Responsible Tourism

Wildlife, Tribes & Dolphins

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Highlights of this tour.

• Big 5 Game Viewing with Wildlife Expert-Guide
• Swim with wild dolphins in Mozambique
• Visit a local village and witness modern day Zulu life
• Take a hippo cruise at sunset
• Bushwalks, snorkelling & night game drives in St Lucia Wetlands Reserve, a World Heritage Site
• Stay in luxury permanent tents in an elephant reserve
• Evening sundowners around a traditional braai

Example of the itinerary.

Day:
1. Overnight Flight to Johannesburg
2. Transfer to St Lucia Wetlands Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site rich with birds and wildlife.
3&4. Today is free for optional activities, including whale watching (in season), boat cruise to spot crocodiles & hippos, horse riding, golf, deep sea fishing and a night game drive. A trip to a local village and an astrology evening are also possible.
5. Game drives in Hluhluwe/Imfolozie Reserve (A Big 5 reserve), where we overnight at a comfortable Lodge and sit round a campfire after dinner listening to the sounds of the African bush.
6. Drive to Tembe Elephant Reserve, stopping en route to visit a local craft market before an afternoon game drive. This evening is also spent sociably round the fire.
7. Early morning elephant safari, before heading into Southern Mozambique, and our accommodation on the beach. Guests will be able to go scuba diving (certificate required), fishing, snorkelling or relax on the beach before visiting a local market to shop for local handicrafts.
8. In Mozambique: optional trip to spot and possibly swim with wild dolphins*. The beach is unspoilt and the sea turquoise, so perfect for relaxation.
9. Short drive back to South Africa where activities at the lodge accommodation include kayaking, taking walking trails through the forest or relaxing by the pool. A night walk on the beach to see nesting Loggerhead or Leatherback turtles is available from Nov - Jan/Feb.
10. After breakfast, we return to St Lucia / Richard's Bay where guests can link up with the extension trip or return to the airport.
11. Arrive UK

The benefits you bring in taking this tour.

This trip visits lesser-known parts of South Africa as well as Mozambique, and provides much-needed tourism revenue for local small businesses. Our entry fees to the Game Reserve help fund a conservation programme to save the endangered black rhino, whose number in Africa has dwindled from 14 000 to a pitiful 2 550 in the past decade. Fees from participation in the dolphin swim contribute towards the research station which runs the excursion, and is monitoring bottle nosed dolphin numbers and behaviour, loggerhead turtle nesting activity and coral reef condition in order to make recommendations for improving the conservation of marine biodiversity. The lodge owners at our final stop, in Kosi Bay, assist in the training of neighbouring communities to supply arts, crafts and produce to the lodge's curio shops and kitchens, giving locals an opportunity to earn an income.

The village visit provides a very real glimpse at life for local Zulus in this area: most are very poor and many children are orphaned and looking after younger siblings. Guests to the village are encouraged to bring items such as basic English books, pencils, pens, crayons, exercise books, old school/sports uniforms, deflated footballs or rugby balls or toys: these items will be very gratefully received by local schools.

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