7-Day Kruger Safari from Johannesburg: Big Five Game Drives
Two full days in Kruger's highest concentration of lions, plus armed walks and nocturnal spotlighting.
This 7-day safari from Johannesburg combines 6 nights at Tremisana Game Lodge with two full days of open-vehicle game viewing in Kruger National Park, four-hour armed bush walks, sunset and sunrise drives across Balule Big 5 Reserve, and stops at Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre and Blyde River Canyon's Three Rondawels. Hotel or airport pickup is included, along with all park fees, accommodation, transport, activities and lunch on non-transfer days.
Step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Transfer and sunset 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 with spotlight
- Overnight in air-conditioned chalet
Day 2: Bush walk and sundowner drive
- Sunrise 4 hour bush walk at Olifants River
- Return to lodge for brunch
- Rest, swim, or read in Lapa
- Lunch at 13h30
- 3 hour sundowner game drive
- Dinner and overnight at lodge
Day 3: Kruger National Park game drive
- Drive to Kruger Park in open gameviewer
- Game viewing in Orpen-Satara-Nwanedzi region
- Overnight at Tremisana Game Lodge
Day 4: Moholoholo and sundowner drive
- Visit Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre
- Return to lodge for lunch and siesta
- Evening sundowner drive on Balule Reserve
- Dinner and overnight at lodge
Day 5: Morning drive and bush braai
- Sunrise coffee and rusks
- 4 hour morning game drive with drinks break
- Return for brunch and afternoon siesta
- Sunset drive and bush BBQ at Marula Boma
- Overnight at lodge
Day 6: Full day Kruger game viewing
- Full day game viewing in Kruger National Park
- Overnight at Tremisana Game Lodge
Day 7: Sunrise drive and return
- Sunrise game drive
- Breakfast at lodge
- Drive via Panorama Route to Three Rondawels and Blyde Canyon
- Return to Johannesburg in late afternoon
- Airport drop-off by arrangement
What’s included
- Six nights in air-conditioned, en-suite chalets at Tremisana Game Lodge.
- two full days of open-vehicle game viewing in Kruger National Park.
- four-hour armed bush walk with rangers.
- four-hour sunset drive and four-hour morning drive on Balule Big 5 Reserve.
- sunrise game drive.
- two bush braais at Marula Tree Boma.
- visit to Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre.
- scenic drive through Blyde River Canyon including Three Rondawels.
- all Kruger National Park fees.
- hotel or airport pickup and drop-off in Johannesburg.
- transport by air-conditioned minivan.
- lunch on non-transfer days and days outside Kruger.
- all local taxes and handling charges.
Times
- Every day 09:30
Before you book
Operated by Viva Safaris
Prices and times updated 2 days ago
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The experience
The tour starts with a pickup from your Johannesburg hotel or O.R. Tambo Airport and a drive through the Highveld grasslands to Tremisana Game Lodge. Your first evening includes a four-hour sunset drive in an open Landcruiser: your first real chance to watch the African light change across the plains and, after dark, use a spotlight to pick out nocturnal animals. Dinner is a bush braai at the Marula Tree Boma, followed by a night drive back to your air-conditioned chalet.
The heart of the tour is two full days in Kruger National Park itself, where you travel in a custom-built open-sided gameviewer with no glass between you and the bush. The Orpen-Satara-Nwanedzi region you cover has the highest concentration of lions in Africa, along with open plains that draw large herds of zebra, giraffe and antelope. On the second day, a four-hour armed bush walk with rangers takes you on foot through the landscape: the kind of ground-level detail a vehicle cannot show. Between drives, there is time to rest in your chalet, swim or simply sit in the lodge.
Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre breaks the pattern: instead of spotting animals in the wild, you get close to injured and orphaned lions, leopards and other residents being nursed back to health or permanently cared for. The final morning includes a sunrise drive and a scenic route back to Johannesburg via the Panorama Route, where you stop to see the Three Rondawels and Blyde River Canyon before the late-afternoon drive home. Airport drop-off is available by arrangement.
Is this one for you?Choose this if you want two full days driving Kruger's open gameviewers combined with guided walks and sunset drives on the adjacent reserves: the mix of vehicle and foot-based game viewing covers more ground and animal behavior than either alone.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (1 to 11 years); Infant (under 1): free.
What animals am I likely to see on the Kruger game drives?
The Orpen-Satara-Nwanedzi region of Kruger has the highest concentration of lions in Africa, along with large herds of zebra, giraffe and antelope. Open plains and river valleys attract predators and herbivores throughout the two full days you spend there. Nocturnal spotlighting on the first evening and sunrise drives also reveal animals active at different times of day.
Are the bush walks safe if I have no experience?
The four-hour bush walk is led by armed rangers who show you details of the landscape and wildlife you would miss from a vehicle. The rangers are trained to manage the environment and your safety. The walk is suitable for all physical fitness levels, though it does involve walking on uneven ground for several hours.
What is included in the 7-day tour price?
The tour includes six nights accommodation in air-conditioned, en-suite chalets at Tremisana Game Lodge; all activities (game drives, bush walks, sunrise and sunset drives); Kruger National Park fees; transport by air-conditioned minivan; hotel or airport pickup and drop-off; lunch on non-transfer days and days not spent in Kruger; and all local taxes and handling charges. Drinks and gratuities are not included.
What happens on the days I am not doing a full game drive?
Between scheduled drives, you have free time at Tremisana Lodge to rest in your chalet, swim, or relax in the Lapa. Brunch is served after morning activities, and lunch is at 13h30, leaving the early afternoon open. The lodge sits on the Olifants River, so there is wildlife to watch from the grounds as well.
How does the Moholoholo visit differ from regular game viewing?
Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre is a facility where injured and orphaned animals (including lions and leopards) are rehabilitated or permanently cared for. Instead of spotting animals in the wild, you walk among the residents and learn about wildlife conservation work. It is a half-day stop on day four, with lunch and a siesta back at the lodge before an afternoon sunset drive.
When do we see Blyde River Canyon and the Three Rondawels?
The Blyde River Canyon and Three Rondawels are on the final morning, as you drive back to Johannesburg via the Panorama Route. This scenic route is the last stop before the late-afternoon return to the city, so you see these landscape highlights fresh before heading home.
7-Day Kruger Safari from Johannesburg: Big Five Game Drives
7d · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 1,604 per person
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