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Table Mountain, Cape Town

Best of South Africa

19-day tailor-made self-drive from £7,420 pp incl. flights

Summary

Short description

This is South Africa at its very best, from Cape Town and the Garden Route to Zululand and a Big-Five Kruger safari

Highlights

  • Spot the Big Five with an all-inclusive Kruger safari
  • Indulge in the Cape Winelands
  • Start with Cape Town’s icons
  • Drive the spectacular Garden and Panorama routes
  • Stay in luxury with private-pool lodges and country manors

In Brief

  • 3 Nights Cape Town
  • 1 Night The Winelands
  • 1 Night Oudtshoorn
  • 2 Nights The Garden Route
  • 1 Night Durban
  • 2 Nights Zululand
  • 2 Nights Drakensberg Mountains
  • 1 Night The Panorama Route
  • 3 Nights Sabi Sand Game Reserve

About

Recommended for:
Activity adventure | Best of holidays | City | Food & wine | History & culture | Natural world | Safari | Self-drive

This is the ultimate introduction to South Africa’s myriad highlights. You’ll start with a true city great – Cape Town – before tasting your way through the Winelands, and taking in the Garden Route’s forest-clad contours, ostrich deserts and pristine beaches – ideal for seasonal whale watching. Then, there’s the mountain scenery of Zululand and Drakensberg – the dramatic setting for hikes, game reserves and Zulu heritage – before you end in Kruger for an all-inclusive luxury safari. It’s all linked by indulgent stays, flight hops and stunningly scenic drives, including along the Panorama Route’s waterfall-lined valleys.


Day by day itinerary

Day 1
Depart UK

Begin your trip with complimentary airport lounge access before boarding your overnight flight.

Days 2-4
Cape Town

Arriving into Cape Town, you’ll pick up your hire car at the airport to make the short drive to your coastal spa accommodation. And, whichever hotel option you choose, you’ll be within easy reach of Table Mountain, with cable-car rides bringing you up this South African icon’s citywide views. Then, perhaps relax with the white sands and sunset bars of Camps Bay, see the site of Mandela’s incarceration at Robben Island or drive down to penguin-dotted Cape Point – the continent’s most southwesterly corner.

Stay: Victoria & Alfred Hotel, Cape Town, Western Cape (Superior) or The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, Cape Town (Deluxe)

Meals: B

Day 5
Cape Winelands

After breakfast, a short drive will bring you into the verdant interior of the Cape Winelands. Here, rows upon rows of vineyards terrace rolling foothills watched over by towering mountains. It’s scenery showcased by your luxury accommodation, either a boutique, modernist gem or a historic, thatched-roof wine estate – our Deluxe option. Then, after tasting your way through the world-class wineries – perhaps even by tram – you’ll return to villages beautified by Cape Dutch architecture and rugged peaks alike. Here, the culinary pairings are as impressive as the wine itself.

Stay: Oude Werf Hotel, Stellenbosch (Superior) or Grande Roche Hotel, Paarl, Cape Winelands (Deluxe)

Meals: B

Day 6
Oudtshoorn

Today, high mountain passes will see you out of the Winelands, through mountain-backed green fields and into the Klein Karoo – a semi-arid desert. It’s a region of stark beauty centred around charming Outdtshoorn. The feather barons made their riches here in the early 1900s – something remembered by their gracious homes. And, you’ll stay right among the history with a night spent in a turn-of-the-century country house, enjoying the chance to visit the still-working ostrich farms and the region’s spectacular Cango Caves. Lastly, between June and October, we highly recommend the detour to Hermanus where clifftop walks showcase the world’s finest land-based whale watching.

Stay: La Plume Guest House, Oudtshoorn (Superior) or Rosenhof Country House, Oudtshoorn (Deluxe)

Meals: B

Days 7-8
Garden Route

The Garden Route – just the name alone evokes images of undulating greenery, pine-clad mountains and secluded sandy bays. And, staying next door to the white beaches of Plettenberg Bay, you’ll have it all on your doorstep. Impossibly scenic drives will see you among the region’s famed national parks, perhaps kayaking to hidden waterfalls in Wilderness and hiking along the cragged coast of Storms River. There’s also the chance to spot whales and dolphins on boat trips and taste some of Knysna’s award-winning oysters. Each night, you’ll return to the private pools of our Deluxe option’s luxury treehouses or the opulent, 10-hectare country estate of our Superior alternative.

Stay: Tsala Treetop Lodge, Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route (Superior) or Lairds Lodge Country Estate, Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route (Superior)

Meals: B

Day 9
Durban

Continuing along the coast, you’ll drop your car off at Port Elizabeth Airport for your included flight hop on to Durban, where you’ll collect your new car and check into your luxury beachfront accommodation. Other than some white-sands relaxation, you’ll have the chance to take in the city’s highlights, including the exotic avian life of the Umgeni River Bird Park or the equally colourful Botanical Gardens. There’s also plenty of cultural delight, with the city host to a distinctly south Asian feel evident throughout bustling markets and indulgent Indian restaurants.

Stay: Canelands Beach Club (Superior) or Oyster Box Hotel (Deluxe)

Meals: B

Days 10-11
Zululand

Driving out into Zululand, you’ll be welcomed by a rolling of expanse of mist-clad hills, dramatic mountains and traditional settlements. It’s the spectacular setting for your delightful lodge, where you’ll be treated to gourmet full-board dining. However, you’ll want to explore with everything from hiking trails to bike rides and horse rides. Both of our options are also set alongside a private game reserve, with walking safaris showcasing the likes of giraffe, rhino and monkeys. However, it’s the battlefields that are the region’s biggest draw. Optional tours bring you out to some of Zululand’s most stunning scenery, your local expert bringing the Anglo-Zulu conflict to life with soul-stirring stories.

Stay: Three Tree Hill (Superior) or Fugitive’s Drift (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Days 12-13
Drakensberg Mountains, KwaZulu-Natal

Continuing inland, you’ll reach the Drakensberg Range where giant peaks frame fertile valleys and your luxury mountain lodge. While you’ll enjoy gourmet half-board indulgences at each of our options, our Deluxe offering is the region’s leading gourmet getaway; dinner is a sumptuous seven-course affair. It’s the perfect end to days spent hiking some of the continent’s most impressive scenery, with chain ladders bringing you to colossal natural amphitheatres and the world’s second-tallest waterfall. The region has also won its UNESCO-listed statues for its ancient bushman paintings.

Stay: Cathedral Peak Hotel, Drakensberg Mountains (Superior) or Cleopatra’s Mountain Farmhouse, KwaZulu-Natal (Deluxe)

Meals: B D

Day 14
The Panorama Route

Returning to Durban, a short flight will see you to Kruger Mpumalanga where you’ll pick up your final hire car. Here, you’ll have a day to take in the famous Panorama Route, sweeping through great green plains and historic gold-rush towns to arrive at pretty waterfalls, carpeted valleys and the small matter of the third-largest canyon in the world. Each comes with such evocative names as God’s Window and Bourke’s Luck Potholes – a series of otherworldly rock formations carved by a winding river. Finally, although you’ll enjoy half-board delicacies at our Superior option, our Deluxe spa alternative excites with luxury tents set on a rose farm. 

Stay: Casa do Sol (Superior) or Summerfields Rose Retreat & Spa (Deluxe)

Meals: B D (Superior)

Days 15-17
Sabi Sand Game Reserve (Kruger National Park)

Your last stop is Sabi Sand. Sharing an unfenced border with Kruger National Park, this private reserve is renowned for the best Big-Five game viewing in the country, if not the world. And, you’ll take it all in with a menu of all-inclusive drinks and gourmet dining, complemented by included twice-daily game drives. Let world-class game rangers and trackers deliver an exceptional safari experience, bringing you up close to the likes of leopards, lions and rhino. You’ll end each day with complimentary sundowners, indulgent meals with daily changing menus, and the private pool of your thatched villa – one of a maximum of six.

Stay: Dulini River Lodge, Sabi Sand Game Reserve (Deluxe) or Dulini Leadwood Lodge, Sabi Sand Game Reserve (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Days 18-19
Depart South Africa

After breakfast, return your hire car to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport to board your overnight flight home arriving on day 19.

Meals: B

Map

Pricing

Any element of this itinerary can be adjusted to suit your needs. Just contact us to find out more.

Accommodation rating: Superior Deluxe

19-day tailor-made self-drive
from £7,420 pp incl. flights

Superior

Low Season

from £7,420 pp. incl. flights

High Season

from £7,960 pp. incl. flights

Includes: 

  • Complimentary UK airport lounge access
  • Return flights from London to Cape Town and from Johannesburg to London
  • Domestic flights from Port Elizabeth to Durban and from Kruger Mpumalanga Airport to Johannesburg
  • 17 days car hire (Compact car with sat-nav)
  • 8 nights accommodation in typically 4* (Superior) hotels on a B&B basis
  • 3 nights accommodation in 4* (Superior) hotels on a half-board basis
  • 2 nights accommodation in a 4* (Superior) hotel on a full-board basis
  • 3 nights accommodation in a 5* (Deluxe) lodge on a full-board basis
  • Twice-daily game drives while on safari and Sabi Sands Conservation Contribution

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.

Meet our experts

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Why book with Wexas Travel?

At Wexas, we specialise in bespoke travel experiences. Our itineraries are just samples of what we can arrange, and can be changed depending on your precise needs, finances and ideas by our experienced destination specialists.

Contact one of our consultants on 020 7590 0797 to discuss how we can tailor your holiday.

Learn why Wexas is the leader in creating luxury holidays. What is tailor-made travel?

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Every step of the way

Every step of the way

Our services are with you from start to finish:

  • Dedicated personal consultants
  • Free airport lounges on qualifying bookings
  • Care and guidance pre, post and during holiday
  • Full financial security: ABTA & ATOL protected