Sample 12: The World in One Country - Essential South Africa

Day 1

Arrive at Cape Town International Airport under your own arrangements. You will be met at the airport by a representative of our local partners who will transfer you by private vehicle to the Mount Nelson Hotel.

Days 1-4

Spend three nights at the Mount Nelson in a Deluxe Room, with breakfast included.

Day 2

TThis morning you will be collected for a full day private tour of the City of Cape Town and Table Mountain, with lunch and entrance fees included.

Affectionately known to South Africans as “The Mother City”, Cape Town occupies a spectacular location at the south-western tip of Africa, and is widely regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful coastal cities. It is, by far, South Africa's oldest and loveliest city, and your full day tour will showcase Cape Town’s natural, cultural, and historic highlights, providing a glimpse into the country’s diversity and complexity.  
 
You will be collected at your hotel and taken to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront where you will have an opportunity to visit the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, the largest contemporary art museum on the African continent. This architectural masterpiece was created by hollowing out a 100 year old, 100’ high grain silo to create what is arguably South Africa's most impressive building, with over 100 galleries exhibiting 21st Century art from across Africa and the diaspora.
 
From the Waterfront you will proceed on a scenic drive through Cape Town to Bo-Kaap, the Cape Malay quarter. Here, you disembark and walk through Government Avenue, where the original settlers planted their vegetable gardens.  Today, the street is home to the South African Museum, Cultural History Museum, Houses of Parliament, National Gallery and St George’s Cathedral.  The walk continues through the city to the old Town Square that is bustling with market traders.  
 
You will then be collected from the market and transported to the castle, the oldest building in South Africa, with its beautiful collection of old Cape paintings.  It is home to the Western Cape Command and the tour highlights the Grand Parade where Nelson Mandela spoke to Capetonians after his release from prison in 1990.
 
After lunch, the tour visits the moving District Six Museum, which highlights the horror of the forced removal of citizens from their homes in that district during the height of Apartheid in the 1960’s. The museum contains a collection of memorabilia donated by former residents of the area and their descendants.
 
You will then be driven  to the lower cable station at Table Mountain.  Here you will have the opportunity to board the Rotair cable car that takes under 5 minutes to reach the summit of the Mountain, 3,400’ above sea level. From the summit you will experience the spectacular views of the city and surrounds. If weather prevents the cable car from operating, your guide will take drive you up Signal Hill, from where you will also enjoy breath-taking views.
 
 Descending on the cable car, your last stop will be Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, beautifully situated on the slopes of Table Mountain, and one of the world’s great botanical gardens. Cecil John Rhodes bought Kirstenbosch in 1895 and, when he died seven years later, he left it to the people of South Africa. It is a vast (1,300 acre) park containing a unique collection of southern African trees and plants, and is one of the few gardens in the world that is devoted to indigenous flora. Cape Fynbos is the most diverse of all the world's floral kingdoms, with over 8,600 flowering species, almost all of which occur only in the vicinity of Cape Town (there are more plant species on Table Mountain than in the entire United Kingdom).  
 
At the end of the tour, you will be returned to your hotel.

Day 3

Today you will be collected from your hotel for a full day private tour of the Cape Peninsula, with lunch and entrance fees included.

Start off with a scenic drive along the Atlantic Seaboard coast passing the seaside suburbs of Sea Point, Bantry Bay and Clifton.  You will stop along the way to enjoy magnificent views of the Twelve Apostles along the Atlantic coast side of Table Mountain, and the beach of Camps Bay. Continue to Hout Bay, a charming little village and fishing harbour.
 
Departing Hout Bay, the drive continues along one of the finest scenic coastal drives the in world. Between June and November there is the chance that guests may sight whales along the coastline. These are mainly Southern Right Whales that come into South African waters to mate and calve.
 
The tour continues on to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve where your guide will drive off the main road to the untouched area of Olifants Bay.  There is a herd of endemic Bontebok living on this side of the reserve and you may see them on the beach and in the surrounding “fynbos”, South Africa’s magnificent indigenous floral vegetation. Interesting bird species include the African Black Oystercatchers and Avocets as well as endemics such as the Cape Sugarbird and Protea Canary, as well as various Sunbirds. Guests may enjoy a picnic lunch here (otherwise at one of the restaurants along the coast).
 
The tour then continues to the tip of the Cape Peninsula, from where you can walk (or ride the funicular) to the lighthouse at Cape Point. From this vantage point, you will enjoy spectacular views of False Bay and the tumultuous meeting point of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.  You then proceed to the Cape of Good Hope, the most southwestern point of the African continent.
 
Leaving the reserve, you proceed along the False Bay coastline to Boulders Beach, home to the only penguins found on the continent of Africa, the African Jackass Penguin.  You continue on through historic Simonstown, South African naval headquarters, and return to Cape Town over Boyes drive with views of the fishing village of Kalk Bay and the seaside towns of St James and Muizenberg.

Day 4

Today you will be collected and transferred by private vehicle to Le Quartier Francais in the historic town of Franschhoek (roughly 60 minutes).

Days 4-6

Spend two nights at Le Quartier Francais in an Auberge Room, with breakfast included.

Day 5

Today you will be collected from your hotel for a full day private tour of the Cape Winelands, with lunch and entrance fees included.

You will be collected at your hotel by your private guide for a full day exploration of the Winelands region, nestled below the spectacular Boland Mountains about 50 minutes drive from Cape Town. The tour will focus on the Cape’s “wine route” towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. Guests will taste the “fruits of the vines” and enjoy the history and scenic beauty of this unique area.
 
Wine estates visited on the tour vary and are selected after discussing personal preferences.  Examples of those visited are Uitkyk, Warwick, Moreson, Mont Rochelle for fine red and white wines and Glen Carlou for wine and cheese tastings.  
 
Lunch is enjoyed a la carte at one of the many excellent restaurants  in the area.
 
The tour will take you to the historic estate of Boschendal, boasting some of the most beautifully preserved Cape Dutch buildings and period furniture in the Cape. This estate offers insight into how the early Cape settlers lived.
 
Another stop will be Franschhoek, a small town nestled in the “Valley of the Huguenots,” where the French first settled in 1688. There, one can visit the Huguenot Memorial and Museum. You will have a chance to stroll through this charming country town with its lovely antique shops and gardens.
 
Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in South Africa, will also be visited. Highlights are a drive down Dorp Street, with its beautiful Cape Dutch houses, and a visit to the museum, which highlights the different architectural styles in the Cape from the 17th century. There are also many shops and galleries to explore along the way.
 
In addition to the history and charm of the region's towns and estates, one of the highlights of the Winelands is the idyllic beauty of the mountainous landscape, scenery which has inspired some of South Africa's most renowned artists.

Day 6

Today you will be collected and transferred by private vehicle to Cape Town International Airport. Check in for your scheduled flight to Hoedspruit Airport. You will be met and transferred by private vehicle to Kings Camp.

Days 6-8

Spend two nights at King's Camp in a Honeymoon Suite, on a fully inclusive basis (including accommodation, all meals, tea/coffee, house wines, local brand spirits and beers, soft drinks, two game drives daily with refreshments, and nature walks).  

Day 8

Today you will be collected from King's Camp and transferred by shared charter flight to MalaMala Camp in the Sabi Sand sector of Kruger Park.

Days 8-11

Spend three nights at MalaMala Rattray's Camp in a Luxury Suite, on a fully inclusive basis (including accommodation, three meals daily, all local spirits, beers and soft drinks, as well as selected wines, game-drives in open safari vehicles, nature walks with your tracker, and laundry).

Day 11

Today you will be collected from MalaMala and transferred by shared charter flight to Johannesburg International Airport, from where you will depart under your own arrangements.

Rough Cost - 2024

Around $11,120 per person sharing.

Rate Includes

Accommodation as specified, Meals as specified, Ground transportation and excursions as noted, Park and entrance fees for lodges/camps inside national parks, Intra-Africa flights as specified, Rental Car as specified; All government and airline taxes.

Rate Excludes

International flights to and from southern Africa; Drinks (unless otherwise specified), Items of a personal nature, Gratuities, Laundry (unless otherwise specified), Meals other than specified, Excursions other than specified, Flights other than specified, Medical, cancellation and baggage insurance, Visa fees and departure taxes (where applicable).

** PLEASE NOTE: These rates are given as guidelines, and will differ depending on factors such as the time of the year that guests travel, the number of guests travelling, and the class of airline seats available. All rates are subject to change at the discretion of the properties/operators, and due to currency fluctuations, unforeseen increases in fuel prices, increased airline prices, or any future government imposed taxes.

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