South Africa in Depth

Arrive in Cape Town
On arrival into Cape Town Airport you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel.

Cape Town's most distinctive feature is its stunning setting: it lies on a dramatic coastline of pristine white beaches and ice waters, overlooked by the iconic flat-topped Table Mountain. Its attractions cover the natural world and the country's fascinating history in equal measure.

City Tour
The tour commences with a pick up at your hotel at approximately 08:30. Few places in the world possess the beauty and style of the historic and culturally vibrant city of Cape Town and today you will explore its historical beginnings to the colourful and vibrant melting pot it is today. The city shelters beneath the majestic backdrop of Table Mountain, which is flanked by the landmarks of Devils Peak, Lions Head and Signal Hill.

Every visit to Cape Town should commence with a journey to Table Mountain as the breathtaking views across the region are a superb way to familiarise yourself with your new surroundings. You will have the opportunity to take an optional cable car to the summit (cable car fee not included) before we return to the city and explore sights such as the impressive Company Gardens, the S. A. Museum, the Castle of Good Hope, Greenmarket Square and the picturesque Bo-Kaap district. Return to the hotel in the early afternoon and the remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Cape Point & Peninsula Tour
The tour commences with a pick up at your hotel between approximately 8:00am and 8:30am. Travel along the Atlantic Seaboard via Sea Point, Clifton and Camps Bay, stopping at a Llandudno look-out point before continuing to Hout Bay, a quaint village and fishing harbour with magnificent mountain views and beach. On through Chapman's Peak, one of the world's most breathtaking coastal drives, to Cape Point and the Good Hope Nature Reserve, which has magnificent fynbos vegetation, birdlife, endemic antelope species and zebra, historic lighthouses and shipwrecks. Cape Point is perceived to be the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

After lunch at a nearby restaurant (not included in cost), go on to historic Simon's Town, a village with charming Victorian architecture, a naval base and a large penguin colony at the beautiful Boulders Beach. Boulders Penguin Colony is home to a growing colony of the vulnerable African Penguin. Wooden walkways allow visitors to view the penguins in their natural habitat and there is also a new information centre.

You then make your way to visit the well-known Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The Garden is one of eight National Botanical Gardens covering five of South Africa's six different biomes. When Kirstenbosch, the most famous of the gardens, was founded in 1913 to preserve the country's unique flora, it was the first botanical garden in the world with this ethos. The garden is world-renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape Flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. You will be returned to your hotel at approximately 17:30.

Self Drive: Winelands Tour
Whether you're a wine connoisseur or a lover of natural beauty you'll be sure to enjoy today’s tour into the heart of the Cape Winelands. This delightful drive takes you through superb mountain ranges, vineyards and Cape Dutch homesteads and of course allows time to try the local produce.

Our first stop is the town of Stellenbosch, the centre of the South Africa's wine industry. The city boasts great beauty and culture that is steeped in South African history. Walk down the canal-lined avenues, in the shade of giant oak trees and beautifully preserved historic buildings. With the sheer vastness of wine estates on offer, we are truly spoilt for choice when we enjoy our first wine tasting of the day at the Waterford Estate or similar.

Travel over the Helshoogte Pass to the picturesque town of Franschhoek, historically dating back to the 17th century when the French Huguenots arrived. We enjoy a wine tasting before taking time to enjoy the fabled culinary skills of the Franschhoek chefs at one of its many award winning restaurants (lunch not included). After lunch we continue onward to Paarl, one of the Cape's first farming districts. The town is set at the foot of the cluster of remarkable granite domes from which it takes its name. Time permitting we enjoy another wine tasting before heading to our hotel.

Breakfast included.

Self Drive: Winelands - Hermanus
Today you will drive to Hermanus for a one night stay. Enjoy beautiful scenery along the way. Experience the delightful local culture, small restaurants and perhaps hear the sounds of the 'Whale Crier' signalling the arrival of a Southern Right Whale in the bay.

Self Drive: Hermanus - Oudtshoorn
Travel along the scenic Route 62 to the Klein Karoo town of Oudtshoorn, passing towns such as Montagu, Barrydale, Ladismith and Calitzdorp. Oudtshoorn is the "Capital" of the semi-desert area known as the Karoo.

Breakfast included.

Free Day
Today spend the day exploring. Oudtshoorn is also known as the Ostrich Capital of the world playing host to 90% of the world's ostrich population. Stop at an Ostrich Farm, where you can enjoy an informative tour (not included). Drive through to the Cango Caves for a tour of the caves (not included) or take a Meerkat Safari (not included) - go out before sunrise and encounter meerkats in a non-invasive way gaining a real insight into their lives, within their natural habitat.

Breakfast included.

Self Drive: Oudtshoorn - Knysna/Plettenberg Bay
Today you will day we will continue our journey towards Knysna/Plettenberg Bay, also known as the pearl of the Garden Route and Millionaires Playground. Knysna is surrounded by a natural paradise of lush indigenous forests, tranquil lakes and golden beaches, making it a real natural wonderland. Plettenberg Bay is tranquil and charming, hospitable and rather beautiful, with its exceptional climate, and beautiful views over the Indian Ocean, Plettenberg Bay is perfect for exploring, watching or just lazing.

Self Drive: Knysna/Plettenberg Bay - Port Elizabeth Airport
Today you will continue to Port Elizabeth Airport where you will return your hire car before boarding your departure flight. If time allows, why not stop en route at the Storms River Bridge to take in the magnificent views over the gorge?

Self Drive: Durban Airport - Hotel
On arrival at King Shaka International Airport collect your hire car and drive to your hotel accommodation for a one night stay.

Self Drive: Durban - Drakensberg
After breakfast this morning drive yourself inland to the beautiful Drakensberg Mountains.

Against a backdrop of untainted skies, green and brown-hued mountains are met at the foot by extensive farms and grazing animals. Crystal clear lakes throw back a reflection of both mountain and sky, picture-postcard in their beauty. Bright, warm days, are shattered by the sudden onset of afternoon storms, which clear rapidly becoming cloudless, starry nights. Extending up from the Eastern Cape, the imposing uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountains form a natural border between Lesotho and the Free State. Dubbed the "Barrier of Spears" for its impenetrability, the Drakensberg is a World Heritage Site broken into north, south and central regions. Each region possesses its own distinctive rock formations and impressive vistas. Wrap your hands around a cup of hot chocolate on frosty winter mornings, or perhaps crunch your way through the countryside as the frost melts under the gentle sun. Walk the peaceful foothills, listening to the call of the baboons and catch glimpses of the resident small game as you horse-ride along mountain tracks. The startling beauty of the 'Berg soaks into your senses: the brightly coloured wildflowers under foot, and above you, the piercing cry of the raptors playing in the thermals. San Rock Art can be found painted on the walls of ancient mountain caves.

Drakensberg Touring
Spend your day exploring. The Drakensberg mountain range is roughly divided into the rocky "High Berg" and the rather more gentle rolling hills of what is known as the "Little Berg". Both provide some of the best hiking opportunities to be found anywhere. Apart from the outstanding natural beauty of this region, you will also come across a number of Zulu villages tucked away in the Mlambonja Valley, not to mention some fine example of Bushman paintings.

Self Drive: Drakensberg - Johannesburg
Today you will travel to Johannesburg and return your hire car before checking into your accommodation for a two night stay.

Full Day Soweto & Apartheid Museum Tour
This morning you will be picked up at your hotel around 08:00/08:30 for your Full Day Soweto & Apartheid Museum tour.

Soweto is a sprawling township, or more accurately, a cluster of townships on the south-western flank of Johannesburg. Soweto was created in the 1930s, with Orlando the first township established. In the 1950s, more black people were relocated there from 'black spots' in the inner city - black neighborhoods which the apartheid government had reserved for whites. With a population of over 2 million, the township is the biggest black urban settlement in Africa with a rich political history. Soweto was the centre of political campaigns aimed at the overthrow of the apartheid state. The 1976 student uprising started in Soweto and spread to the rest of the country. Many of the sights on this route therefore have political significance. From the footbridge of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, the largest on the continent, one can get a panoramic view of Soweto. The June 16 Memorial Acre faces Morris Isaacson High School in central Jabavu, Soweto, one of the schools from which students marched to lead the Soweto Uprising of 1976. Nelson Mandela's humble little house in Orlando West, Soweto, now called the Mandela Family Museum, is an interesting stopover for those keen to imbibe a slice of authentic history on the world's most famous former prisoner. The museum, a house comprising four inter-leading rooms, contains a rather eclectic assortment of memorabilia, paintings and photographs of the Mandela family as well as a collection of honorary doctorates bestowed on Nelson Mandela from universities and institutions around the world. You can also have a glimpse of the mansion belonging to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in an affluent part of Orlando West. Archbishop Desmond Tutu's house and the Sisulu residences are in the same neighborhood.

Enjoy lunch (to own account) at a local shebeen/tavern/restaurant before continuing to the Apartheid Museum which opened in 2001 and is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th Century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story. The exhibits have been assembled and organised by a multi-disciplinary team of curators, film-makers, historians and designers. They include provocative film footage, photographs, text panels and artifacts illustrating the events and human stories that are part of the epic saga known as apartheid. For anyone wanting to understand and experience what apartheid South Africa was really like, a visit to the Apartheid Museum is fundamental. The museum is a beacon of hope showing the world how South Africa is coming to terms with its oppressive past and working towards a future that all South Africans can call their own. At the end of the day, return to your hotel around 17:00/17:30.

Depart
You will be met at your hotel by our representative and transferred to the airport for your flight to Kruger National Park.

4 Day Kruger Lodge Stay

Arrival Day
Upon arrival at your camp you will be greeted by the friendly staff who will show you to your room. Take some time to settle in and, depending on your arrival time, you may have the chance to head out on your first game drive this afternoon before returning to camp for a delicious dinner.

Dinner included.

Lodge Activities
During your stay you will have the opportunity to enjoy twice daily game drives, sundowner sessions and secret viewing spots. Each full day you will head out on early morning and late afternoon game drives with your experienced, knowledgeable guide, searching for the fascinating and beautiful wildlife that are lucky enough to call this beautiful part of the world home. Each drive is about 3-4 hours long.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Departure Day
Enjoy a final early morning game drive before breakfast at the camp and check out.

Breakfast included.

Chacma Bush Camp
Chacma Bush Camp offers the perfect big five safari experience in 8000 hectares of undulating landscapes dotted with rocky outcrops. This intimate camp in the Maseke Balule Game Reserve sleeps a total of 10 people, and thus offers an authentic and personal safari experience. Deep caves on the traverse and the Olifants River coursing through the region provide the perfect diverse landscape for game drives. A small waterhole is neatly positioned in front of the swimming pool and outdoor area; and is frequented by elephant herds. A swimming pool with stone decking overlooks the waterhole so guests can relax on the sun lounger or under the lapa and watch plains game filter down to drink.
Chacma Bush Camp Arrival Day
Upon arrival at Chacma Bush Camp you will be greeted by the friendly staff who will show you to your room. Depending on your arrival time you will have lunch, and then head out on your first afternoon game drive in the reserve before returning to camp for a delicious dinner.

Dinner included.

Chacma Bush Camp Safari
During your stay at Chacma Bush Camp you will have the opportunity to enjoy twice daily game drives, sundowner sessions, and secret viewing spots in the Maseke Balule Game Reserve. Each full day you will head out on a morning and evening game drive with your experienced, knowledgeable guide, searching for the fascinating and beautiful wildlife that are lucky enough to call this beautiful part of the world home.

Below is a rough schedule of what the typical day on safari at Chacma Bush Camp looks like. Times may vary depending on season and weather conditions.

05h00 - Bright and early wake-up call
05h30 - Quick coffee and depart for your morning game drive
08h30/09h00 - Return to camp and enjoy a hearty breakfast before some down time to relax by the pool, read a book, or take a siesta in your room
14h30 - Lunch
16h00 - Depart for afternoon/night game drive
19h00/20h00 - Return to camp
20h00 - Dinner followed by drinks and chatter around the campfire. Guests can enjoy a traditional South African braaivleis (barbecue) cooked over the open fire.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Chacma Bush Camp Departure Day
Enjoy a final early morning game drive before breakfast at the camp and check out.

Breakfast included.