On Safari in South Africa - Elephant Lodge

Fly overnight to Johannesburg.

Meet your local tour manager at Johannesburg airport for the scenic transfer to the Sebatana Elephant Lodge. Upon arrival, lunch will be served.

Afterwards, rest, relax and settle into your new surroundings, perhaps by taking a refreshing dip in one of the pools. This evening, enjoy an included welcome drink, followed by dinner and a short briefing about the week ahead.

This morning you'll venture out in 4x4s into the reserve with your guides, who will tell you about the different animals and plants that inhabit the area.

After lunch, head out on the first of many wonderful wildlife-spotting game drives. All game drives at Sebatana are done in open-air vehicles for maximum visibility. Access to the reserve is subject to extensive restrictions, so it’ll feel like you have the whole place to yourself! Keep an eye out – and have your camera at the ready – for zebras, meerkats, giraffes, wildebeest and impalas.

Tonight, enjoy a complimentary wine-tasting before dinner.

After breakfast, venture out on a game drive to the nearby Welgevonden Reserve in search of the fabled Big Five – the lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant.

This evening, you have the option to join the tribal evening to learn more about South Africa’s indigenous cultures.

This morning, join your guide for a gentle included bush walk into the Sebatana Private Reserve. Listen intently as your guide points out animal breeding areas and local plant life. After the walk, return to the lodge for some well-earned lunch.

After lunch, set out on your second game drive into the Sebatana Private Reserve for the chance to spot some spectacular wildlife, armed with the knowledge gained this morning. You’ll head to Christina’s Wallow, a hide with wonderful views of a waterhole. For a truly authentic wildlife-spotting experience, you’ll complete the journey on foot.

Enjoy breakfast and a day of leisure at the lodge, taking advantage of the amenities, or join an optional 'Echoes of the Past' excursion.

On this memorable optional experience, you'll rise early and head back into Kaingo Private Reserve under the morning light for another game-viewing experience. With the lower temperatures, the wildlife you spot across the bushveld will be more active, making for even more dramatic animal encounters. Kaingo isn’t only famous for its resident creatures, though, and your expert guide will introduce you to a series of world-famous archaeological sites which chart humanity’s evolution across millions of years. You’ll see ancient stone tools, delicate Bushman paintings, and cave shelters which were once used by the earliest homo sapiens.

Later this afternoon, head back to the lodge for time at leisure and dinner.

Rise and shine early this morning for a very special game drive, and the chance to spot herds of antelopes moving in the open. Antelopes and other prey animals tend to move around in the morning, to find the best protection from predators.

Around mid-morning, you’ll stop at Kudu Rock for a magnificent, traditional African brunch in the heart of bush. Enjoy a well-earned meal as you soak up the fantastic views of the African bush.

Return to the lodge to rest and relax. If you want to carry on exploring, the guides will point out some gentle trails through the reserve. This evening, enjoy a complimentary wine-tasting before dinner. Later on, why not join the fascinating optional night safari?

This morning, you’ll have the chance to join one last optional Big Five game drive to nearby Kaingo Game Reserve.

Later, in the mid-afternoon, enjoy a fitting finale to your South African adventure, as you join the included safari to Sunset Rock. Sip on a traditional sundowner from this magnificent vantage point, looking out over the Waterberg Mountains as the sky turns a cascade of red and orange.

Return to the lodge for a farewell feast, no doubt reflecting on a wonderful break in the African wilderness.

Say goodbye to your wonderful hosts as you depart for Johannesburg. A packed lunch will be provided. Depending on season and opening hours you'll visit either the Apartheid Museum and Hector Pieterson Memorial in Johannesburg or the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria.

After the visit, continue to Johannesburg airport for your overnight flight back to the UK.

Early morning arrival.