Fair Trade Cape Town, Winelands, Garden Route & Luxury Safari

Arrival Cape Town

Welcome to the magnificent Mother City! Arrive at Cape Town International Airport where you will be met by a representative and your guide. Transfer to the hotel. If the flight lands early, then we can drop the luggage at your accommodation and have an orientation tour of the city and Table Mountain if time and weather allows. Please bring a warm jacket (if needed), sun lotion, good walking shoes, water, sunglasses and some spending money. And don’t forget your camera!

Dinner can be arranged at one of the many exceptional restaurants in the City Bowl.

Tandem Paragliding, Robben Island & Jazz Safari

In the morning after a leisurely breakfast at one of the artisan bakeries near our hotel, we will go for a tandem para-glide off Signal Hill (weather permitting), landing in Sea Point, a coastal suburb on the Atlantic Seaboard. We will experience vast and breathtaking views of the city, really a once in a lifetime experience!

In the afternoon, we will take a ferry to Robben Island. The tour takes between 3.5 to 4 hours. We will then disembark at Murray’s Bay Harbour situated on the Eastern side of the Island and take a short walk to the buses that will transport us to all the historical sites around the Island.

We have a full evening programme, as we embark on a different kind of adventure - a JAZZ safari! Tonight, we will:

• Meet local jazz musicians in their homes
• Dine on local cuisine in the homes of the musicians
• Discover the city through her music

Full Day Fair Trade Cape Peninsula Tour

You won’t believe the beautiful scenery we will experience in one day on the Cape Peninsula. We will start by driving to the beautiful Atlantic seaside suburbs of Clifton and Camps Bay, and see the Twelve Apostles. We will then take the coastal road to the Hout Bay harbor. After Hout Bay, onto a scenic drive up Chapman’s Peak, one of the best views in the region. We will then travel on to the Cape of Good Hope, the furthest southwestern point in Africa. We will have time for hiking to the Cape Point lighthouse, and have lunch in the Nature Reserve. On our way back we will take the scenic route back to Cape Town via Vishoek and Muizenberg stopping to view the endangered African Penguin colony at Boulders Beach.

On the Peninsula Route, we follow the perimeter of the Table Mountain range, going full circle around the mountain, passing incredible seascapes, and taking in some of the most magical sightseeing possible. There is the majestic pass called Chapman’s Peak. There are quirky little suburbs like the arty Kalk Bay, the naval Simonstown and the natural bay called Hout Bay. There are two oceans, the Indian and the Atlantic. There is the Cape Point Nature Reserve, at the Good of Good Hope, the point of the Peninsula where these two oceans meet. There are the crazy penguins that hated the cold, just outside of Simonstown, and there are troops of baboons and some deer and other animals, in addition to some of the most incredible fynbos and plant biodiversity.

The evening is free to have a leisurely dinner at the Waterfront or any of the fine feasting spots in the City Bowl.

Arrive in Stellenbosch & Cultural Cooking Experience

Last breakfast in Cape Town, before we head to Stellenbosch, Winelands.  We check into our hotel and then get ready for a Fair Trade Cape Malay Cooking Workshop, where we will learn how to cook a range of Cape Malay dishes, feast on what we've prepared and gain some insight into Cape Malay  history and culture.

In the early evening we will take a little stroll down the quaint streets and choose a restaurant to dine at.

Natural Wine Route Tour (full day) / Bicycle Tour (half day)

Today, we have options for wine lovers as well as those who would prefer some exercise in a magnificent setting.

We can either take a different kind of wine tour, where we'll:

• Learn about biodynamic farming and wine-making techniques
• Taste excellent biodynamically produced wines
• Meet a garagiste wine-maker
• Farm to Plate organic lunch

OR

Take a bike tour around the Dwars River Valley; home to the historic towns of Pniel, Kylemore, Johannesdal and Lanquedoc. It is one of the most beautiful valleys on the planet, and located half way between two of the Winelands’ most popular destinations, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. We will cycle through the towns, along the back roads, into the history and heritage, and into the homes of storytellers and makers of traditional food.

Whale Coast & Shark Cage Diving / Whale Watching

After our last morning in Stellenbosch, we take a drive of just under 2 hours to magnificent Grootbos - a luxury eco-reserve close to the Southern tip of Africa tucked between mountains, forest and sea - where we will be staying for the next two nights.

Once we have checked in, we will get ready for either a shark cage dive or whale watching experience. If we decide to do both, we can do either today and the other tomorrow. Both take place in Gansbaai, a short drive away from Grootbos, and one of the world’s best areas to see the Great White Shark in its natural environment. Note the whale watching cruise is seasonal (June to December).

Dining at Grootbos is an experience in its own right, with its unique combination of fresh organic produce, a world-class natural setting and their hugely experienced culinary team.

Activities at Grootbos

There are a wide range of activities to do within the Grootbos Reserve itself, including -

• horseriding
• nature walks and hikes
• quad biking
• bird watching
• beauty treatments
• scenic flights
• coastal safaris

The day will be free for us to immerse fully ourselves in the Grootbos experience and enjoy all it has to offer before we leave tomorrow.

Plettenberg Bay & Wild Cat Experience

We set out early from Grootbos this morning - a 5 hour drive later, and we find ourselves in Plettenberg Bay, another gorgeous seaside town and a veritable hub of attractions for visitors. We explore the town itself and enjoy a lunch of fresh fish overlooking the bay, before heading to Tenikwa Wildlife Sanctuary situated in the rural suburb known as The Crags , a fair trade certified wildlife rehabilitation and education centre.

Here, we join a guided tour to learn about the indigenous wild cats of South Africa. See African Wild Cats, Servals, Caracals, Cheetahs, Lions and our Leopard as well as other wildlife such as meerkats, marabous and much much more! If we have more time and/or some photo enthusiasts in our party, we can join the half day Photographic Adventure, which will give us the opportunity of photographing cheetahs in magnificent Cape Floral Fynbos during their daily enrichment time out, as well as a leisurely exclusive tour of the centre to see and photograph the rest of our indigenous cats of South Africa in natural setting.

We finally check into Hog Hollow Country Lodge, just 18km east of Plett, set on the edge of indigenous forest with breathtaking views of the surrounding valleys and Tsitsikamma Mountains. We will wine and dine here, in the main house.

Dolphin Encounters, Close Encounter Whale Watching & Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour

There is no shortage of nature-based adventures to be had in the area, and today we can experience dolphin and whale encounters (seasonal) by boat, or zipline through Tsitsikamma indigenous forest.

During our last evening in Plett, we can either dine at one of the restaurants in the area, or at our country lodge once more.

Shamwari Safari Experience

Our trip will end on the highest note, as we set off for the Eastern Cape and Shamwari Private Game Reserve. Not only has it been voted the World's Leading Safari and Game Reserve and Conservation Company for many consecutive years , it also happens to be fair trade certified! Time for a truly immersive luxury safari experience with a  smorgasbord of activities available to keep us enthralled, including:

Birding

Game Drives

Photo Safaris

Pampering at their superior in house spa facilities

Conservation experience

Rehabilitation Centre

At night, we dine under the stars.

Luxury Safari Experience Continued...

Today, we choose from the abundance of safari experiences offered at Shamwari and enjoy our last day of the ultimate Fair Trade vacation to the full.

It's only a 50 minute drive to central Port Elizabeth, from where we can fly out to anywhere we need to to go.