
Lion with blood on his face rises and walks over to the carcass
for another helping. Starts to lick an area of the carcass and
then continues to eat. Three Lionesses join him but eat at different
positions. Bones break, skin is pulled, meat is eaten.
You are only a few metres away from all of this
action - incredible!
A little later as the sun goes down, we stop
in the bush a little off from the Lion Kill, have a stretch and
enjoy 'sun downers' (drinks). Feeling more relaxed after a call
of nature, we continue with a night game drive. There are Hyena arriving in the area due to the Lion Kill, but our focus is to
see a Leopard. We stop for a Night Jar, an amazing nocturnal bird.
We see lots of smaller nocturnal animals - Spotted Genet, White
Tailed Mongoose, Owls and more Hyenas.
You finally return back to camp for approx 8.00pm.
You are escorted to your chalet to freshen up, ready to return
to the bar for drinks and then a full dinner is served, with further
socializing done later around the campfire. We hear Hyenas constantly
whooping in the direction of the Lion Kill. Later when you are
in bed you hear Lions roaring.
Day 2: Sabi Sands Reserve (B L D)
The day starts early with a wake up call at
5.00am. At 6.00am tea and coffee is served. Afterwards we
make our way to the open 4x4 Land Rovers and start your first
morning game drive. Your game ranger decides to check on the Lion
Kill. We smell the carcass before we arrive; it's two days old
now and starting to stink. The Lions are still there with a few
Hyenas dotted around. A Black Backed Jackal is seen on the perimeter.
It's evident the Lions and Hyena had clashed in the night but
the Lions still control the carcass.
You continue with the open
vehicle game drive seeing Elephant,
a bachelor herd of big tuskers. More Buffalo approximately 350
number moving in the direction of a waterhole. We drive through
the herd and stop in the middle for photos to be taken. Later
you see more Elephant, Waterbuck, Zebra, Warthog, more Impala and a White Rhino.
You return to the lodge at approximately 10.00am
where a full breakfast is served. After breakfast, walking safaris
are conducted for one and a half hours. Return and visit the bar
for a refreshing drink. The rest of the day is at your own leisure
- siesta, swimming and socializing till lunch at 2.30pm. At
4.00pm afternoon tea and coffee is served.
During your afternoon open
vehicle game drive you see loads
of different bird species and general game - Impala, Warthog,
Baboons, Wildebeest and Zebra. Later we stop for a stretch and
'sun downers'.
Feeling relaxed, we continue with an
open vehicle night game
drive focusing on Leopard. This night we are lucky. We find a
Leopard at a small waterhole. It's a female and she is very relaxed.
We are able to approach close. After drinking she heads off back
into the bush. We follow keeping the spot light on her as much
as possible. She's just so beautiful. Photos are taken. After
a while we decide to leave her but suddenly she crouches into
pounce mode. Moving the spot light we can see a little Steenbok,
a small antelope, in front of her. She springs, two bounces and
she has the Steenbok. We lose her for a few seconds, as we have
to re-position the Land Rover. We move in close. The Steenbok is killed. She's looking around, panting a little. Finally she
picks up the Steenbok in her mouth and
climb's up the nearest Marula
tree, positions the Steenbok in the tree so it will not fall.
She starts to pluck the fur off and eats. We watch and take lots
of photographs. Time has just flown by.
You return back to camp for dinner. The talk
is of the Leopard Kill - fantastic.
Day 3: Sabi Sands Reserve (B L D)
You start the morning game drive making your
way to see the Leopard Kill. The carcass is half eaten but she
is not to be seen. She'll be back to eat later in the day or during
the night. We move off to the Lion Kill viewing general game as
we drive through the bush. We arrive to find the Hyenas have pushed
the Lions off the carcass. With the Lion pride having cubs they
would probably have relinquished the carcass to the Hyenas earlier
then normal. We take photos and then move off leaving the carcass
to the Hyenas and Vultures. On the way back to the lodge we come
across a big White Rhino. He stares at us with his ears twitching,
then proceeds to eat the lush grass.
You return to camp in time for breakfast. After
breakfast another walking safari is provided. The rest of the
day is at your own leisure, sleeping, swimming and socializing
until lunch. At 4.00pm afternoon tea and coffee is served.
Starting your afternoon game drive, we head
off to an area which has a more open grassland topography. We
are looking for Cheetah. Some time later we find two Cheetahs lying on a termite mound. Fantastic! It's not often you see Cheetah.
We spend time with them taking photos each time they re-position
on the termite mound.
You stop for 'sun downers'. With a lot of anticipation
of what the night drive will bring, we continue. We find all the
normal small nocturnal animals but are given a view of two extra's
- Porcupine and Honey Badger. It's a quiet night so we drive to
the old Lion Kill. A few Hyena are around with a couple of
Vultures resting on a few of the dead trees in the area.
You move off making your way back to the lodge,
drive around a corner and suddenly we have two Lions in front
of us. One big male Lion and one young Lioness. It's a mating
couple - they mate every 20 minutes for three days solid. We wait.
After a few minutes the female moves next to the male and falls
next to him, she adjusts to her position and the male moves into
his. They mate for a few seconds. He withdraws, she rolls over
content, he stands to one side and starts to roar and roar. You
are in our Land Rover right next to this entire happening, not
believing how loud a Lion roars. Powerful! We wait another 20
minutes and the sequence is repeated.
You return back to the lodge for dinner and
further socialising around the campfire.
Occasionally we hear
a Lion roaring in the distance.
Day 4: Sabi Sands Reserve (B L D)
This morning you decide to miss the morning
game drive and have a sleep in. Later after a shower your ready
for breakfast. With stomachs nice and full you spend some more
time catching up on some sleep or just relaxing around the lodge.
A quick swim prior to lunch concludes your morning off.
This time on the afternoon
open vehicle game drive, the ranger
and tracker feel you need to see Wild Dog. While they search for
Wild Dog you see loads of general wildlife. We come across a herd
of Giraffe. So tall and graceful and very inquisitive. A bachelor
herd of Waterbuck with their familiar white ringed targets on
their backsides. Warthog's running in a line with their tails up.
As the sun goes down, we stop for 'sun downers'.
Feeling refreshed and relaxed, the night
open vehicle game
drive starts. We pick up the normal nocturnal animals and birds
whilst searching for something to happen. A Hippopotamus is out
of the water and grazing the lush grass. It's feeling threatened
by the spot light and runs off into the bush. It will spend the
night eating grass and will return back to its watery territory
before sunrise.
Eventually we find a Leopard. It's a big male
Leopard with its Impala kill up in a tree. He's nervous of us.
We take the time to approach slowly. He clams down. We notice
a Hyena at the base of the tree. As Leopards are successful hunters,
Hyena do tend to follow and try to capitalise on the Leopards Kill before the Leopard takes its kill up a tree.
The Leopard continues to eat; we take photos
and spend time with this sighting, as it's your last night game
drive. The game ranger radio's the lodge to advise the chef we
going to be late returning back to the lodge and to keep dinner
warm for you. It's so rewarding to find a Leopard Kill.
Day 5: Sabi Sands Reserve - Johannesburg
(B)
For your last game drive your game ranger decides
to focus on Elephant. We find a big breading herd of Elephant.
The females are protective of their young. The matriarch makes
it very clear we are not wanted. A lot of noise with trumpeting
and a few mock charges later, we are able to approach slowly with
extra caution. Elephant are all over the place, so impressive.
The 1-2 year olds are so cute. We spend time quietly taking photos
and then only move off when the herd has moved on at their own
speed......
You return to the lodge at
approximately 9.00am. After breakfast you pack and load
suitcases, pay your bar bill and subsequently
leave the reserve.
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Drop off at Jo'burg or
Pretoria:
On our homeward bound journey you enjoy the
'Panoramic Route' driving through the Drakensberg Mountains.
En-route you will stop and
spend a few minutes at famous scenic spots such as
God's Window, World's View, Berlin Falls, Blyde River Canyon at
the Three Rondavels and if there is still time in hand, you
visit Pilgrims Rest.
From Pilgrims Rest it's a
straight 4 hour drive back to Jo'burg or Pretoria. During this time
it's great to reflect & chat about your safari with your Safari
Ranger or catch up on a little sleep.
Your Safari Ranger will drop you off at
any hotel in Jo'burg or Pretoria including Jo'burg's Oliver
Tambo Int Airport for approx 6.00pm.
Drop off at KMIA, MQP,
HDS:
Flying out on your last day
may mean having extended time in the Sabi Sands Reserve, with not having to depart
straight after breakfast. Time for one more walking safari! Your Safari Ranger will make sure you leave the Sabi Sands in time to catch your flight out.
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Note
Interested in this 5 Day Sabi Sand
Open Vehicle Safari, send us an email right now - we'll check availability and reply within 48 hours.
(B L D) refers to meals provided - Breakfast,
Lunch and Dinner.
Itinerary may vary slightly due to accommodation,
gate opening times, game movements, weather
etc...
Sabi
Sands Reserve | Sabi Sand | Sabi Sands | Sabi Sands Safari
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