Cape Town & West Coast Experience ~ Tour A (8 Days) BSS123

WEDNESDAY   Upon arriving at Cape Town International Airport, you will be whisked out along the shores of Table Bay to your hotel in the seaside resort town of Bloubergstrand. Belle Maroc Blouberg is set on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and offers magnificent views across the bay of Table Mountain. That evening, enjoy the lazy sunset over the ocean while having a scrumptious dinner then later take a leisurely stroll along the beach - a great way to mark your arrival in South Africa's Mother City and the start of your new adventure.
Overnight:  Belle Maroc Blouberg or similar

THURSDAY   After an early breakfast, you will be transferred to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (V&A), where you will hop onto the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus which will take you to Table Mountain and back again. Along the way, you are shown all that cosmopolitan Cape Town has to offer. When you hop off at Table Mountain, you rise above the city in a rotating cable car to the top of Cape Town’s most iconic natural landmark. At 3563 feet above sea-level, it’s one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Settled within the Cape Floral Kingdom, one of only 6 Floral Kingdoms in the world, and the most diverse, Table Mountain is a place of myth, legend, and spectacular views! On your return to the V&A, it's lunch and shopping. Discover a diamond’s journey from the Earth’s core to sparkling gem during the Shimansky Diamond Experience. Dinner that evening will be at GOLD Restaurant - complete with a djembe drum performance and a 14-dish tasting menu. Each dish is based on African culinary traditions and storytelling.
Overnight:  Belle Maroc Blouberg or similar

FRIDAY   A unique part of the tour will unfold this morning. While the other days in your tour highlight the beauty of the Mother City and its surrounds, today will focus on the beauty of its people. Living with the consequences of apartheid policies, the people you’ll meet have created singular communities in the townships you will explore. The five townships on the itinerary are District Six, Langa, Khayelitsha, Bonteheuwal and Gugulethu. Each one has a history and flavour unique unto itself. District Six, a vibrant community of different races and beliefs created by former slaves in 1833, saw the destruction of homes and the forcible removal of 60 000 residents in the 1970s to the barren outlying areas of the Cape Flats. Langa, the oldest black township in South Africa welcomes you to visit a school creche to meet the children and discover their challenges and victories despite their circumstances. A local family in Khayelitsha will be your hosts for lunch. The Bonteheuwel township is a former so-called coloured township with deep roots in the Cape-gang culture. In Gugulethu you will visit the Gugulethu Seven Memorial and the Amy Biehl Memorial. This afternoon, your next adventure begins by heading north along South Africa’s iconic West Coast. After check in at your hotel, relax before dinner at your hotel overlooking Langebaan Lagoon.
Overnight:  The Shark Bay or similar

SATURDAY   To start the day, a morning cruise on Langebaan Lagoon and part of Saldanha Bay will allow you to experience a unique perspective of this West Coast area. Then it’s time to travel back 5 million years at the West Coast Fossil Park, a National Heritage site. It’s one of the most diverse Mio-Pliocene records in the world. Fossils from bears, saber-tooth cats, short-necked giraffes, and early mammoths have been found here. The guided tour reveals fossils lying exactly as excavated. One of the West Coast’s oldest fishing villages – Paternoster – is where you will lunch. It's a town famous for its unique architecture, pristine white beaches, the challenging-to-harvest rock lobster and other straight-from-the-ocean seafood. After lunch, Bokkomlaan in Velddrif is the place to find Bokkoms, a West Coast specialty. Salted, silvery mullet is strung into bunches and hung to dry. This old, timeless, and quaint fishing village of Velddrif is so inspiring the West Coast Gallery displays art from over 100 artists, many being the local fishermen striving to capture the stark beauty of the landscape in both word and on canvas. Back in Langebaan, relax and freshen up before dinner.
Overnight:  The Shark Bay or similar

SUNDAY   This morning you leave the beauty of the West Coast National Park's tough vegetation and wide stretches of beach which line the Atlantic shoreline. In Spring, which in South Africa is between September and December, you can wander through fields of dazzlingly multi-coloured wildflowers and encounter a myriad of wildlife. Then time to travel back in time again - this time at the !Khwa ttu San Culture And Education Centre, located within an exceptionally significant historical and archaeological landscape, on an 850 hectare Nature Reserve. The Centre, an Award-Winning Heritage Centre, a very different kind of museum, tells not only the story of the San, but of mankind as well. South African and international academic, museum and exhibition design experts created the centre, and it’s linked to some of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world, including Harvard and Oxford museums. After lunch, you take the Atlantic Seaboard route (aka Cape Town's Riviera) to get to your hotel in Cape Town.  After check in, enjoy the lazy sunset over the stunning views of both mountain and valley before your scrumptious dinner.
Overnight: Ladybird Vineyards Lodge or similar

MONDAY   Today's full-day tour of the Cape Peninsula begins near Simon's Town, the highlight is the colony of vulnerable African Penguins in their natural habitat at Boulders Beach. Then, take in the countryside en route to the southern point of the Cape Peninsula.  Here there are three promontories that tower over 200 metres above the sea - Cape of Good Hope, Cape Maclear and Cape Point. Climb to the famous Cape Point Lighthouse to capture the magical vistas of False Bay. (A funicular is an optional extra for those who prefer). For lunch you journey to Hout Bay, a quaint village with a fishing harbour, which includes a photo-stop at Chapman's Peak. From the harbour, a 40-minute cruise charter takes you past the famous Maori Bay Wreck, to the protected home of thousands of wild Cape Fur Seals - Duiker Island Seal Colony. Browse the quayside market before returning to your hotel.
Overnight:  Ladybird Vineyards Lodge or similar

TUESDAY   What better way to start your last day after a scrumptious breakfast than by heading into the Winelands surrounded by the breathtaking views of the Stellenbosch Hills. The relaxed atmosphere sets you up for a delicious day of food, cheese, and wine, all produced on the centuries-old vineyards of the region. Here is where you will find some of South Africa’s finest wines and beautiful architecture. Nestled among the green and fruitful vines are stunning examples of the area’s Cape Dutch homes. If you like cheese, then you’ll find the cheese tasting opportunities a delight as the region produces a vast range of both cow and goat milk cheeses. Following trails of flowers and wildlife winding their way through the Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve overlooking the Franschhoek Valley before returning to your hotel.
Overnight:  Ladybird Vineyards Lodge or similar

WEDNESDAY   Depending on your schedule, enjoy a healthy and filling breakfast at the hotel or at the Cape Town International Airport before flying home or onward to another adventure on your vacation.