Highlights of South Africa

Depart early for the airport this morning for your 6AM flight to Lanseria airport where you connect with Angel Gabriel lite aircraft into the Madikwe Game Reserve. 

Madikwe Game Reserve 

For first-time and seasoned safari goers alike, Madikwe Game Reserve’s 76 000ha wilderness is a wonder. The miracle lies in its diversity – a three-hour game drive here offers the kind of experience you’d ordinarily have to traverse Africa for. The reserve’s wooded hills give way to savannah and Kalahari plains, and within its floral transition zone, you’ll find a unique array of wildlife. Madikwe is one of the only places you can spot the aardwolf and brown hyena – both rare species, along with all of the iconic Big Five, and over 340 kinds of resident/migrant birds. With so much to discover, every safari is paradise found.

On arrival you will be met at the airstrip by your safari ranger for transfer to the lodge your home away from home for the next four nights. 

Kopano Lodge – Home on Safari

Kopano (meaning ‘small gathering’ in the local Setswana) includes only four Suites and reminds of a traditional homestead. Book an individual Suite or the whole lodge out exclusively – it’s this flexibility that makes Kopano the ideal safari destination for a family/friend adventure, unforgettable honeymoon, or solo discovery. Either way, the lodge’s main living spaces – a dining area, fireplace lounge with library, generously furnished deck, and boma raised above the bush – are yours to enjoy, along with splendid views over the savannah.

Kopano Lodge welcomes young guests 16 years and older
(all ages, if booked exclusively)

Arrive Cape Town, Mother City of the Republic where you are met for transfer to your hotel for the next four nights. 

Following breakfast, enjoy a morning tour of the city of Cape Town

Depart from the hotel with your guide thru Camps Bay, over Kloof Nek pass Table Mountain’s Lower Cableway Station, and continue to the the old Cape Malay Quarter, for a walk through the Company Gardens, a fresh produce garden for ships and locals from the mid 17th Century, and now home to the SA Museum, Houses of Parliament, National Gallery and St George’s Cathedral.  Drive to the Castle, South Africa’s oldest building, and take in the nearby Grand Parade, where Nelson Mandela addressed the nation on his release in 1990, past District Six and home.

This afternoon time to explore the waterfront, on your own before your car rental is delivered to your hotel. 

Enjoy an early breakfast then meet your driver as you depart for the Cape Peninsula 

Cape Peninsula Tour   

• Travel through many famous coastal suburbs of the Cape and traverse one of the world’s most spectacular passes – Chapman’s Peak.
• Visit the African Penguin colony at Boulders Beach as well as the Cape Fur Seal colony on Duiker Island (weather permitting).
• Catch a glimpse of southern right whales (seasonal) off the Cape’s longest beach.
• Spot wildlife in the Table Mountain National Park, and explore the rocky coastline, the Cape fynbos vegetation and the south-westernmost point of Africa – Cape Point – and its lighthouse.
• Stroll through world-famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens at the foot of Table Mountain.
• Lunch at an a la carte coastal restaurant.

We make our way 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 we board a boat to view the Cape Fur Seal colony on Duiker Island (weather permitting). From here we navigate the 114 curves of 600m high Chapman’s Peak Drive. We then 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. After lunch, we visit Boulders Beach 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 you can take a stroll through Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on the slopes of Table Mountain.

Return to the hotel late afternoon.  Overnight, Dinner on own.

Today you will be collected from the hotel by your driver guide for a tour of the Cape Winelands 

Highlights 

• Taste some of South Africa’s finest wines in the beautiful Boland region.
• Visit wine estates according to your preferences.
• Stop for Lunch at one of the many classic, award-winning restaurants ( at own expense) 
• Explore the rich history and culture of towns such as Stellenbosch and gastronomic Franschhoek.

Take a  leisurely exploration of historic towns, liquid delights, gastronomic wonders and home-grown hospitality visiting various wine estates according to your preferences, incorporating the region’s major wine producing areas of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschoek, 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 Franschoek, 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 townour 

Return to the hotel later this afternoon.