South Africa: Walking & Wildlife

• Accommodation: 2 Superior nights (lodge), 8 Classic nights (chalets/lodges), 4 Simple nights (chalets)
• Six days of hiking and three shorter walks
• Group normally 4 to 12, plus leader. Minimum age: 16

In the itinerary, we state which meals are included on which day. The list below provides an indication of what these will consist of: Breakfast: Cereals, coffee, tea and toast, the occasional cooked breakfast. Lunch: Cheese, cold meats, salads, bread or rolls. Dinner: Potjies (stew), braais (barbecue), stir fries, pasta. Most generally cooked on the open fire. We need at least two weeks’ notice to deal with special dietary requirements (eg vegetarian or allergies.) For this reason, if you did not indicate these on your booking form please advise your sales representative as soon as possible. The tour leaders do all the shopping, meal planning and cooking for each group. They will always try to obtain fresh produce wherever possible. Each tour has two cool boxes for meats and fresh produce and one cool box for cold drinks. We supply the following drinks: fruit squash served with breakfast and tea or coffee served with breakfast and dinner. All other beverages will be at your own expense. For meals not included, dinners can cost on average 350-500 South African rand (US$20‐US$30) per person and lunches 150-250 South African rand (US$8-US$13). A wide range of à la carte menus and buffets are available at the different lodges, ranging from different meats to vegetarian and vegan options. Snacks, such as biltong (dried, cured meat), droëwors (dried, cured sausage) nuts, including the usual variety you would get at grocery stores, are also available along the way during pitstops. On days when the group are on morning game walks or drives, we have an early morning cup of tea or coffee and rusks followed by the walk. Once we return to camp, we have a large brunch around 11am. In the early afternoon, we have a snack-style lunch and dinner will be served after completion of the optional game drives. The water provided on this trip is safe and clean drinking water, normally from boreholes. It is not bottled water, however. If you would rather have bottled water then this will be at your expense, though we would encourage you to make use of the safe drinking water provided as this helps diminish plastic consumption.

Although the greater part of South Africa lies south of the tropic of Capricorn, the temperature is moderated by the altitude. The average midday temperature is likely to be about 22C (72F) on the coast and 24C (75C) inland. This trip covers various different weather regions. Generally, inland areas will be dry between April and October (although storms can occur), whereas rain is more common at this time in the Drakensberg Mountains. In August, the nights can be very cold, especially in the Drakensberg where temperatures can drop below freezing. However, the days are warm and crisp with generally cloud-free skies. From November through February, rain can sometimes be expected and the temperature will be higher. However, as anyone who has travelled to these parts will say, rain is often a blessing, it manifests the local colours, drops the sometimes sweltering temperatures and never generally lasts too long. It also means the nights are incredibly clear.

This trip is graded Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more on our trip gradings, visit our Activity Level Guidelines page.

Suitability: Good health and reasonable fitness are important and you should take regular exercise before travelling on this trip. Moderate trips are either fairly easy, medium-duration walks or harder, shorter walks. There is some walking at higher altitude and occasional longer/harder days may be involved.

Terrain: Generally, underfoot conditions are fair. On Day 7, conditions can be hot with very little shelter from the sun. We climb as high as 9,515ft (2,900m), with walking days normally four to eight hours.

Ladders: There are some ladders to climb while walking in the Drakensberg. The ladders are in two stretches, a longer one (about 100ft/30m) and a shorter one(about 50ft/15m). Neither is quite vertical and they are metal ladders with thick, square edged footholds and comfortable handholds. While they’re not particularly physically challenging, they can constitute a slight mental challenge to some – but one that is worthwhile for the incredible views from the top of the escarpment. The guides are extremely experienced in taking our groups up and down these ladders and are always happy to help.

Safari: The game viewing is generally best from July to September as visibility improves with trees losing their leaves and because game is more restricted to areas that have water. The bush at this time, however, is much drier compared to earlier in the season and scenically the country is generally at its prettiest from April to June. The migratory birds are visible between October and April.

Journeys: There are a few long drives (the longest being six to seven hours on the first and last days) but the reward is a trip that offers an amazing variety of walking through diverse scenery, plus exciting game viewing, in a comparatively short time.

Legal note: All group members joining this tour will be asked to sign an indemnity form at the start of the holiday. This indemnity form is a requirement of the South African Tourism Service Association, of which our local supplier is a member. As a client of Exodus Travels Ltd, your rights under the Package Travel Regulations (1992) are unaffected, and Exodus remains liable for the actions of our sub-contractors.