Livingstone Trails

The Livingstone Trails philosophy

Our clients are the most important aspect of our tours.

Therefore we will always do our best to keep the prices as low as possible, but not sacrifice the quality or standard of tours.

We offer the best in guides, equipment and service.

Our guides are trained not to treat our clients like children. We believe that good organisation and experienced guides allows our clients to have more "own time". Of course there will be some times that we have to leave at a certain time, in order to get to the next destination at a reasonable time.

Support of local communities

We ensure that on every tour we offer, we support a local community project such as Mafuyane cultural village, through which the local people get the moneys paid, and the work. The guides also support many of the local markets, which creates employment and an income for the local people of the area.

Registered, licensed, & legal operator

Livingstone Trails is registered and a member of:

SATSA - Southern Africa Tourism Services Association

BTSA - Backpacking Tourism of South Africa

FGASA - Field Guide Association of Southern Africa

Liability insurance

We have liability insurance of R 5 000 000

Guides

All the guides at Livingstone Trails have a minimum of 4 years experience, and are hand picked by our management. Every guide is FGASA and/or THETA registered as required by the laws of South Africa. Our guides are all well educated in wildlife, animal behaviour, and the bush in general. They will identify all the animals, including birds and reptiles, and tell you more about each animal.

Participation tours

All our tours are participation tours. This means that the clients will put up their own tents, and wash the dishes after meals.

The tents that we use are 2.3 x 2.3 and 3x3 (meters) canvas tents with built in floors and mosquito netting over the door and windows.

Where do the tours depart from?

We will pick you up from any backpackers hostel and hotel.

Upgrading your accommodation on tour

Livingstone Trails offers camping tours, or a combination of camping and lodge accommodation. See each itinerary in this brochure. Clients do have the option of upgrading from camping to chalet accommodation at many of the places where we stay, while on tour. We will pay the camping rate, and you the pay the balance. The upgrades can not be done in advance. Your guide will assist you with the upgrade options while on tour.

Example Tour

Day 1: Kruger National Park (South Africa)

The tour departs early morning from Johannesburg and Pretoria, heading east towards Nelspruit where we also pick clients up. We will stop en-route for breakfast (own cost) and banks.

From Nelspruit we head for Kruger National Park that is home to 147 mammal (incl. the Big 5), 114 reptile, & 502 bird species. You will be transferred to open sided 4 x 4 game viewing vehicles in which we will do game drives for the rest of the day. Lunch will be enjoyed at one of the picnic sites inside Kruger National Park. At sunset you will start with your 3 hour night drive, done in a Kruger Park open sided game viewing vehicle with a Kruger National Park guide. This is a great opportunity to see nocturnal animals not normally seen during the day game drives.

Clients that booked the bedded accommodation will be dropped off at the private lodge, while clients that camp will be staying in our camp inside Kruger National Park.

Lunch, Dinner included

Day 2: Kruger National Park (South Africa)

We will start with game drives as soon as the gates open, searching for as many animal species as possible. All the Livingstone Trails guides have extensive knowledge of the animals and their behaviour. The guides also spend lots of time inside Kruger National Park, and therefore know the park and animal movements which makes it easier to find as many animal species as possible (weather dependant). You will be doing game drives for the entire day, with stops at view points, waterholes and picnic spots (inside Kruger Park) for breakfast and lunch. Your guides are well experienced in the art of searching for wildlife, and will tell you more about all the animals that you see on the game drives.

Bedded accommodation clients have a choice of staying at the private lodge, or at the tribal village. Choice 1 Camping accommodation clients have a choice of staying at our camp inside Kruger Park, or at the tribal village. Choice 2

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included

Day 3: Return to Nelspruit, Johannesburg & Pretoria (South Africa)

After breakfast we head for the spectacular view points on the Panorama route in the northern Drakensberg Mountains in Mpumalanga province, including God's Window, Bourke Luck Potholes and the third largest canyon in the world - Blyde River Canyon (Three Rondawels). We then return to Nelspruit, Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Please note that if you need to be on a flight the evening of return of the tour, check in time for your flight should not be before 19:30pm. Breakfast included