Day 1
Welcome to South Africa! You will be met at your aircraft with your name on a paging board and assisted through immigration, baggage collection and customs. You will then be taken to the domestic departure terminal for your flight to Richards Bay on the Elephant Coast. Here you will collect your hired car and drive the easy 1.5 hours to Thanda Safari Lodge.
Check in to Thanda Safari Lodge for 3 nights in a family villa on an all inclusive basis.
Day 2
Embark on an early morning game drive and watch the animals come to life as the sun rises in the African sky. Track lions, rhino, elephant, buffalo and leopard and learn why these animals are known as the Big Five! After a hearty breakfast, enjoy your own private villa with plunge pool and relax in the peace and quiet of the bush. Don't be alarmed if the resident elephants come and have a refreshing drink from your plunge pool! Enjoy an evening game drive, seeing the animals as they prepare for the night ahead, and maybe chance upon a predator on the hunt for its next meal!
Day 3
Morning and evening game drives are included in this package, so take full advantage of learning all there is to know about the animals. Lunch is served on the terrace overlooking a waterhole, usually occupied by a herd of buffalo and other grazers such as impala, zebra, wildebeest and the occasional hippo. After the evening game drive, enjoy a refreshing drink at the bar, dinner will be served in the outside boma around a roaring fire.
Day 4
This morning you will leave Thanda Safari Lodge after a good breakfast, and drive the 2.5 hours to Thonga Beach Lodge on the Elephant Coast.
Check into Thonga Beach Lodge in a family forest view room for 4 nights on a full board basis including activities.
Day 5
Rise at dawn (optional) and head off on an exciting snorkelling adventure in the rock pools in front of the lodge. The shallow reefs along this protected stretch of coastline are home to an array of brilliant sub-tropical fish including moorish idols, parrot fish and blue surgeons. The warm waters of the Indian Ocean make this the ideal spot to snorkel or guests can simply soak up the sun and savour the tranquility of this pristine, sandy beach. Enjoy magical sundowner drinks on the shores of Southern Africa’s largest fresh water lake – Lake Sibaya.
Day 6
This morning you have the opportunity to visit a local homestead, school and clinic and experience how the peaceful Tsonga people go about their rural lifestyles. During turtle laying (Oct-Dec) and hatching season (Dec-Mar) - nocturnal walks and drives along the beach in search of egg-laying turtles are available every night at an additional charge.
Day 7
Sign up for an early morning guided kayaking excursion with the possibility of seeing hippos and crocs in their natural habitat. Explore the sand dunes around the resort, perhaps climb to the top with a picnic and a cooler box full of drinks provided by the lodge.
Day 8
After breakfast this morning, you will head back to Richards Bay and Johannesburg to connect with your flight back to London Heathrow.
