Welcome to Debbie's guided South African Safari trip!
Join Debbie Mc Hardy, owner of African Firefly Travel on an unforgettable, personally guided journey through South Africa.
Designed for a small, exclusive group, this carefully curated trip combines Cape Town’s beauty and culture with exceptional Safari wildlife encounters, luxurious accommodations and authentic local experiences. With every detail taken care of, you can simply relax, connect and experience the very best of South Africa through the eyes of someone who knows and loves it deeply.
On arrival into Johannesburg Airport you will be met by passenger services who will assist you with passport control, luggage collection and customs.
He / she will then escort you through to the City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo Hotel.
Accommodation is in a Standard Room
Dinner for your own account at the hotel restaurant
Includes: Bed and breakfast
After breakfast, you will be met by passenger services, who will collect you from the hotel and assist with check in for our flight to Hoedspruit.
Flights included in the quote but subject to change until booked.
On arrival into Hoedspruit Airport you will be met and transferred by road to Sandringham Shisaka Camp.
Sandringham Private Game Reserve is an exciting new addition to the Sabi Sabi Collection, set along the Timbavati River and bordering the renowned Timbavati and Thornybush reserves.
Your stay will be at Shisaka Camp, an intimate retreat tucked into a peaceful Tamboti thicket beside a tributary of the Timbavati River. The camp has just six luxurious suites, each featuring spacious interiors, a private pool, an outdoor shower and a beautiful timber deck. Its most distinctive feature is the elevated, nest-like rooftop sala—a private hideaway for afternoon naps, birdwatching or stargazing beneath the African sky. Shisaka means “nest” in Tsonga, perfectly capturing the camp’s secluded, cocoon-like atmosphere.
Between safari activities, guests can enjoy exceptional dining, an atmospheric open-air boma, a wine cellar showcasing South African wines, a spa, gym, museum and library. With its small scale, newly restored wilderness and Sabi Sabi’s celebrated guiding and hospitality, Shisaka offers the rare opportunity to experience a safari destination at the very beginning of its story.
Accommodation is in a Suite
Includes: Accommodation, open vehicle safaris by day and at night, environmental awareness walking safaris, breakfast, lunch, “boma” dinner, all drinks excluding French Champagne and Private Collection Cellar Wines, limited Laundry service (no dry cleaning available), WiFi
A typical day at Shisaka Camp begins before sunrise with a gentle wake-up call and coffee or tea before heading into the wilderness on a morning game drive. Accompanied by an expert ranger and tracker, you will search for elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and other wildlife as the bush awakens. A scenic stop for coffee and homemade treats adds a little safari luxury along the way.
Return to camp for a leisurely breakfast, followed by time to relax beside your private pool, enjoy a spa treatment or retreat to your suite’s distinctive rooftop sala for birdwatching, reading or a peaceful afternoon nap. You may also choose to join a guided bush walk, learning about animal tracks, plants and the smaller details that are easily missed from a safari vehicle.
After lunch and afternoon tea, set out on your second game drive as the temperature cools and the animals become active again. Pause for sundowners in a beautiful spot before continuing after dark, using a spotlight to search for nocturnal wildlife.
Back at camp, enjoy drinks around the fire followed by dinner in the restaurant, beneath the stars in the open-air boma or perhaps in the intimate wine cellar. End the evening listening to the sounds of the African bush before returning to your luxurious suite—and maybe spending a few quiet moments stargazing from your rooftop nest.
On Safari at Sandringham Private Game Reserve
On safari at Sandringham Private Game Reserve
On safari at Sandringham Private Game Reserve
After your morning game drive and breakfast, you will be transferred to the Hoedspruit Airport.
Check in for your flight to Cape Town. Flights included in the quote but subject to change until booked.
On arrival into Cape Town Airport you will be met and transferred by road to The Claremont.
The Claremont Boutique Hotel is an intimate luxury retreat set in one of Cape Town’s most established, leafy neighborhoods. Part of the Sabi Sabi Collection, the hotel occupies a beautifully restored century-old Cape Dutch manor house and combines historic character with contemporary South African style.
With only 15 individually designed rooms, The Claremont feels more like an elegant private residence than a traditional city hotel. Guests can relax in the lush gardens, beside the swimming pool, in the light-filled conservatory or with a book in the safari-inspired library. Its peaceful setting provides a welcome escape after a day of sightseeing, while still being conveniently located for exploring Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the Constantia Winelands, Cape Town’s beaches and the V&A Waterfront.
Accommodation is in a Deluxe Room
Dinner for your own account at the hotel restaurant Veld & Vine or at a local restaurant.
Includes: Bed and breakfast
After breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel by your private guide who will take you on a full day Cape Winelands Tour.
Your first stop will be at Babylonstoren. Dating back to 1692, Babylonstoren is a historic Cape Dutch farm that boasts one of the best-preserved farmyards in the Cape. The Garden is divided into 15 sections that compromise fruit, vegetables, berries, bees for pollinating, indigenous plants, fragrant lawns, a prickly pear maze, ducks and chickens, and more. There is a daily garden tour that starts at 10h00 in front of the Farm Shop. One of our experienced gardeners will be your guide on this tour, during which we encourage guests to pick, taste, smell and touch while walking through our garden.
Continue to lunch at L’Ami Family Brasserie on La Motte wine farm (drinks excluded)
Spend the afternoon visiting another wine farm or stroll around the village of Franschhoek before returning to Cape Town.
Tonight you will be on your own to enjoy dinner at leisure
Includes: Entry fees, 2 wine tastings & Lunch
Excludes: Dinner and beverages
After breakfast guide will collect you from your hotel for a Full Day Cape Peninsula Tour.
Start at the Lower Cable Car Station with a visit to the top of Table Mountain (weather dependent).
Drive to Kalk Bay, a popular seaside village with great shopping and a charming working harbor.
Continue to Simon’s Town and Boulders Beach to meet the African Penguins.
From there you will travel to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. At the tip of the Cape Peninsula, and 60km southwest of Cape Town, the reserve falls within the Table Mountain National Park.
Make your way slowly back to Cape Town. Enjoy lunch at the Foodbarn in Noordhoek (Drinks exlcuded)
End the day with a drive along one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world and affectionately known as ‘Chappies. It is a must for anyone passionate about Natural Scenery. Then make your way through the opulent suburbs of Hout Bay, Camps Bay, Clifton and Bantry Bay along the Atlantic Seaboard.
Tonight we will enjoy dinner at Marble Restaurant, where dining meet culinary theatre (Drinks not included)
Includes: Entry fees, Lunch & Dinner
Excludes: Beverages
After breakfast, store your luggage at the hotel and then there will be time to do some last minute exploring or shopping and lunch at the V&A Waterfront.
Later this afternoon you will be transferred to the Cape Town Airport for your flight home
Onward flights not included.
