I think this may be one of the most asked questions I get; what to expect on a 3 day safari tour from Durban? And granted, it’s a really good question as you’re probably flying a long way to get to Durban and so you want to make sure that the safari tour you booked is exactly what you want!
In this blog post I’m going to go into quite a detailed description on what you should expect from your 3 day safari, from the sites and experiences you’ll get to enjoy, to the food and the accommodation you can expect.
So, without further ramblings, here is what you can expect on a 3 day safari tour from Durban.
My 3 Day Safari Tour from Durban – The Details
Accommodation Options
Straight into the nitty-gritty and perhaps the 2nd most important question after safari parks, that is, where do you stay?
Effectively I use three different accommodation options depending on the seasonal availability and the needs of you travelling group.
The options are staying at either Mpila Camp or Hilltop Camp in the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve or, staying at Bonamanzi Game Reserve nearby.
1. Mpila Camp, Imfolozi Game Reserve
Mpila Camp is situated in the southern (Imfolozi) section of the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve. It’s a popular spot for locals since it’s largely unfenced so all manner of wildlife with the exception of elephant can wonder through.
There is no restaurant though, so usually I do the cooking which is a South African braai (barbecue to the uninitiated) that includes a set menu with options to cater for vegetarians.
You should know though, that lights out is at 10pm; literally the lights go off because the camp runs on a generator. And then lights back at 5am int he morning.
One of the advantages of staying at Mpila is that you are really close to the action in the southern section of the park which usually has more wildlife that you can spot compared to the northern (Hluhluwe).
There are a number of different chalets you can stay in, from a 2-person chalet with twin beds to the family unit that has 2 bedrooms with twin beds that sleeps 4 persons.
You can also stay in the luxury tents though in summer they do get exceptionally warm and there is no aircon. It all depends on availability though.
Typically you’ll only stay one night at Mpila and the second night more to Bonamanzi or Hilltop Camp depending on availability.
2. Hilltop Camp, Hluhluwe Game Reserve
Where Mpila Camp is in the southern section (Imfolozi) of the park, Hilltop Camp is in the northern section (Hluhluwe).
We will stay at Hilltop Camp simply because there is a) a restaurant and b) you can book a sunset game drive in the an open vehicle (if available).
There are a number of different options when it comes to the chalets, from the 2-sleepers to the family rooms that sleep 6. You can also stay n the budget-friendly rondavals as well.
Hilltop Camp has both a restaurant and a small shop where you can buy soft drinks and water, snacks, books and curios. Unfortunately the shops does not have a liquor licence but I can always stop at a store on the way in.
The restaurant is great if a little pricey but at the end of the day it’s perfect for the overnight stop.
There is a fence around the entire camp and so no chance of too many predators dragging you off in night but, there are monkeys and those little criminals will quickly make off with any snacks you may have left unguarded.
3. Bonamanzi Game Reserve
Bonamanzi Game Reserve is just 20min away and personally it’s my favourite (I wrote about why here). Bonamanzi offers a sunset game drive on their property and their restaurant is great – and you are really in for a treat if they do their braai in the boma.
You will spend most of your time in the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve regardless of the fact that you will stay in Bonamanzi – their rooms are great and there are loads of wlaking trials.
The Safari Part
The whole point of the 3 day safari from Durban is to get in the wild and see animals including the Big 5 (hopefully).
The Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve is the oldest proclaimed reserve in Africa and is home to the Big 5. On top of that there is a plethora of wildlife to be spotted, everything from antelope to birds to insects or amphibians and so on. Although spotting the big 5 is exciting, learning about plants, trees and their place in the environement is pretty awesome as well.
Hluhluwe Imfolozi is made up of two sections; the Imfolozi in the south and the Hluhluwe in the north. And both reserves offer very different landscapes, from the wide open plains in the south to the wooded hills and coastal forests of the north.
Of course it must be pointed out that heading to the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve on a 3 day safari tour from Durban isn’t like visiting a zoo; there are no guarantees will see all species and often when you do discover them, sometimes are are at a distance or obscured in some manner. But that is the beauty of a safari – if it were all offered on a silver platter, we’d call it a zoo!
My 3 Day Safari Tour Activities
The are a couple of things you’ll get to do while on one of my 3 day tours.
- St Lucia Estuary Cruise
Situated inside the UNESCO World Heritage site of iSimangaliso is the the town of St Lucia. If you google the town, one of the first results will be about the local hippo population’s night time strolls through the town!
At St Lucia you’ll get to enjoy a 2 hour estuary cruise that gets you nice and close to the hippo – in fact it’s one of the best places in South Africa to see hippo.
It’s not just about the hippo though, there are already species you may spot from buffalo, giraffe, waterbuck or even rhino. And the birding in the area is probably one of the best in South Africa since there are both land and water birds found.
2. Safari Game Drives
Safari game drives are what it’s all about right! So on this tour we have a number of game drives planned, some are in an open vehicle and some are in a closed vehicle.
One day it’s going to a game drive in a closed vehicle with the option of a sunset game drive (included) at Mpila Camp. The next day we do a closed vehicle as well with the option of an open vehicle game drive. On the third day we include a 5 hour open vehicle game drive.
On the whole, you will spend most of your time searching for and spotting animals on your safari game drive – can’t ask for more than that right?
3. Elephant Experience or Cheetah Tour
We do have another optional extra, on the final day you can elect for a amazing elephant experience at Bayete Zulu or the cheetah tour at Emdoneni. These are optional extras so you just pay for your entry fee I’ll cover the cost of getting you there and back.
What You’re Eating
Guests in the past have been a little concerned about the food on offer – fact is today people thanks to medical advances now know to avoid certain foods or to follow certain diets.
On all our 3 day safari tours from Durban we’ll do our very best to accommodate you, just give us plenty of notice though.
One of the popular meals though is our braai’s (barbecue for the rest of the world). Delicious traditional local beef sausages called boerewors paired with beef or venison steak (think impala or warthog or nyala etc).
For the vege lovers, we can do a vegetable potjie or braai, loads of hearty vegetables barbecued on open flame with home mode bread (braai broodtjies).
Fact is, whatever you require, we’dd figure out a way to make it happen.
Getting Around
There are a few options here. I use a number of different vehicles on my safari tour depending on the size of the group.
Regardless of vehicle type, I (or one my of guides) will collect you from your hotel, B&B, Airbnb, guesthouse or backpackers in the Durban or surrounding area – there is no extra charge of this, it’s all part of the service. I can also drop off and pickup at the harbour or airport.
Mahindra TUV 300 – I use this vehicle for guests travelling solo and for couples. The vehicle has a little higher than standard passenger vehicles which is perfect for spotting animals in the bush.
Pajero Sport – Really comfy vehicle with leather seats, 4×4 capability for those tricky routes and plenty of luggage space. I’ll use this vehicle for family sized groups of 3/4 people.
Toyota Quantum – the workhorse of South Africa. A 10 seater vehicle that boasts reliability and more importantly for you, aircon and fantastic ride height which makes from beter game viewing.
Game Viewer – a 10 seater open safari vehicle that is built to tackle the worst roads Africa can throw at us but still allow sneaky approaches to get up close to lion, elephant and more.
Why Book My 3 Day Safari Tour
I could go on and on about why you should book my 3 day safari tour from Durban; but instead, I’ll just do a very short list and let you decide.
- I have nothing but great reviews on both TripAdvisor, Google Reviews and ToursByLocals.
- Every tour I plan is based on what I would want to see and experience if I were the one paying for the trip.
- There’s no place on earth quite like KwaZulu-Natal and I am passionate about showing you why!
- Am budget friendly 🙂
The Itinerary in a Nutshell
Day 1
- It’s a 6:30am pickup depending on what side of the city your accommodation is.
- Our first stop is St Lucia for the 2 hour estuary cruise.
- After the cruise you’ll have a bit of lunch in St Lucia before travelling through to Mpila Camp in the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve.
- After check-in you can either opt for the sunset game drive if available or you can join me for a game drive in my closed vehicle.
- Next we head back to camp and begin the braai before heading to bed.
Day 2
- We start with an early game drive to spot some animals, we’ll have some snacks and coffee available to keep the hunger-pangs away!
- You then check out of Mpila and head to Centenary Centre for a brunch before carrying on your game drive.
- You will check into Hilltop or Bonamanzi and have a chance to rest up and gather your strength bfore your late afternoon game drive.
- Dinner is in the restuarnt.
Day 3
- It’s your final day so you’ll head out for an early morning game drive at 6am.
- If you have elected to visit Bayete Zulu or Emdoneni, you’ll head on over after your game drive.
- Next up it’s lunch and finally the drive back to Durban arriving around 6pm.
Book This 3 Day Safari Tour from Durban
Hopefully (fingers crossed) by now you have figured out what to expect on a 3 day safari tour from Durban and are ready to book.
Visit the 3 day safari page for the details or just head on over to my contact page and fill in the form; remember to let me know what dates you are planning to book for and how many in your group.