The world-renowned Kruger
National Park is the largest in South Africa and the premier
destination for game viewing in Africa.
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Kruger & Swaziland
AWOL Tours can facilitate a wide variety of
safaris to Kruger National
Park from basic camping trips to five star accommodation in luxury
lodges. Our team of experts comprising wildlife nature guides,
botanical experts and wildlife veterinary scientists, can arrange a
variety of specialised trips for varying lengths of time. Select from a
plethora of activities including early morning game walks, mountain
biking along hippo trails, river rafting on the Sabie, sundowner game
drives and spending the night in a Shangaan village.
The Kruger National Park
is the largest game reserve in South Africa, extending 350km
north to south and 60km wide. The Kruger has more species of mammals
than any other African game reserve and is one of the best places in
South Africa to see the ‘Big Five’.
Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African
Lowveld, the Kruger National Park is unrivalled in its plant and
animal diversity and is a world leader in advanced environmental
management techniques and policies.
The flagship of South African national parks, Kruger is home to an
impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114
reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with and impact
on the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock
paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela
- is also strongly evident here. These treasures represent the
cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the
Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural
assets.
River rafting
The Sabie River provides 20 rapids (grade 2 to3 – easy!) with areas of
scenic vegetation and outstanding birdlife viewing. This 8km route is
yielding to the novice, yet accommodating to the thrill seeker within
all of us. The day includes 4 hours of rafting and a picnic lunch on
the scenic riverbanks. River guides are handpicked by the rafting
company and experienced in river running, safety and first aid, with
affiliation or endorsement from international bodies as well as the
African Paddling Association. Trips are accompanied by safety
kayakers
and followed by a support vehicle.
A trip to Kruger can be combined with
a visit to Swaziland or a stopover at a Shangaan cultural village.
The Kingdom of Swaziland
is a sovereign state landlocked by South
Africa and has a wide variety of activities for visitors who spend a
night or two in the Mlilwane National Park. Walks to view Bushmen
paintings, horse-riding amongst zebras, wildebeest and Nyala’s, river
rafting on the Great Usuthu River or a visit to a rural Swazi village
to learn about the traditions and culture of the Swazi people are some
of the options you can select from.
Once a year in spring, guests may witness the reed dance where over 80
000 women and girls known as ‘imbali’, dance bare-chested in
traditional clothing for King Mswati III at the Royal Kraal in
Ludzidzini. Swaziland's near-absolute monarch king sometimes uses the
dance to select a new wife. Mswati currently has 13 wives, but has not
taken new brides in recent years. The ceremony aims to encourage young
Swazi women to keep their virginity until they are considered old
enough to be married.
The Shangaan Cultural village
has been created and built by local
Shangaan people as a way of preserving their rich heritage for locals
and foreigners alike. Learn about the history of the tribe and their
traditional lifestyle. The bustling African market village forms the
centre of Shangana, where local craftspeople make and trade their
craft. From here, trained guides lead guests down to villages on
daytime tours, midday tours with lunch, and the famed Evening Festival
in the Chief's Kraal.
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