The journey
Overview
From cities to townships and tribal communities, from Garden Route scenery to Winelands estates and historic battlefields, and from wildlife game drives to lake and harbour cruises, this multi-faceted tour reveals South Africa’s landscapes, culture, and heritage. Exploring every aspect of South Africa’s diversity, this tour takes you from the manicured gardens of Pretoria, the administrative capital, to the wildlife, wilderness and wide open plains of the Kruger reserve, the country’s first national park; into Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), where the conservation area of Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is the realisation of its owners’ ‘impossible dream’; and to KwaZulu-Natal, to visit a Zulu homestead, cruise on Lake Jozini; and to tour from Dundee, at the foot of Indumeni (‘thunder roll’) Mountain, to skirmish sites and battlefields of the Boer, Zulu and both World Wars, amid the Drakensberg’s dramatic scenery. In the Western Cape, multicultural Cape Town fills the gap between Table Mountain and the ocean, enjoying the beauty of Nature and adding to it in style along its Atlantic Seaboard; Oudtshoorn basks beneath the beautiful Swartberg mountains, proudly proclaiming itself ‘the ostrich capital of the world’; the Garden Route town of Knysna is the gateway to coastal forests and whale-watching bays; and the Winelands hub of Franschhoek (‘French corner’) takes its name, and its winemaking wisdom, from the 17th-century Huguenot settlers who fled here from religious persecution.
Unforgettable moments
Highlights
01
Discover the battlefields history
02
The ‘Big Five’ in Kruger NP
03
Panorama Route scenic drive
04
Wine tasting at Stellenbosch
05
Cape Point and Boulders Beach
06
The stunning Knysna lagoon
Your itinerary
Day by day
- Day1
Tour starts at Johannesburg Airport; Transfer to Pretoria with a city tour+
Your tour starts today at Johannesburg Airport (JNB).
Our Tour Guide will meet you at 8am in the arrivals hall and we aim to depart no later than 8.30am.
7.15am
to make this meet time.
We spend two nights at the 4-star Court Classique Hotel. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner with a wine pairing.
(D)
- Day2
Explore the highlights of Johannesburg+
A full day tour in and around Johannesburg takes you to Soweto, to visit the Military Museum, the Hector Pietersen Memorial of the 1976 uprising, named for its first casualty, a 12-year-old boy; and Nelson Mandela’s House, his humble home until 1962, with memorabilia of his life.
(B, L)
- Day3
Travel to Kruger National Park on the Panorama Route+
Travel to Kruger National Park (8hrs), via the splendidly scenic Panorama Route, with a visit to God's Window and Gorge's Lift; and visit old-world Pilgrim’s Rest village, founded on gold-panning and now a national monument. Continue to Kruger for three nights at the 3-star Nkambeni Tented Lodge, or similar.
(B, D)
- Day4
Explore Kruger on a full day game drive with a safari lunch+
A fabulous full-day, open-vehicle game drive, with a ‘safari lunch’, in Kruger National Park. One of the largest game reserves on the continent, its reputation goes before it, but nothing prepares you for a first Kruger experience, where habitats range from mountains and cliffs to bush and tropical forest.
(B, L, D)
- Day5
Enjoy a morning optional game drive or bush walk+
Home to hundreds of species of mammals and birds, including all of Africa’s Big Five, Kruger’s optional activities this morning include a game drive (pre-bookable) or bush walk (pre-bookable); with an included game drive in the afternoon.
(B, D)
- Day6
Travel to Eswatini with a local musical performance+
Depart to travel (6hrs) to the Kingdom of Eswatini. Just 200km long by 120 wide, the diminutive kingdom punches far above its weight, with mountains and savannahs, rain forests and river canyons within its landlocked borders. Enjoy a performance of local singing and dance, and visit the National Museum. Overnight at the 4-star Foresters Arms Country Lodge or similar.
(B, L)
- Day7
Visit the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and a traditional village+
Visit the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Eswatini’s most popular eco-destination; roamed by zebra, impala, warthog and wildebeest, home to baboons and vervet monkeys, and visited by hippos. Continue to a traditional village to meet the Lady Chief and enjoy a nature walk. Cross back to South Africa’s Zululand district (5hrs) along the scenic Lebombo Mountains, for two nights in Mkuze at the 4-star Ghost Mountain Inn, or similar.
(B, L, D)
- Day8
Spend time with a Zulu community and enjoy a reserve game drive+
A small town amid haunting scenery, Mkuze nestles between the river of the same name, and the legendary Ghost Mountain, said to hold the historic tombs of local chiefs. Visit a Zulu homestead and community. Enter Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Reserve for an afternoon game drive, where a rich variety of wildlife includes the white rhino. (B, L, D)
- Day9
Cruise Lake Jozini and continue to Rorke’s Drift for a barbecue+
Enjoy a morning cruise on Lake Jozini (aka the Pongolapoort Dam), a man-made structure, encircled by a game reserve, and home to hippos, crocodiles, tiger fish, and abundant birdlife. Continue to Dundee, set in the peaceful Biggarsberg Valley, but best known as a hub of battlefields. Continue for Dundee for a short visit of Talana Museum, on the site of the first battle of the Anglo-Boer war. Drive to Rorke’s Drift for a two nights at the 4-star Fugitive’s Drift Guesthouse, or similar, and enjoy a ‘braai’ (barbecue).
(B, D)
- Day10
Visit Rorke’s Drift with a specialist guide+
Meet a specialist guide at Isandlwana, site of the Anglo-Zulu War’s opening encounter, and continue to Rorke’s Drift, scene of the dramatic 11hr battle between the British Redcoats and the Zulus, where a small but intriguing museum records the event.
(B, L, D)
- Day11
Explore Fugitives’ Drift Private Nature Reserve, later continuing to Drakensberg+
Take a guided stroll through the Fugitives’ Drift Private Nature Reserve in the early morning. This reserve boasts a rich array of native plants and animals, such as zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, and various types of antelope. Drive towards Cathedral’s Peak Hotel, nestled in the unspoiled surroundings of the Drakensberg mountain range, and enjoy an afternoon gentle hike in the Drakensberg. Overnight at the 4-star Cathedral Peak Hotel, or similar.
(B, D)
- Day12
Enjoy a morning at leisure before flying to Cape Town+
The ‘Mountains of Dragons’, the Drakensberg range may have been named for its multi-pointed silhouettes or for local “here be dragons” legends. Enjoy a morning at leisure here before making your way back to Johannesburg for your flight to Cape Town for three nights at the 4-star The Commodore Hotel, or similar.
(B)
- Day13
Travel along a coastal route to Boulders Beach+
A coastal tour takes you from the Atlantic Seaboard and harbour village of Hout Bay to the sheer cliffs of Cape Point, marking the southwestern tip of the continent, and the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, home to mountain zebras and hundreds of bird species; and continues to Boulders Beach, with its colony of penguins; and the South African Naval Museum in Simon’s Town. Enjoy a Pan-African experience of food and traditional drumming at the renowned Gold Restaurant.
(B, D)
- Day14
Explore Cape Town and Table Mountain, later enjoy an afternoon tea+
A tour of cosmopolitan Cape Town begins with Table Mountain, weather permitting (excludes cableway ticket), and visits Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the cobbled streets and colourful houses of hillside Bo-Kaap, and 17th-century Castle of Good Hope, South Africa’s oldest surviving building. Walk through Company Gardens to the South Africa Museum; and take afternoon tea at the famous Mount Nelson Hotel, an oasis of calm, with the elegance of a bygone era. Enjoy a Cape Town Harbour cruise.
(B)
- Day15
Travel to Oudtshoorn with sightseeing en route+
Travel to Oudtshoorn (6hrs), where old churches mingle with the ‘feather palace’ houses of merchants who made their wealth from ostrich feathers. Visit the CP Nel Museum, focused on the Karoo culture and historic ostrich trade; and the spectacular Cango Caves, their limestone caverns millions of years old. Two nights at the 3-star Protea Riempie Hotel, or similar.
(B)
- Day16
Travel the Swartberg Pass with a Karoo lunch and a wine tasting+
Today we journey into the Swartberg Mountains, climbing almost 900 metres along the historic Swartberg Pass through striking scenery and ancient sandstone formations. Look out for fynbos, Verreaux’s eagles and klipspringers. At the summit, enjoy views across the Great and Klein Karoo, with an optional leisurely walk, before continuing to Prince Albert for a seasonal lunch with wine. Later, travel through the Great Karoo and Meiringspoort, visiting its 60-metre waterfall, then head to the Little Karoo village of De Rust.
(B, L)
- Day17
Visit the George Transport Museum and continue to Knysna+
Cross the Outeniqua Pass to visit the Transport Museum in George, celebrating the railway and age of steam with locomotives, carriages, and a photo gallery. Continue to the Garden Route town of Knysna, with its toes in the water of a harbour lagoon and its back against mountain foothills, for two nights at the 3-star Premier Resort the Moorings Hotel, or similar. Enjoy a sunset lagoon cruise.
(B)
- Day18
Explore Tsitsikamma National Park+
Explore the indigenous forests of coastal Tsitsikamma National Park, and visit the vibrant resort of Plettenberg Bay, its white sands, blue waters and green mountain surrounds epitomising the Garden Route.
(B)
- Day19
Visit the Dias Museum complex, ending in Franschhoek town+
At Mossel Bay, visit the Dias Museum complex, with its legendary ‘Post OfficeTree’, and travel to Hermanus, where Southern Right Whales are often sighted from June to November. Continue to the Cape Winelands and the small town of Franschhoek, backed by scenic mountains and encircled by some of South Africa’s finest vineyards, for three nights at the 4-star Le Franschhoek Hotel, or similar.
(B)
- Day20
Enjoy a visit to Stellenbosch with wine tastings and an estate lunch+
Visit the Huguenot Memorial to the French refugee settlers; and Stellenbosch, the centre of the South African wine industry, with a Village Museum of period houses depicting its Dutch colonial origins. Enjoy a wine tasting at Stark Conde and continue to the Eikendal Wine estate for a light lunch, followed by a wine tasting.
(B, L)
- Day21
Enjoy a day at leisure and a farewell dinner+
A leisurely day to enjoy picturesque Franschhoek, its tree-shaded streets sprinkled with curio shops, galleries, and restaurants; punctuated by a wine tasting visit to the Delaire Graff estate. Enjoy a special Farewell dinner at the hotel this evening.
(B, D)
- Day22
Tour ends at Cape Town Airport+
After breakfast we drive from the winelands of Stellenbosch back to Cape Town Airport where the tour ends.
If booking your own flight, it should not depart before 6.30pm. If you have extended your holiday, we can also drop you in the city. This should be arranged locally with your Tour Guide.
Or why not continue your African adventure with a four-night extension to Victoria Falls. Speak to us about booking these extra nights.
(B)
Peace of mind
What's included
- ✦21 nights’ accommodation
- ✦Meals Included: breakfast daily, 8 lunches and 11 dinners
- ✦Itinerary as described
- ✦Services of guides and local representative
- ✦Interested in adding flights to this tour?
- ✦Find out more
- ✦.
- ✦- Travel Guide -
- ✦You can find out more about the country on the travel guide.
- ✦Flights from the UK can be added — ask your adviser