Sawubona – welcome to South Africa! Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm. If you arrive early, maybe visit the eye-opening Apartheid Museum to start your journey with some crucial history before meeting up with your group. After your meeting this evening, why not head out for an optional group dinner and get to know your new travel companions. Your leader can point you in the right direction with the best bar and restaurant recommendations. It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late, please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place. Please make sure that if you explore Johannesburg on your own that you get local advice as to where it is safe to walk, especially in the evening. The level of crime here may be higher than what you are used to.

Rise and shine for an early departure from Johannesburg, the 'City of Gold' – it’s time to officially set off on your African adventure! Be prepared for a long drive, but rest assured, it’s well worth it. A truly unique African experience unfolds as you enter the Greater Kruger National Park ecosystem on the journey to your campsite. In the evening, relax and have dinner with your group at your camp, located in Kruger National Park. Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours. On occasion, especially during the peak periods during May to September and December, we may be unable to secure campsites within Kruger National Park. In this instance, we will camp outside the park.

After breakfast, embark on a full day 4WD safari through Kruger National Park. One of the largest game reserves in Southern Africa, Kruger National Park is home to over 500 bird species, 100 species of reptile and 150 mammal species, including all your favourites from The Lion King – elephants, rhinos, buffalo, giraffes and more! It’s home to many vulnerable species including the southern ground hornbill, the blue crane and the endangered African wild dog. You’ll spend your day game viewing, birdwatching and stopping at various waterholes and viewpoints. Your camp tonight will be within Kruger National Park.

Head to the outskirts of Kruger National Park, where you'll be lucky enough to camp for the evening with the Black Mambas at their headquarters. The Tuuur Foundation is proudly partnered with Helping Rhinos, which directly supports the work of the Black Mambas – the world's first all-female anti-poaching unit. Made up of a team of 42 young African women, the Mambas patrol 20,000 hectares of the Olifants West Nature Reserve, part of Greater Kruger National Park. Turning a traditionally male-dominated industry on its head, they’re putting their female prowess to work protecting the wildlife of Kruger National Park in an unconventional way. You'll join them on a bush walk to learn how they find and destroy snares firsthand. Later, enjoy a special dinner by lantern light, then relax by the campfire with the Black Mambas as they share stories about their path to becoming rangers and their conservation work. Your travel time today will be approximately 2 hours.

Say farewell to the Black Mambas and head straight for the Botswana border as you travel towards Goo Moremi Gorge. Perennial streams have carved deep gorges into the hills at this beautiful national heritage site. Here, waterfalls cascade into deep pools surrounded by lush vegetation. The gorges are home to many birds that feed on fish and small crabs in the pools and are breeding grounds for the endangered Cape vulture. Baboons and rock rabbits live on the cliffs above the gorge and, though very elusive, leopards, hyenas and kudu can also be found here. Your travel time today will be approximately 9 hours, excluding border crossings. Chalets are solar powered, so hot water is reliant on the weather.

Today, you'll journey from Palapye to Nata. Your lodge is situated on the edge of the amazing Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. Covering some 12,000 sq km, this is one of the largest salt flats in the world. When you arrive, take a 3-hour excursion in an open vehicle to explore these seemingly endless plains in the Nata Bird Sanctuary. Surrounded by the Kalahari Desert, the pans are naturally dry and salty for a large part of the year. During this time, the arid landscape has an eerie feel to it as heat mirages disorientate the senses. Then, after the rains hit, it becomes a grassy refuge for migratory birds and animals. Tonight, enjoy a good night’s rest in a comfortable lodge. Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours. Tonight’s lodge has a restaurant, swimming pool, gift shop and bar/lounge area.

Today, you'll travel to Victoria Falls, crossing the border into Zimbabwe. Have lunch, then continue to your permanent tent, set within a large rest camp. After settling in, you may want to set out on a highly recommended optional trip to visit Victoria Falls. Spanning about a mile wide and falling 108 m into a narrow gorge below, the spray from the falls can sometimes be seen from kilometres away. In the dry season, the view of the falls is unobstructed by spray and it's possible to see little islets in the river below. Otherwise, a range of other activities are available through the local activity centre. This evening, why not join your group for dinner and celebrate the adventures you've shared. Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours. The Victoria Falls entrance fee is not included in the price of the trip as it is mandatory for tour groups with pre-purchased tickets to have a local guide escort. We feel that seeing these waterfalls for the first time should be an uninterrupted sensory experience. You may notice businesses offering an optional 'Walk with the Lions' experience. We ask all Tuuur travellers to avoid this activity as it is contrary to our Responsible Travel policy. While wildlife viewing is a big part of many of our itineraries, we strive to only view animals in their natural habitats and to do so with the greatest level of respect. The lion-walking industry directly contributes to the captive breeding and canned hunting of lions. Read more about animal welfare and our ‘Born to Live Wild’ pledge here: tuuur.com/animal-welfare.

There are no activities planned for today and your trip comes to an end after breakfast. If you plan on spending a few extra days at Victoria Falls, there are plenty of activities and excursions to keep you occupied. A helicopter flight over the falls is a popular choice and offers a fantastic view of this natural wonder. Please keep in mind that we have not risk assessed all activities and only those listed in our trip notes are recommended. It is against company policy for leaders to facilitate the booking of any activities that have not been risk assessed or do not adhere to our company’s Responsible Travel policy and ethos. This includes organising transport to and from these activities in our vehicles.