CSC - South Africa - SOUTHERN CAPE SAFARI - Luxury

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

Only 2 hours from Cape Town and 30 minutes from Hermanus on the way to the world-renowned Garden Route, Grootbos is perfectly situated between the classic attractions of the Cape and is most certainly a highlight on any itinerary. This rugged stretch of South African coastline snakes along the Atlantic Ocean, with magnificent mountains rising up on the other side. The spectacular scenery is made up of charming seaside villages, farms, rivers, coves and valleys, and during the right season, the region’s namesake – whales – can be seen cruising and wallowing in the coastal waters. Grootbos is in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom - by far the smallest of the kingdoms (the only one to fit within one country) but it is also the most diverse, with more than three times the floral species of the Amazon Jungle! Within an area of just 90 000 km2 there are over 9000 species of flowering fynbos plants, 70% of which are found nowhere else on earth.

Day notes

Nestled between the imposing Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean and surrounded by world-renowned forests, Knysna offers a wealth of activities for visitors. The beautiful lagoon and more than eight beaches provide opportunities to swim, surf, canoe, yacht, jet-ski, boat, fish, walk on soft sand and take ferry rides. Various markets offer organic goods, delicious food, indigenous plants and a social atmosphere. Mountains, valleys, lakes, forests and streams are ready to be explored. The region isn’t known as the “Garden of Eden” for nothing! A birding route is available for avid bird watchers. World class golf courses are at your doorstep. And of course the area is famous for the Knysna Heads and delicious oysters.

Day notes

A vast and pristine 22,000 hectare/ 54,000 acre wilderness extending along 30 km/ 19 miles of privately owned Great Fish River frontage in South Africa’s Eastern Cape region, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve is home to a diverse array of wildlife including the ‘Big Five’, as well as cheetah, hippo, springbok, giraffe and more. The soul-stirring beauty of the landscape lends its charm to all four of its modern, yet intimate Relais & Chateaux accredited lodges. The reserve is a delight to travellers young and old and provides superb game and bird viewing as well as providing habitat for protected species such as the Black Rhino, Blue Crane and Martial Eagle. Guests can participate in day and night game drives, nature walks with experienced trackers, and picnics or sundowner drinks on a specially designed floating platform on one of the reserve dams. Also offered are specialised activities such as rhino darting and big game walking safaris.

Day notes

After breakfast you will be transferred to Port Elizabeth International Airport. From here your international departure will take you home, filled with memories and bursting with desire to return to Southern Africa.