On arrival at Cape Town Airport you collect your rental car and drive to The Three Hotel for your 3 night stay in Cape Town
Cape Town is one of the most beautifully situated cities in the world. Cradled by Table Mountain, it has immense charm and historical interest whilst its unique cultural blend; part African, part European and part Asian, makes for a cosmopolitan dining experience. Take the cable car or walk up Table Mountain, visit the colorful Malay quarter or meander through the wonderful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Browse through the vibrant Greenmarket Square, take a boat trip to Robben Island or simply relax on the beach. When you want to range further, the Cape Peninsula offers one of the finest coastal drives in Africa to the Cape of Good Hope. Here you might see whales breeching just off the bay or quirky African penguins on Boulder’s beach.
The Winelands region is an area of exquisite beauty with rocky mountains overlooking green vineyards; oak avenues leading to elegant Cape Dutch wine estates and some of the most charming towns and villages in South Africa. The main pleasure of this region is the enjoyment of the good life: appreciating the wine and the superb architecture, enjoying long, lazy meals in one of the many excellent restaurants, browsing in Shops and galleries or taking scenic drives or walks in the surrounding mountains. Explore the oak-lined streets of Stellenbosch, a bustling university town; enjoy the rural charm of the Huguenot settlement of Franschhoek or meander along a wine route.
The Garden Route thoroughly deserves its reputation for enchanting beauty. The ‘Garden’ refers not to cultivated gardens, but to its captivating, Edenesque qualities with indigenous forests of tall yellowwoods and milkwoods covering the slopes of the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains. This region, between Mossel Bay and the Storms River, offers a spectacular coastline of dramatic headlands giving way to white sandy beaches.
Behind the sand dunes lie placid lagoons and lakes, with a hinterland of soaring mountains, covered by indigenous rainforest, magnificent twisting passes, waterfalls and wooded ravines.
Today you drive to Port Elizabeth in time for your afternoon flight to Durban. On arrival, you collect another rental car and enjoy a short drive to Salt Rock to stay overnight
The Dolphin Coast is actually the name of a small stretch of coast from Durban northwards to the Tongaat River. It includes a series of seaside towns with lovely sandy beaches. The frequent sighting of bottlenose dolphins playing in the Indian Ocean waves has resulted in its name.
Ballito and Umhlanga to the north of Durban offer endless stretches of sandy beaches, and are ideal for swimming, relaxing and enjoying alfresco seafood cuisine. Here you’re away from the bustle of the city and yet easily within reach of its attractions such as the lush botanical gardens and enticing Indian spice markets.
Head north to St Lucia (2 hours). St Lucia is South Africa’s primary wetland complex. It is a mix of lake, lagoon, pan, marshland, papyrus swamp, sand forest and grassland. The wetlands are separated from the tropical coastline by a strip of coastal dunes, which tower 120 metres above the beaches. The centre of the system is St Lucia Lake, a shallow 36,000-hectare lake that averages only one metre in depth. It is home to an estimated 1500 crocodile and 700 hippos, great flocks of pelicans and flamingos as well as many other water birds. The variety of birds at Lake St Lucia is astounding, and the complex is justifiably world famous as an area to see spectacular bird life.
Cape Vidal is a superb coastal area north from St Lucia – superb for snorkelling at a low tide. The marine habitat is the route used by humpback whales on their northerly migration to Mozambique to calve. Other ‘big game’ fish include migratory marlin, sailfish and dolphins. We recommend that you take a boat cruise on the St Lucia Lake and possibly a marine boat cruise in season to look for whales and dolphins.
Today you enjoy a relatively short drive to Leopard Mountain Game Lodge for two nights on safari.
Leopard Mountain is a 4 star, award winning lodge. Located high up in the wild secluded hills of the 56 000 ha Manyoni Private Game Reserve. Hosting the Big Five, Leopard Mountain offers spectacular and uninterrupted views from the lodge. Overlooking the Umsunduze River meandering below and a vast stretch of unspoiled bushland and riverine forests. An every changing panorama over the African plains.
The Kingdom of Swaziland, to the south of the Kruger, provides a fascinating cultural and wildlife experience; a beautiful, peaceful and relatively prosperous African country. The Swazis have a well-developed sense of their own culture and are open-minded and friendly in their outlook.
It is a small country but with several ecological zones from rain forest in the northwest to savannah grassland in the dry eastern parts. The western edge of the kingdom is heavily forested with deep gorges, lush valleys and fast flowing rivers and waterfalls. From Mbabane, you descend to the grassland plateau containing many tropical fruit farms, where the majority of people live. The Swazis are renowned craftsmen, and you can buy terrific examples of basket ware, colourful fabrics, carvings, and Mother of Pearl in friendly markets and roadside stalls. White-water rafting and hiking are on offer for the adventurous whilst others may prefer a mellow round of golf, mountain biking, game-viewing or a gentle horse ride through the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary.
A safari is nearly always an important part of a holiday in Southern Africa – words cannot describe the thrill of tracking a leopard on the hunt or observing a breeding herd of elephants at a waterhole. The Kruger Park is the first choice for many of our guests, given the unsurpassed concentration and diversity of wildlife on offer. One of the finest nature reserves in Africa, the Kruger is a vast wilderness of thorn trees, prolific game and sub-tropical heat. It is home not only to The Big Seven – elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, cheetah and wild dog, but also to an abundance of smaller, equally fascinating animals and birdlife.
The Drakensberg Escarpment offers welcome relaxation after the excitement of a safari. This area of sculpted peaks and deep ravines, tumbling streams and green valleys is only two hours drive from the private game lodges and the Kruger, and three hours from Johannesburg. The region provides a marked contrast to the sub-tropical bushveld, with scenic mountain passes, relaxing walks, horse riding and golf all on offer. The drive alongside the Blyde River Canyon, a majestic red sandstone gorge with sheer cliffs plunging into waters below, is magnificent. Gentle walking trails connect a series of delicate waterfalls.
Drive back to Johannesburg to return your rental car prior to your onward flight.
Drive back to Johannesburg
