DAYS 1 & 2 UK/Johannesburg
We fly overnight to Johannesburg and transfer to our hotel for an overnight stay. This afternoon take an optional tour to see the sights of Johannesburg or the township of Soweto.
DAY 3 Hazyview
We leave Johannesburg and travel towards Kruger National Park, making a stop at Botshabelo Ndebele Village, where the Ndebele culture is preserved in fantastically painted houses and colourful clothing. We then continue via Waterfall Boven and the wonderful Cycad Botanical Gardens at Nelspruit. We stay for three nights on the edge of the Kruger National Park.
DAY 4 Kruger National Park
Take a thrilling early morning game drive through the vast Kruger National Park, home to the ‘Big Five’ – elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard. As we travel in open-top vehicles, the experienced rangers will point out the park’s more elusive inhabitants. After a relaxing afternoon there’s an optional evening visit to the torch-lit Shangana Cultural Village for dinner and an insight into Shangana culture.
DAY 5 Panorama Route & Pilgrim’s Rest
Take the Panorama Route through the stunning scenery of the northern Drakensberg. See the beautiful Lisbon or Mac Mac Falls and the most breathtaking stretch of the Blyde River Canyon. We make a stop at romantic Pilgrim’s Rest, a quaint Gold Rush village and now a living museum, preserved as it was in Victorian days.
DAY 6 Swaziland, Zululand & Hluhluwe
Travel south through the tiny Kingdom of Swaziland into Zululand, home to the mighty Zulu tribe. We stay for two nights at the Protea Hluhluwe and this evening a dinner of traditional bush braai (barbecue) is included.
DAY 7 Hluhluwe Game Reserve
Free to relax, or for a different view of the wildlife join an optional walking safari accompanied by park rangers in the private Eastern Shores Reserve, then in the late afternoon take a thrilling game drive into Hluhluwe Game Reserve.
DAY 8 Shakaland
This morning we take an included boat ride on the St Lucia River to its Indian Ocean lagoon to see the birdlife, hippos and crocodiles. Later we drive south to Shakaland, an authentic recreation of a traditional Zulu homestead set in the stunning scenery of the Nkwalini Valley, where we enjoy lunch. Experience an afternoon of Zulu history, dance and culture. We stay overnight in Shakaland. This evening there will be the chance to see an authentic cultural show including dinner.
DAY 9 Port Elizabeth
Drive to Durban for your flight to Port Elizabeth and an overnight stay.
DAY 10 Tsitsikamma Forest & Plettenberg Bay
Drive westwards today into the Tsitsikamma Forest National Park, where rivers have cut awesome gorges deep into the coastal plateau and giant yellowwood trees soar skywards. Continue past Plettenberg Bay, where whales can often be spotted offshore. We stay in Knysna for three nights.
DAY 11 Knysna
Knysna is poised between the Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean. Take a cruise out to the lagoon, where we can see the fantastic birdlife in the protected nature reserve. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore Kynsna.
DAY 12 Oudtshoorn
Today we travel inland to Oudtshoorn, the heart of South Africa’s ostrich farming industry. Once here we descend into the Cango Caves, a subterranean wonderland with incredible limestone formations, including some of the biggest stalagmites in the world. We also visit an ostrich farm.
DAY 13 Cape Town
The final stretch of the Garden Route takes us to the beautiful city of Cape Town, stopping at historic Swellendam. Arriving in Cape Town, we’ll have the opportunity to discover the city’s vibrant waterfront district or perhaps ride the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway to the summit of Cape Town’s signature landmark. We stay for three nights.
DAY 14 The Cape Peninsula
The majestic scenery of the Cape Peninsula is revealed on a full-day tour, taking us out past Sea Point and Camps Bay towards Hout Bay for a cruise to Seal Island. Continue to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve with its wonderful views of False Bay. After lunch in Simon’s Town, walk or ride the funicular to the Cape Point viewpoint to admire the panoramic vista of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Visit Boulders Beach with its famous colony of Jackass penguins and the naval port of Simon’s Town, before taking a stroll through the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
DAY 15 The Winelands
Enjoy an optional excursion to the heart of South Africa’s wine country to Stellenbosch, home to some of the most appealing Cape Dutch architecture, and Paarl, standing at the foot of the second largest granite outcrop in the world, where we’ll see the imposing Afrikaans Language Monument. Then toast the end of this wonderful tour with a wine tasting in one of the highly respected vineyards of Franschoek.
DAYS 16 & 17 Cape Town/UK
Take a city tour of Cape Town before our overnight flight to the UK.