Wild Dog safari De Wildt, Venetia and Madikwe

This safari offers guests the opportunity to come face to face with the fascinating African Wild Dog, the majestic cheetah, the African elephant, some of the smaller and lesser known cats of Africa, the misunderstood vulture, and much more, including the rest of the Big Five…...

It also gives an opportunity to experience the “ranger” aspects of wildlife and conservation, and much more.

Guided by Dr Peter Brothers, Wildlife Veterinarian and registered Tourist Guide, researchers, and various local guides, you will be given a unique and rare insight into the world of wildlife in Southern Africa.

Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime safari, while helping to conserve Africa’s wildlife through your participation...

Arrival at Johannesburg International Airport where you will be met and transferred to
your small boutique hotel in the suburb of Sandton, Johannesburg. Spend the day at
leisure, shopping nearby, or pre-book a half day tour depending on your arrival time
(optional extra not included in cost).
Your stay here will be on a bed and breakfast basis, and dinner (for your own expense)
can be enjoyed in the hotel restaurant which has excellent meals at very affordable rates.

Your hotel is a privately owned and managed hotel situated in Morningside, Sandton.
The South African Tourism Grading Council has awarded it a 4- star rating. Inspired by
the old world hospitality embodied by Shakespeare's jolly host, Sir John Falstaff, this
boutique hotel offers the business and leisure traveller a surprisingly affordable, secure
hotel experience. The hotel offers elegantly comfortable rooms, hearty English breakfasts
and an intimate, cosy pub and lounge ideal for relaxing in. The hotel’s aim is to
provide guests with a memorable stay and personal service.

Enjoy breakfast and check out at your leisure.
At 10 am you will be met by Brothers Safaris in the hotel foyer, and will then be
transferred to De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre, just North West of Pretoria
(approximately a 1 hour drive).
Check in and enjoy lunch at the De Wildt Cheetah Lodge.
Enjoy a private afternoon tour of the breeding facility, with the likely opportunity to
get up close and have your photo taken with one of the ambassador cheetahs.
Sundowners (sunset drinks) are followed by dinner back at the lodge.
Overnight at De Wildt Cheetah Lodge. Your stay at De Wildt is on a full board basis.

De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre is renowned for its breeding success of rare and endangered species. The very rare King Cheetah was first bred here and similar success was achieved in breeding the Wild Dog, Brown Hyena, Blue Duiker, Suni Antelope and various species of vultures. Visitors to the Centre can see most of these animals up close and learn interesting facts about their nature, habitat and way of life when taking a tour in an open vehicle, conducted by a knowledgeable guide. The centre is a CITES approved cheetah breeding centre-the only one in the world with this approval!

De Wildt Cheetah Lodge is situated just north west of Pretoria, in the De Wildt area. The lodge is set in lush green gardens on an adjacent property to the breeding Centre, nestled in the foothills of the Magaliesberg mountain range. This presents a landscape of open veld (bush), many indigenous trees, and a panoramic view to the north.
A renovated old farm homestead, the lodge has eight suites, each individually decorated to highlight the species that are bred at the Centre, or the environment. Each meal is a sumptuous experience.

Early breakfast at the lodge.
After breakfast we transfer to the neighbouring De Wildt Cheetah Centre to witness a “cheetah run”! The ambassador cheetahs are exercised regularly, using a lure to invoke their hunting instinct, as part of a new programme to exercise them and in so doing hopefully also eliminate gastritis which is an ongoing problem for captive cheetah.

The rest of the morning will be spent observing, and where possible, assisting with the
immobilisation of cheetah/wild dog, or other species at the centre that require
immobilisation for management reasons or disease control.
These procedures will be carried out by a Veterinarian who will allow you to participate
where possible/practical/safe. Should you prefer, you are welcome to just watch and get
those close-up photos of a lifetime!
In the event that there are no procedures that need doing, we will spend some
time with staff in observing and, where practical, assisting with daily management
tasks at the centre.

12.00 pm	Return to the nearby lodge for lunch.
12.45 pm	After lunch we transfer to the Elephant Sanctuary-approximately 20 minutes by road-where we will participate in a group afternoon tour of the facility and meet the individual elephants in a hands-on experience.

The Elephant Sanctuary is not a rescue centre for elephants (although most of its residents have been rescued) but a commercial centre that accomplishes great work with the resident elephants and guests, in terms of the experience and education they offer through their passion for these amazing animals. A knowledgeable guide conducts this “hands-on tour” on foot, and you are sure to leave the sanctuary feeling enlightened.

Return to De Wildt Cheetah Lodge early evening for dinner.
Overnight at De Wildt Cheetah Lodge.

After breakfast the morning is spent being introduced to the vultures of Southern Africa and includes a talk and practical handling of the birds with the De Wildt resident vulture specialist-about 3 hours. The extent of the practical work is dependent on what management practices, if any, are required at the time.
Check out and depart to the far northern corner of the Limpopo Province-approximately 5 hours of driving. Enjoy a packed lunch en route.
Check in and enjoy the evening at leisure, with dinner at the lodge.

Our lodge is situated on a sandstone ridge offering guests breathtaking views of the Limpopo River floodplain below, and Botswana’s Tuli block area in the distance. The lodge is situated within the South African National Park’s newest reserve, the Mapungubwe National Park, which in the future will form part of a new transfrontier peace-park with Botswana and Zimbabwe.
The lodge is built of stone and thatch and offers simple luxury. All rooms are en-suite, air conditioned, and are set a short distance away from the main lodge area. While staying here we have exclusive use of the lodge.

Early morning breakfast/snacks/tea/coffee followed by a transfer into the nearby reserve where various research programmes are being conducted. At this stage this reserve is separated from the lodge/Mapungubwe by a road, although the future plans are to merge these two reserves.

The reserve is 34 000 hectares in size, and home to many species of antelope, giraffe, lion, African Wild dogs, leopard, elephant, white and black rhino, and many more. The vegetation consists mostly of Mopane scrub, which presents a harsh landscape and does not favour all species, or only carries low numbers of grazers.
You have to work hard at your game viewing here, but this offers a true sense of Africa and its wildlife!

Various research projects are planned for 2006/7, mostly focusing on monitoring and data collection on various species such as the African wild dog, elephant and lion. The Reserve’s best-known programme is the African Wild Dog programme, which has already been running for 4 years and is set to continue. The project focuses on the resident wild dogs and their role in sustainable Eco-Tourism.

Return to the lodge later in the morning for brunch and some leisure time, especially in the hot summer months.
Mid afternoon snacks are followed by a traditional game drive in neighbouring Mapungubwe National Park. Gate closing time permitting, we enjoy sundowners at the point where three countries meet.

The Mapungubwe National Park was previously known as Vhembe Dongola National Park and is situated 60 km west of Musina, in the Limpopo Province. The park comprises the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape and the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers.
Declared a National Heritage Site in December 2001, the park was listed as a World Heritage Site in July 2003 and covers an area that is well over 28 000 hectares.

Enjoy early morning breakfast/snacks/tea/coffee followed by a transfer to Mapungubwe.
Take a short game drive in neighbouring Mapungubwe before joining the resident guide on a tour to the historic site of the headquarters of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, in the reserve.

The name Mapungubwe means a place of the stone of wisdom. (Ref: Dr M. Motshekga, Kara Heritage Institute, Hatfield, Pretoria). Until its demise at the end of the 13th century AD, Mapungubwe was the most important inland settlement in the sub-continent and extended over an area of about 30 000 sq kilometres on either side of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers.

In the afternoon we take a more traditional game drive into our “research reserve” and will try our hand at telemetry (tracking technique using electronic receiving equipment and the transmitter collars on the species being monitored) and tracking the lion and other species being monitored in the reserve.

At times these activities may include more specialist activities such as an immobilisation for a collar replacement or another management reason.

Please note that due to timing and the unpredictable nature of the work, the programme for these days may be amended to give guests maximum exposure to the work being done here.

After breakfast we transfer to our new reserve, approximately a 4 hour drive through some of South Africa’s more remote areas.

After some leisure time, we set out on a late afternoon traditional game drive (wildlife
viewing) with our local guide and Dr Peter Brothers in an open game viewing vehicle.

Enjoy sundowners in the bush before returning to camp after dark for dinner and to overnight.

This reserve, in Mmpumalanga Province, is approximately 8 500 hectares in size, and home to the Big Five, as well as many other species.

Clients will stay in a luxurious 3 star tented camp during our safari. The camp is situated on the elbow of a river, and although often dry, the setting offers fantastic views. The tents are built on wooden decks and offer décor consisting of mosquito nets draped over double beds, a large closet and a writing desk. Each tent has solar powered lighting, and all are en suite (shower and toilet).

After early morning tea and coffee we will spend the day enjoying presentations, practical sessions and walks, to cover some of the finer aspects of the bush, including what it entails to be a game ranger. Aspects such as tracking, bush survival skills, bird identification and rifle/dart gun handling and firing. Astronomy will also be covered during the course of the day and evening. Our specialist guide and the ranger staff will endeavour to chose and tailor these topics around the specific interests of the group.

Early morning tea and coffee are followed by a game drive where we will be accompanied by one of the researchers in the reserve who will describe the work they are doing on the reserve in brief, before focusing on the various species being researched in the reserve.
Various species on the reserve (cheetah, elephant, lion and leopard) have transmitters implanted, or have transmitter collars, in order to monitor them for various management and research reasons, mostly to study behaviour and their adaptation in this reserve. We can thus track and try locate them using the signal from their collars/transmitters and “Telemetry”. Once the telemetry procedure has been explained and demonstrated, clients will have a chance to hone their tracking skills! Depending on the location and temperament of the various species during the day’s sightings, as well as the guest group size and temperament, some animals may be approached on foot, but this will only be considered if the risk is considered to be minimal. Our most likely bet in this reserve, on foot, is actually the cheetah…….

Return to the lodge late morning for breakfast and leisure time before lunch is served.

After lunch there will be some more leisure time before a more detailed presentation on the work being done on the reserve. The presentation will be about an hour long, and afterwards we head out on another more traditional game drive.

Early morning game drive with your local guide only, before returning to the lodge for breakfast.
Check out after breakfast and transfer to Johannesburg International Airport with lunch en-route (for your own expense). Arrive in Johannesburg late afternoon/in the early evening where your trip ends. If you are flying out of Johannesburg today please do not book any flights prior to 8.00 pm

EVERY SAFARI THAT RUNS SECURES DONATIONS TO THE DE WILDT CHEETAH AND WILDLIFE CENTRE, AND THE DE WILDT VULTURE UNIT.
De Wildt is a non-profit, non-government organisation and relies on donations and support from programmes such as this to help fund their crucial conservation work.

This is based on a minimum of 4 persons participating in total, and allows for a maximum of 7 participants. Larger groups may be accommodated on special request.

This cost includes board and accommodation as laid out above, drinks while staying at Venetia (a reasonable amount of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, local brands), all land transfers in a comfortable air-conditioned mini-bus, guides (Veterinarian Dr Peter Brothers throughout the safari, and various local guides and researchers), all tours, presentations and activities as laid out above, entrance fees, VAT and Government Tourism levies.

Not included are drinks, dinner on day 1, lunch on the last day, items of a personal nature, gratuities, travel insurance and flights.

Please note that due to the nature of this experience, times and plans may need to be adjusted slightly as we proceed. Please bear with us should this become necessary.

A 30% non-refundable deposit is payable at confirmation of booking
Balance of 70% payable 56 days before commencement
60% Refund for cancellation 42 - 56 days prior to commencement
50% Refund for cancellation 28 - 42 days prior to commencement
Cancellation within 28 days subject to full forfeiture
Payment of deposit implies acceptance of terms and conditions
Cancellation must be made in writing to Brothers Safaris
An administration fee of ZAR 500-00 per person will be charged for amendments made after confirmation
Brothers Safaris reserves the right to use a similar lodge/hotel if the intended lodge/hotel is not available, this may affect pricing
The itinerary costing is subject to availability and currency fluctuations
Terms and Conditions are subject to change without notice

Please note the following regarding the darting/other procedure/s:
While every endeavour is made to locate and dart the animal in question, factors such as severe weather conditions or illness involving the animal, which are unpredictable, may prevent the darting from going ahead. Every effort will be made to ensure that the client participates in the darting procedure, or similar, as laid out in the itinerary, but the animal's welfare will not be compromised at any stage, and a procedure may have to be aborted and the animal revived in certain circumstances. This may shorten the procedure/down time, and hence the close up experience for the client. Brothers Safaris, its staff, and appointed agents will not be held liable for any losses incurred by a client as a result of such situations, and accept no responsibility whatsoever. Every endeavour is made to ensure the health and safety of all our clients, but any procedure with a potentially dangerous wild animal is of such a nature that certain circumstances may be beyond our control. Should any such situation arise which leads to death or injury due to any reason whatsoever, Brothers Safaris, its staff, and appointed agents, will not be held liable for any losses incurred as a direct, or indirect, result of such a situation, or our actions in such a situation.