Botswana (Tuli) & South Africa (Blouberg Reserve & Kruger Park)

A unique South African and Botswana conservation education wilderness experience for students!

Focusing on your experience, our professional guides, and enthusiastic naturalists will be at hand to ensure your journey with us is the best ever field trip experience available to you.

If you are in search of unique wildlife encounters, have a thirst for adventure, and want some field trip rich with African wildlife and culture, then we are the ideal partner. We offer a variety of accommodation and wilderness experiences to fit your needs.

We invite you to join us for an incredible and memorable journey and look forward to hosting you in our quintessential Africa.

South Africa’s beautiful Blouberg Reserve.

Day of Arrival

Arrive early at Johannesburg International Airport.

Depart immediately for the Blouberg Nature Reserve.

Arrival at Blouberg and book into the Tamboti Trails Camp.

After an introduction to the area and the activities of the next few days, we depart on our first game drive in an open game-viewing vehicle.

Arrive back in camp for a well-deserved dinner prepared on the fire.

Our first night of many around the campfire under the bright stars of the Southern hemisphere.

Day Two - Four

Today is the start of this specially designed exclusive nature and birding experience.

We will be based at the Tamboti Trails Camp for the duration of our stay.

Our professionally guided nature, wildlife, and birding adventure involves traversing the reserve in an open game viewing vehicle and undertaking guided day walks in selected habitats.

Vulture activities include a visit to the vulture restaurant, viewing the vulture colony from the base of the cliffs, and a hard but exhilarating one-day hike to the top of the mountain for an eye-level view of the vultures as they soar above the cliffs. This is a low impact hike designed not to disturb the vultures and is sanctioned by the relevant conservation authorities.

Botswana's magical Tuli Game Reserve - Day Five

Depart from Blouberg Nature Reserve and travel to the Pont Drift Border Post between South Africa and Botswana.

After border formalities, you are transferred into the Tuli Wilderness.

Camp – Serolo Tented Camp

Serolo Safari Camp is located on the floodplain of the Limpopo River and comprises safari style tents with en-suite bathrooms. Serolo Camp has electricity.

Arrival at Tuli Wilderness

Lunch

An introduction to the area and the activities of the next week is given

Orientation game drive and introduction to ‘general game’ animal species

Depart on foot to explore the Limpopo River floodplain and learn about the riverine systems and birds

Carry out some practical exercises that teach about animal ‘comfort zones’

The afternoon is all about tracking; track and sign identification is our focus, learning how to differentiate spoor and ageing techniques

A short night drive is undertaken to find and learn about nocturnal creatures

Day Six & Seven

Camp – Trails Camp

Trails Camps are rustic non-permanent fly-camps, quite typical of walking safari camps, and we set these up in the wildest places and in areas where there may be more excitement. The bush loos and bucket showers are what give these camps their adventurous charm.

Pack up camp and move to the rustic Trails Camp, situated in the heart of the wilderness, looking out for animals on the way

Smaller and often-overlooked creatures

Settle into Trails Camp

Walk to explain the intricacies of trailing and finding animals from their spoor

Mammal camouflage and defense mechanism

Astronomy

Walk up Eagle Rock where there are magnificent views over the area and hopefully get a glimpse of the life of the resident Verreaux’s (Black) Eagles

Introduction to wilderness survival techniques, including direction finding, water procurement and dealing with dangerous game.

Learn how to master the art of friction fire.

Day Eight

Camp – Molema Bush Camp

Molema Bush Camp comprises of wooden chalets and the camp is beautifully situated under massive Mashatu Trees; all located right on the Limpopo River.

Pack up and set off on a search for elephants to learn about the behaviour of these fascinating large herbivores before arriving at Molema Bush Camp.

The role and use of telemetry sets in research.

Depart on a drive with a resident researcher to try and get a fix on any of the collared predators and learn how to record observation data and how the research is used in mapping programs

Trailing animals; where we follow their tracks with the goal of finding them.

Day Nine

Camp – Mohave Bush Camp

Mohave Bush Camp is a rustic bush camp that is situated in one of our prime game viewing areas and accommodation is Mopane pole huts. The hot showers are open air and we use gas and solar sources for powering, freezers, lighting and to pump water.

Pack up and move to Mohave Bush Camp

Skinning of an Impala and lesson about the internal organs

This afternoon the group delves into the world of archaeology and geology

A late afternoon drive to admire the magnificent sunset that Tuli has to offer

Farewell bush dinner

South Africa's famous Kruger National Park - Day Ten

Depart from Tuli Wilderness

Cross the border back into South Africa and drive via Musina to the quirky Pafuri River Camp which is situated on the banks of the Mutale river.

Accommodation tonight will be in “Tree Houses” on stilts and it will also be our last evening around the camp fire in the real bush – ENJOY!

Day Eleven

Camp – Shingwedzi Rest Camp

Enter Kruger National Park.

A slow game drive will bring us to the beautiful Luvuvhu river area from where we visit the place where 3 Countries meet: Crookes Corner!

In the 1900’s this area was a safe haven for gun runners, poachers, fugitives and anyone else dodging the law. It was an easy hop across the river whenever police from one particular country approached. There is a large plaque here commemorating the legendary ivory hunter Cecil Barnard (Bvekenya) who hid on an island in the middle of the Limpopo to avoid being tracked down by pursuing rangers and police in the 1920’s. Ironically, Barnard later became a ranger himself. A police station was later built here.

The road to Crook’s Corner passes under majestic fig trees, jackalberry trees and a forest of fever trees. This is the spot where the Limpopo and Luvuvhu rivers and three countries, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique, meet.

The region is considered one of Kruger’s biodiversity hotspots with some of the largest herds of elephant and buffalo, leopard and lion and incredibly prolific birdlife. In May 2007 the biological significance of the area was recognized in its declaration as a Ramsar Site; a wetland of international importance.

Many bird and animal species that are sometimes really difficult to spot elsewhere occur here. Keep a look out for kudu and nyala, baboons and monkeys – including the Samango monkey. Hippo and crocodile can be seen in large numbers. In the summer the area is full of rarely seen bird species, such as broad-billed and racket-tailed rollers, icterine, river warbler and thrush nightingale.

From this historical place we drive further south and deeper into the magic Kruger National Park until we reach Shingwedzi Rest Camp.

Day Twelve

Camp – Mopani Rest Camp

Depart after breakfast.

The Shingwedzi Road crosses the Tropic of Capricorn just north of Grysbok Pan.

One of Kruger’s rarities to look out for here is Sharpe’s grysbok after which the water hole was named. Sharpe’s is one of Kruger’s smallest antelopes and is extremely shy. It feeds mostly by night but does emerge during daylight when the weather is overcast.

In Kruger it is found only in the extreme north of the Park.

End of Safari

Back to Johannesburg

We leave Mopani early and follow the roads towards the Phalaborwa exit gate.

After another 2,5 hours of game drives, we finally exit the Park and make our way back to Johannesburg International Airport.

We will use parts of the famous Panorama Route as we cut through the Drakensberg Escarpment to reach the Highveld plateau.

We cross the huge dry-land maize farming areas of Carolina and Middelburg, witness the abundance of coal mining activities which in turn feed the hungry gigantic power stations, before we arrive at our last destination at around 16h00.

Time for hugs-and-kisses before your check-in for your flight back home.

Rate: Please enquire (max 8)