LOTHENI / MIDMAR / SPIOENKOP
6 DAY (1) CAMPING (2) SELF CATERING MIDLANDS ADVENTURE

  Type of Safari: Self Catering/ Self Drive or speak to your tour operator for a guided tour of the Lotheni - Spioenkop Route.

Activities: Hiking , Birding, Horse Riding, Game Viewing, Battlefields at Spioenkop, water sports at Spioenkop, Rock Art

Region: This camping safari first takes you to the Midmar Game Reserve, then Spioenkop Game Reserve followed by Lotheni in the Drakensberg.

How to get there tips:
International Tourists:
Fly in from Johannesburg International airport to Durban airport. Then hire a car or other suitable vehicle. The Midlands Region is suitable for cars. If you wish to camp, you will need to hire camping equipment in Durban.

Self catering accommodation is available at Spioenkop, Midmar and Lotheni.

It is recommended that you stock up with supplies either in Durban, Pietermaritzburg or Howick .  Petrol and diesel is available.

 DAYS ONE AND TWO
LOTHENI NATURE RESERVE
UKHAHLAMBA DRAKENSBERG PARK
(1)CAMPING
Wind through Ping-Pong Cutting up the Lotheni river valley and into the reserve. Book in and set up camp with views up to the main escarpment. Lotheni has some wonderful scenic hikes and the hiking booklet will allow you to plan your activities to fit in all the best places whether it's the Gelib Tree trail or Jacob`s Ladder. The Lotheni River has brown trout and some nice runs and pools to test your skill with a fly line.

(2)HUTTED
Wind through Ping-Pong Cutting up the Lotheni river valley and into the reserve. Book in and take up your accommodation in the camp which harks back to a quieter more restful age. . Lotheni has some wonderful scenic hikes and the hiking booklet will allow you to plan your activities to fit in all the best places whether it's the Gelib Tree trail or Jacob`s Ladder. The Lotheni River has brown trout and some nice runs and pools to test your skill with a fly line.

DAYS THREE
MIDMAR
(1)CAMPING
Book in at the reception centre at Midmar and drive around to Morgenson Campsite. Once you have set up camp and made yourselves comfortable, relax with a late lunch. Midmar offers a wide variety of activities including game viewing, water sports, angling and cycling. Sailing power boating, kite boarding and jet skiing are all catered for on different sections of the dam.

Midmar Boat Hire has a whole range of craft from power to sail and bicycles for hire. Hire bicycles or use your own and explore the shoreline round to the Cascades.
In the late afternoon drive around to the Thurlow entrance on the Boston road and visit the game park with its large herds of red hartebeest, blesbok and zebra as well as a large variety of waterfowl and grassland birds.

(2)HUTTED
Arriving at Midmar, book into your comfortable chalet overlooking Munro Bay and while at the office collect a Midlands Meander map.
Midmar itself offers a wide range of fun activities from game viewing, water sports, angling and cycling. Sailing, skiing, kite boarding and jet boating are all catered for on various sections of the dam.
Midmar is also the heart of the Midlands Meander, a selection of crafters, artists, potters, furniture makers and some excellent restaurants.
Drive into Howick village in the afternoon and visit the Falls area where you can find a wonderful selection of craft and curio shops and stunning views over the falls.

DAY FOUR
MIDMAR
(1)CAMPING
After a leisurely breakfast, drive into Howick village and visit the falls area. There is a nice selection of craft and curio shops and the views down the uMgeni valley from the falls platform are excellent.

Collect a Midlands Meander map from one of the shops and spend your day visiting the artists, crafters, potters and furniture makers who ply their trade and sell their wares in the beautiful setting of the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.

There are also many fine restaurants and pubs, each with its own special character, where you can refresh yourselves during your interesting day.

(2)HUTTED
Rising early drive around to the Thurlow entrance to Midmar on the Boston road and drive through to the Game Park where, as the early morning mist rises off the water, you will see herds of red hartebeest, blesbok and zebra. There are also many grassland birds and waterfowl.

Back to your chalet for breakfast and then, using the meander map, do one or two of the four available meander routes stopping at a suitable venue for lunch. All the routes are circular so you will arrive back at Midmar in the evening.

DAY FIVE AND SIX
SPIOENKOP GAME RESERVE
(1)CAMPING
Break camp and leave Midmar for Spioenkop travelling up the N3 and turning towards the mountains heading to the village of Winterton.

This is a bushveld reserve wrapped around a very scenic dam overlooked by the historic Spioenkop Mountain where a fierce battle took place between the Boers and the British who were trying to relieve the siege of Ladysmith. Book in and set up camp under a spreading acacia tree overlooking the water. After lunch do a walk along the Discovery Trail which follows the shoreline and offers good birding and great views.

In the late evening do a game drive. This is one of the few places where you can see rhino and giraffe against a backdrop of water and the distant mountains often covered with snow in winter.

On day two explore the famous Anglo Boer War battle sites in the surrounding country side. After breakfast drive around the dam on the Ladysmith road and up Spioenkop Mountain to view the monuments to the 390 men who lost their lives during two days of desperate fighting. Go on to Vaalkrans, Colenso where the Irish Brigade were cut down trying to cross the Tugela River and on to Pieter`s Hill. There is an excellent museum in Ladysmith with graphic displays of the Anglo Boer War battles and some nice restaurants for lunch.

(2)HUTTED
After breakfast pack and head up the N3 to Spioenkop. This is a bushveld reserve wrapped around a very scenic dam, overlooked by the historic Spioenkop Mountain, the scene of a fierce battle between the Boer forces and the British who were trying to relieve the siege of Ladysmith.

During your two day stay at Spioenkop plan to drive around the dam and up the mountain to the battle site where 390 soldiers tragically lost their lives during two days of desperate fighting.

The reserve has an excellent range of wildlife including white rhino and giraffe plus a host of antelope species so game viewing drives and walks along the Discovery Trail are very rewarding.

Horse riding is available and seeing game from horse back is an exciting experience as you get very close to the animals.

Your comfortable 3 bedroom unit has all the facilities to make your stay enjoyable and act as a base while you explore nearby Anglo Boer War sites such as Colenso, Vaalkrans and Pieter`s Hill.