Kruger Safari from Johannesburg: Big Five Game Drives & Walks

A few days hunting the Big Five on foot and from open vehicles, then the Panorama Route home

A 5-day guided safari from Johannesburg based at Tremisana Game Lodge in Kruger National Park, with four nights' accommodation, daily game drives and one armed bush walk. You travel by open-sided game viewer and Land Cruiser, spot wildlife at sunrise and sunset, walk the bush with rangers, and end with the scenic highlights of Blyde River Canyon on the drive back to Gauteng.

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 game drive in open Landcruiser
• Watch African sunset and nocturnal animals
• Dinner bush braai at Marula Tree Boma
• Night drive after dinner
• 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 13h30
• 3 hour sundowner game drive at 15h30
• Dinner and overnight at lodge

Day 3: Full day Kruger National Park

• Drive to Orpen Gate in open game viewer
• Game viewing in Orpen-Satara-Nwanedzi region
• Stops at picnic spots and rest camps
• Return to lodge for dinner and overnight

Day 4: Another full day in Kruger Park

• Full day game viewing in Kruger National Park
• Dinner and overnight at lodge

Day 5: Sunrise drive and return to Johannesburg

• Sunrise game drive
• Breakfast at lodge
• Drive via Panorama Route to Three Rondawels and Blyde Canyon
• Return to Gauteng in late afternoon
• Airport drop-off by arrangement

The experience

You're picked up from your Johannesburg hotel or O.R. Tambo Airport and driven through the Highveld grasslands to Tremisana, where a four-hour sunset drive on an open Land Cruiser is your first real look at African wildlife. After dark the spotlight comes out to catch nocturnal animals moving through the bush. Dinner is a bush braai at the Marula Tree Boma, followed by a night drive before you settle into your air-conditioned chalet.

The second day starts before sunrise with a four-hour bush walk led by armed rangers who read the landscape for you: tracks, scat, behavior, the small signs that say where predators and prey have moved. Back at the lodge by mid-morning, you have time to rest, swim or browse wildlife magazines in the Lapa before a sundowner drive at 3:30 p.m. Days three and four are full days in Kruger itself, traveling by custom-built open-sided game viewer with no glass between you and the animals. The Orpen-Satara-Nwanedzi region holds the highest concentration of lions in Africa, and the open plains draw large herds of zebra, giraffe and antelope that in turn draw the predators you came to see. You stop at picnic spots and rest camps where lunch can be bought.

On the final morning, a sunrise drive precedes breakfast and the long drive back to Johannesburg via the Panorama Route. You pass the Three Rondawels and the Blyde River Canyon, the scenic climax of the journey, and arrive back in Gauteng in the late afternoon. Airport drop-off is available by arrangement.

What’s included

• Hotel or airport pickup in Johannesburg.
• four nights' accommodation in an air-conditioned en-suite chalet.
• all game drives and the four-hour armed bush walk.
• entry to Kruger National Park.
• lunch on non-transfer days.
• all transport by air-conditioned minivan and open vehicles.
• a local English-speaking guide.
• all taxes and fees.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (1 to 11 years) · Infant (under 1): free

GroupUp to 9

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Viva Safaris

Is this one for you?This is a shared-group tour with a fixed itinerary and schedule, so it suits travelers who want the structure and company of a group and don't need to customize the days. The armed bush walk and open-vehicle drives mean you're actively looking for wildlife rather than watching it from a distance, which appeals to people who came to see the Big Five and want the best chance of finding them.

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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 open-sided vehicles where you sit elevated and can see across the landscape without glass in the way. The four-hour bush walk puts you on foot with armed rangers who teach you to read the bush itself: tracks, behavior, the details that reveal where animals have been and where they're headed.

How much of the five days do I actually spend in Kruger National Park itself?

Two full days are dedicated to Kruger on the open game viewer, plus a sunset drive and night drive on the first evening at Balule Big 5 Reserve near the lodge, and a sunrise drive on the final morning before you head to the Panorama Route.

What happens on the drive back to Johannesburg?

After a sunrise game drive and breakfast, you travel via the Panorama Route to see the Three Rondawels and the Blyde River Canyon, the scenic highlights of the region, arriving back in Gauteng in the late afternoon.

Are meals included, or do I need to budget for food?

Lunch is included on non-transfer days and days not in Kruger. On transfer days and full days inside Kruger, you stop at places where lunch can be purchased. Dinner is provided at the lodge each night, including the bush braai on the first evening. Drinks are not included.

Do I need to be fit to do the four-hour bush walk?

The walk is suitable for all physical fitness levels, though it does involve four hours on foot in the bush with an armed ranger. If you have concerns about your mobility or stamina, mention them when you book so the operator can advise.

What is Tremisana Game Lodge like?

Tremisana is located in the Kruger Park area and offers en-suite, air-conditioned chalets where you stay all four nights. The lodge has a Lapa (open-sided shelter) where you can rest between activities, and meals are served there each evening.