On this Platinum Tour we start the adventure in the beautiful niche city of Cape Town. Known for its myriad of cultures and rich historical background. We will take you through some of the highlights of this acclaimed city during our stay.
We then jump on a domestic flight and head for the land of the Impis, the Zulu Kingdom. It’s now time to tune into nature as we venture into the African bush for Big 5 safaris and some relaxation time while viewing the open bushveld from the luxury of the resort.
Thereafter you’re in for a surprise as we venture to the most pristine estuary system in South Africa, the Kosi Bay estuary. Situated within Isimangaliso (Zulu word translated to; miracle and wonder) Wetland Park, South Africa’s first Unesco World Heritage site. Here we will enjoy an amazing boat trip through the estuary, bush walks, visit beaches and do some snorkelling.
It’s now time to hop across the boarder into Mozambique and explore the beautiful ocean of the Ponta Partial Marine Reserve. Here we get our fill of scuba diving, wild dolphin swims and whale watching. Ponta Do Ouro translates to; Point of Gold; and this place certainly lives up to its name. With stunning crystal clear waters, pristine coral reefs, a warm tropical climate and multitude of activities to suit your needs.
We then travel back to the heart of Isimangaliso Park and visit the remote village of Mabibi. Home to Thonga Beach Lodge, South Africa’s best marine property. With an excellent spin on remote luxury and service this resort offers exceptional experiences including great activities, a spa and healthy well thought out cuisine. Sure to relax even the busiest of souls.
For our last stop we descend into the beautiful, quaint and wild town of St. Lucia. The town boasts the largest number of hippopotamus in South Africa and the biggest breeding population of Nile crocodile in the world. Here you can look forward to a night safari, day safari and boat cruise to get up close and personal with these amazing animals.
Times up as we embark on the short journey back to the airport.
The Elephant Coast borders Mozambique in the north, Swaziland and the Lubombo Mountains in the north west, the Indian Ocean to the east and ends roughly at the mouth of the Imfolozi River near St Lucia village in the south.
The region is a paradise of natural wonders with an incredible 21 different ecosystems. In fact, there are few areas in Africa with such an incredible diversity of fresh water ecosystems. It is largely due to this, and the incredible sense of place, that a large portion of the Elephant Coast was declared a World Heritage Site, and named iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Broadly translated from the Zulu language, iSimangilso means ‘miracle and wonder’. It is South Africa’s third largest park, spanning 280 kilometres of coastline and made up of around 328 000 hectares of pristine natural ecosystems including swamps, lake systems, beaches, coral reefs, wetlands, second highest vegetated sand dunes in the world and coastal forests. Hluhluwe iMfolozi, the oldest recognised protected area in Africa and second in the world to Yellow Stone.
Arrival at Cape Town International Airport. After collection of your luggage and your rental car you/we (depending if it is a guided tour or self-drive option) head directly to The Twelve Apostles Hotel and check in.
On the first day depending on the time of your international flight arrival you will either have dinner at the hotel while watching the sun dip below the Atlantic Ocean or visit one of the many attractions in the city. The rest of our time we will be busy with exploring the cape peninsula, visiting the Jackass penguin colony at boulders beach, standing on the point of the south western most tip of Africa and indulging yourself in the winelands of South Africa. Today you depart from the mother city and land at King Shaka airport in the subtropical coastal province of kwaZulu Natal. We drive 250km north and arrive in the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Park; The park that saved the rhino; where we check into Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge, the only private resort in this park. The park was established to save the rhino population from extinction. This was a great success reviving the crippled population of 50 individuals to now just shy of 19 000. Here you get to enjoy open safari vehicle game drives, a big 5 trail walk, great bush styled cuisine and a relaxing stay at this luxury resort.
We now travel to Kosi Bay, a town on the border of Mozambique and known for its pristine 4 lake estuary system. We check into the intimate Kosi Forest Bush Lodge. This well situated resort allows us to do an exceptional estuarine boat trip which includes stopping in at Bhanga Nek beach, the home of the Loggerhead Turtle. The feel on the estuary is that of the Okavango Delta with its meandering channels. In the evening sip a cocktail in the pool whilewatching the sun dip over the lake while hippos play and end the days with candlelit dinners under the giant trees. Today we snorkel at; The Aquarium. This term was coined for a shallow reef inside the estuary mouth. Appropriately named due to its high biodiversity of fish, eels and crab in only 2.5 meters of water. This activity offers great calm conditions in a sheltered environment. We do an early morning canoe through a narrow channel to view the Raffia Palm, the palm with the biggest leaf in the world and indigenous to this area in South Africa before departing to the border.
After making the border crossing we check into Planet Scuba, a small resort perched atop the dune with breath-taking sea views. Over the next few days we explore this beautiful marine park by boat, surf board, scuba gear, quad bikes and foot. Over these days we will do 5 scuba dives on pristine coral reefs, one of these being a shark dive! (advanced divers only for shark dive) Have never dived before? No problem, we do the PADI open water course to get you certified and into the magical underwater world. Paying attention to the weather we will choose the best day to do a wild dolphin swim. This incredible bucket list experience allows you to snorkel with our friendly resident pods of dolphins which call the Ponta Marine Reserve home. Often playful and inquisitive they come over and swim within a meter of you! If you are in the right season we will see some of the 30 000 migrating humpback whales, often breaching out of the water within a 100m of us. One of these afternoons we will take quad bikes along the sand road to the neighbouring town of Malangane where we enjoy an early dinner before making our way back to the resort. Another highlight is a dinner in the local market at Mama Alice.
The next part of our journey and my personal favourite sees us head back into the heart of Isimangeliso to Thonga Beach Lodge. The only beach front property in the park this resort offers it all. Sunset lake trips, lake kayak paddles, excellent birding, pristine scuba diving, ocean safaris, beautiful remote beaches, rock pool snorkelling in crystal clear tropical waters and of course a beach drive to view nesting loggerhead and the giant leatherback turtle, the fastest reptile on the planet. This is something to witness! The leatherback can weigh up to 1 ton and has a flipper span of 2 meters. It's humbling to witness this giant animal crawl up the beach and drop her eggs into the carefully dug hole. In between these amazing experiences enjoy well thought out healthy cuisine, sun tanning next to the pools or pamper yourself at the calming forest health spa. In the evenings sip a cocktail at the Robinson Crusoe style bar or take it on the beach deck while the light fades over the ocean.
Our last stop on the journey takes us to St Lucia. This beautiful little town known for hippos, crocs and the leopard of Cape Vidal nature park will keep us busy for the last couple of days. Enjoy a day game safari, a night safari and a boat cruise up the estuary to view the hippos and crocs in their own environment. The town is known for all its eateries and unique shops along the main road. On a regular basis the hippos wonder down the main street to feed on the grass of peoples lawns.
Our time has unfortunately come to an end! We make our way back to the airport.
Although our packages are pre designed we customize them to each of our clients needs, contact us through this form and one of our professional guides will contact you to further discuss what you have in mind. We go above and beyond to give our clients the best experience possible.
View extra activities to add to your current itinerary when visiting KwaZulu Natal.
Some of our most commonly asked questions about this package.
The northern range of the trip is considered a low risk malaria area. With preventative measures such as insect repellent and long pants it is extremely unlikely to contract malaria. Consult your doctor beforehand.
Most European Union countries get 90 days free without needing a visa in South Africa. Kids travelling under tue age of 18 will require the necessary documents namely birth cerificates and consent from both parents.
When crossing into Mozambique a visa will be required which may be obtained at the border. You will need a letter stating that you have accommodation booked at your destination which we will provide. Children under 18 will need birth certificate and consent from both parents.
South Africa has very accessible retail outlets with everything you may have forgotten or still need to get. Here are a few things to being along.
Loose, easily breathable clothes in the summer, warm clothes for the winter, swimming costumes, your personal camera as there will be many photographic opportunities, binoculars.
They have the Metical. It is fairly easy to change currencies in Mozambique and all major cards are accepted.
If you are not a qualified scuba diver we have the professionals on hand to do the short course with you which comprises a theory session, pool session and 5 ocean dives to get you open water cert.
Please feel free to ask us anything and we will come straight back to you
Each travel package is custom designed and quoted for, please fill out the form below and a representative with be in contact with you shortly to discuss your Safari needs.
Whale Watching St Lucia is a magical 2 hour St Lucia tour taking you as close as 50 meters from the giants of the deep. Humpback whales are the most commonly spotted, but Minky’s, Right and Sperm whales are also seen. Whale Watching St Lucia begins with a high energy surf launch which requires decent “holding on strength”. For this reason, we accept only children 12 years or older.
The fishing adventure will start at 6 am in winter and 5h30 in summer (early bird catches the worm ). The trip will end at the St Lucia ski boat club at 15h00 and your catch is cleaned for you. We do a beach launch through high energy surf conditions. We supply bait and tackle. We also teach you how to fish if you are a novice.
You bring something to eat and drink, sunscreen, a hat and fishing licence.
Explore on foot with a focus on the ‘smaller things’ in the reserve; tracks, plants, insects but there is a possibility of coming across some of the big 5 wildlife. Walks are limited to 4 guest above the age of 16 due to the dangerous game in the reserve. Takes approximately 3 to 5 hours!
Zulu tour
A visit to Khula village to interact with the locals and experience the culture through food, dance and social interaction.The tour includes a visit kindergarten, Traditional healer (isaNgoma), Zulu homestead ( iqhugwane experience) and an optional traditional lunch at Theo and Mpume’s homestead.
