On Safari in South Africa - Karongwe Game Reserve

An immersive wildlife experience centred around animal encounters, conservational education, and opportunities for positive contributions to the environment.

The heart of Limpopo’s Karongwe Private Game Reserve will serve as your home for the week, enveloped by nature and based at a luxury tented camp. Early mornings and late afternoons see you embark on a total of 12 game drives led by seasoned trackers and guides. Witness the ‘Big Five’ in their natural habitat as the sun rises and sets over the rugged terrain, with the Drakensberg Mountain range in the distance.

Moments of tranquillity are equally encouraged alongside adventure, with ample time to lounge by the swimming pool, which overlooks the Makhutsi River, partake in a daily afternoon tea and relish complimentary treatments at the camp’s nature-inspired spa. A special dinner under the star-lit sky promises another moment of bliss amongst the peacefulness of the African bush.

This safari escape goes beyond observation, with plenty of opportunities for education and enlightenment. An anti-poaching talk allows you to engage with a local specialist to gain insights into the critical importance of conservation efforts, a guided nature walk means you can appreciate the flora and fauna from a different perspective, and a tree planting activity helps you make a personal, positive environmental contribution. To further enhance your itinerary, optional activities can be booked at the lodge, from learning how to make traditional dishes and photograph animals, to visiting a wildlife rehabilitation centre and soaring above rivers and valleys in a helicopter.

What's Included:

• Seven nights’ full-board accommodation at the four-star Chisomo Safari Camp, Karongwe Private Game Reserve
• Seven breakfasts, seven lunches, and seven dinners
• Seven morning game drives and seven late afternoon game drives
• Sundowner on all afternoon game drives
• A private dinner with a bottle of wine per table in the bush, weather permitting
• Guided bush walk
• Gin and tonic tasting by the pool
• Hand or foot spa treatment
• Anti-poaching talk
• Tree-planting activity
• Return flights to Johannesburg
• Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced local representative and wildlife specialist

Highlights:

• Unwind by the swimming pool overlooking the Makhutsi River or with a complimentary treatment at the spa
• Experience a special dinner in the heart of the bush under the stars
• Venture on seven morning game drives and seven late afternoon game drives with an experienced tracker and guide at the helm
• Choose from an assortment of optional activities, bookable at the lodge, including a cooking class.
• Spend a week in a luxury tented camp, surrounded by the ‘Big Five’ Karongwe Private Game Reserve
• Listen to an anti-poaching talk with a local specialist and learn about the importance of conservation
• Set off on foot with a guided nature walk, seeing the flora and fauna from a different angle
• Partake in a tree planting activity, a chance to leave your legacy and make a positive contribution
• Enjoy a tasting of local gins with different garnishes and tonics by the pool
• Choose from an assortment of optional activities, bookable at the lodge, including a cooking class, yoga experience, and anti-poaching walk

Operator: Newmarket Holidays

Day 1: Fly to Johannesburg

You’ll travel on your overnight flight to Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city.

Day 2: Transfer from the airport to Karongwe Private Game Reserve

Upon arriving at the airport, your group will be welcomed by a friendly driver. A long but rewarding and scenic transfer with plenty of comfort breaks and lunch (on your own account) will take you to Karongwe Private Game Reserve. Located in the Limpopo province and with views of the Drakensberg Mountain range, Chisomo Safari Camp will be your home for the next week.

In the late afternoon, you’ll arrive and check into a luxury tented camp, looking out over the Makhutsi River. There’ll then be time to settle in, familiarise yourself with the facilities, and perhaps refresh with a dip in the swimming pool.

If you’d like to venture out on a game drive, you can embark on one before dinner. With an experienced guide and tracker at the helm, you’ll drive into the depths of the reserve in an open-air 4x4 safari vehicle. Karongwe Private Game Reserve is home to the ‘Big Five’, including lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant, as well as 365 different bird species. Keep your eyes peeled and have a camera at the ready to take a snap of wildlife roaming through the bush vegetation.

This evening, dinner will be enjoyed at the camp.

Day 3: Included morning game drive, complimentary spa treatment, and afternoon game drive

This morning, you’ll wake up early, meet the other travellers in the main area for a hot drink and then head out for a morning game drive as the sun rises over the mountains.

Breakfast will then be served back at the camp, and you’ll have some time to relax, perhaps opting for a complimentary hand or foot treatment at the spa, which offers a beautiful view of the bush and draws on natural, local products (this can be done on a different day). You’ll also have a programme of optional excursions at the camp to choose from, such as a cooking workshop and a mediative yoga experience. Alternatively, just pick a sun lounger by the swimming pool to observe the activity around the Makhutsi River, with a cocktail in hand.

An afternoon game drive awaits following afternoon tea, providing another opportunity to spot more wildlife, like cheetahs and elephants.

This evening, you’ll sit down to a special private dinner under the star-dappled sky (weather permitting) with the sounds of nocturnal animals unfolding around you.

Day 4: Included morning game drive, anti-poaching talk, time at leisure, optional activities, and afternoon game drive

Another early morning wake-up is followed by a game drive with breakfast upon return to the camp. After you’ve freshened up, you can then join an anti-poaching talk, where an anti-poaching specialist will discuss the plight of poaching and the camp’s pivotal role in conserving the local wildlife.

The rest of the late morning and early afternoon will be free to unwind or perhaps partake in an optional excursion, like an anti-poaching walk in the bush to learn more about the tracking methods of poachers and the designated ‘kill zones’. An optional community visit takes you to a nearby village and offers an insight into how the local people live and their culture.

Back at the camp, you’ll go on an afternoon game drive before returning in the evening after the sun has set for dinner.

Day 5: Included morning game drive, time at leisure, and afternoon game drive

This morning, you’ll go on a game drive, tuck into breakfast when you return, and then the remainder of the morning and early afternoon is free. Customise your day by perhaps choosing to partake in an optional photography workshop, where you’ll learn about camera settings, editing processes and different types of composition.

Alternatively, join an optional visit to a wildlife rehabilitation centre, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and the rehabilitation of injured and poisoned animals. Here, you can see a range of baby animals, as well as leopards, lions, lynxes, eagles, vultures, and honey badgers.

A full-day excursion to the nearby Kruger National Park is also available for those who want to do some more wildlife spotting.

You’ll have another game drive in the afternoon before you savour dinner at the camp this evening.

Day 6: Morning game drive, guided bush walk, time at leisure and afternoon game drive

Board the open-air vehicle again this morning for a game drive before breakfast. You’ll then join a nature specialist for a guided bush walk. As you’re led into the bush, the group will get to take in the scenery and wildlife from a different angle, learning about the endemic plants, bird species and animals.

You’ll then have some time at leisure to perhaps go on a helicopter ride over the nearby Olifant’s River Gorge or the Blyde River Canyon, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the dramatic landscape and gushing waterways from above.

Another afternoon game drive will take place this afternoon and then you’ll return for dinner.

Day 7: Morning game drive, time at leisure and afternoon game drive, and gin tasting

Head out for a morning game drive and have breakfast. The rest of the day is free to fit in more optional activities, such as a panorama drive along one of South Africa’s most scenic routes. Encompassing famed natural sights like Pinnacle Rock, God’s Window, one of South Africa’s most well-known vantage points (weather permitting, you can see as far as Mozambique), this excursion will also pass the Blyde River Canyon, waterfalls, and unusual rock formations, as well as colourful craft markets.

Later, you’ll venture on a game drive and return to the lodge for a gin tasting and pairing by the pool. This involves sampling locally crafted gins, complemented by different tonics and garnishes.

Day 8: Morning game drive, tree-planting activity, time at leisure and afternoon game drive and farewell dinner

Wake up for a morning game drive followed by breakfast and a tree-planting activity. This involves planting a tree within the local community or donating a tree, a chance to leave your legacy and make a positive contribution. You can choose between planting a fruit or an indigenous sapling.

Perhaps you’d like to make use of the spa with an optional relaxing treatment after your hard work in the sun. Spa packages include full body massages, exfoliation, wraps and facials.

An afternoon game drive will then be concluded with a farewell dinner alongside your new-found friends, allowing you to reflect on the week.

Day 9: Included morning game drive, late morning transfer and travel back to Johannesburg

Relish your final morning game drive and breakfast before you pack up and check out of the camp. In the late morning, you’ll travel back to Johannesburg airport over a journey of around five and a half hours with plenty of stops and a packed lunch.

Day 10: Arrive in the UK

Early morning arrival.