Day 1: (Sun) The Kingdom of the Zulu's  (L)
We leave the city of Durban by 08h30 and head up the north coast towards the magical heart of the Zulu Kingdom. Our first stop is an authentic Zulu cultural village where dancers perform an ancient dance to the beating of African drums. Sample traditionally brewed Zulu beer and watch woman craft clay pots and intricate Zulu beadwork. This is a fascinating tour as the Zulu traditional homestead and life is so completely 'alien' to modern Western lifestyle. After a hearty lunch, we proceed to the small coastal village of St Lucia, which is on the door step of the 'Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park', now referred to as the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a proclaimed World Heritage Site.  Check in at your hotel in the afternoon. 
Accommodation: Protea Hotel St Lucia or similar

Day 2: (Mon) The Kingdom of Swaziland  (BLD)
The day begins with a motor launch cruise on magnificent Lake St Lucia, which is a part of the World Heritage Site of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and home to hippo,crocodile and literally hundreds of bird species. We leave this soothing wetland wilderness and head for the Kingdom of Swaziland, via northern Zululand, a landscape dotted with traditional Zulu homesteads. Once 'inside' Swaziland, we visit the Swazi Candle Factory, its shelves packed with ethnic candles of every hue, size and shape imaginable. We then continue onto our hotel arriving in the late afternoon.
Accommodation: Lugogo Sun or similar

Day 3: (Tue) Kruger National Park  (BD)
Still in Swaziland, our first stop of the day, we visit the famous Ngwenya Glass Factory, to watch craftsmen fashion delightful animals and functional art from molten glass. We then continue on to the Kruger National Park, possibly one of South Africa's most well known tourist destinations. We enter through Kruger's southern-most gate and head north through this vast reserve, reaching our camp in time for a traditional sundowner (own account) in the African bushveld.  Once we enter the Kruger Park, your safari experience begins immediately - keep an eye out for all manner of animal and bird species.  Kruger is ranked as one of the best safari destinations in Africa. 
Accommodation: Kruger Rest Camp or similar

Day 4: (Wed) Kruger National Park  (B)
This morning we set off early, even before breakfast in open safari vehicles on a full day safari within the Kruger National Park, in search of lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard, and all manner of wondrous wildlife, birds and plant species. Savour the magic of this enormous wilderness.
Accommodation: Kruger Rest Camp or similar

Day 5: (Thu) The Lowveld & Panorama Route  (BD)
Leaving the Kruger National Park today, we head off to enjoy the scenic delights of Mpumalanga's 'Panorama Route'. The day's highlights include Pilgrim's Rest, the old mining village where gold was first discovered, glorious God's Window, a boundless view of forested mountains and fertile plains, and a visit to the spectacular Blyde River Canyon, one of the natural wonders of Africa.
Accommodation: Royal Hotel or similar

Day 6: (Fri) Pretoria & Johannesburg  (B)
We leave Mpumalanga rising several hundred feet into the Highveld en route to Pretoria, South Africa's capital city. After lunch, we proceed on a tour of Pretoria, tracing South Africa's extraordinary history with visits to Kruger Museum and the Voortrekker Monument.  We arrive in Johannesburg in the late afternoon and we will drop off passengers at the airport or at a central Sandton hotel. 

This tour begins in Durban, where Thompsons offer a range of optional day tours for you to choose from should you wish to stay a night or two in Durban.  Durban's coastline is a 'hotspot' for local travellers, with great beaches and sunshine all year round. 

We have many exciting Durban day tours from which you can choose, however, we highly recommend the uShaka Marine World experience - this is a great outing for young and old alike - the theme park is based around a massive re-constructed shipwreck, which contains a world-class marine aquarium, numerous retail outlets, great restaurants and bars, as well as a water slide theme park and dolphinarium (Gambit is the world's largest captive dolphin) - all literally right on Durban's beachfront.

Another wondeful tour which encompasses some beautiful scenery is our Midlands Meander tour. The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands Meander is an established arts and crafts route, where art galleries, coffee shops and restaurants are 'dotted' amidst undulating hillsides and mountainous scenery.

If you wish to extend your holiday in Johannesburg at the end of the tour, we can also assist you with a range of Day tours in Johannesburg and surrounds.  In Johannesburg we highly recommend the Apartheid Museum tour - this relatively new attraction documents the journey from the apartheid era to Nelson Madela's historic release.  Another fascinating tour which will provide insight into modern South African lifestyle is the Soweto Tour.

In both Durban and Johannesburg we have a plethora of accommodation options for you to choose from, click on our accommodation search to view these options.

Should you wish to extend your stay to encompass Cape Town, or the famous Garden Route, or perhaps include Victoria Falls into your itinerary, our Internet Consultants can easily 'string this altogether' for you. Our tour ends in Johannesburg which is one of the major hubs in Africa and you are able to literally fly to any number of destinations at the end of your guided overland tour.