Late evening arrival at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA on Delta Airways flight. The group will be met at International Arrivals by the Afton Guesthouse driver and then transferred to Afton Guesthouse, Kempton Park (5 mins by road). On arrival guests will be welcomed by their Southern Sky Adventures representative, who will also collect the group’s electronic items for safekeeping. Guests are shown to their rooms to settle in and freshen up before dinner. Dinner will be a traditional South African braai (BBQ).

After enjoying Afton’s famous cooked English breakfast the group will head for Bela Bela (60 – 90 mins by road) to enjoy a once in a life time wildlife interaction at Adventures with Elephants. Once acquainted with these gentle giants, the group will enjoy an unforgettable safari on the backs of the mighty African Elephants. You will then depart for Marataba Private Game Reserve (Waterberg Mountains) with the staff at NJ More Field Guide College waiting to welcome you to Monkey Camp, your base camp for the duration of your Safari adventure. Refreshments and a light lunch will be enjoyed on arrival, followed by a comprehensive safety briefing and orientation/ induction into camp. The NJ MORE expert field guide instructors and camp staff will be introduced and welcome packs will be issued to each participant. Once shown to their tents, the guests will have chance to settle in and freshen up before their activity. An evening game drive has been arranged for the group to enjoy sundowners, as they watch their first African sunset in the wilderness. Leopard, Wildebeest and Rhino are common to this area and often sighted on route! Venture back to camp for a welcome braai and story time around the camp fire.

Welcome to Adventures with Elephants

Adventures with Elephants is a place of inspiration and joy. Their beautiful reserve in South Africa is home to many types of wildlife from zebra; giraffe and warthogs; to meerkats. Their biggest honor is the privilege of caring for 5 beautiful African elephants who were destined to be culled. The latest addition,

Zambezi, was born in captivity to mother Shan and is the sixth family member.

AWE offers close and personal encounters with the resident elephants carried out with cheerfulness and respect for the welfare of both the guests and the majestic residents. Visitors will learn all about Africa’s gentle giants. Their intelligence, their bodies, their behavior. Leave humbled and moved, and a lifetime ambassador for holistic wildlife conservation. http://adventureswithelephants.com/

The day starts with an early morning game drive. A hotbox of tea/ coffee & rusks/ muffins will be prepared in the camp kitchen and sent along to enjoy at sunrise over a vast unspoiled African vista. Return to camp for a cooked brunch followed by a midday discussion on animal tracks/ tracking and general animal behavior. Following afternoon tea and sandwiches in camp, the group will set out using their newly found tacking skills. The activity will include driving and walking in big game country while animal signs are identified and large game are tracked. Should time allow, a fun tracking activity will also be arranged (most likely spoor casting or similar). After a hearty dinner served in camp, guests will gear up for a game of hide-and-seek WITH A DIFFERENCE! A night hunt for scorpions by UV light! Relax by camp fire until lights out.

The excitement continues as the group heads out early on a game drive with specific emphasis on survival skills and bush craft. Learn what it takes to survive in the wild! Finding food, sourcing and purifying water, medicinal use of plants and folklore in preparation of an evening under the stars in the African wilderness. Return to camp for a cooked breakfast/ brunch followed by a briefing on the day’s events, preparation, set up and packing requirements for a sleep out in dangerous game area. Guests will have time to gather basic belongings, before an earlier than usual high tea. Thereafter the group will assist the camp staff in packing for the much-anticipated sleep out. Time to head out by open top game vehicle for Mambo area. Game sightings are frequent along this route. Time to set up camp, start the trickle fire and enjoy a solitude exercise before nightfall. Individuals will each have chance to stand guard, using the moon to determine when their shift is complete. The group will prepare their own dinner on the trickle fire and sleep on ground mats under the African stars.

Watch the sun rise in silence, true to African tradition, whilst reflecting on this unforgettable encounter with nature. The group will breakdown camp leaving no footprint of their stay in nature, before heading back for a cooked breakfast. The remainder of the morning will only allow for a quick visit back to the tents and freshening up with a swim in the camp pool, before a thorough briefing on the afternoon’s planned visit to Save the Waterberg Rhino. The focus of the day will be Wildlife Conservation. After lunch, the group will be collected from camp and driven to Vaalwater (1 hour 30 mins by road). The afternoon will start with a thrilling snake and reptile presentation then followed by a heart wrenching and unforgettable encounter with African White Rhinos. The visit will include personal interaction with these magnificent creatures as well as a guided tour of the facilities and a brief presentation on the organization and its commitment to saving Rhinos from extinction. Return to camp for a much needed debrief and a relaxed dinner/ evening around camp. The guests will be briefed on the community project planned for the following two days.

After a light breakfast the group will depart (90 mins by road) for Bushveld Mission Children’s Home located in Vaalwater. On arrival, the group will be welcomed by the volunteer staff and care givers. The days’ program is outlined below:

09h00 Arrival

09h00 – 10h00 Introduction & walk about

10h00 – 12h00 Paint name boards for above bedrooms

12h00 – 13h00 Lunch (prepared and sent along by camp)

13h00 – 16h00 Installation of new sink and reinforcing of shelves in pantry

16h00 – 16h30 De-brief and good bye

Enjoy another full day at Bushveld Mission Children’s Home, upgrading the facilities and interacting with the resident children. The days’ programme is outlined below:

09H00 Arrival

09h00 – 12h00 Sanding walls on boy’s accommodation and applying damp proof treatment

12h00 -13h00 Lunch (prepared and sent along by camp)

13h00 – 16h00 Re-upholster chairs and couches

16h00 – 16h30 De-brief and good bye

Depart directly from the center for Waterberg Cottages. Evening arrival will allow for the group to settle in and freshen up for dinner. The Waterberg offers some of the darkest skies in the world, and clear cloudless nights to see them as well. Using an advanced modern telescope and astronomical video camera the group will enjoy a star tour by a specialist guide in astronomy. He will introduce the Waterberg night sky – from the comfort of your chair with a spectacular view of the planets in our solar system, the Milky Way and various other colorful constellations. There is also a heated pool for those brave enough to face the evening chill!

Nestled in the heart of the Waterberg plateau, Waterberg Cottages offers it’s guests a haven of tranquility, relaxation and fun, in the beautiful Bushveld.

Only 2.5 hours away from Pretoria and malaria free we invite you to leave behind the stress and strain of the city and experience the unspoilt wilderness of the Waterberg Biosphere. Here in the Waterberg there are no street lights to flood the night sky with light pollution. Our star Tours take advantage of this to show you some of the amazing wonders of the universe that you simply won’t see in the city. A chance to get that tan up lazing by the heated pool, enjoying Nina Baber’s beautiful garden, or for the more energetic, playing tennis or Volleyball. The children will love playing in our 15m heated pool, supplied with a range of fun water activities, and extracting them from the trampoline has proved difficult in the past. The farm has over 250 species of bird, some lovely scenery and numerous mammal species, including Kudu, Steenbuck, Impala, Blesbok, Warthog, Bushpig, Jackal, Baboon, Vervet monkey, Aardvark and Pangolin. I personally find the insect and reptile life at least as fascinating as the larger creatures, and can spend hours watching the antics of the humble Dung beetle, the Ant lion or the gecko. http://www.waterbergcottages.co.za/index.html

For the more energetic we have arranged an early morning bush walk to enjoy the beautiful bushveld, bird and wildlife of the farm. Say goodbye to the Waterberg by enjoying her peace, tranquility and delightful views. Say goodbye to your NJ More instructors after breakfast and hit the road for Johannesburg and the much anticipated Alexandra Township Tour.

The group will spend the day visiting the sights of this vibrant township while accompanied by senior community members. Stops will include the community vegetable garden and the drama center, where guest will have chance to interact with the local children… playing sport, helping with homework and/ or reading to them. Lunch must be purchased on route. Return to Afton Guesthouse (40 – 60 mins by road) for a braai dinner and overnight accommodation.

Once known as the Dark City because it had no electricity, Alexandra, or Alex, as most locals call the informal community that sprawls between the posh suburbs of Sandton over only 800 hectares of land. Abuzz with vivid social culture, you’ll find it’s impossible not to get caught up in the tumult that is Alexandra township life. It couldn’t be more different in veneer and character from its posh neighbor, Sandton, which is a mere five minutes’ drive away. But what it lacks in elegance, it makes up for in street cred. A peek into the history of Alexandra reveals that Alex has been home to many luminaries including world renowned jazz maestro, Hugh Masekela and former president Nelson Mandela.

Enjoy a full English breakfast before making your way to OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg (5 mins by road) for an internal flight to Inhambane International Airport (120 mins FLIGHT). Tofo Scuba will meet and greet the group on arrival at Inhambane Airport and transfer them immediately through to Tofo. Lunch must be purchased on route. The group will be welcomed and enjoy dinner at Casa Anlija. Tofu Scuba will prepare dinner this evening.

After a cooked breakfast participants will be split into two groups. Group 1 will spend the morning completing a DSD Pool session. DSD stands for Discover Scuba Diving in which participants get a first hand diver’s experience in the safe confinement of a pool. Group 2 will enjoy their first ocean safari. After lunch Group 1 will enjoy the DSD dive session and Group 2 will have their surf lesson. After a fun day in the sun and under water both groups will return to the lodge for dinner which they will need to prepare!! Tofo will ensure that all the ingredients are available.

Welcome to Tofo Scuba

Tofo Scuba is a PADI 5 Star Gold Palm resort and we run courses from Discover Scuba up to Divemaster. Tofo and Tofo Scuba is an ideal place to take your first steps in professional diving. Our dive center employs a staff of 3 qualified and experienced DOT skippers, instructors who are both qualified with PADI and RAID, a PADI staff instructor and Divemaster trainees who are on hand to assist divers throughout the year. Set directly on the beach, overlooking the Indian Ocean, our accommodation hopes to be one of your favorite places to stay http://www.tofoscuba.com/

The groups will swop over today – Group one will enjoy the morning on an ocean safari and the afternoon learning to surf. Group 2 will have their morning DSD pool session and afternoon DSD dive session. Dinner will once again be prepared by the participants, with all fresh ingredients made available by the team at Tofo Scuba.

All participants will enjoy an early morning ocean safari, hopefully getting a glimpse of the local marine giants!! Following this, our group can look forward to game of beach volley ball. After a light lunch of burgers/ sandwiches or similar, enjoy the afternoon at leisure on the beach, surfing or visiting the local Tofo market or attractions. Dinner will be back at the lodge, again to be prepared by the participants. Consolidation and storytelling around the camp fire as the group spends their last night in Mozambique.

After a light breakfast the group will pack their belongings, say their goodbyes to the team at Tofo Scuba and make their way by road transfer from Tofo to Inhambane Airport for their flight back to Johannesburg. Lunch must be purchased on route. On arrival, the group will be met by Spurwing and transferred to Ukutula Lion Park (2 hours by road). Late afternoon evening arrival will allow for the group to be welcomed, settle in and freshen up before dinner. Thereafter the evening can be spent at leisure. Fall asleep to the resonating roar of the resident lions. A taste of what tomorrow has in store!

Welcome to Ukutula Lion Park

Known as the “place of quiet” the lodge is nestled in lush bush veld where the roar of the lion can be heard for miles around. Ukutula is conveniently situated within an hour’s drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria. The reserve comprises 260 hectares of unspoiled bush veld boasting a variety of wildlife species, including predator and antelope species, giraffe, zebra and more. Ukutula is also home to more than 130 different bird species.

Ukutula supports and apply the IUCN’s One-Plan-Approach (OPA) to Species Conservation and Animal Breeding Principals. http://lodge.ukutula.co.za/

Start the morning with a guided walk through the small cat enclosure. Meet the resident Karakul, Serval and rare African Black Foot cats. Return to the main area for a cooked breakfast and head straight out for an unforgettable and up close interaction with lion cubs of varying ages in their respective bomas. The guests will break for a quick tea and then return to the interaction. Lunch is again served in the main area, followed by a tour of the large cat enclosures. Meet true White lions, Brown lions and Bengal tigers and finally visit the newly built laboratory and lion research center. The onsite wildlife vet and reserve warden will explain Ukutula’s ongoing conservation efforts – if available to do so. Break again for tea and something sweet before the much anticipated LION WALK!! The keepers will thoroughly brief the group and once considered safe to do so, the guests will head out on a gravel trail through the African veld escorted by 4 – 6 rather enthusiastic adolescent lions. This is for most the pinnacle of their visit to South Africa. The walk will last just under an hour. Dinner is served and the remainder of the evening will be spent discussing the day’s events around the camp fire.

Enjoy a cooked breakfast and game drive before making your way to back to OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg (120 mins) by road for outbound flight to Atlanta. Today can be used for some last minute gift shopping and lunch must be bought on route.