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Kruger, Skeleton & Cape
USD 18050
JAN-DEC
28 NIGHTS
Select your style
We are able to vary the price of this trip considerably, simply by swapping out the lodges that it contains. This is likely to have a very significant effect on the level of polish of the trip, but in all cases it will remain cool and authentic. Make your selection here and the lodges will automatically change in the itinerary below.
USD 18050 per person
This trip includes very cool, well-located and relatively well-priced lodges, suitable for more adventurous, easy-going and outdoorsy travellers.
Trip Summary
Start location : Johannesburg ORT
Johannesburg
Sabi Sand Reserve
02 : Notten’s Bush Camp
03 : Notten’s Bush Camp
04 : Notten’s Bush Camp
Klaserie Reserve
05 : River Rock Lodge
06 : River Rock Lodge
07 : River Rock Lodge
Windhoek
08 : Windhoek Hilton
Sossusvlei
09 : Kulala Desert Lodge
10 : Kulala Desert Lodge
11 : Kulala Desert Lodge
Damaraland North
12 : Desert Rhino Camp
13 : Desert Rhino Camp
14 : Desert Rhino Camp
Cape Town
19 : Four Rosmead
20 : Four Rosmead
21 : Four Rosmead
22 : Four Rosmead
De Hoop
23 : De Hoop Suites
24 : De Hoop Suites
25 : De Hoop Suites
Franschhoek
26 : Auberge Clermont
27 : Auberge Clermont
28 : Auberge Clermont
End location : Cape Town International
Johannesburg
Set to the northeast of South Africa, Johannesburg is the great commercial heart of the country and the main transport hub, a sprawling mess of a place, scarred through its heart by the gold mines. It is not somewhere safari travellers tend to linger too long, although the Cradle of Mankind may be worth a visit.
Day 1
Arrival : Johannesburg ORT
lodge
City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo
City Lodge OR Tambo is located at the main airport Johannesburg.
The hotel is accessed via the car park lobby.
There is a simple buffet dinner and breakfast ...
... plus a menu of light lunches.
The hotel has 365 guest rooms.
Browse our collections of sample trips ...
Sabi Sand Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Sabi Sand is the premium private safari reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, with extremely rich and accessible wildlife and containing the lion's share of the region's high quality lodges.
Day 2 , 3 , 4
Fly : Johannesburg ORT to Skukuza
lodge
Notten's Bush Camp
Notten's Bush Camp is located on the Sabi Sand South Reserve in the Kruger area.
The camp is centred on a modest main building, leading out to a swimming pool.
There is also a small spa facility.
Guest accommodation is in nine large Suites, each with an outside bathtub ...
... two of which are Family Suites with two bedrooms.
Activities are centred on vehicle safari, walking safari and night vehicle safari.
The primary activity is vehicle safari on the private reserve, by day and night.
Serious walking safari may include deliberate approaches onto elephants and lions.
Klaserie Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Klaserie is a substantial private reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, an up-and-coming area with an increasingly wide range of well-priced lodges.
Day 5 , 6 , 7
lodge
River Rock Lodge
River Rock Lodge is located in the Klaserie Reserve in the Kruger area.
The camp is centred on a deck above the river ...
... with a small swimming pool ...
... and backed by a substantial main building.
Guest accommodation is in just five traditional rondavels ...
... each with a conventional indoor bathroom.
Activities include vehicle safari, walking safari and night vehicle safari.
Superb walking safaris are personally guided by owners Warren and Craig Howson ...
... and often include the deliberate tracking of elephants, rhinos, buffaloes and lions.
Vehicle safari ranges over a large area, a good proportion of which is completely private.
Wildlife levels are comparable with those in the better-known Sabi Sand area.
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital of Namibia and the location of the main international airport, so most visitors pass through here at least once in their trip. It is usually possible to connect through without having to overnight, but actually it is a rather relaxed and pleasant place to break a journey.
Day 8
Fly : Hoedspruit HDS to Windhoek via J'burg
lodge
Windhoek Hilton
Windhoek Hilton is located in the city of Windhoek.
The hotel is centred on an impressive double height lobby.
The hotel has 240 rooms in various specifications.
Sossusvlei
Set in the southwest of Namibia, Sossusvlei is home to the enormous and iconic orange dunes of the Namib Desert, a truly remarkable combination of desert landscapes. Guest accommodation is in around twenty lodges of various levels, offering a good range of activities including quad-biking, ballooning and scenic flights.
Day 9 , 10 , 11
Fly : Windhoek International to Geluk
lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge
Kulala Desert Lodge is located in the Sossusvlei area.
The lodge is centred on a large main building under thatch.
Guest accommodation is in 23 comfortable 'kulala' Rooms.
Activities include vehicle safari, walking safari, hiking, balloon safari, electric fat bike safari and scenic flights.
Dune 45 is a popular sunrise spot on the way into Sossusvlei.
But primary goal is to be first to reach the remarkable Deadvlei.
The dunes around Sossusvlei are also very impressive.
The rocky deserts inland also provide some superb scenery.
Electric fat bikes are also used to explore these desert landscapes.
Balloon safari is a superb by expensive paid extra.
Scenic flights range from short hops over Sossusvlei to long explorations of the Skeleton Coast, also pricey paid extras.
Damaraland North
Set in the northwest of Namibia, Damaraland North is a fabulous area of awesome desert scenery, unusually strong wildlife and superb remote lodges. If you could only visit one part of the country, this would have to be the one. We happily spend weeks up here in our spare time.
Day 12 , 13 , 14
Fly : Geluk to Rhino Camp
lodge
Desert Rhino Camp
Desert Rhino Camp is located in the Damaraland North area.
The camp is centred on a simple canvas mess, leading out to a campfire.
Guest accommodation is in eight safari tented Rooms with indoor bathrooms.
Activities are centred on rhino tracking, vehicle safari, bush picnics and mountain hiking.
The primary activity is vehicle safari amongst these wonderful upland landscapes.
Rhino tracking is a major focus for this camp.
Note that the many of the rhinos in this area have been de-horned for their own protection.
Gentle walking safari and longer hiking trips can also be very enjoyable.
Day 15 , 16 , 17 , 18
Fly : Rhino Camp to Hoanib Skeleton Coast
lodge
Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp
Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp is located in the Damaraland North area.
The camp is centred on chic main mess, leading out to a small swimming pool.
Guest accommodation is in seven large tented Suite Rooms ...
... plus a Family Suite with two bedrooms separated by an outside lounge.
Activities include vehicle safari, walking safari, coast visits and bush meals.
The primary activity is vehicle safari in the main riverbed, with highlights including desert elephants, giraffes, lions and brown hyenas.
Walking safari usually involves scaling hillsides above the valley to watch animals below.
The drive down the Hoanib river and out to the coast is simply epic.
The Hoanib reaches the coast at Mowe Bay, where there is a ranger post and seal colony.
Cape Town
Set in the Western Cape of South Africa, Cape Town is a fabulous, fascinating city, tucked in the folds of a very beautiful national park, where you are never short of a view and never more than a short walk away from an epic hiking trail. There's so much to see and do that a few nights will only enable you to scratch the surface.
Day 19 , 20 , 21 , 22
Fly : Hoanib to Doro Nawas
Fly : Doro Nawas to Windhoek International
Fly : Windhoek to Cape Town
lodge
Four Rosmead
Four Rosmead is located in the Oranjezicht area of Cape Town.
The lodge is centred on a large 1903 house, set in a pretty garden.
Guest accommodation is in three rooms on the lower floor, two in a separate garden annex ...
... and two on the upper floor of the main house.
Activities include sight-seeing, beaches, hiking, horse-riding, mountain-biking, surfing, snorkelling, diving, kayaking and sailing, plus whale, dolphin and seal watching.
In Cape Town you are never more than a couple of minutes away from a great hiking trail.
The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is a popular area full of stores, restaurants and museums.
The trip out to the Apartheid prison on Robben Island is surprisingly authentic and moving.
The City Centre is surprisingly compact and easy to explore on foot.
To the west there are some really gorgeous cold water beaches.
The botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch are truly spectacular and not to be missed.
Constantia contains the Cape's oldest wineries, a couple of which are open to the public.
The Cape of Good Hope makes for a really good day trip.
The route is usually best done anti-clockwise, first heading south to Hout Bay.
The dramatic Chapman's Peak Road.
The broad beach from Noordhoek to Kommetjie.
The sleepy settlement of Scarborough.
Entering the national park, we approach Cape Point.
Returning north along the eastern side of the peninsular.
The naval port of Simons Town.
The famous penguin colony at Boulders Beach.
The broad view across the Cape Flats from Muizenberg.
De Hoop
Set on the Whale Coast, De Hoop is a lovely coastal nature reserve, a real hidden gem, containing fabulous white dunes, swimmable rock pools, shore-based whale-watching (Jun-Oct), fascinating endemic fynbos flora and fauna, plus a good range of larger mammals, notably including baboons, bonteboks and caracals. There are a handful of good accommodation options.
Day 23 , 24 , 25
lodge
De Hoop Suites
De Hoop Suites are located in the De Hoop Nature Reserve on the Whale Coast.
The three suites are rented individually, each with one room.
The Dassie Suite is a particularly nice one bedroom unit.
Cloete Suite is a one rooms apartment in the main farm courtyard.
Vlei Suite is another single bedroom suite in the main farm courtyard.
Stable Suite is a cute little one bedroom unit, an authentic part of the original farmstead.
The Manor House is the original farmstead, now converted into a very nice unit with two bedrooms.
The farmstead has facilities including a restaurant, bar, shop, swimming pool, gym, spa and tennis court.
Activities include gentle vehicle safari, sand-boarding, cave tours, snorkelling, mountain-biking, quad-biking, coastal hiking and whale-watching Jun-Nov.
Modest vehicle safari is also possible, including bonteboks, zebras, elands, baboons and caracals.
The area contains some superb beaches, with excellent snorkelling pools.
The inter-tidal nature walks here are extraordinarily good, especially the super aggressive octopuses.
Quad-bike trips are also sometimes available ...
... as well as modest motorboat safari out on the lagoon.
Franschhoek
Set in the heart of the Cape Winelands, Franschhoek is a beautiful and relaxed village and a very popular place for our guests to stay, with a wealth of high class wineries, restaurants and hotels, plus options for shopping, mountain hiking and biking.
Day 26 , 27 , 28
lodge
Auberge Clermont
Auberge Clermont is located close to the village of Franshhoek in the Cape Winelands.
The hotel is centred on an authentic 1870 Huguenot farmhouse.
Guest accommodation is in Deluxe Rooms ...
Guest accommodation is in Deluxe Rooms ...
Activities include wineries, fine dining, mountain-biking and hiking.
The village of Franschhoek is a pleasant place to explore, packed with fine wineries and restaurants.
There are also excellent options for mountain and road biking in the area.
The valley contains several superb wineries that are open to visitors.
There are also some hiking options in the hills above the village.
Day 29
Departure : Cape Town International
Alternative Trips
Here is a small selection of related sample trips.
Of course, your actual trip will be precisely tailor-made.
Of course, your actual trip will be precisely tailor-made.
