Great Migration, Victoria Falls and the Greater Kruger

We've planned a private tour of Nairobi that includes the highlights of the city.  Your car and driver will pick you up from your hotel at 10:00 and be available exclusively to you and will go where you request and wait for you.  We have included the entry fees for the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (inside the Nairobi National Park), Giraffe Centre and the Karen Blixen Museum.  The car and driver will wait for you at each of your chosen stops, including shopping and lunch stops.

On arrival at Nairobi airport, you will be met by your driver after you leave the Immigration and Customs hall.  He will be holding a board with your name.

You will be collected from your hotel at 07:30 for the transfer to Wilson Airport.

Governors has a long history in Kenya tourism and is still run by our friends, the Grammaticas family.  You can read more about the history of Governors here: https://www.governorscamp.com/about/the-governors-story/

Governors is Neville's favourite operator in Kenya and he has stayed with them many times.

We will book a Maasai cultural visit during your stay in the Masai Mara.  Read about this experience here: https://www.governorscamp.com/experience/masai-cultral-visits/

One of Kenya’s undisputed natural highlights is the Masai Mara National Reserve, which sprawls across more than 1500 square kilometres of the country’s southwest. The park protects a phenomenal array of game, including elephant, lion, leopard and buffalo, as well as crocodile and hippopotamus in the Mara River. The birdlife is no less impressive, with over 450 resident bird species. However, the true highlight here is the Great Migration, recognised as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. To survive the dry months of July to September, some 1.7 million wildebeest, migrate from the parched plains of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Along with much smaller numbers of antelope, buffalo and zebra, they move to the more forgiving grasslands of the Masai Mara. In their wake come predators such as lion, hyena and cheetah, for whom these giant herds are an easy source of prey.

Catch your breath in a very comfortable five-star hotel after your wonderful safari in the Masai Mara.  

Your non-stop flight to Victoria Falls tomorrow leaves very early tomorrow morning, requiring a stopover in Nairobi.

Today you have a very early start.  Your international flight departs at 07:30 so you'll need to check out from your hotel at about 05:00 prior to your short transfer to the airport.

You should get to your hotel at about 11am. 

Take the shuttle to the Falls and explore.  Ignore any signs that tell you to go to Devils Cataract first.  Head the other way, to the eastern end of the falls and work your way along the path, stopping at the marked viewpoints and finish at Devil's Cataract.  This will optimise your chances of seeing the rainbow below you there.

After your visit to the Falls take the shuttle back to your hotel to get ready for your dinner at The Boma.

The Boma shuttle will collect you from your hotel at 19:00 (7pm)

It's not advisable to walk to the Lookout Cafe although it looks very close on the map.  In fact, the last 300m of the road to the cafe passes through a forest in which we have encountered both buffalo and a leopard (at different times).  Get a taxi.  It will cost a few dollars.  Hotels and restaurants will call taxis for you.

We have recommended to visit the Falls this afternoon.  You could also visit tomorrow morning because the falls look quite different at different times of the day.  It does cost US$50 to get into the park, so if you are only going to do one, we'd recommend the afternoon option because you are more likely to see the rainbow in the mist. 

You will get wet from the mist at the Falls.  In places it can be like constant rain, sometimes heavy.  This is not peak flow of the Zambezi, so you are more likely to get a great views of the Falls, especially from this, the Zimbabwe side.  We recommend that you pack a lightweight rain shell with a hood.

The best place to see the rainbow at the Falls is the western end of the Falls, near the Devil's Cataract between 2pm and 4pm.

The Falls park closes at 6pm.  

The Wild Horizons vehicle will collect you from your hotel at 06:40 for your breakfast cruise and return you afterwards.

You have High Tea booked at the Victoria Falls Hotel.  The easiest way to get there is to take your hotel shuttle to Victoria Falls Town.  Tell the driver where you are going and they will drop you in town close to the road into the hotel.  It is safe to walk this short walk from town to the Victoria Falls hotel during daylight.  (After dark, the possibility of elephants makes this a little less safe.)

You can reverse this journey after High Tea.  Ask the shuttle driver where they pick up from and on what schedule.  If you miss the shuttle or you don't want to wait you can ask the Victoria Falls Hotel to call a taxi for you.  That will cost about US$10, cash only.

A breakfast cruise on the Zambezi is the best time to experience this iconic river.

We've suggested Three Monkeys for dinner.  It is fun and very casual, right in the center of Victoria Falls town but there are plenty of other options including the fine restaurant at your hotel.

Today you'll take an afternoon flight to Johannesburg, where you will go through Immigration procedures as you enter South Africa.

Upon arrival in South Africa, look for the "Visa Not Required" channel for incoming passengers.  Despite the longer lines, it's faster this way.  On that, they never have enough immigration officers in the passport booths.  You'll be lucky if more than half are occupied.  Moreover, some of those immigration officers will evidently not be working, adding to your delay.  It would be very counter-productive to become impatient with this.  Take a breath.  Immigration officers can deny entry to people who they deem to be belligerent. 

It is a short walk to your hotel, but take a luggage trolley as soon as you pass through Immigration, before you collect your bags.

Then, look up at the electronic board to find out which carousel to find your bags.

With your bags on the trolley, follow the rainbow path to the exit.  (South Africa is known as the Rainbow Nation, for huge range of ethnicities that call the country home.). Keep right, to the "Green Lane" "Nothing to declare".

You will turn right, and through sliding doors to be confronted by many people waiting behind barriers.  As you pass through these doors you are pointing directly towards your hotel.

Walk around the circular barrier and resume this direction.  You now see signs to City Lodge Hotel.  They point down the escalators so that you pass under the road in front of you.

The luggage trolley is designed to go on the escalators.  You need to trust this.  Let the trolley tip down when going down the escalator.  Do not attempt to keep the trolley upright because that will unlock it from the steps and the whole thing will run away from you.  Best to take your hands off it.

If you don't want to navigate the escalator with your trolley, head to the right of the escalators and take the elevator to Level 2.

If you take the escalators (it's faster) pass under the roadway then take the escalators up to Level 2.  You will see signage to the City Lodge Hotel.  Follow those signs, even if they conflict with this advice.  They have a habit of changing the access routes to the hotel.

Eventually you will come to the City Lodge elevator.  Leave your trolley here.  The elevator takes you to Reception.

After you check in, have a look at the menu of the adjacent hotel restaurant.  It's typical hotel/cafe fare but there are other choices back at the airport.  If you go back there for dinner, please be sure to be back in the hotel before dark.  

DAY 10

A Soweto Day Tours takes in the highlights of this iconic township including Nelson Mandela’s former home and the Hector Pieterson museum (he was one of the school children who was shot in the 1976 Soweto Uprising).

You will get close to Soweto Culture, meeting the people, trying local foods and maybe even some Omqombothi (our traditional beer) at a shebeen.

This tour is one of a kind, the smell of pavement cooked meals and the buzz in the streets of people going about their daily chores. Come and experience township life, the humanity, hospitality and warmth of the people, the "Ubuntu" as it is known in South Africa.

Leave your bags at the hotel when you check out from your Johannesburg Airport hotel.  Ilan will pick you up from that hotel and return you there in plenty of time to check in for your flight to Cape Town.  It's a short walk from the hotel to check in for your flight to Cape Town.

Then take your evening flight to Cape Town.

DAY 11

Embark on a breathtaking journey around the Cape Peninsula, a treasured highlight of Cape Town. This full-day tour offers a unique blend of stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife, and rich maritime history. Travelers can marvel at the rugged coastlines and serene beaches, visit the iconic Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, and witness the charming penguin colony at Boulders Beach. The tour’s route through picturesque towns like Simons Town and Kalk Bay provides an authentic taste of local culture, while the panoramic views from Chapman’s Peak Drive are simply unforgettable. Whether it’s the natural beauty, the cultural encounters, or the sheer adventure, the Cape Peninsula Full Day Tour is an experience not to be missed

African Eagle Day Tours will collect you from the reception of your lodgings at 08:45 for your shared day trip to Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope)

DAYS 12 & 13

Explore Cape Town at your leisure.

We've saved the best for last.  Enjoy!

The Manyeleti Private Game Reserve shares its borders with Kruger National Park, Timbavati Game Reserve and Sabi Sands Game Reserve, forming part of a huge area of land in which wildlife roams free. It is managed by the Mnisi people, who have lived on this land for many generations. In Shangaan, the language of the most dominant tribe in the area, Manyeleti means ‘Place of Stars’ and in the evenings, when the sun’s light is replaced by that of the moon and countless bright stars, one can understand why. A dry area for most of the year, Manyeleti offers spectacular scenes of wildlife as they gather at water holes. Aside from the spectacular game viewing opportunities, the reserve also offers insight into the culture and traditions of the Mnisi people.

Tintswalo Safari Lodge is a captivating oasis nestled within the heart of the renowned Manyeleti Nature Reserve in South Africa. This exclusive lodge offers an intimate and immersive safari experience that embodies the essence of luxury and wilderness. Surrounded by unspoiled natural beauty, Tintswalo Safari Lodge consists of elegantly designed suites that seamlessly blend modern comforts with authentic African charm.

The lodge's prime location along a seasonal riverbed provides guests with front-row seats to the captivating theater of wildlife. Each day unveils a new adventure as guests embark on exhilarating game drives led by experienced guides, offering the chance to witness the Big Five and other remarkable species in their natural habitat.

Tintswalo Safari Lodge takes pride in its personalized service, ensuring that every guest's needs are attentively met. The lodge's culinary offerings are a fusion of local flavors and cuisine, served in various stunning settings, from intimate bush dinners under the stars to elegant dining within the lodge.

Beyond the exhilarating safaris, Tintswalo offers a spa sanctuary where guests can rejuvenate amidst the sounds of the wilderness. Whether relishing in the comfort of their suites, lounging by the pool, or partaking in extraordinary wildlife encounters, visitors to Tintswalo Safari Lodge are treated to an unforgettable, enchanting, and truly African safari experience.