Travel Butlers Ltd
Astra House
The Common, Cranleigh
Surrey GU6 8RZ, United Kingdom
tel: +44 (0)1483 266725
Page
Example holiday
Classic Kruger Self-Drive Trip
We hope that this example holiday will give you give some inspiration to help you begin to plan your own dream holiday to Africa.
The next couple of pages show a summary of the itinerary, followed by a detailed page on each destination.
Important travel information for visitors to South Africa is included at the back of this document.
All the holidays we offer to our clients are tailor-made so we can adjust this trip to fit in with your travel dates, interests, preferred accommodation...and of course your budget.
All our travel consultants have extensive knowledge of travel throughout Southern and East Africa, and our strong relationships with suppliers mean that our rates to you will always be competitive.
Let us take the hard work out of planning your trip: you can get in touch either by giving us a call on +44 (0) 1483 266725, completing the Enquiry Form on our website or emailing us at info@travelbutlers.com.
We look forward to hearing from you!
The Travel Butlers Team
Travel Butlers Ltd
Astra House
The Common, Cranleigh
Surrey GU6 8RZ, United Kingdom
tel: +44 (0)1483 266725
Arrive into Hoedspruit Airport. Collect your luggage, then make you way to the Europcar Car Rental office. Complete the necessary paperwork - you will need to present your driving licence, passport and credit card. The keys to your hire car will then be handed over to you.
8 Day Car Rental: Group R - Hyundai Grand Creta or similar (Contracted Classic GPS Package)
You will then drive to your first safari lodge, situated in the Big 5 Klaserie Game Reserve.
The Klaserie Game Reserve covers 60,000 hectares and shares unfenced borders with Greater Kruger, allowing the animals to wander free in a natural migratory way. It's a wonderful, untouched wilderness for an unforgettable wildlife experience and one of South Africa's real hidden gems. As well as the Big Five, the reserve is home to giraffe, zebra, warthog, spotted hyena, baboon, hippo, impala, kudu, vervet monkey, waterbuck, wildebeest, bushbaby and mongoose! In addition, you may see wild dog, cheetah, bat-eared fox, honey badger, porcupine, aardvark, civet, caracal and serval.
After your morning game drive and breakfast at the lodge, you will drive into the Kruger National Park via the Orpen Gate and onto Olifants Rest Camp. The Kruger National Park is the premier self-drive safari destination in South Africa, with an unbeatable variety of wildlife and habitats to explore, an excellent infrastructure of roads and accommodation, and a feeling of huge, wide-open spaces.
A self-drive safari in Kruger is a truly wonderful experience - the thrill of driving along a road by yourself and coming across a pride of lions basking under a nearby tree, or waiting at a peaceful waterhole and having a sighting all to yourself is hard to beat. The Park boasts an exceptionally rich mix of wildlife, including some 490 species of bird and 147 mammal species, including the Big 5.
You can spend the day on a self-drive safari in the Park on your way down to Lower Sabie Camp. Inside the Park, there is an excellent infrastructure of roads, some of which are tarred, others gravel. Good, clear signposts help to make the driving experience easy and enjoyable. Visitors must take note of the gate times and plan the travelling time accordingly. Please take note that the maximum speed limit in the Park is 50 km/h on tar roads and 40 km/h on gravel roads. Drivers must remain on the roads at all times, and are NOT allowed to drive off-road or get out of their vehicles, except at designated viewing points, but care should still be exercised even then.
On your last day you will have time to enjoy a final game drive in Kruger before you need to leave the Park for the drive to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) near Nelspruit, arriving in time to check in for your onward flight.
Travel Butlers Ltd
Astra House
The Common, Cranleigh
Surrey GU6 8RZ, United Kingdom
tel: +44 (0)1483 266725
Page
Xanatseni Private Camp
Klaserie Game Reserve: 3 Nights
Xanatseni Private Camp (pronounced 'Shanaceni') is a thatched camp which offers the charm and ambiance of a bygone safari era. It is situated in the Big 5 Klaserie Game Reserve, which forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park.
Twice daily game drives are conducted in an open safari vehicle, offering the chance of seeing a myriad of wildlife including lion, elephant, rhino, antelope, zebra, giraffe, and many bird species. The rangers spend their lives in the bush and will offer you amazing insight and information on the plants and animals
The lookout tower at the entrance offers panoramic views of the bush and overlooks the local watering hole.
The camp can get very hot in summer and there is a beautiful pool and outdoor patio area with adjoining bar and lounge where guests can relax and enjoy a siesta during the midday heat between game drives.
There is also a boma area with a camp fire, perfect for enjoying evening drinks before or after dinner, or warming you up while you drink your coffee before a morning game drive.
The camp has 5 spacious rooms with mesmerizing views of the bush. All rooms are decorated in a contemporary style, and have en-suite bathrooms with a shower and a bath.
There is also the Tseni Suite - comprising two en-suite bedrooms, a kitchen, lounge, dining room and a boma. The Suite can be booked with a private guide and vehicle. All meals will also be served in the Suite, offering a fully exclusive safari experience.
Example Details For Xanatseni Private Camp
Nights:
3 Nights
Adults:
2
Children:
0
Room:
1 x Thatched Room
Includes:
All meals; morning and afternoon game drives; tea/coffee; the Klaserie Bed/Conservation levies; and Wi-Fi in the main lodge area are included. PLEASE NOTE: All other drinks are NOT included. IN ADDITION: For self-drive visitors, the vehicle entrance cash fee of R280 per vehicle (subject to change), which is payable at the Timbavati/Klaserie Control Gate (cash or Visa/MasterCard credit cards only).
Please Note: As the animals are wild, it is not possible to guarantee what you will see during your safari.
Location
Travel Butlers Ltd
Astra House
The Common, Cranleigh
Surrey GU6 8RZ, United Kingdom
tel: +44 (0)1483 266725
Page
Xanatseni Private Camp
Travel Butlers Ltd
Astra House
The Common, Cranleigh
Surrey GU6 8RZ, United Kingdom
tel: +44 (0)1483 266725
Page
Olifants Rest Camp
Northern Kruger NP: 2 Nights
Self-drive is the most popular way to visit Kruger, and is a wonderful experience - the thrill of driving along a road by yourself and coming across a pride of lions basking under a nearby tree, or waiting at a peaceful waterhole and having a sighting all to yourself is hard to beat.
Inside the Park, there is an excellent infrastructure of roads, some of which are tarred, others gravel. Good, clear signposts help to make the driving experience easy and enjoyable.
Drivers must remain on the roads at all times, and are NOT allowed to drive off-road or get out of their vehicles, except at designated viewing points.
The Northern region of the Kruger Park is dominated by mopane trees. The eastern half of the region is a vast sea of open mopane scrubland, and is the best area of the Park for seeing tsessebe, ostrich, roan antelope and, if you are fortunate, rhino.
Lion and leopard are also regular sights, and you may also see cheetah.
Westwards, the vegetation changes to a taller, more interesting mix of vegetation, although still dominated by mopane trees. This entire region is excellent for viewing elephant, buffalo and zebra.
Olifants Rest Camp is best known for its spectacular view. Poised high up on the edge of a steep cliff, the camp offers panoramic 180 degree views over the Olifants River far below, and the endless plains beyond. As the name of the camp suggests, elephant are common in the area. Baboon and vervet monkey both inhabit the camp, as do fruit bats and thick-tailed bush babies at night. Lion and leopard are also regularly seen on game drives.
The focal point of the camp is the shop, cafeteria and restaurant, which leads out to a shaded viewpoint. The camp also has a petrol station.
Accommodation is in bungalows or 2 guest houses.
Example Details For Olifants Rest Camp
Nights:
2 Nights
Adults:
2
Children:
0
Room:
1 x Bungalow BD2V
Includes:
Accommodation only basis. The daily Conservation Fee is included.
Location
Travel Butlers Ltd
Astra House
The Common, Cranleigh
Surrey GU6 8RZ, United Kingdom
tel: +44 (0)1483 266725
Page
Lower Sabie Rest Camp
Southern Kruger NP: 2 Nights
The Southern region of the Kruger National Park covers about one-fifth of the total area of the Park. Several excellent drives - especially those in the general area around Lower Sabie - combine exceptional scenery with a rich mixture of game and birdlife.
Highly scenic grassy savanna is rich in zebra and giraffe, while tall acacias and ever-graceful marula trees abound and provide welcome shade for herds of kudu and impala, while dainty steenbuck also find refuge from the blistering sun. It is no wonder, with all this game, that this area is known as 'Lion Country'! The region also has an incredibly high density of rhino - both black and white.
Lower Sabie graces the banks of the Sabie River, one of the few perennial rivers to flow through the Kruger National Park. Watching the endless procession of animals coming to drink at the Sabie River is a highlight of a stay here.
Lower Sabie is renowned for both the plentiful game in the area, and magnificent surrounding scenery. The area is rich in lion, cheetah, elephant, hippo, rhino, herds of buffalo up to 800 strong and a very high density of warthog.
The camp is extremely pleasant, with extensive lawns and plenty of trees, a swimming pool, restaurant, cafeteria, fuel station and a well-stocked shop.
Recommended accommodation is in safari tents, bungalows, guest cottages or a spacious guest house.
Example Details For Lower Sabie Rest Camp
Nights:
2 Nights
Adults:
2
Children:
0
Room:
1 x Bungalow BD2
Includes:
Accommodation only basis. The daily Conservation Fee is included.
Location
Travel Butlers Ltd
Astra House
The Common, Cranleigh
Surrey GU6 8RZ, United Kingdom
tel: +44 (0)1483 266725
Page
Important Travel Information For South Africa
Passport, Visa and Entry Requirements
Latest Travel Updates
For up-to-date travel information from the UK government, please check:
Normally, holders of the following passports do not require a visa to enter South Africa when travelling as a tourist for stays up to 90 days: United Kingdom; United States of America; Canada; Australia; Ireland; Belgium; Netherlands; Italy; France; Germany; Spain, Switzerland.
If you are a passport holder from another country, please contact your local South Africa High Commission or Embassy for up-to-date visa requirements, as citizens of certain countries (including New Zealand) are required to obtain visas before travelling. Please note that if you are applying to the Embassy for your visa, some visas can take a long time to be processed so please do take this into consideration, as it is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct visa in place before you travel.
Children under 18 years of age who require a visa to enter South Africa may be required to provide additional information when applying for the visa including an unabridged birth certificate and affidavit if travelling with only one parent. There are also additional rules for unaccompanied minors and/or South African children - details available on request or via the SA Department of Home Affairs at http://www.dha.gov.za.
Please note that anyone travelling to South Africa should have a valid return ticket and a valid passport. Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 30 days from the date of exit from South Africa. However, some immigration officials still request that a passport should have at least 6 months validity from the date of entry to South Africa so to avoid problems on arrival, we advise that your passport meets this requirement instead. The passport must also have sufficient pages for entry/exit stamps - AT LEAST 2 BLANK PAGES.
South Africa has implemented biometric capturing at all ports of entry. This may result in some delays at land borders so you should allow additional time for border crossings.
PLEASE NOTE: Countries can change their entry requirements at any time. Travel Butlers try to ensure that the information displayed here is correct, but the onus remains with the traveller to verify the information with the relevant High Commission or Embassy and ensure that they can comply with the applicable entry requirements.
Medical
You are advised to contact your doctor or clinic around 4-8 weeks before your trip to check whether you need any vaccinations and to get their professional medical advice regarding travel to South Africa.
To help avoid heatstroke, drink plenty of bottled water/fluids, and keep out of the midday sun.
Tap water is purified and safe to drink in major cities and towns, however, we do advise that you do not drink the water in more remote places such as the camps in the National Parks - the water may be safe to drink, but it simply is not worth the risk, as bottled water is widely available.
Whatever you do, do not drink water from any river lake without firstly purifying the water. Always take water with you when you go on a hike, and have a bottle in the car on a long journey to avoid dehydration.
There is a risk of malaria in and around the Kruger National Park/Mpumalanga Province, the Limpopo (Northern) Province, and the north-eastern part of KwaZulu-Natal - check with your doctor about suitable antimalarial tablets. Try to avoid mosquito bites wherever possible - wear loose long-sleeved clothing and trousers, and use a repellent on clothing and exposed skin.
There is no risk of yellow fever in South Africa, so a yellow fever vaccination is NOT required for travellers whose sole destination is South Africa. However, in accordance with International Health Reguations, South Africa requires all travellers over one year of age arriving from a yellow fever risk country, or having been in transit longer than 12 hours at the airport of such a country, to have a yellow fever certificate. These countries include Kenya and Uganda but it is up to the traveller to check the full list here https://nathnacyfzone.org.uk/factsheet/60/yellow-fever-maps
If you need emergency medical assistance during your trip, dial 10177 and ask for an ambulance.
Travel Butlers Ltd
Astra House
The Common, Cranleigh
Surrey GU6 8RZ, United Kingdom
tel: +44 (0)1483 266725
Page
Important Travel Information For South Africa
Continued
Languages And Culture
The 11 official languages are Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Pedi, English, Tswana, Sotho, Tsonga, Swati, Venda and Ndebele. Whilst many visitors will hear at least a couple of the tribal languages during the course of their stay, it is possible to travel extensively and comfortably with just English as a language.
The South African society is quite liberal, as gay marriage was legalised in 2006 nationwide and everyone’s rights are protected under the constitution. In some more rural areas, however, the local people may not be quite as liberal thinking, so whilst everyone is of course entitled to their own sexual preferences and gender identity, we would advise all clients of the LGBT+ community to refrain from public displays of affection (including kissing and holding hands) and to be as discrete as possible about their relationship if travelling to a rural/remote area.
Travel Butlers Ltd
Astra House
The Common, Cranleigh
Surrey GU6 8RZ, United Kingdom
tel: +44 (0)1483 266725
Page
Book With Confidence
Travel Butlers have 20 years experience of booking travel to Africa and the Indian Ocean for clients from all around the world. In this time we have supported clients through disruptions caused by numerous unexpected events including natural disasters, localised disease outbreaks and airline cancellations. Nobody can be certain exactly what will happen in the future, however Travel Butlers can offer you peace of mind and flexibility to ensure that you feel confident booking a holiday with us.
Flexibility and peace of mind before you travel
Our team are specialists in travel to Africa and the Indian Ocean, and we are constantly monitoring the changing situation regarding travel to the region. If your trip cannot go ahead due to specific travel restrictions related to Covid-19 then we will get in touch to offer you the choice of the following:
Postponing to a later date
Switching to another destination
Receiving a full refund of all monies paid to Travel Butlers for the trip, providing the balance due has been paid in full
The specific Covid-19 travel restrictions are defined as follows:
The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel or your booked country is placed on the red list
The government in your country of residence (non-UK residents) restricts all but essential travel
The destination you are travelling to has entry restrictions in place that prohibit you travelling, such as closed borders or extended quarantine requirements
International flights are cancelled without alternative routing available for you to use to reach the destinations in the itinerary
We would not normally be able to confirm that your trip cannot proceed due to travel restrictions until a couple of weeks before the start of your trip, however should you want to look at postponing or altering your trip before then we would aim to be as flexible as possible.
If we confirm that your trip is unable to proceed due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, then we will not charge you an amendment fee if you choose to postpone your trip or move it to another destination. We may need to adjust the cost of your trip to reflect the new dates, particularly if those coincide with a more expensive season of travel or higher grade of accommodation. Equally, if the cost of your postponed trip is less, we will reduce the cost accordingly.
You should still take out travel insurance that includes Covid-19 to cover you in the event that your trip can go ahead but you are unable to travel due to illness or a change in your personal circumstances. If there are no travel restrictions in place that mean your trip could not go ahead but you need to cancel due to illness or a change in your personal circumstances then our normal terms and conditions would apply. You should ensure that your travel insurance provides adequate cover for cancelling due to illness, including Covid-19, and you may be able to make a claim against your travel insurance depending on the cover offered by your policy.
Support whilst you are away
We offer 24/7 telephone assistance to all our clients whilst they are away, and also have partners in each country that are able to assist with any PCR tests or other issues that might arise during your trip.
If you fall ill whilst you are away, or if your trip is disrupted due to Covid-19 whilst you are travelling, then our experienced team will be on hand to assist you in whatever way you need. You would need to pay any additional costs incurred due to illness or travel disruption whilst you are away, however you may be able reclaim these expenses on your travel insurance depending on the cover offered by your policy. Travel Butlers will be able to assist by providing supporting documentation for your claim.
Financial protection for your Travel Butlers holiday
All of the holidays we sell are 100% financially protected through our ATOL and ABTOT bonding so your money is in safe hands when you book a Travel Butlers holiday. Furthermore, our business is well positioned to navigate through the challenges which the travel industry is currently facing.
Finding suitable travel insurance that covers Covid-19
You can now get insurance that offers cover for disruption related to Covid-19, and these policies could include cover for:
cancellation if you or anyone covered by the policy gets a positive coronavirus test in the two weeks before you travel
medical costs if you get coronavirus while you are away
additional transport and/or accommodation expenses if you fall ill with coronavirus while you are away
Not all policies offer this kind of cover, not necessarily even all policies from the same provider, so you should ensure you check the policy details carefully before buying your insurance.
Travel Butlers have 20 years experience of booking travel to Africa and the Indian Ocean for clients from all around the world. In this time we have supported clients through disruptions caused by numerous unexpected events including natural disasters, localised disease outbreaks and airline cancellations. Nobody can be certain exactly what will happen in the future, however Travel Butlers can offer you peace of mind and flexibility to ensure that you feel confident booking a holiday with us.