A tour to rival all others, a combination of stylish Cape Town, the wondrous Garden Route, and a Big 5 Safari, an all out African Experience! A great option for first time travellers to South Africa!
Day 1: Arrive in Cape Town Arrive at Cape Town International Airport and meet your Cape Town holiday host, who will transfer you to your luxury accommodation conveniently situated on the foot of Table Mountain overlooking the famous Camps Bay. Check in and relax in your magnificent surroundings.
Day 2: Cape Town You day begins with a scrumptious buffet breakfast while overlooking Camps Bay and all its beauty. You will then be transferred to the V & A Waterfront, where you will partake in a 4 hour tour of Robben Island. This touching experience will be led by an ex-inmate who will immerse you in the history of this island, which once held the great Nelson Mandela.
After Lunch, you will be collected by your guide for a sightseeing city tour of Cape Town. This tour will includes historical highlights of the area including the Castle of Good Hope and Signal Hill, with the tour coming to culmination on the top of Table Mountain.
Day 3: Cape Town This morning your guide will collect you for a full day tour to of the Cape Peninsula.
This full day tour travels along the spectacular coastline of the Peninsula through charming historical villages. Visit the mythical meeting place of the two great oceans and experience the “Fairest Cape of all”. Highlights include Camps Bay & Clifton, Hout Bay, Chapman’s Peak, Noordhoek, Ostrich Viewing, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, Penguin Colony, Simons Town, Constantia and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
Day 4: Cape Town After Breakfast, you will embark on your Township Tour which will introduce you to the multicultural side of Cape Town and a chance to interact with the locals. From District Six where forced removals changed the lives of many people to informal settlements where traditional healers and shebeens add to the rich culture of township life, you’ll see it all
The afternoon is your to relax or explore. You can choose from one of the many local excursions available or alternatively explore the many shops at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, or simply relax on golden Clifton beach – the choice is yours!
Day 5: Cape Town Today, you embark on a tour of the renowned Cape Winelands, travelling through scenic Franschoek Valley where a handful of French Huguenot refugees started South Africa’s now famous wine industry.
Visit the historic towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschoek, and several different wine estates – sampling as you go! Enjoy a picnic lunch in the Winelands, with the option of visiting the Spier cheetah breeding project.
Returning to Cape Town in the afternoon.
Day 6: Hermanus Today, you leave Cape Town and head to the small seaside town of Hermanus, where we will overnight. A easy scenic coastal drive of just under 2-hours, travelling via Gordon’s Bay and False Bay, this little town is world renowned for Whale Watching.
From August to November, Southern Right and Humpback Whales come here to breed and this is considered the best location for land-based whale watching holidays in the world.
Once severely endangered, these magnificent creatures of the deep are now breeding successfully in the area due to a major international conservation effort.
On arrival you will be booked into you luxury accommodation, where you will have a beautiful sea view. Sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty of the Cape beaches.
Day 7: Oudtshoorn An early start to the day as we prepare for our Whale Watching Boat Trip. This 3 – 4 hour tour will give you the opportunity to get close and personal with some of the largest mammals on earth. Out of whale season, we will take part in an eco-boat trip allowing us to get close with some of the more interesting wildlife of the ocean.
After a late breakfast, you leave Hermanus behind and continue our journey along the coast enjoying the dramatic and contrasting beauty of South Africa on your spectacular 4-hour drive to the arid Little Karoo.
On arrival in Oudtshoorn we visit an Ostrich Farm to view these huge flightless birds in their natural surroundings, before checking into your luxury guesthouse for overnight and dinner.
Day 8: Knysna Today, we visit the world-renowned Cango Caves – a vast series of underground halls and caverns formed over 20 million years ago in the foothills of the Swartberg Mountains. The caves, which extend for over 3 miles, contain spectacular stalagmites and stalactites and offer relatively easy access.
After-which, we continue to George where, from mid August to mid May, you have the opportunity of boarding the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe. This is South Africa’s last remaining steam-hauled scheduled passenger train that, from Monday to Saturday, follows a spectacular coastal route from Wilderness via the Sedgefield Lakes and Goukamma Nature Reserve to Knysna. When the train is not operating, we travel the same route by road.
Check into your luxury hotel in Knysna and settle into your beautiful surroundings.
Day 9: Knysna This morning we visit Featherbed Nature Reserve, situated on the Western Head – one of two magnificent sandstone cliffs guarding the entrance to the vast Knysna lagoon. This spectacular nature reserve is only accessible by ferry, followed by a short trailer ride to the top of the reserve, which offers panoramic views. Most visitors choose to return on foot via a 1-mile Guided Nature Walk through natural coastal forest onto the cliffs, through caves and along a scenic coastal path. A seafood buffet lunch is then served under the old Milkwood trees.
The remainder of the afternoon and evening are free to explore Knysna on foot. This lively town is famous for its oysters, which are bred in the lagoon. It also offers good shopping opportunities and many interesting craft shops in the town.
Day 10: Knysna Today is free for independent sightseeing in Knysna. Choose one of the many optional excursions available such as horse riding, cycling, walking or playing championship golf on one of the Garden Route’s world famous courses.
Or simply relax at Leisure Isle or Brenton Beach.
Day 11: Addo Elephant National Park Depart for Addo Elephant National Park this morning, a scenic drive of around 3 hours. Schools of dolphins are regularly seen in the warm Indian Ocean and whales may be seen in season (July to November).
On arrival at the malaria-free Addo Elephant National Park, we will check into your luxury lodge, before embarking on your first evening Game Drive. This open-top safari will give you the opportunity to view these magnificent animals which once roamed free in this area and were saved from extinction by this national park, which has also preserved the rare Cape buffalo and the flying dung beetle.
Day 12: Addo Elephant National Park Your day will begin with an early morning Game Drive where your guide will introduce you to the wonders of this magnificent wildlife area on the 4 hour Safari. Addo is renowned for its Elephant population, while there is always a chance of glimpsing the other members of the Big 5. After-which you will experience a hearty English Breakfast.
The mid-day period will be yours to relax around the pool or in your air-conditioned room. As late afternoon arrives, you will be escorted to a near by Private Game Reserve to track Lions as the African Sun slowly goes down, ending this experience with scrumptious a meal in African style restaurant or “boma”. After-which, you will be transferred back to your lodge.
Day 13: Port Elizabeth After your scrumptious breakfast, you will depart for Port Elizabeth, a scenic 3 hour drive. But, before you think it is all over, there is one more surprise… Your final destination will be the Addo Elephant Sanctuary, where you will get the opportunity to walk with and ride on these beautiful, gentle giants. This 3 hour experience will blow you away and is a great way to end this fantastic holiday. You will then head to Port Elizabeth Airport in order to catch your flight home.
Why not combine this Tour with the 5 day Luxury Mozambique Experience?
We can offer this tour as completely self drive! ________________________________________________________________________________________
What Is Included: • All airport and ground transfers in air-conditioned vehicles • Domestic Flights from George to Johannesburg or Cape Town • Accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis • Activities specified in itinerary, including transfers and entrance charges • Guide/Host as per itinerary • Access to 24 hour Travel Expert
What Is Not Included: • International flights • Lunches & dinners (unless specified) • Drinks & refreshments • Optional Activity Fees (Table Mountain Cable Car, Hout Bay Boat Trip, Boulders Penguin Sanctuary and Spier Cheetah Rehab Centre) • Tips for porters and restaurants • Telephone calls, laundry & other incidental personal expenditure • Visa fees, in countries where these apply • Airport departure taxes, in countries where these apply
Please Note: All Activities are dependant on prevailing weather conditions
