Arrival Day: Durban
Our staff will take Emirates flight EK775 direct from Dubai to Durban, landing at 16:45. If you will be arriving on another flight, please let us know and plan to meet us at the airport at 16:45. Etihad Airlines offers service to Durban via Abu Dhabi. We will all transfer together via car north to St. Lucia, where we will enjoy a group dinner and settle into our lodges.
NB - If you cannot make this arrival time - you will have to make your own way to St Lucia! This is a 2.5 Hr drive...
Day 2: iSmangaliso Wetland Park
We’ll kick off our safari with a sunrise trip to the wetland park, just up the road from our lodging. This park stretches from the St. Lucia estuary to the border of Mozambique, and offers some of the most diverse flora and fauna in the world. This is our best chance to see leopards, plus a variety of other large game and bird life will be on display. We’ll visit the wild and scenic coastline at Cape Vidal for a traditional South African braai lunch (and a snorkel session for those who want to check out the beautiful coral and sea life - our guides will have the gear). After that we’ll head back to town to upload our photos and relax before dinner.
Day 3: Hluhluwe iMfalozi Park
Hluhluwe iMfalozi Park is the oldest game reserve in Africa, established in 1895 to protect the endangered white rhino. The area was originally a royal hunting ground for the Zulu kingdom and it is the only park in KwaZuluNatal that has the Big 5 - lion, elephant, cape buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros. Giraffe, zebra, waterbuck, kudu, hippo, cheetah and many other species can also be seen. We will bring our breakfast and lunch with us so that we can spend the day photographing the wide variety of wildlife. Everyone will have a window seat and there are some waterholes with hides where we can get out of the vehicles and view the animals safely.
Day 4: Hluhluwe iMfalozi Park
We will return to visit the other half of the park at sunrise. If we missed any of the species - or need to retake any photos - this will be our chance. After lunch we will head to the cheetah sanctuary and rehabilitation center to photograph and learn about cheetah, serval, caracal (lynx) and African wildcats. Afterward we will return to our lodge to upload photos and relax before dinner and our night game drive!
Day 5: Zulu Village & Sunset Cruise
We will have a later start this morning, for those who want to rest on their holiday! After breakfast we will visit a Zulu village to learn about traditional and modern Zulu life. We will also have time to explore the town and the local craft market for any souvenirs. In the afternoon we will take a sunset boat cruise on the St. Lucia river to view the crocodiles and hippos that are abundant in the area. We’ll end the evening with our last group dinner in town.
Day 6: Walking Safari and Departure
At dawn we will have an optional sunrise shoot at the local beach, followed by breakfast. We will then take a walking safari at the St Lucia Game Reserve. Expect to see zebra, waterbuck, wildebeest, kudu and impala. Bird species are abundand and varied, and more time can be spent on smaller things often overlooked from vehicles. The terrain is scenic and with easy walking and no hills. After our morning walk we will head back to our lodges to pack and have lunch on our way back to the airport at 13:00. Our staff will fly out on Emirates EK776, departing 18:40. If you’d like to make other departure arrangements please just let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
*Timings and schedules may be adjusted according to weather or other unforeseen events.