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Crashes of Rhino
Truly the royalty of our natural kingdom, the giant pachyderms always inspire awe and wonder. Gentle in demeanour, they live in complex matriarchal herds and can form lifelong bonds. But, when crossed, they are like thundering volcanoes and best left in peace. Rhinos live in smaller crashes, are more cantankerous, and can fight to the death in territorial disputes. One of the most perfect specimens of natural adaption, they can keep one enthralled for hours on end.
-
4 nights
-
4 nights
-
4 nights
12 Nights, 13 Days
FROM $ 12865 PER PERSON SHARING
- Single supplements and child discounts may apply
- Price varies with seasonality and room options
- Indicative price is for low season
Itinerary
- 4 nights in Phinda at &Beyond Phinda Vlei Lodge
- 4 nights in the Kruger / Sabi Sands at Singita Boulders Lodge
- 4 nights in Etosha at Little Ongava
Snapshot
There is a large splinter of a tree stump in front of you. It waggles imperceptibly, and you notice a beady eye on either side. Looking more closely, you see hulking big shoulders. Suddenly you realise that the rhino has taken the measure of your Land Rover, and has decided that it is up for a contest. Time to back up a little.
Contrasting with the gentle grace of the African elephant, a jogging rhino is a bit like a tank on legs. It has limited sight, a thick skin, a large turning circle, and packs a lot of momentum. They are all business from the front and weird gasses from the back.
Rhinos are the perfect examples of the “Keep it simple” principle – nigh on impenetrable armoured hides, and a kraken spear on the business end. Despite their generally gruff and grumpy appearance, they are also capable of complex social interactions, and can often seen wallowing together playfully in mud pits. It is sad to think that after millennia of mulling around the African continent largely unperturbed by anything on four legs, they have finally found (or, been found by) an adversary bent on wiping them out.
We invite you to come and see these spectacularly over-engineered behemoths for yourself while they teeter on the brink of extinction. Hopefully the efforts of the conservation and tourism industries combined are enough to avert this disaster. This safari takes you to the subtropical bushveld of KwaZulu Natal, and then to the lush bush of the Kruger National Park in South Africa, before it set off on a final leg to the strange and enchanting landscape of Etosha in Namibia.
Should you wish to combine elements of this safari with any of our other packages or destinations, please click on the ‘Enquire Now’ button and let us know what you would be interested in.
Overview
4 nights in Phinda at &Beyond Phinda Vlei Lodge
Phinda Private Game Reserve encompasses an impressive 23 000 hectares of protected land and has a strong focus on conservation and community involvement. The reserve is particularly well known for close-up sightings of the elegant, yet elusive cheetah, as well as the rare black rhino. Cheetah, lion and leopard are tracked on the reserve on a daily basis and guests have a high likelihood of encountering these magnificent animals. With its seven distinct habitats, Phinda is often described as ‘Seven Worlds of Wonder’, a magnificent tapestry of woodland, grassland, wetland and forest, interspersed with mountain ranges, rivers, marshes and pans. It is much more than just another Big Five reserve.
4 nights in the Kruger / Sabi Sands at Singita Boulders Lodge
If one jewel shines really bright in South Africa’s tourism crown, it is the Kruger National Park. And while the park may be well over a century old, it continues to expand: On the eastern and northern sides, plan are afoot to integrate the Kruger with the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, and a few smaller areas. This new multinational conservation collaboration will be called the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, and the ambition is for it to ultimately expand to almost 10 million hectares. On the South African side, many of the smaller, privately owned game reserves on the edge of the Kruger have ‘dropped their fences’ with the Park, and become fully integrated into its ecosystem. It is on these properties that many of the luxury lodges are situated. All these lodges have retained their exclusive traversing rights over their land, making for a private, top class safari experience.
4 nights in Etosha at Little Ongava
It seems miraculous that life should manage to cling to survival in this arid landscape. But, don’t be misled. In the dry north, the 22 000 square kilometre Etosha National Park rises out of the cracked white clay after the first rains to provide a feast of plenty after the harsh winter. Key to its survival is the scattering of water holes that it leaves in its wake. Just enough to survive the next winter when land turns to ashen dry clay and the vegetation withers into the dustbowl. Etosha will astound you with the tenacity with which nature refuses to let go. Seeing desert-adapted rhino and elephant, and lion if you are very lucky, grace this landscape with comfort and resolve, makes for a very special big game experience.
Detail
Fringing the reserve’s wildlife-rich wetland system, Phinda Vlei Lodge is situated along the edge of one of Africa’s few remaining dry sand forests.
Gracious and elegant, its six thatched suites are set well apart, and intimately integrated into the surrounding bush. Decoration is a subtle blend of North and West African styles. Each suite features a private plunge pool and a game viewing deck that overlooks a grassy meadow complete with watering hole, where guests can observe herds of grazing antelope, as well as a variety of birdlife.
Phinda Private Game Reserve encompasses an impressive 23 000 hectares of protected wildlife land and has a strong focus on conservation and community involvement. The reserve is particularly well known for close-up sightings of the elegant, yet elusive cheetah, as well as the rare black rhino. Cheetah, lion and leopard are tracked on the reserve on a daily basis and guests have a high likelihood of encountering these magnificent animals.
Phinda
From Big 5 game viewing to scuba diving with whale sharks or manta rays, watching turtles lay their eggs, fishing for tigerfish or horse riding on the beach, the Elephant Coast is rich in diversity and a must-visit for ecologically minded tourists.
Made up of a mix of national and private game farms, as well as some commercial farms, the Elephant Coast is still relatively untouched by modernity. It incorporates vast expanses of wilderness, including the 328 000 hectare Isimangaliso Wetland World Heritage Site. It is also home to Africa’s oldest game reserve, the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, which was founded in 1895.
Ndumo Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Reserve are both on the border with Mozambique and offer unique experiences for twitchers and pachyderm fans. Tembe now boasts herds of elephants that are noted for their impressive tusks, and it’s one of the better places in South Africa to get good sightings and photographs of these animals. Ndumo is best known for its birding.
Phinda is one of the most impressive reserves on the Elephant coast, and is a great conservations success. What used to be farmland, and untended bush three decades ago, is now 23 000 hectares of prime wildlife land. Phinda’s strong focus on community involvement makes it even more special. The reserve is particularly well known for close-up sightings of the elegant, yet elusive cheetah, as well as the rare black rhino. Cheetah, lion and leopard are tracked on the reserve on a daily basis and guests have a high likelihood of encountering these magnificent animals.
Singita Boulders Lodge is set along the banks of the Sand River. The lodge is a celebration of the tranquillity, space, and light that flows throughout this incredibly vast area. Inspired by the geometry of the boulders on which it rests, Boulders Lodge is an inviting oasis where organic interiors integrate seamlessly with the raw African beauty outside.
Each of the one-bedroom suites and two-bedroom family suites (2 adults and 2 children) features its own plunge pool and a private viewing deck. The suites are carved into the riverbank and surrounded by foliage, providing an earthy, indoor-outdoor feel. Whether through walls of glass or from the open-air areas, the surrounding landscape and animals may be glimpsed from every angle, making for a sense of connectedness, a spiritual harmony of privacy, luxury and calm.
Singita Sabi Sand is an unfenced, privately owned game reserve adjacent to the Kruger National Park, renowned for high concentrations of big game and frequent leopard sightings. During your stay, you are likely to spot a great variety of wildlife, including leopard, lion, rhino, large herds of buffalo, elephant, reedbuck, hyena, hippopotamus, cheetah, wild dogs and many types of birds.
The Kruger National Park
The Sabie and the Crocodile are the two main rivers of the southern section of the Kruger National Park. They support a fascinating ecology and a good percentage of the park’s animal life. In the south-east in particular, you have your best chance of sighting the big five. The grasslands surrounding Lower Sabie are good for viewing herds of zebra and buffalo, while giraffe and lion can be seen in the Crocodile Bridge area and white rhino graze on the Nhlowa Road. The south-west is antelope territory, and also the only place in the Kruger National Park for rare sightings of the grey rhebok. The area around Berg-en-Dal with its mixed grazing attracts herds of buffalo and zebra, and, of course, the lions that prey on them. The highest numbers of lion are found in the central section, especially around Satara. The largest concentrations of raptors are found here too.
For many aficionados of the Kruger National Park, it is the northern, more peaceful section of the that ranks highest in their minds. A little further from Gauteng’s big cities, the distances are greater but the rewards worth the effort. The Limpopo and Luvuvhu Rivers, the sandstone mountains and the baobab trees define the terrain of the far north. The area north of Letaba to Shingwedzi is largely mopaneveld, where elephant are dominant browsers and large herds of buffalo are found. Rare antelope found here are the tsessebe and the roan.
Animals aside, there are two late Iron Age sites in the north of the park. Masorini, 12 kilometres from the Phalaborwa Gate on the way to Letaba, dates back to the 1800s and shows evidence of a Sotho-speaking group who developed a sophisticated mining industry by trading iron products. The second site, Thulamela, is believed to be part of what has become known as the ‘Zimbabwe culture’. Beginning with Mapungubwe and continuing into Great Zimbabwe, it was later abandoned for smaller chiefdoms, such as Thulamela.
Featuring only three private units, Little Ongava is idyllically perched on a rocky outcrop. It overlooks a waterhole that is often teeming with wildlife, with panoramic vistas across the African savannah beyond.
Each of the three sumptuous units has its own unique style, yet all offer the same wonderful sense of luxurious seclusion. Built from local materials in traditional fashion, they blend tastefully into their surroundings. Each unit features its own plunge pool, indoor and outdoor showers and a bath that takes in those breathtaking views.
Little Ongava offers an exclusive, intimate safari on the private Ongava Game Reserve, with big game viewing extending across to the neighbouring Etosha National Park. Ongava is one of the largest private game reserves in Namibia, and features almost all of the characteristic wildlife of the area, including plains game such as springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest, Burchell's zebra, Hartmann's mountain zebra, waterbuck, red hartebeest, giraffe, eland and the endemic black-faced impala. Elephant and cheetah can be found in the Etosha Park; while lion, leopard, and black and white rhino move freely between the Park and the Reserve. Ongava holds one of the largest rhino custodianships in the country and is one of the few private game reserves in southern Africa where guests can see both black and white rhino.
Etosha
Etosha is not just another Big 5 reserve. The ebb end flow of the park is propelled by the vast mud cracked expanse of the Etosha Pan, and nowhere else in Africa will you see wildlife in such remarkable surroundings.
Etosha it is probably best known for its vast herds of plains game such as zebra, blue wildebeest, gemsbok and springbok, but offers pretty decent sightings of the big cats and the ubiquitous pachyderms. It is also home to several rare and endangered species, including endemic black-faced impala, tsessebe and cheetah, as well as the largest population of black rhino in Africa. The latter are often sighted at the series of waterholes along the southern edge of the pan.
Etosha’s birdlife is incredible and some 340 species, about a third of which are migrants, can be found in the mopane woodlands, grasslands, savannah and saline desert. During the rainy season greater and lesser flamingos, and even pelicans are often sighted at Fischer’s Pan in the eastern section of the reserve.
-
4 nights
-
4 nights
-
4 nights
12 Nights, 13 Days
FROM $ 6255 PER PERSON SHARING
- Single supplements and child discounts may apply
- Price varies with seasonality and room options
- Indicative price is for low season
Itinerary
- 4 nights in Phinda at &Beyond Phinda Forest Lodge
- 4 nights in the Kruger / Sabi Sands at Notten’s Bush Camp
- 4 nights in Etosha at Andersson's Camp
SNAPSHOT
There is a large splinter of a tree stump in front of you. It waggles imperceptibly, and you notice a beady eye on either side. Looking more closely, you see hulking big shoulders. Suddenly you realise that the rhino has taken the measure of your Land Rover, and has decided that it is up for a contest. Time to back up a little.
Contrasting with the gentle grace of the African elephant, a jogging rhino is a bit like a tank on legs. It has limited sight, a thick skin, a large turning circle, and packs a lot of momentum. They are all business from the front and weird gasses from the back.
Rhinos are the perfect examples of the “Keep it simple” principle – nigh on impenetrable armoured hides, and a kraken spear on the business end. Despite their generally gruff and grumpy appearance, they are also capable of complex social interactions, and can often seen wallowing together playfully in mud pits. It is sad to think that after millennia of mulling around the African continent largely unperturbed by anything on four legs, they have finally found (or, been found by) an adversary bent on wiping them out.
We invite you to come and see these spectacularly over-engineered behemoths for yourself while they teeter on the brink of extinction. Hopefully the efforts of the conservation and tourism industries combined are enough to avert this disaster. This safari takes you to the subtropical bushveld of KwaZulu Natal, and then to the lush bush of the Kruger National Park in South Africa, before it set off on a final leg to the strange and enchanting landscape of Etosha in Namibia.
Should you wish to combine elements of this safari with any of our other packages or destinations, please click on the ‘Enquire Now’ button and let us know what you would be interested in.
Overview
4 nights in Phinda at &Beyond Phinda Forest Lodge
Phinda Private Game Reserve encompasses an impressive 23 000 hectares of protected land and has a strong focus on conservation and community involvement. The reserve is particularly well known for close-up sightings of the elegant, yet elusive cheetah, as well as the rare black rhino. Cheetah, lion and leopard are tracked on the reserve on a daily basis and guests have a high likelihood of encountering these magnificent animals. With its seven distinct habitats, Phinda is often described as ‘Seven Worlds of Wonder’, a magnificent tapestry of woodland, grassland, wetland and forest, interspersed with mountain ranges, rivers, marshes and pans. It is much more than just another Big Five reserve.
4 nights in the Kruger / Sabi Sands at Notten’s Bush Camp
If one jewel shines really bright in South Africa’s tourism crown, it is the Kruger National Park. And while the park may be well over a century old, it continues to expand: On the eastern and northern sides, plan are afoot to integrate the Kruger with the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, and a few smaller areas. This new multinational conservation collaboration will be called the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, and the ambition is for it to ultimately expand to almost 10 million hectares. On the South African side, many of the smaller, privately owned game reserves on the edge of the Kruger have ‘dropped their fences’ with the Park, and become fully integrated into its ecosystem. It is on these properties that many of the luxury lodges are situated. All these lodges have retained their exclusive traversing rights over their land, making for a private, top class safari experience.
4 nights in Etosha at Andersson's Camp
It seems miraculous that life should manage to cling to survival in this arid landscape. But, don’t be misled. In the dry north, the 22 000 square kilometre Etosha National Park rises out of the cracked white clay after the first rains to provide a feast of plenty after the harsh winter. Key to its survival is the scattering of water holes that it leaves in its wake. Just enough to survive the next winter when land turns to ashen dry clay and the vegetation withers into the dustbowl. Etosha will astound you with the tenacity with which nature refuses to let go. Seeing desert-adapted rhino and elephant, and lion if you are very lucky, grace this landscape with comfort and resolve, makes for a very special big game experience.
Detail
Set deep in the heart of a rare and beautiful dry sand forest, Phinda Forest Lodge is a tranquil glass-walled retreat cradled beneath the leafy canopy of a stand of towering torchwood trees.
Inventively designed in a style affectionately known as Zulu Zen, each handcrafted, glass-walled suite boasts a minimalist flair that incorporates high-gloss wooden floors, richly tactile fabrics and brightly accented Zulu artefacts. Oversized bathtubs with huge glass windows invite the tranquillity of the forest inside, while spacious private viewing decks offer sightings of graceful nyala and duiker in the dappled shade of the forest.
Phinda Private Game Reserve encompasses an impressive 23 000 hectares of protected wildlife land and has a strong focus on conservation and community involvement. The reserve is particularly well known for close-up sightings of the elegant, yet elusive cheetah, as well as the rare black rhino. Cheetah, lion and leopard are tracked on the reserve on a daily basis and guests have a high likelihood of encountering these magnificent animals.
Phinda
From Big 5 game viewing to scuba diving with whale sharks or manta rays, watching turtles lay their eggs, fishing for tigerfish or horse riding on the beach, the Elephant Coast is rich in diversity and a must-visit for ecologically minded tourists.
Made up of a mix of national and private game farms, as well as some commercial farms, the Elephant Coast is still relatively untouched by modernity. It incorporates vast expanses of wilderness, including the 328 000 hectare Isimangaliso Wetland World Heritage Site. It is also home to Africa’s oldest game reserve, the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, which was founded in 1895.
Ndumo Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Reserve are both on the border with Mozambique and offer unique experiences for twitchers and pachyderm fans. Tembe now boasts herds of elephants that are noted for their impressive tusks, and it’s one of the better places in South Africa to get good sightings and photographs of these animals. Ndumo is best known for its birding.
Phinda is one of the most impressive reserves on the Elephant coast, and is a great conservations success. What used to be farmland, and untended bush three decades ago, is now 23 000 hectares of prime wildlife land. Phinda’s strong focus on community involvement makes it even more special. The reserve is particularly well known for close-up sightings of the elegant, yet elusive cheetah, as well as the rare black rhino. Cheetah, lion and leopard are tracked on the reserve on a daily basis and guests have a high likelihood of encountering these magnificent animals.
Notten’s Bush Camp is one of the original private game lodges in South Africa and offers an authentic African safari experience in a reserve known for its exceptionally high concentration of animal and bird life, including the Big 5. Each of its spacious private suites is elegantly styled, with a beautifully appointed open plan bedroom and an additional outdoor shower. Each unit has a private wooden deck with a beautiful view of the bush. A magical atmosphere is created with the purposeful absence of electric lighting, the ambient candlelight and lanterns capturing an enchanting spirit of romance. (Battery recharging facilities are available in the reception area). Notten’s Bush Camp is renowned for its excellent cuisine, impeccable standard of service and warm hospitality.
Children over 6 years old are welcome, unless the group takes over the entire camp of 8 private suites (minimum 14 people).
Notten’s forms part of the southern section of the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, the largest private conservation area in South Africa and is the oldest of all the private reserves. Notten’s shares traversing with neighbouring Sabi Sabi, and has over 6 000 hectares of pristine land for game viewing. Apart from the Big 5, you are likely to see a wide variety of animals, including among others, giraffe, wildebeest, cheetah, antelope and wild dog.
The Kruger National Park
The Sabie and the Crocodile are the two main rivers of the southern section of the Kruger National Park. They support a fascinating ecology and a good percentage of the park’s animal life. In the south-east in particular, you have your best chance of sighting the big five. The grasslands surrounding Lower Sabie are good for viewing herds of zebra and buffalo, while giraffe and lion can be seen in the Crocodile Bridge area and white rhino graze on the Nhlowa Road. The south-west is antelope territory, and also the only place in the Kruger National Park for rare sightings of the grey rhebok. The area around Berg-en-Dal with its mixed grazing attracts herds of buffalo and zebra, and, of course, the lions that prey on them. The highest numbers of lion are found in the central section, especially around Satara. The largest concentrations of raptors are found here too.
For many aficionados of the Kruger National Park, it is the northern, more peaceful section of the that ranks highest in their minds. A little further from Gauteng’s big cities, the distances are greater but the rewards worth the effort. The Limpopo and Luvuvhu Rivers, the sandstone mountains and the baobab trees define the terrain of the far north. The area north of Letaba to Shingwedzi is largely mopaneveld, where elephant are dominant browsers and large herds of buffalo are found. Rare antelope found here are the tsessebe and the roan.
Animals aside, there are two late Iron Age sites in the north of the park. Masorini, 12 kilometres from the Phalaborwa Gate on the way to Letaba, dates back to the 1800s and shows evidence of a Sotho-speaking group who developed a sophisticated mining industry by trading iron products. The second site, Thulamela, is believed to be part of what has become known as the ‘Zimbabwe culture’. Beginning with Mapungubwe and continuing into Great Zimbabwe, it was later abandoned for smaller chiefdoms, such as Thulamela.
Andersson’s Camp is situated in the private Ongava Game Reserve that has an open border with the Etosha National Park, Namibia's premier wildlife destination. The camp offers exclusive game drives in the Ongava Game Reserve and daily excursions into Etosha. The camp is eco-friendly in every way, and has an old world charm, reminiscent of a bygone era.
Andersson’s Camp has 25 tented suites that fan out from the main farm house along a series of walkways. All around there are terraces, shady trees and a swimming pool for lazy afternoons in camp, observing the constant parade of wildlife looking for sustenance at the camp’s waterhole. During the dry months from June to November, the waterhole exerts a magnetic pull on the big herds of game, and forms the centrepiece for visitors looking to spot the nearly 150 species that are found in the park. These include several rare and endangered species such as black rhino, cheetah, black-faced impala, tsessebe, brown hyena, black maned lions and gemsbok.
Morning and night drives explore sections of the Ongava Game Reserve and the Etosha National Park. Although there are no fences between the Ongava and Etosha, guests have to enter Etosha from one of the main entrances, which is a 30-minute drive away. Guided walks are offered to guests wishing to stretch their legs and see the reserve from a different perspective.
Etosha
Etosha is not just another Big 5 reserve. The ebb end flow of the park is propelled by the vast mud cracked expanse of the Etosha Pan, and nowhere else in Africa will you see wildlife in such remarkable surroundings.
Etosha it is probably best known for its vast herds of plains game such as zebra, blue wildebeest, gemsbok and springbok, but offers pretty decent sightings of the big cats and the ubiquitous pachyderms. It is also home to several rare and endangered species, including endemic black-faced impala, tsessebe and cheetah, as well as the largest population of black rhino in Africa. The latter are often sighted at the series of waterholes along the southern edge of the pan.
Etosha’s birdlife is incredible and some 340 species, about a third of which are migrants, can be found in the mopane woodlands, grasslands, savannah and saline desert. During the rainy season greater and lesser flamingos, and even pelicans are often sighted at Fischer’s Pan in the eastern section of the reserve.
Itinerary
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