Itinerary

Days 1-3 Spectacular Safari days, Kruger National Park

Day 1

We pick you up early from Johannesburg airport, and head off towards Kruger National Park. We stop for lunch at a cosy café in the small town of Lydenburg where we have time for introductions and a short briefing about the trip. We arrive at the entrance gate to Kruger mid-afternoon. Once the entrance formalities are taken care of we can immediately start our first game drive. There will be opportunities for sighting the famous Big Five, plus zebra, giraffe, kudu, impala and many others. Tonight you will be sleeping inside the park in traditional African-style bungalows. Once settled in, we will take dinner together at the on-site restaurant.

Day 2

You are free to choose your breakfast options – as well as the restaurant there are shops and facilities for self-catering if you like to prepare your own. After breakfast your two expert guides, Alois and Mike, are ready and waiting to take you for a marvellous day’s exploration of this celebrated national park. Make sure your camera is charged and ready! There will be time for a relaxing lunch stop at one of the park’s restaurants or picnic sites where you can often watch elephants grazing or hippos bathing while you eat. This evening we will stay in a comfortable lodge just outside the park’s gate, taking dinner together in a nearby restaurant.

Day 3

After a hearty breakfast we take you back into Kruger for a whole day of exciting game drives. By now your eyes will have become used to spotting wildlife, so you may be lucky and catch some rarer sightings such as leopard, or a pack of wild dogs. Alois and Mike superbly navigate their way northwards, allowing you maximum opportunities for wildlife viewing. Tonight’s destination is an authentic bushveldt experience – for our last night in south Africa, we will stay in a unique, secluded camp where you sleep in your own treehouse. You are free to explore, swim in the river, and tonight we will enjoy a traditional ‘braai’ (barbecue) under the starry African sky.

Days 4-6 Mindful Wilderness Experience

Day 4

After breakfast we start with our first introduction to Mindfulness. You are invited to drop out of your thinking mode and come into your feeling mode, so that you can fully experience the sensational beauty around you. With renewed clarity you may see things differently on this morning’s game drive! We leave Kruger and South Africa behind and take our first steps into Mozambique. Once across the border, there is a short drive to our fabulous riverside safari camp where we can relax and enjoy the view over lunch. There is a second short mindfulness session to prepare for our afternoon walk when we explore the Limpopo floodplain and fever tree forest on foot. The evening brings serene peace and a stunning African sunset over the river, with a braai around the campfire.

Day 5

We rise before dawn for an early departure today. Following the infamous Limpopo River, we pass through magnificent riverine forest, to Mapai. From here we continue to our next destination, Banhine National Park, part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation area. The wildlife is more elusive here, having fled from conflict some decades ago. But now they are returning, so there may be opportunities to spot kudu, duiker, steenbok and ostriches, with some seasonal movement of elephant, buffalo and hippo. We stop for lunch overlooking one of the pans where we may view some of the 306 bird species found in the park. After today’s mindfulness session we continue to our secluded camp, staying in fixed safari tents with solar lighting and en-suite facilities. Mike will take us for an afternoon drive around the nearby wetland for bird-watching and sightseeing. Tonight we listen to the sounds of the bush while enjoying dinner around the campfire.

Day 6

After breakfast we leave camp and, still well off the beaten track, we head through Banhine park to Lake Banamana. Mike, who knows this territory better than anyone, will stop at a special spot where we can explore on foot and enjoy lunch overlooking pools which are usually home to hundreds of flamingos. We have a final mindfulness session in this stunning wilderness before heading off on our drive to the coast. This evening we arrive at our Indian Ocean paradise, Vilanculos. A totally different experience again, tonight we can smell the salt in the air and hear the waves as we take dinner at the restaurant of our beach lodge.

Days 7-9 Yoga and Meditation, Vilanculos

These days have a very laid-back feel with plenty space to relax or explore as you wish.
We start each day with a gentle morning yoga and half-hour body scan meditation, followed by breakfast. The rest of the day is yours to spend as you like. Vilanculos is a charming seaside town where you can opt to do as little possible, perhaps lounging by the pool, reading your books or magazines, alternatively, you can participate in various activities and watersports, such as horse-riding, dhow sailing, surfing, or a snorkeling trip with BBQ lunch on the Bazaruto archipelago. The choice is yours. Be kind to yourself and enjoy your freedom.
A la carte dinners are provided every evening in the beach lodge restaurant. On the final day we will enjoy a farewell dinner together and close the circle on this wonderful experience.