CSC - South Africa - SOUTH AFRICA SNAPSHOT - Comfort

Day notes

You will be met upon arrival and transferred to the Victoria & Alfred Hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may have an afternoon to take in some of the sights. Included is a Half day tour of the city and then the choice to either admire it all from above by taking the revolving cable car up Table Mountain. Or relive history by visiting the poignant Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his incarceration. There are many great restaurants but some are a cut above!

EATING OUT IN CAPE TOWN

With its spectacular views and holiday vibe, Cape Town is at the cutting edge of culinary trends and tastes. (No wonder its prized mountain is a table.) Whether you are looking for beach cafés with a view of the sea, sidewalk coffee shops, fine dining restaurants, neighbourhood pizza joints, buzzing cocktail spots or hipster hangouts, you’re in for a treat. Let us know what you like and we can recommend and or book tables at our choice establishments.

We have a list of recommended restaurants, please ask us to send this to you!

Day notes

Your guide will collect you from your hotel and begin your day along the Atlantic seaboard passing Sea Point, Bantry Bay and Clifton. Bakoven and Llandudno, with their ghostly shipwrecks, are also fantastic sights on the way to the fishing village of Hout Bay, where you board a boat to view the Cape Fur Seal colony on Duiker Island (weather permitting).

From here you navigate the 114 curves of 600m high Chapman's Peak Drive on the way Cape Point and to explore the Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park, home to fabulous birds and very special fauna, such as Cape mountain zebra, bontebok and the charismatic Cape baboon. Climb (or ride the world's first environmentally friendly funicular) to the famous Cape Point Lighthouse to capture the magical vistas of False Bay and the two oceans - Indian and Atlantic.

After lunch, you visit Boulders Bay to see the penguins, and then head home through the naval village of Simonstown and over scenic Boyes Drive, taking in the views of the fishing harbour at Kalk Bay and the seaside havens of St James and Muizenberg.

To round off your day, time permitting, you can take a stroll through Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on the slopes of Table Mountain.

Fully inclusive of transport, water, entrance fees and lunch.

Day notes

Your guide will collect you this morning and depart the city for the Winelands in the nearby Boland Mountains for a leisurely exploration of historic towns, liquid delights, gastronomic wonders and home-grown hospitality.

Wine estates visited will vary according to your preferences, but the tour generally includes the region's major wine producing areas of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, and there are chances aplenty en route for tastings of world-renowned reds and whites, as well as Cap Classiques - South Africa's answer to "Champagne".

Lunch at one of the many classic, award-winning restaurants in the area.

Natural and historic heritage abounds in this area and your tour may take in sights like the Afrikaans Language Monument with its panoramic Boland views. Idyllic Franschhoek, nestled in a valley settled by French Huguenots in 1688, is a delight for both antique lovers and gastronomes alike. Stellenbosch, South Africa's second-oldest town, provides another glimpse of classic 17th-century Cape style, with a chance to browse quaint Dorp Street and the many museums, galleries and shops of this lovely university town. A truly fabulous Cape experience!

Fully inclusive of transport, water, 3 x wine tastings and lunch.

Day notes

Here is an approximate guide to what to expect on typical day while on safari in Southern Africa

05h00 Wake Up! Wake Up! … it’s an early start.

05h30 Meet your ranger and tracker for early morning tea and coffee before heading out on safari, typically on open 4X4 safari vehicles. The best game viewing is to be found first thing in the morning and the anticipation is half the excitement! You could meet a herd of elephants at a drinking hole, observe a herd of shy impala or get up close with a pack of lions…it’s all up to chance!

09h30 Safari vehicles start returning from the game drives and you can enjoy a sumptuous and well-earned breakfast!

11:00 Depending on the season and the rules of the reserve, many lodges offer a Safari Walk with an armed guide and tracker. This gives you a chance to concentrate on the smaller wonders of nature such as insects and birds. The guide/tracker will tell you fascinating stories of the bushveld as well as the traditional cultural and medicinal properties of trees and plants.

After your walk you will have a chance to relax and unwind or enjoy a swim to cool down.

13h00 A delicious lunch is served. After lunch there is more time to relax and soak up the beauty of your surrounds.

16h00 As the African sun begins to ease away and shadows start to form across the bushveld, guests and rangers meet for afternoon tea before the evening Game Drive.

16:30 Safari Time! You will head out on your second Game Drive for the day with a majestic African sunset as the backdrop. The animals become more active again and the nocturnal animals get ready for their hunting. Your ranger will be driving the vehicle and the tracker is up front looking out for tracks and spotting the animals.

18h00 As the sun sets the ranger will pick a good spot for a sundowner where you will pause to watch the sunset and enjoy some cocktails and refreshments. A real safari tradition!

18h30 As it starts to get dark, the tracker and guide use a powerful spotlight to catch sight of the animals. The animals eyes reflect in the spot light and the ranger and tracker will concentrate on finding the nocturnal animals such as Leopards and sunset hunters such as Lions.

19h30 The timing of dinner is determined by the activities on safari! If there are things happening and lions hunting – your dinner will wait.

A chance to freshen up before dinner.

20h00 Dinner Time. At most lodges, there are a number of places to enjoy dinner at the lodge and weather dependant the camp manager will select the perfect venue. Your ranger usually joins you for dinner and the camp fire stories have been known to continue into the early hours! The more luxurious lodges offer you the choice of having dinner in your room. And finally you get to retire to your suite for some peaceful sleep before the next exciting day!

Day notes

after your morning activity, you will be transferred back to Hoedspruit airport in time for your flight to Johannesburg, where you will continue with your own onwards arrangements.