August 2025 Itinerary

Trekker Updated on August 8, 2025July 29, 2025

This itinerary (see below for list of destinations) has been carefully planned since early 2025, once we determined the best time for our trip and how much time we could take. It’s essentially three or more vacations combined into one! The Garden Route is a brand-new adventure for me, completely unexplored territory. I’ve visited Kruger National Park many times, starting about fifteen years ago when I worked in Maputo, Mozambique. Over the years, I’ve been to KNP during every month of the year, and I can honestly say the Park never disappoints, no matter the season. The restcamps were booked through the SANParks reservation system that I have used on many occasions. My advice to those wishing to book a restcamp is to BOOK EARLY. Our reservations were made about five months in advance and even then, it was dicey.

I’ve also spent considerable time in Cape Town, visiting the Mother City with an education NGO across three northern summer seasons, each time for several weeks. Since then, I’ve returned to Cape Town multiple times, and it remains my favorite city in the world. Another exciting new experience will be visiting the unfenced bush camp Ndzuti in a private game reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park. The safari tent camp, Tamboti Camp, is also new to me. I love the rest camps in Kruger—they’re simple, well-equipped, clean, family-friendly, and highly recommended for self-drive safaris. Last year, for the first time, we stopped in Dullstroom to break up the drive between Johannesburg and Hoedspruit. Although it’s only about three hours from Joburg and another three to Hoedspruit, for travelers fresh off an international flight, Dullstroom is a welcome place to rest, adjust to the time zone, and recover from overnight travel. Many of our stays were booked through Booking.com, with plenty of options in this charming, quaint village—the highest and coldest in South Africa. Dullstroom leaves a wonderful, positive impression on first-time visitors to the country.

I will be leaving updates and reviews – as well as sharing photography – throughout our trip. Throughout most of our trip, our accommodations were very affordable, that is, under $60 CAD per person (on average, in a party of 3-5 people). Follow along!