A Small Group Safari - Wildlife, Culture and the Garden Route

A Small Group Safari - Wildlife, Culture and the Garden Route from £1,850 per Person Excluding International Flights

Day 1
On your arrival into Johannesburg you will be met and transferred to your hotel in one of the green suburbs of Johannesburg.
Overnight: The Oasis Guesthouse –11 luxury rooms all with en-suite bathrooms. There is a cascading pool area which is perfect after a long flight (D)

Day 2
After a hearty breakfast you will head to Soweto, the heart of the apartheid struggle. Here you will visit the houses where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived, as well as the monument to the 1976 Soweto uprising. Enjoy the hospitality of the warm and friendly people whom you will meet during your lunch stop at one of the local “shebeens” (pubs). After this historical look into the history of South Africa you will continue east towards the escarpment.
Overnight: Misty Mountain Lodge – Consisting of 27 chalets, all with en-suite facilities and a private veranda (B/L)

Day 3
Today you will set off towards Kruger National Park. En route you will stop at the small gold mining town of Pilgrim’s Rest, Burke’s Luck potholes, Lisbon Falls and the impressive Blyde River Canyon.
Overnight: Needles Lodge – Situated on the border of the Kruger national Park and consists of six luxury bedrooms each with en-suite facilities (B/D)

Day 4
After an early breakfast you will join your safari guide in an open vehicle and will set off on your first South African Safari inside the world famous Kruger National Park, home to the “Big Five”. Spend a full day in the National Park in search of the resident game.
Overnight: Needles Lodge (B/D)

Day 5
Following an early breakfast you will head to the independent kingdom of Swaziland. With its green rolling hills and indigenous forests, Swaziland is known as the Switzerland of Africa and is one of the best places in Africa to buy local handcrafts. After a bit of shopping you will continue south to South Africa and Northern Zululand.
Overnight: Ghost Mountain Inn – En-suite bedrooms with their own garden patio where you can enjoy the African sunset (B/D)

Day 6
This morning you will be able to enjoy the splendours of your South African safari by heading out on a boat cruise along the lake to look for hippos, crocodiles and fish eagles. In the afternoon you will have the option to go on a safari to the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve renowned for its white rhino populations.
Overnight: Ghost Mountain Inn (B/D)

Day 7
Today you will follow the sugar cane fields of the north coast as you head to the coastal city of Durban. Here you will visit the new Ushaka Marine World which is one of the most impressive marine worlds in the southern hemisphere. Later that afternoon you will catch a flight to Cape Town the second leg of your African Safari. On your arrival into Cape Town you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Overnight: The Adderley Hotel – Situated in the heart of Cape Town with 27 luxury suites all with en-suite bathrooms (B)

Day 8
After breakfast you head to the second oldest settlement in South Africa; Stellenbosch with its oak lined streets and famed Cape-Dutch architecture. From here you head to Franschhoek where you will be able to enjoy delicious lunch and wine tasting at one of the renowned wine estates. Your night will be spent on the edge of the semi desert known as the little Karoo.
Overnight: Mimosa Lodge – En-suite bedrooms, some of which open out onto the garden and others open out onto a veranda (B/L)

Day 9
This morning you will drive through spectacular scenery to the village of Calitzdorp. Here you will be able to enjoy a port tasting, before heading to Oudtshoorn for a tour of an ostrich farm and the Cango Caves.
Overnight: The Thorn Tree – The Lodge has spacious, en-suite bedrooms and a swimming pool with magnificent views (B/L)

Day 10
You drive today takes you over the Outeniqua Mountains, leaving behind the dryness of the Little Karoo and entering the lushness of the Garden Route. On reaching Knysna you will be taken by ferry across the lagoon to the Nature Reserve. Here you will have lunch on top of the cliffs overlooking the natural bay of Knysna.
Overnight: Waterfront Lodge – Set on the edge of the lagoon with lovely gardens. Each of the rooms has en-suite bathrooms (B/L)

Day 11
After breakfast you will head north on a day trip along the coast to the forested reserve of Tsitsikamma. Here you will be able to go on a walk to see where the Storm’s River meets the Indian Ocean. The tour continues with a visit to a monkey sanctuary before heading to the holiday town of Plettenberg Bay for the afternoon. In the evening you will return to Knysna where you will be able to relax.
Overnight: Waterfront Lodge (B/D)

Day 12
Today you will head south along the coast to the town of Hermanus, famous for its land based whale watching. The Southern right whale can be seen from the cliff tops between May and November, but even out of these months the views of the surrounding bay are impressive. Continue to Cape Town via Sir Lowry’s Pass.
Overnight: Adderley Hotel (B/L)

Day 13
Cape Town is one of the most scenic cities in the world and no African Safari is complete without a visit to the “mother city”. Today you will have a city tour and, weather permitting, we will ascend Table Mountain (own cost). After the city tour you have the afternoon at leisure to explore the vibrant V&A waterfront with its seafood restaurants, craft shops and markets and the Two Oceans Aquarium.
Overnight: Adderley Hotel (B)

Day 14
What a way to end your South African Safari by standing at the Cape of Good Hope or the Tip of Africa. The drive takes you through villages like Simon’s Town with its beach loving penguins, Hout Bay where you can do a cruise to seal island, and the exclusive beach town of Clifton and Camp’s Bay. Before returning to Cape Town you will stop at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. In the evening you will be able to enjoy a farewell dinner as your African safari comes to an end.
Overnight: Adderley Hotel (B/D)

Day 15
After your final farewells you will be transferred to the airport for your international flight home (B)