Best of South Africa
All the best sights, all in one
If you’ve any doubt as to why South Africa draws more visitors than anywhere else in Sub-Saharan Africa, the incredible diversity of this 19-day tailor-made itinerary should help to convince you. Explore the stunning city of Cape Town, relax in romantic Cape Dutch style amid the vineyards of the Winelands, explore the natural beauty of the Garden Route, enjoy sumptuous cuisine between the peaks of the Drakensberg, explore the dramatic Panorama Route and South Africa’s answer to the Grand Canyon, and end on safari in the world-famous Kruger National Park.
All our recommended hotels have been carefully selected for their character, location and outstanding service. We are offering two levels of accommodation for you to consider: Superior and Deluxe.
Any aspect of this sample itinerary can be tailored to suit your individual requirements by talking to one of our South Africa specialists.
4 nights Cape Town • 2 night Winelands • 3 nights Garden Route • 2 nights Drakensberg Mountains • 2 nights Zululand • 3 nights Panorama Route • 4 nights Sabi Sand Game Reserve (adjacent to Kruger National Park)
Days 1–4: Cape Town
Arrive at Cape Town International Airport, collect your hire car and proceed to your chosen hotel, either the Radisson Blu (Superior), on the shores of the Atlantic, close to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, or the luxurious Twelve Apostles (Deluxe), sandwiched between the mountains and the rocky Atlantic coast.
With four days to explore the city and the Cape Peninsula, you can hike to the top of Table Mountain, swim with penguins at Boulders Beach, eat along the V&A Waterfront, tour infamous Robben Island or dig a little deeper on an historic township tour.
Stay Superior: Radisson Blu Waterfront (B)
Stay Deluxe: Twelve Apostles (B)
Days 5–6: Cape Winelands
After breakfast, take a short drive to the Cape Winelands region, less than an hour from Cape Town. The main towns that make up the Winelands are Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek but there are countless vineyards and wine-tasting opportunities on offer and all with the dramatic backdrop of Cape Dutch architecture and rugged mountains. The culinary options here are on a par with the wine and there are many fine restaurants to choose from.
Stay Superior: River Manor, Stellenbosch (B)
Stay Deluxe: Grande Roche, Paarl (B)
Days 7–9: Garden Route
From November to May, we suggest you drive along the famous Route 62 via Montagu, Ladismith and Oudsthoorn (renowned for its natural beauty and ostriches), before dropping down to the Garden Route. From June to October, we recommend you take a detour to South Africa’s whale-watching capital, Hermanus, before picking up the Garden Route at Mossel Bay and snaking your way past its plethora of beautiful beaches.
If you’re only just beginning to consider South Africa as your next holiday destination, the Garden Route is one region you’ve probably already heard of. This 300-or-so-kilometre stretch of coastline is something of a show home for South African scenery, comprising white-sand beaches, glassy lagoons crossed by low bridges, hillsides covered in indigenous forests and pretty coastal towns with exquisite seafood restaurants. Highlights include Wilderness, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, the Robberg Peninsula and Tsitsikamma National Park.
Stay Superior: Lairds Lodge, Plettenberg Bay (B)
Stay Deluxe: Views Boutique Hotel & Spa, Wilderness (B)
Days 10–11: Drakensberg Mountains, KwaZulu-Natal
After breakfast, depart your hotel and drive to Port Elizabeth airport, where you will be dropping your car off. Take a short domestic flight to Durban, collect another hire car and drive inland to the majestic Drakensberg Mountains, whose towering peaks, fertile valleys and bushman paintings have earned it World Heritage status. Stay at either the privately owned Cathedral Peak Hotel (Superior) or the Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse (Deluxe), the region’s leading gourmet getaway, where dinner is a sumptuous six-course affair.
Stay Superior: Cathedral Peak Hotel (BD)
Stay Deluxe: Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse (BLD)
Days 12–13: Zululand
The name Zulu (which means Heaven) aptly describes the rolling expanses, mist-clad hills and traditional settlements of the Zululand region. We strongly recommend the Deluxe option here, spending two nights at Fugitives’ Drift, acclaimed for its battlefield tours to Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift.
Since establishing the Fugitives’ Drift lodge in 1989 until his death in 2007, David Rattray thrilled visitors with his knowledgeable, thought-provoking and often emotionally charged depictions of the Anglo-Zulu War. His legacy lives on through the team he put in place, with his wife Nicky and her staff setting the benchmark for heritage tourism in South Africa – they are simply the best storytellers you are ever likely to meet.
Stay Superior: Three Tree Hill (BLD)
Stay Deluxe: Fugitive’s Drift (BLD)
Days 14–16: The Panorama Route
Drive back to Durban airport where you’ll drop off your hire car and take a short domestic flight to Kruger Mpumalanga airport on the edge of the Kruger National Park. For the next two days, explore this dramatic part of Mpumalanga province, known as The Panorama Route. Marvel at sights such the God’s Window viewpoint, the Blyde River Canyon (the world’s third deepest), the Mac Mac Falls and Bourke’s Luck Potholes.
Stay Superior: Casa do Sol (BD)
Stay Deluxe: Cybele Forest Lodge (B)
Days 17–20: Sabi Sand Game Reserve (adjacent to Kruger National Park)
Make the short drive towards Kruger National Park and check in at either Exeter River Lodge (Superior) or Leadwood Lodge (Deluxe) in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, which shares an unfenced border with Kruger. The private reserve is renowned for the best Big Five game viewing in the country, if not the world. Enjoy all-inclusive service and twice-daily game drives as part of this exceptional safari experience, along with the expertise of a world-class game ranger and tracker. End your last four days in South Africa on a high, tracking game and enjoying this unique wildlife experience in luxury.
Stay Superior: Exeter River Lodge (BLD)
Stay Deluxe: Leadwood Lodge (BLD)
Day 21: Kruger’s Mpumalanga
Return your hire car to Kruger’s Mpumalanga Airport and board your flight home via Johannesburg.
Pricing information
21-day tailor-made itinerary
Prices from: £4,452 to £5,369 pp (Superior), or £4,801 to £6,479 pp (Deluxe)
Valid for travel: Until 02 May 2013
Package includes: International & domestic flights, car hire, tours as stated, twice-daily game drives while on safari & 20 nights accommodation with meals as indicated.
B = breakfast • L = lunch • D = dinner
Terms & Conditions: Prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin/double room; prices are subject to availability and possible change; normal booking conditions apply.
To book, call 0845 643 6562
To book this travel offer, call one of our tailor-made travel experts now, quoting reference WEX102003.
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