Northern Xplorer
5 Nights / 6 Days

14h00 pm: You will be picked up from the Johannesburg International Airport or your Hotel.

We leave Johannesburg behind and head to Hartebeespoort Dam, an extremely popular area south of the Magaliesburg range. The dam, with its spectacular scenery and proximity to Johannesburg and Pretoria, is the principal water recreation area of the northern section of Gauteng. We book in at Galagos Lodge for the night. This 4 Star Lodge has been designed for true bush elegance, and combines personal service and closeness to nature. The interior is reminiscent of a gentleman’s manor. Warm and inviting with high ceilings and walls that are graced with photographs of wildlife, collected by the owners, from around the world. Dinner will be enjoyed in the Dining Area.

Breakfast first and then we head to the Elephant Sanctuary nestled
in the Magaliesberg Mountains. Guests are guided in small groups on foot through The Elephant Sanctuary. Guides will provide in-depth information and insight into African elephants. You will be introduced to our elephants in the forest area, and here you will be able to touch and interact with the elephants. You will see the special relationship that the elephant handlers share with their elephants and become a part of it forming your relationship and bond with the elephants.
Short walk with the elephants trunk-in-hand. See where the elephants sleep at night in their stables. Guests learn about their anatomy and feed them. On some hot days you may even see the elephants swimming. Optional Elephant Back Safari can be arranged. Enjoy a drink from the cash bar on the main deck before departure. We leave the Elephant Sanctuary behind and head for the Pilanesberg National Park, set on the eroded remains of a 1200 million year old extinct alkaline crater. The ancient crater is one of only three of its kind in the world. We book in at Bakubung Bush Lodge for the next two nights on a dinner, bed and ,breakfast basis.Tucked in the expanses of the malaria-free Pilanesberg National Park, Bakubung, or the People of the Hippo, provides guests with the peace and tranquilty of a true bush experience coupled with the luxury and service you’ve come to expect from a Legacy bush lodge.

Guests leave on an early morning game drive and return to a full English breakfast. The Pilanesberg National Park offers up 50 000ha of nature’s wondrous creations, and features some fascinating rock formations and important archeological sites such as San Rock Artwork. In the afternoon you will leave on a night drive in search for nocturnal animals before stopping for a Bush Braai/Barbeque under the night sky.

After breakfast we book out and make our way to the Marakele National Park, just outside of Thabazimbi, in the heart of the Waterberg Mountains , named after the Tswana word for “Place of Sanctuary. The park is home to a host of wildlife and the largest colony of endangered Cape vultures in the world. We book into the Tlopi Tented Camp after buying a few groceries in Thabazimbi. Dinner will be prepared around the campfire.

Breakfast is prepared in Camp and coffee will be ready . Marakele National Park as its Tswana name suggests, has become a 'place of sanctuary' for an impressive variety of wildlife due to its location in the transitional zone between the dry western and moister eastern regions of South Africa. Contrasting majestic mountain landscapes, grass-clad hills and deep valleys characterize the park. Rare finds of yellowwood and cedar trees, five metre high cycads and tree ferns, are some of the plant species found here. All the large game species from elephant and rhino to the big cats as well as an amazing variety of birds including what’s probably the largest colony of endangered Cape vultures (more than 800 breeding pairs) in the world, have settled here. Return to Tlopi Tented Camp.

Cost per person sharing: US$ 2240.00