Dynasty Vacation Club Safari 2003 Itinerary


	Tour Itinerary
November 21 Friday	Depart Atlanta 4 PM for direct overnight flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. 7,969 miles.
November 22 Saturday	Arrive Johannesburg at around 3 PM. Collect your bags and board our private coach to Gold Reef City's Village Protea Hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Catch up on your sleep and adjust to the seven hour time difference (seven hours ahead of eastern US time).
November 23 Sunday	After breakfast in the hotel, visit Gold Reef City, a gold mine that operated from 1887 until 1971. See how gold is processed and how coins are minted. If you can pick up their 100,000 ingot of gold, you can take home! Led by one of the men that used to actually mine gold in this mine, ride the elevator in shaft #141over 774 feet down into the Earth to tour the mine and to see gold ore that is still in the rock walls. After lunch, depart on our private motor coach to drive to Pretoria, the home of the South African executive branch of government. Tour historic and picturesque sites in this city that is as old as the United States. Dinner buffet and overnight at the luxurious Sheraton Pretoria, across the street from the famous Union Building which is South Africa's "White House".
November 24 Monday	With a very early wake up call, be ready to depart by 6 AM on the Bundu Bus safari vehicle. Pick up your included sleeping bag, pillow, towel and flashlight. Get your camera ready! We will drive for about five hours through the treeless plains of South Africa, passing one of the worlds largest Bhuddist temples and through several small towns. We will stop for lunch and a brief walk in one small town before reaching the Drakensburg Escarpment. The escarpment is a 3000' cliff where the high plateau (highveld) of South Africa drops down to the level of the Indian Ocean. Great photos of thousand foot high waterfalls with dramatic changes in vegetation and climate. Arrive at the Orpen gate of Kruger National Park in the early afternoon. After a quick visit to the ranger station to register, enjoy your first safari drive. With luck, you'll spot many giraffes, gazelles, colorful birds and maybe even a lion! Establish camp in our electric-fenced rest area featuring two-person tents with wooden floors. Refresh in the spotless bathrooms and try to lure the monkeys out of the trees above. While dinner is being prepared at the camp, check out the fenced perimeter and see if any hyenas or other wildlife have been lured by the aroma of our cooking dinner. Relax by the wood fire as our safari guide shares his in-depth knowledge of the African bushveld.
November 25 Tuesday	The day begins with coffee, rusks and a light breakfast in the early morning. Half of our group will join an official Kruger Park Ranger for a private walking safari outside of camp. When they return, we will all board the Bundu Bus for a day of safari driving deep into the bush, pushing all the way to the border of Mozambique. Lunch will be at one of the ranger stations. Count your progress toward spotting the Big Five: elephant, rhinoceros, lion, leopard and water buffalo. Return to camp at dusk for a traditional south African braai (barbecue) and an evening celebrating the exciting day on safari.
November 26 Wednesday	After a hot breakfast, pack up camp and depart for another exciting day on safari! Continue exploring the depths of Kruger Park, lunching at a ranger station and then set up camp in another location for the night. Be sure to check out the items for sale in the ranger station, including art prints, handcrafts and, yes, maybe even paper made from elephant dung.
November 27 Thursday	Happy Thanksgiving! What better place to celebrate than one-fourth the way around the world! After our morning drive in Kruger Park we head into the Sabi Sands private game reserve. Here we board open air safari vehicles and drive off-road into the bush, continuing our hunt for the Big Five. As evening approaches, we find a perfect spot to view the dramatic African sunset while you enjoy your favorite cocktail or beverage. Back at the lodge, enjoy the Thanksgiving turkey dinner and then head out for another drive into the dark of the night while you spot the nocturnal African wildlife with our trail guide and his trusty high intensity spotlight. Celebrate all things to be thankful for as you party into the evening at the lodge before retiring into your comfortable bed.
November 28 Friday	Enjoy a hot breakfast in the morning before taking one last morning safari drive to see the animals as they begin their day. Bid farewell to the safari lodge hosts, counting them as new friends in another country, and board the Bundu Bus for the drive back to the city. After climbing the Drakensburg Escarpment, we will take a short side trip to the top of the Blyde River Canyon. The third deepest canyon in the world, you can spot people white water rafting and birds flying below where you stand on the rim. Not only are the views more than breathtaking, usually there are some real bargains handmade carvings from the roadside vendors. Our trip home leaves us at the Emperor Hotel, part of Caesar's Casino in Johannesburg. After dinner at the hotel, the evening is yours to enjoy. Catch a show, play some slots or just relax and unwind in the pool and Jacuzzi. Just don't stay up all night as the next day will still be full of excitement.
November 29 Saturday	Depart the hotel after breakfast aboard our private motor coach for a driving tour of Johannesburg, home of the famous gold and diamond exchanges. Visit Soweto, the city where blacks and coloreds were forced to live during apartheid and grow in your understanding of humanity. Make one final shopping effort for your mementos and souvenirs when we visit Johannesburg's largest flea market for carvings, crafts and African objets d'art. At five we arrive at the Johannesburg airport to check in for our flight home. Rest peacefully on the overnight flight back to Atlanta.
November 30 Sunday	Arrive Atlanta 8 AM for connections to your final destination. Bid your new safari family farewell and be sure to exchange e-mail addresses. Remember to get your pictures developed and scanned for our web site!