This safari adventure combines three nights in the world-renowned Kruger National Park with two nights at an exclusive Big Five luxury game lodge in the adjoining Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, famous as the home of the legendary white lions. Your itinerary will be carefully tailored in collaboration with you to create a safari experience that matches your interests and travel style.
Guests will be picked up early from their Johannesburg hotel around 05h00 to avoid traffic, travelling in a very comfortable closed 4x4 or equivalent on a major highway. We stop for a hearty breakfast on the way. We descend nearly 2,000 metres from Johannesburg down the escarpment to the Lowveld and the southern end of the Kruger National Park, a journey of about 6 to 7 hours, depending on conditions. After Kruger entry formalities, we take a leisurely afternoon game drive up to Lower Sabie Camp, probably the loveliest of all the camps, where we view hippos and crocodiles in the river. Rise before dawn to catch predators on the prowl, have coffee and rusks on the drive, then a late breakfast at about 09h00 to 10h00 at Tshokwane before continuing to Satara Rest Camp, the land of the lions. We leave at the crack of dawn with our baggage, coffee and rusks loaded, break at Olifants Camp for breakfast on the high restaurant deck over the Olifants River toward Mozambique, then continue to Letaba Rest Camp via Von Weilligh's Baobab and Matambeni Bird Hide. Letaba is famous for elephants, with an Elephant Hall before lunch overlooking the flood plain.
We leave Letaba at dawn and travel to the Ba-Phalaborwa gate, where we exit the park, then travel to Hoedspruit on our way to the private game lodge, listed here as Bateleur Private Tented Camp, or an equivalent-type private lodge, depending on available accommodations. Between 15h00 and 16h00, we assemble for a snack and drink before departing on the game drive in an open 4x4 safari vehicle with a knowledgeable game ranger and a tracker in a special seat at the front of the vehicle. This game drive stops for sunset drinks in the bush, then continues into the early evening. The ranger wakes you at about 05h00. It is usually a bit chilly on the open game drive in the 4x4, but blankets are provided (sometimes with hot water bottles). You can also walk in the bush with a ranger (an optional extra). Sadly, this is the last day of your safari adventure. After breakfast, you bid a fond farewell to the ranger and tracker, then we will leave the lodge mid-morning for the journey back to Johannesburg. We should arrive before dusk.
Kruger National Park opens at the southern end near Lower Sabie, then runs north through Tshokwane, Satara, Olifants, and Letaba, with Von Weilligh's Baobab and Matambeni Bird Hide on the Letaba approach. The park holds lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, elephant, and the Elephant Hall tuskers.
Timbavati Private Nature Reserve adjoins Kruger and is famous as the home of the legendary white lions. Bateleur Private Tented Camp, or an equivalent private lodge, is the base for open-vehicle night and dawn drives.
Long road hours from Johannesburg, pre-dawn starts, and chilly open 4x4 mornings are part of the rhythm. Optional night drives and a bush walk with a ranger add extra time on your feet.
Share mobility notes so rest-camp paths and the open vehicle stay comfortable. Keep passport details ready for Kruger entry formalities at the southern gate, and expect early nights because dawn drives start well before breakfast.
Verdoro Safaris curates each itinerary with care, matching your interests, pace, and spirit, including this Kruger and Timbavati circuit. We are a locally owned, community-driven operator, proudly based in Uganda the Pearl of Africa, with journeys that stretch to South Africa and the hidden gems of Kruger National Park.
Our guides are custodians of the landscapes and ambassadors of our culture. Field expertise sits alongside warmth, storytelling, and genuine hospitality, and we prioritize eco-friendly practices to support wildlife conservation and the communities who live near parks.
Guests will be picked up early from their Johannesburg hotel around 05h00 to avoid traffic, travelling in a very comfortable closed 4x4 or equivalent on a major highway. We stop for a hearty breakfast on the way. We descend nearly 2,000 metres from Johannesburg down the escarpment to the Lowveld and the southern end of the Kruger National Park, a journey of about 6 to 7 hours, depending on conditions. We have lunch before entering the park.
After Kruger entry formalities, we take a leisurely afternoon game drive up to Lower Sabie Camp, probably the loveliest of all the camps, where we view hippos and crocodiles in the river and birds fishing from the rocks. We meet again for a barbecue (braai) under giant trees or dinner in the restaurant overlooking the river. Early to bed because it's early to rise tomorrow. The early morning drive could easily turn up a solitary leopard after a night hunt, or lions looking for a place to rest in the heat of the day.
You'll realise safaris have an entirely different kind of itinerary. Rise before dawn to catch predators on the prowl, have coffee and rusks on the drive, and then enjoy a late breakfast at about 09h00 to 10h00. After that, we continue to Satara Rest Camp, the land of the lions, but keeping an eye out for cheetah. This is a fairly long drive north, but there is plenty to see, including baboon, elephant, zebra, giraffe and many antelope. If we are lucky, we will see hyena or lion, and if we are very lucky, cheetah, leopard or wild dog.
We eat a late lunch at Satara, check in, and go for a short sundowner game drive. We return before dusk. Enjoy a shower or some private rest time, or prepare for a group night drive with a game ranger. Lions are often spotted prowling the dark plains or fighting off rivals, and hyenas are usually seen. Return and fall asleep to the sound of lions roaring.
We leave at the crack of dawn with our baggage, coffee and rusks loaded. We break our game drive at the picturesque Olifants Camp for a sumptuous breakfast on the high restaurant deck, which provides unparalleled views of the Olifants River and gaze towards mysterious Mozambique. From there, we continue towards Letaba Rest Camp, approaching via the giant upside-down tree, Von Weilligh's Baobab, and the secretive Matambeni Bird Hide.
Letaba is famous for elephants. There is a fascinating Elephant Hall which explains aspects of elephant life and has portraits of the main tuskers as well as an elephant skeleton. We do this before we lunch, overlooking the flood plain of the Letaba River, teeming with game. After lunch, we check in and then go for a game drive winding along the Letaba River course. We return for sundowners at the restaurant, and then braai at your bungalow, listening to haunting hippo honks, the eerie whooping of hyenas, and, if you're lucky, the roar of lions.
We leave Letaba at dawn and travel to the Ba-Phalaborwa gate, where we exit the park, then have breakfast nearby. We then travel to Hoedspruit on our way to the private game lodge, listed here as Bateleur Private Tented Camp, or an equivalent-type private lodge, depending on available accommodations. We arrive late morning, eat lunch, and have time to have a nap, swim, or relax.
Between 15h00 and 16h00, we assemble for a snack and drink before departing on the game drive. The game drive is in an open 4x4 safari vehicle with a knowledgeable game ranger and a tracker in a special seat at the front of the vehicle so he can read the tracks and signs of the animals. This game drive stops for sunset drinks in the bush, then continues into the early evening, allowing you to see predators beginning their night hunts, as well as various other nocturnal creatures. There is usually some excitement before returning for a tasty meal around a fire, before a ranger escorts you to your tent.
The ranger wakes you at about 05h00. It is usually a bit chilly on the open game drive in the 4x4, but blankets are provided (sometimes with hot water bottles), and the game viewing will keep you shutter-clicking. The rangers will show you smaller animals, birds and teach you about how the cycle of life works in the wild, from tiny termites to mighty elephants, and the role of trees and grass in this magical bushveld spectacle.
We return to camp for a hearty breakfast. After that, you can have a lovely catch-up sleep mid-morning, relax, swim, or do bird watching until lunchtime. You can also walk in the bush with a ranger (an optional extra). We reassemble for the afternoon game drive at about 15h00 to 16h00, depending on the season. We get close to the animals, allowing for marvellous photographs. The drive extends into the early evening again before we return to camp for another delicious meal near the fire, and then off to bed.
Sadly, this is the last day of your safari adventure. The game drive will give you a last opportunity to grab that iconic photo. After breakfast, you bid a fond farewell to the ranger and tracker (not forgetting to give them a good tip for the wonderful sights they have turned up for you).
Then, they will take your luggage to our vehicle, and we will leave the lodge mid-morning for the journey back to Johannesburg. We should arrive before dusk.
Guests will be picked up early from their Johannesburg hotel around 05h00 by our Verdoro team to avoid traffic, travelling in a very comfortable closed 4x4 or equivalent on a major highway.
On the final day we leave the lodge mid-morning for the journey back to Johannesburg and should arrive before dusk. Share hotel details and any onward flight times.
Kruger nights follow Lower Sabie Camp after the afternoon drive to hippos and crocodiles in the river, Satara Rest Camp after the Tshokwane breakfast run, and Letaba Rest Camp overlooking the Letaba River floodplain, with restaurant decks, bungalow braais, and optional ranger night drives.
Timbavati nights are at Bateleur Private Tented Camp or an equivalent private lodge, with open 4x4 ranger and tracker drives, sunset drinks in the bush, meals around a fire, and a ranger escort to your tent before the return road to Johannesburg.
Pack layered clothing for chilly open 4x4 mornings, closed shoes, sun protection, binoculars, and a camera with spare batteries for long photographic stops.
A warm layer and a dust buff help on dawn Kruger drives and the 05h00 Timbavati start, when blankets and sometimes hot water bottles are provided on the vehicle.
The published safari covers the Johannesburg pickup around 05h00, closed 4x4 road travel into Kruger National Park, guided game drives, nights at Lower Sabie, Satara, and Letaba rest camps, then Timbavati private lodge nights with open 4x4 ranger and tracker drives, and the return to Johannesburg.
Choose the group-size option at checkout. Solo, two, and three person rates follow the published ladder.
International flights, extra nights in Johannesburg, personal items, and tips for the ranger and tracker sit outside the bundle.
Keep cash for the lodge farewell tip, and plan Johannesburg hotel nights before the 05h00 pickup separately.
Guests will be picked up early from their Johannesburg hotel around 05h00 to avoid traffic, travelling in a very comfortable closed 4x4 on a major highway. We stop for a hearty breakfast on the way and descend nearly 2,000 metres from Johannesburg down the escarpment to the Lowveld, a journey of about 6 to 7 hours.
After Kruger entry formalities, we take a leisurely afternoon game drive up to Lower Sabie Camp, probably the loveliest of all the camps, then a barbecue under giant trees or dinner in the restaurant overlooking the river.
Rise before dawn to catch predators on the prowl, have coffee and rusks on the drive, then a late breakfast at about 09h00 to 10h00 at Tshokwane before continuing to Satara Rest Camp, the land of the lions. The long drive north can turn up baboon, elephant, zebra, giraffe, antelope, hyena, lion, and if you are very lucky cheetah, leopard or wild dog.
A late lunch at Satara is followed by a short sundowner game drive and, if you choose, a group night drive with a game ranger when lions and hyenas are often seen.
We leave at dawn with baggage, coffee and rusks, break at Olifants Camp for breakfast on the high restaurant deck over the Olifants River toward Mozambique, then continue to Letaba Rest Camp via Von Weilligh's Baobab and Matambeni Bird Hide.
Letaba is famous for elephants, with an Elephant Hall before lunch overlooking the flood plain. An afternoon drive winds along the Letaba River, then sundowners and a braai at your bungalow.
We leave Letaba at dawn, exit Kruger at Ba-Phalaborwa gate, breakfast nearby, then travel via Hoedspruit to Bateleur Private Tented Camp or an equivalent private lodge. Afternoon assembly is between 15h00 and 16h00 for a snack and drink before an open 4x4 drive with a ranger and tracker, sunset drinks in the bush, and a meal around a fire.
The next day the ranger wakes you at about 05h00 for another open drive, breakfast, rest or an optional bush walk, then a second afternoon drive into the early evening.
Kruger rest-camp nights are at Lower Sabie, Satara, and Letaba, with restaurant or bungalow braais beside rivers and floodplains. Timbavati nights are at Bateleur Private Tented Camp or an equivalent private lodge, with a tracker in a special seat at the front of the open 4x4.
A ranger escorts you to your tent after dinner. The last morning is a final game drive, breakfast, and the mid-morning road back to Johannesburg, arriving before dusk.
Hearty breakfasts on the highway and at Tshokwane, Olifants, and Letaba, lunches in camp, and dinners including a barbecue at Lower Sabie and braais at Letaba bungalows sit in the safari days. Timbavati meals are around the fire after night drives.
Tell us vegetarian, vegan, or allergy requirements when you book so rest-camp restaurants and the private lodge kitchen can be planned.
Pack layered clothing for chilly open 4x4 mornings, when blankets and sometimes hot water bottles are provided, plus closed shoes, sun protection, and binoculars.
A camera with spare batteries helps on long photographic stops. Keep a warm layer for the 05h00 Timbavati start and the Kruger dawn drives.
Game drives are mostly seated, with long road hours from Johannesburg to the Lowveld and back, plus optional night drives and an optional bush walk with a ranger at the private lodge.
Early starts are the point of predator viewing. Share mobility notes when you book so rest-camp paths and the open vehicle stay comfortable.
We partner with Rewilding Britain to help protect our natural spaces for future adventures.
All centres are vetted for safety and quality. Your adventure is in good hands with adventuro.
About the centre
Johannesburg
We arrange guided wildlife safaris, primate trekking, and canoe adventures across Uganda and neighbouring East Africa, from short national-park circuits to multi-day lodge-to-lodge journeys. Whether you are planning your first gorilla trek, a birding route through forest and savanna, or a river canoe trail, we shape the trip around how you like to travel and how much time you have.
Our team coordinates airport or hotel pickups, 4x4 road transport, park logistics, and hosting on the ground so you can focus on the experience. We give straight advice on trekking fitness, permit timing, and what to bring, and we stay in touch from your first enquiry through to departure.
Operated by Verdoro Safaris, a partner of adventuro.
