#21 Days Luxury Safari, Beach, Rail & Vic Falls Adventure#

Welcome in South Africa!

Your South African adventure starts when arriving at the ORT International Airport in Johannesburg.  Upon arrival you will be met by our representative who will transfer you to your lovely hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to relax and unwind after your long flight.

Explore Soweto Township! Pick up at 09:00

After breakfast you will be met by your guide at around 09:00 for a guided Soweto Tour, the biggest and most vibrant township in South Africa, which is increasingly becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. The city of Johannesburg is the engine of Africa, the economic hub of the country, and has a wealth of historic and cultural experiences to offer the enthusiastic tourist. Enjoy a local meal at a popular South African restaurant in Soweto.

The Soweto Township Experience - South of Johannesburg is Soweto, a city developed as a township for black people under the apartheid system. Most of the struggle against apartheid was fought in and from Soweto. Soweto is inhabited by over two million people, with homes ranging from extravagant mansions to makeshift shacks.

Soweto is a city of enterprise and cultural interaction. It is a popular tourist destination with sites such as Kliptown (where the Freedom Charter was drawn up), the home of former President Nelson Mandela, the Hector Petersen Memorial site, restaurants and shopping.

Explore the City of Pretoria! Pick up at 09:00

Visit the picturesque capital of South Africa, Pretoria in the City of Tshwane also known as the Jacaranda City for the beautiful blooming Jacarandas in spring which fill the city streets. Visit Church square & Palace of Justice in centre of Pretoria where the city was founded from with its first church. Visit the impressive Union Buildings designed by Sir Herbert Baker, drive by Paul Kruger House and have a tour of the imposing Voortrekker monument, The Biggest Monument in Africa. Built to honour those who left the Cape Colony under British control in pursuit of their own self determination. They left between 1835 and 1854 and became known as the Voortrekker’s. A massive 40 metre high granite structure built on a hill top and can be seen from most parts of the city.

Your ultimate safari experience awaits you! Pick up at 07:30

After breakfast and check out you will be transferred to the ORT Airport to board your flight to Eastgate Airport (Hoedspruit). Flight depart Johannesburg at 10:15 and arrive in Hoedspruit at 11:20) After a 1 hour flight you will be met and transferred to the Thornybush Simbambili Lodge where you will be staying for 3 nights.

Simbambili Lodge is located in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. This romantic hideaway offers a Moroccan-style experience, privately tucked away in the sweeping savanna grassland.

Simbambili Lodge has a main lounge area and a gift shop. Sabi Sand has the highest concentration of leopard in the world. Guests can explore the reserve on a guided game drive or bush walk. Spoil yourself with a massage or beauty treatment at the spa, which has an indoor and outdoor treatment room amid the trees.

Fly to Cape Town!

Embark on a last morning game drive and breakfast. After checking out your driver will transfer you to the Eastgate Airport to board your flight to Cape Town (Flight departs at 13:10 and arrive in Cape Town at 16:20). Upon arrival in Cape Town you will be transferred to your lovely hotel situated at the V & A Waterfront. The rest of the day is at leisure to enjoy all that Cape Town has to offer.

Explore the City of Cape Town! The guide will meet you at the hotel at 13:00

This morning you can enjoy a trip to Robben Island (weather permitting) and this afternoon enjoy a Half Day Guided Cape Town City Tour.

Situated below Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head, Cape Town offers a rich cultural and colonial heritage, grand splendour and an assurance of activity of excitement. Including all the `must-sees ‘of any Cape Town day tour, this option is a geographical and cultural extravaganza, showing you Cape Town, from its historical beginnings of yesteryear to the dazzling modern buildings of today.

We commence with a cable car trip up the legendary Table Mountain for spectacular views of the Mother City and the surrounding peninsula. (weather permitting). Back in the city itself, we visit the well preserved Company Gardens, the S.A. Museum, the Castle of Good Hope and the vibrant and arty flea market, Greenmarket Square. We also take a trip through the colourful and picturesque Malay Quarter known as Bo-Kaap.

After breakfast (09:00) enjoy a Full Day Cape Point Tour along the scenic Atlantic seaboard coastal road. We pass the pristine beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay, see the 12 Apostles Peaks, Hout Bay and the Sentinal.

Visit Seal Island or shop for souvenirs at the craft market at the harbor. We drive from there through the most beautiful scenic road, Chapman’s Peak.

We visit Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, home to ‘fynbos’, wild animals and birds.

Enjoy a delicious lunch at a special restaurant with views of False Bay.

Visit Boulders Beach to see the African penguins.

We drive through Simons Town, stop at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens before returning to your hotel.

Tonight you enjoy dinner at a local home.

Continue to the breath-taking Winelands! Pick up at 09:00

After breakfast we make our way to the beautiful Cape Winelands, enjoying a Half Day Tour in Stellenbosch visiting some of the finest wine estates in the surrounding area. After lunch (own account) you check into your lovely hotel in Franschhoek where you will be staying for 2 nights. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure to enjoy all that Franschhoek has to offer.

Enjoy a Curated Wine Experience! Please get tickets at the Wine Tram ticket office at 09:30

The day starts with a journey by tram to a local wine estate where a knowledgeable wine guide weaves the facts, figures and scientific aspects of winemaking into interesting stories about Franschhoek’s history of wine and culture.

During this engaging and interactive experience, you will be guided through, and have an opportunity to sample, the subtle tastes of terroir, as well as learn about the local grape varieties, cultivars and the aspects of viticulture which are unique to Southern Africa.

A tour of the estate wine cellar will be followed by a specially curated three course lunch at the estate restaurant.

In the afternoon, you will visit two additional Franschhoek wine estates, enjoying a premium wine tasting at each estate.

At the end of the experience, you will leave feeling more knowledgeable and connected to the local wine culture and ready to discover the Franschhoek Valley further.

Continue to the Garden Route! Pick up at 09:00

After breakfast and check out we continue to Oudthoorn (4 hours drive). We travel via the R62, the longest wine route in the world. Upon arrival in Oudthoorn we visit an Ostrich Farm where we will enjoy a delicious lunch before we continue to the world famous Cango Caves (time permitting).

After our tour we make our way to Knysna. En route we pass through the beautiful Outeniqua pass, George and the Kaaimans River Pass and Wilderness. Wilderness is a small village, with lakes, rivers, fens, estuaries and beaches, lies against a backdrop of lush forest and lofty mountains and heralds the beginning of the Garden Route.

A short drive up the coast we will reach Knysna, the heart of South Africa's famous Garden Route. Knysna is the unofficial capital of the Garden Route, surrounded by forests, lakes, mountains and sea; this ever-popular tourist destination is a charming town of legend, history, arts and crafts catering to visitors every need or fancy. Knysna is situated on South Africa's only National Lake, which is also the country's largest permanent estuary. Knysna is a nature lovers dream.

Enjoy a romantic sunset cruise! Pick up at 09:00

Today we visit Tsitsikamma National Park, tucked between the mountains and the sea, offers beautiful forests and numerous exciting activities. The Mouth Trail crosses a suspension bridge over Storms River. The Tsitsikamma Forest is a wonderful place to explore with an abundance of plant and animal life around you and a varied terrain.

This afternoon enjoy a sunset cruise on a private yacht. Departs between 16:00 (2.5 hour cruise)

The magnificent Knysna Heads are among the most remarkable features on South Africa’s coastline and a perfect backdrop for an ocean sunset and a spot of bubbly. This sailing activity takes you from the lagoon, through the heads to the open sea aboard a luxurious yacht.

You can expect to see a diverse range of marine life from dolphins to a host of pelagic birds endemic to our pristine coastline.

After a sublime sail, we return to the calmer waters of the Knysna Estuary and serve a delicious feast of Mediterranean style cuisine along with a glass of fine South African Cap Classique.

Continue to Port Elizabeth for your flight to Durban! Pick up at 09:30

After breakfast and check out, we say goodbye to the Garden Route and make our way to Port Elizabeth Airport (3 hours drive) to be in time for your flight to Durban (Flight departs at 15:10 and arrives in Durban at 16:30).

Upon arrival in Durban you will be transferred to your hotel where you will be staying for 1 night.

Your luxury Railway experience awaits you! Pick up at 08:30

After breakfast you will be transferred to the Durban Station (platform 14) to embark on your 3 Day luxury Journey by rail.

10:00 The train departs Durban Station.

13:00 Lunch is served en route to Lions River Station.

15:00 Excursion to the famous Ardmore Ceramics Gallery including an equestrian display and tea.

19:30 Dinner is served as the train climbs the escarpment en route to Ladysmith.

06:30 Wake-up call for a choice of excursions:

Option 1 - Game drive in Spionkop Reserve.

Option 2 - Spionkop battlefields tour.

13:00 Lunch is served in the dining car/s.

15:00 Disembark at Elandslaagte for a game drive in the Nambiti Private Game Reserve.

19:30 Dinner is served in the dining car/s.

Arrive in Pretoria!

07:00 Breakfast is served in the dining car/s as the train continues northwest across the Highveld.

13:00 Lunch is served in the dining car/s as the train traverses the gold-mining areas of Gauteng.

16:00 Arrive at journey’s end at Rovos Rail Station in Capital Park, Pretoria.

Upon arrival in Pretoria you will be met by your guide and transferred to Johannesburg where you will be staying for 1 night.

Fly to spectacular Victoria Falls! Pick up at 08:30

After breakfast and check out formalities you will be transferred to the ORT Airport for your flight to Victoria Falls. (Flight depart Johannesburg at 11:25 and arrives in Victoria Falls at 13:05). You will be met and transferred to your lovely hotel where you will be staying for 3 nights.

Included in your package:

Breakfast & Dinner (Jungle Junction)

Return airport transfers

Zambesi River Cruise (excl Park Fees USD10) on the 15th of March (pick up at 16:00

Tour of the Falls (excl Park Fees USD30)) on the 16th of March (pick up at 08:30)

Say your last goodbyes! Pick up at 11:00

After breakfast and check out, you will be transferred to the Vic Falls International Airport to board your flight to Johannesburg for your flight home. (Flight departs Vic Falls at 13:55 and arrives in Johannesburg at 15:35 in time for your flight home.

We wish you a safe trip back home with lovely memories of Africa!