14 Days Definitive South Africa Tour Package
Duration: 14 days / 13 Nights
Priced From: $10,695 pp dbl. occ.
Dates: Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov

Sit back as the opulent Blue Train carries you through the lush orchards and verdant vineyards of South Africa, while the sun gilds the hills and valleys. In Cape Town, journey to the summit of Table Mountain, which looms over the seaside city like a guardian spirit. Experience true luxury on safari in some of the continent’s most spectacular natural reserves. Savor the authentic spirit of South Africa, its fertile heartland supporting cosmopolitan cities and its splendid lodges overlooking unspoiled African savannah, home to haughty lions, immense elephants, and sly leopards.

Itinerary

Days 1 & 2 - Depart for Cape Town, South Africa

Upon arrival in Cape Town on Friday, you will be met and transferred directly to your luxury hotel, the Cape Grace. Located at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, you can easily explore this lively Waterfront complex at your leisure. The impressive variety of entertainment options includes a boat cruise, IMAX Theater, boutiques, arts and crafts and a number of great restaurants.

Built on its own promontory (Quay West), the Cape Grace Hotel is surrounded by water on three sides. Known as one of the world’s finest hotels, it presents the elegance of a luxurious small hotel with Table Mountain as the majestic backdrop. The breezy and relaxed ambiance of the hotel’s waterfront restaurant provides the setting for a menu that presents a fusion of Mediterranean, Eastern and local dishes.

Your luxury room exudes distinction with its fresh-cut flowers, lounge area, French windows and balcony opening out to a delightful view. It also features a separate dressing room and bathroom, with double vanities, fluffy bathrobes, Charlotte Rhys bath products and a separate bath and shower.

Largely due to its inspiring location, Cape Town is steeped in a rich history and is a cultural melting pot with its diverse and vibrant character being derived from Khoisan and other African tribes from the North, and Indonesian, French, Dutch, British and German settlers. The present-day cosmopolitan nature of Cape Town offers a multitude of experiences in a bustling and beautiful waterfront setting.

Day 3 - Cape Town & Robben Island

Today explore modern Cape Town, with its extended seafront, underground malls and soaring skyscrapers holds itself dear to its origins. Explore the many fascinating museums and historical buildings reflecting the cultures shaping the city and the province it serves. The city boasts a vast range of shopping styles and opportunities, from the haggling between stallholders and shoppers at the Grand Parades and Greenmarket Squares flea markets, to smooth, hassle-free self-service at the countless sophisticated and stylish malls.

You are taken directly to the lower cableway station on the slopes of Table Mountain. Weather permitting; ascend the mountain by aerial cable car. From a height of 1067 meters view the city and Table Bay below; also Robben Island, the Atlantic Seaboard and most of the spectacular Cape Peninsula. Other highlights include the Castle of Good Hope (oldest building structure in the country), the District Six Museum, The Grande Parade and Parliament Buildings.

An early light lunch will be enjoyed at a restaurant in The Waterfront at the Nelson Mandela Gateway, from where we will depart at 1400 for a 40 minute ferry ride across Table Bay to Robben Island, a world heritage sight. The small island is well known of its prison, where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were kept for years during the apartheid regime. After an hour-long tour of the prison and the island, conducted by a former prisoner, we will head back for Table Bay harbor and our hotel.

This evening, you are collected from your hotel and taken to a private home for dinner, where South Africans will also be present. Enjoy this welcome cocktail and dinner party, and learn more about the exciting events ahead.

Day 4 - The Cape Peninsula

Spend the whole day exploring the remarkable Cape Peninsula. First visit the exclusive suburbs of Sea Point, Clifton and Camps Bay. Then continue along the scenic Atlantic coastline to Llandudno and the fishing village of Hout Bay.

Explore Hout, one of the most beautiful and popular places on the Cape Peninsula and a highlight of any visit to Cape Town. The town sits picturesquely in a wind-protected bay, surrounded in the west by the Karbonkel Mountain—the famous Mount Sentinel as the outpost in the sea—and in the east by the Constantia Mountains and Chapman's Peak. Jan van Riebeeck gave "Hout Bay" (Wood Bay) its name in 1652 when he landed in Table Bay and found dense forests providing the timber needed for the construction of ships and of the Castle.

Enjoy a dramatic drive over spectacular Chapman’s Peak Pass, a narrow pass etched into the mountainside between 1915 and 1922. It is one of South Africa’s most spectacular roads.

In the Cape Point Nature Reserve, indigenous flora and fauna are conserved in a priceless wilderness area. See the most powerful lighthouse in the world beaming an electric light of 19-million candlepower across the ocean waters. A monument to Vasco da Gama commemorates his historic voyage around the Cape in 1497. At Cape Point, take the funicular to the top of the mountain for a panoramic view of the point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans “meet.”

After lunch at a restaurant overlooking False Bay, proceed to the incredible Jackass Penguin Colony, home to a growing colony of the vulnerable African penguins. Wooden walkways enable you to view the penguins in their natural habitat.

On to the naval hamlet of Simon’s Town, and then via Fishhoek and Kalk Bay to Muizenberg. In the early afternoon, visit the world-renowned Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens, home to over 5000 indigenous plants, at the base of Skeleton Gorge. Discover an explosion of color, along with the unique Fynbos floral biome, the world’s smallest and richest floral kingdom. There are more plant species found in the Table Mountain range than in the entire continent of North America.

Return to the city via Rhodes Drive that bisects the plush suburbs of Bishopscourt, Claremont and Newlands.

Day 5 - Wine Country

We travel to Stellenbosch – the capital of South Africa’s wine industry and also a university town. We start our excursion with a visit to the private art collection of the Rupert Family. The artwork by world re-known artists was collected over 40 years and is the biggest private collection in South Africa.

From there it is a short drive to the Bouwland Wine Estate – a farm where the employees owned 74% of the land and share in the profits of the exceptional wines they produce. This is one of the few estates that are black empowered at this stage. Some of the shareholders will conduct the tour and the winemaker will introduce his wine to the group.

Day 6 - Hermanus

February & March departures:
Depart Stellenbosch in the am for the quaint little town of Franschhoek – established nearly 300 years ago by the French Huguenots who fled their country during religious unrest. We will visit the French Huguenot monument and museum, and enjoy a wine tasting at the La Motte Estate. From Franschhoek (passing the Victor Verster Prison, where Nelson Mandela was released in 1991) we travel to the Afrikaans Language Monument near Paarl, where a light lunch will be enjoyed, overlooking the beautiful Paarl Valley, nested between the Du Toits Koof Mountains and Paarl Rock.

En Route back to Stellenbosch, we visit a community project, where previously unemployed black females are trained to do craftwork with their hands in order to be self-employed.

October & November departures:
Depart Stellenbosch in the am and travel towards the panoramic east coast route to Hermanus. Visit the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens en-route to explore the many indigenous Fynbos species. July to November is usually the best time to see the southern Right Whales in these waters. Hermanus’ Walker Bay is an ideal place for whale watching. These mammals, which often come as close as 50 meters from the shore, are given to displays of breaching, lob-tailing, spy hopping and courtship rituals. Join a boat-based whale watching expedition at noon.

Return to the mainland with a light lunch at a restaurant overlooking Walker Bay. We will arrive back at our Stellenbosch hotel during the late afternoon.

Day 7 - The Blue Train

In Cape Town, we board the world-renown Blue Train for an unforgettable journey to view spectacular scenery not visible by any other means of transportation. The Blue Train combines the luxury of the world's leading hotels with the charm of train travel. This all-inclusive luxury rail cruise provides the opportunity to view South Africa's
spectacular landscapes while visiting exciting places of interest along the way.

Follow on the northbound tracks of Cecil John Rhodes, who dreamed of a railroad from Cape to Cairo. Pass through the wine lands of the fertile Hex River Valley, in the shadow of imposing mountains, up and inland to the endless sweeping landscapes of the Karoo. Here, between high road and railroad, is the tiny hamlet of Matjiesfontein. You are invited for a short ride back in time on an historical London double-decker bus. Savor the vastness and the silence of the surrounding plains. The Victorian buildings and original 19th century London lamp posts give you a sense of entering the colonial era, an oasis suspended in a different age.

Stretch your legs, breathe in the dry clear air and walk in the footsteps of those who have been enchanted by this amazing place - among them, Lord Randolph Churchill, Cecil Rhodes, Olive Schriener and the Sultan of Zanzibar. Sip a drink at the renowned Lord Milner Hotel, which was completely refurbished in the 1970s by the visionary hotelier and designer David Rawdon, who loved the area so much that he purchased the entire village.

The Blue Train journey continues northward into the interior. Before you drift to sleep, glance through the window at a sky filled with millions of stars. In the twilight hours, the train approaches the mining centers on the Gold Reef, and comes to a stop in Pretoria.

Day 8 - Pretoria

Disembark The Blue Train in Pretoria in the early afternoon, certainly one of the most beautiful cities in South Africa and its’ administrative capital, and be taken to the Sheraton hotel via a short city drive through tour. This hotel is directly opposite the famous Union Buildings, where the historic presidential inauguration of South Africa’s best loved national hero, Nelson Mandela took place in 1994.

Pretoria’s city centre is a compact grid of wide, busy streets. Its central hub is Church Square, where you can see some fascinating architecture, and there are other historic buildings and museums close by around the Museum Mall. To the north lie the vast Zoological Gardens, while the Arcadia district is the site of the city’s famous Union Buildings. On the southern fringes of the city is the remarkable Voortrekker Monument, as close as the Afrikaner race has to a sacred site.

This evening we are privileged to enjoy a private home dinner with South Africans in Pretoria.

Day 9 - Pretoria

We will embark on a Pretoria City tour, stopping at the Union Buildings, Paul Kruger House and the Voortrekker Monument.

We will then drive to the De Wildt Cheetah Centre, where a light lunch will be enjoyed before we visit the centre, where Cheetahs, Wild Dogs and other endangered species are being bred in captivity before releasing them again in the wild.

Day 10 - Pretoria & Londolozi Game Reserve

This morning drive from Pretoria to Johannesburg, where you will take a one-hour flight to Londolozi’s own private airstrip.

The history of the Varty and Taylor families – the conservation dynasties who have dedicated their lives to saving a small part of Africa’s Eden – is the history of Londolozi. The first stirrings of Londolozi were felt over eighty years ago when two friends and the great grandfathers of the Varty and Taylor clans, Charles Varty and Frank Unger, stood for the first time on the banks of the Sand River. The vision they saw in the virgin bush turned out to be as solid and enduring as the granite rocks anchored in the river.

On the banks of the Sand River, where the water runs clear and cool over the granite rocks and the bushveld stretches to the horizon, is where they made camp. It was from here, where that first campfire was built amidst the roar of lions that Londolozi evolved into one of the most sought after ecotourism destinations in the world.

Londolozi offers a powerful new dimension of wilderness exploration. A collection of wondrous excursions – defined by imagination and verve – provide the means for exploring the endless horizons of the African bushveld. The range of activities includes, discovery hikes, bush baths, leopard tracking and many more incredible adventures. Ultimately Londolozi is not just about adventure but also about discovering personal unmapped territory and reconnecting with the earth in a way that is only possible in the wilderness.

Days 11 & 12 - Londolozi Game Reserve

At Londolozi each day is a new adventure. A chance for wildlife viewing, learning about and experiencing the African environment and of course relaxation of mind and body in this ideal natural setting.

There are games drives each day at dawn and dusk – at the best times to view game on the move. The drives are conducted in open 4-wheel drive vehicles, which allows for total freedom of movement and the ability to leave the road and track down Africa's Big Five, the most sought after and dangerous of the world's big game. In previous centuries, it was these five species that gripped the imagination of hunters, drawing them to Africa to hunt. Today the hunting is done by rangers and trackers, and the shooting is done with cameras.

Apart from the Big Five, cheetah and wild dog may also be seen. General game including giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, a variety of antelope and the nocturnal species such as civet cat, genet cat, honey badger and mongoose are present throughout the reserve.

Night drives, with the aid of powerful spotlights, bring the bush to life and provide the opportunity to view nocturnal creatures and carnivores on the hunt. Walking safaris with an experienced ranger can be arranged on request, and are encouraged as a means of truly engaging in the natural environment.

Over the past thirty years the leopards of Londolozi have developed legendary status, owing to the truly remarkable partnership between the leopards and rangers and trackers. These naturally elusive creatures have become Londolozi’s icon species and guests regularly witness remarkable leopard sightings.

In addition to the game viewing, just a short walk from your camp is the staff village and model Shangaan Cultural Village. The village is a thriving community with many families having lived here for over thirty years. Activities in the staff village include visiting the crèche, adult learning centre, clinic, and design and craft centre. At the Shangaan Cultural Village, which honors a past history and rich culture, you are invited to contemplate the sustainability of our modern civilization against the wisdom and sustainability of ancient cultures.

Furthering to the Londolozi philosophy of exploration, is the John Varty Cinematography Centre, situated in one of the original rondavels. Films related to the environment and emerging global trends are screened on a daily basis at the center. These films and the supporting literature are the small contribution that Londolozi makes to raising individual consciousness and stoking the debate on some of the world’s thorniest issues.

Throughout your stay, you can enjoy Londolozi’s excellent cuisine in the camp dining room, around the boma campfire or in the bushveld under a starlit sky. On Monday evening enjoy a special farewell cocktail and dinner party with your fellow travelers.

Day 13 - Londolozi Game Reserve & Depart Johannesburg

After one last morning game drive, spend time at Londolozi enjoying passive game viewing from the verandah or relaxing next to the sparkling pool.

After lunch fly to Johannesburg, where you will have a day room at the airport hotel to freshen up or relax prior to your return flight home or on to your next destination this evening.

Day 14 - Arrive Home

Flights bound for the United States arrive home today.

NOTE: The Daily Itinerary above is subject to change dependent upon local conditions and/or operational changes or improvements. The specific times and order of inclusions within each destination may also be altered to best accommodate unscheduled closures, special events, weather, traffic, etc. Please contact your Vacation Planner before scheduling any coinciding appointments. You will receive an up-dated, itinerary approximately 30 days prior to your journey’s scheduled departure date.