6-Day Kruger Safari from Johannesburg: Big Five bush walks
Two full days hunting the Big Five on open gameviewers, plus armed walks where you move through the bush on foot.
A 6-day safari from Johannesburg that splits time between Kruger National Park and private reserves, with 5 nights in air-conditioned chalets. You spend two complete days in Kruger on an open-sided gameviewer, take a 4-hour armed bush walk, visit the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre for orphaned animals, and end with the Blyde River Canyon's Three Rondawels on the drive back to the city. A guide leads every activity. Transport, meals on game days and all park fees are included.
Step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Transfer and sunset game drive
- Pick up from Johannesburg hotel or airport
- Travel to Tremisana Game Lodge
- 4 hour sunset drive on open Landcruiser
- Dinner at Marula Tree Boma bush braai
- Night drive to view nocturnal animals
- Overnight in airconditioned chalet
Day 2: Bush walk and sundowner drive
- Sunrise 4 hour bush walk at Olifants River
- Return to lodge for brunch
- Relax or swim at lodge
- Lunch at lodge
- 3 hour sundowner game drive
- Dinner and overnight at lodge
Day 3: Kruger National Park game drive
- Drive to Kruger National Park
- Game viewing in open-sided Gameviewer
- Return to lodge for overnight
Day 4: Moholoholo visit and game drive
- Visit Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre
- Lunch at lodge
- 3 hour game drive in Balule Reserve
- Dinner and overnight at lodge
Day 5: Full day Kruger game viewing
- Full day game viewing in Kruger Park
- Return to lodge for overnight
Day 6: Sunrise drive and return to Johannesburg
- Sunrise game drive
- Breakfast at lodge
- Drive via Panorama Route to Blyde River Canyon
- Return to Gauteng, airport drop-off by arrangement
What’s included
- Local guide in English.
- 5 nights accommodation in air-conditioned en-suite chalets.
- all game drives and activities.
- Kruger National Park fees.
- lunch on non-transfer days.
- transport by air-conditioned minivan.
- hotel and airport pickup and drop-off.
- all taxes and handling charges.
Times
- Every day 09:30
Before you book
Operated by Viva Safaris
Prices and times updated 3 days ago
Need assistance?Message us on WhatsApp or by emailTraveler reviews
The experience
You leave Johannesburg or O.R. Tambo Airport and travel through the Highveld grasslands to Tremisana Game Lodge, a private reserve adjoining Kruger. That first afternoon you board an open Landcruiser for a 4-hour sunset drive, spotlighting nocturnal animals after dark. Dinner is a bush braai at the Marula Tree Boma, then a night drive back to your chalet.
The second day starts before sunrise with a 4-hour bush walk led by armed rangers. You move on foot through the bush instead of watching from a vehicle, and the rangers point out details you'd miss from the road. After brunch you have the afternoon free to rest or swim at the lodge. A sundowner drive follows at 3:30pm. The next two days are full days in Kruger itself, where the Orpen-Satara-Nwanedzi region has open plains that draw large herds of zebra, giraffe and antelope, and the highest concentration of lions in Africa. You travel in a custom-built open-sided gameviewer with no glass between you and the animals.
Day four takes you to Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre, where orphaned and injured animals are cared for in enclosed pens. You see animals that arrived poisoned, caught in snares or abandoned, now unable to survive in the wild. After lunch you drive the Balule Big Five Reserve for 3 hours. The fifth day is another full day in Kruger. On the final morning you take a sunrise drive, then head back to Johannesburg via the Panorama Route, stopping at the Three Rondawels and Blyde River Canyon before airport or hotel drop-off in the late afternoon.
Is this one for you?Pick this 6-day version for two full days exploring Kruger by open gameviewer: shorter tours compress the park into one day, while longer ones shift focus to private reserves instead.
Compare the 12 alternatives
Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (1 to 11 years); Infant (under 1): free.
What's the difference between the game drives and the bush walk?
The game drives happen from an open-sided vehicle where you sit elevated and move through the reserve. The 4-hour bush walk on day two is on foot with armed rangers guiding you through the bush itself, so you move slowly and see details from ground level. Both are led experiences, but the walk puts you inside the landscape instead of observing from the vehicle.
How much of the 6 days do I actually spend in Kruger National Park itself?
Two full days are dedicated to Kruger on the open gameviewer. The other days are split between Tremisana Game Lodge on the private reserve adjoining Kruger, the Moholoholo centre, and the scenic drive back via Blyde River Canyon on the final day.
What animals will I see at Moholoholo?
Moholoholo holds orphaned and injured animals that have been rehabilitated but cannot survive in the wild. They arrive as a result of being poisoned, caught in poachers' snares, or abandoned. The centre's work supports conservation by giving these animals a purpose and a home, and your visit helps fund that work.
Are meals included on the game drive days?
Lunch is included on non-transfer days and days not in Kruger. On transfer days and days spent in Kruger, you'll stop at places where you can purchase lunch. Dinner is included every night at the lodge, and breakfast is served before each morning drive.
Do I need a guide, or can I drive myself in Kruger?
A local English-speaking guide leads every activity. The sunset drives, the bush walk, the full days in Kruger, and the Blyde River Canyon route. You travel in the operator's vehicles, not your own.
What's included in the price?
The package covers 5 nights accommodation in air-conditioned chalets, all activities and game drives, Kruger National Park entry fees, transport by air-conditioned minivan, hotel or airport pickup and drop-off, and lunch on non-transfer days. Drinks, gratuities and items of personal nature are not included.
6-Day Kruger Safari from Johannesburg: Big Five bush walks
6d · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 1,442 per person
Next, you choose your date and number of travelers and see the final price.