13 Day Highlights of South Africa Southbound Scheduled Tour

Day 1: Arrive Johannesburg (±30 km)

Destination: Rosebank (Johannesburg)
Accomodation: Crowne Plaza Johannesburg - The Rosebank Hotel
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Johannesburg .

On arrival at OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg), you will be met by our representative who will transfer you to The Rosebank Hotel in Johannesburg. Depending on your time of arrival, you can opt for an introductory half day tour of Johannesburg City (the tour is included, lunch excluded). This remarkable city was founded with the discovery of gold in 1886 on empty grassland. Barely 10 years after the gold strike the city had buildings comparable to the best in Europe. Today, it is a bustling metropolis with about 3 million people that call it home. It is the largest city in the world that is not situated alongside an ocean, lake or a major river.

Dinner will be at your hotel (own account).

Day 2: Johannesburg to the Hoedspruit area (±415km)

Destination: Makalali Private Game Reserve
Accomodation: Makalali Private Game Reserve
Meals included: dinner & breakfast
Attractions include: Makalali Private Game Reserve , Dullstroom / Emnotweni .

After breakfast, you leave Johannesburg and travel east for Mpumalanga Province with it's diversity of scenery, including open grasslands and impressive mountain ranges. You stop at the popular village, Dullstroom for lunch (own account). After lunch you continue north for the region of Hoedspruit, where the Makalali Private Game Reserve, your destination for tonight, is situated. After checking in you embark on your first game drive in an open safari vehicle in search of the ‘big five’ (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) and many other animals of the African bush. You end your first safari experience to enjoy a very special dinner.

Day 3: Hoedspruit to Sabie via the Panorama Route (±145 km)

Destination: Sabie
Accomodation: Lone Creek River Lodge
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Panorama Route , Pilgrim's Rest , Three Rondavels Viewpoint , God's Window , Bourke's Luck Potholes .

The day starts with an early morning game drive in an open safari vehicle with coffee and rusks en route. Enjoy your last breakfast at Makalali Game Reserve before you depart for the tour of the day. Travel through the Abel Erasmus Pass to the top of the escarpment for a tour of the famous Panorama Route. Stop at the Three Rondavels Viewpoint from where you look down on the Blyde River Canyon, the largest green canyon in the world. Continue to the Bourke’s Luck Potholes where the Blyde and Treur River join and enter the canyon. The rivers have formed interesting ‘potholes’ where the river cuts through solid rock formations. At Wonder View, you have a wonderful panoramic view of the Lowveld with a sheer drop of about 900 m. Lunch en route (own account) before you continue to Pilgrim’s Rest, a museum town where gold was discovered in the late 1800’s. The last part of the tour takes you to the small logging town of Sabie where you check in at the Lone Creek River Lodge (or similar). Dinner at one of the restaurants in town (own account).

Day 4: Sabie to Mthethomusha Game Reserve (±170 km)

Destination: Mthethomusha Game Reserve
Accomodation: Bongani Mountain Lodge
Meals included: dinner & breakfast
Attractions include: Kruger National Park .

After breakfast you travel down the escarpment to Hazyview in the Lowveld from where you continue to the world renowned Kruger National Park. You spend the day spotting game in your closed vehicle. Chances are that you will see some of the 'big five' and a range of the innumerable mammals, reptiles and birds that call this vast reserve home. Lunch in the Park (own cost). You exit the Park at Malelane Gate in the South and continue to the Bongani Mountain Lodge (or similar) in the Mthethomusha Private Game Reserve.

Day 5: Mthethomusha Game Reserve to St Lucia (±445 km)

Destination: St. Lucia
Accomodation: The Elephant Lake Hotel
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Swaziland , St. Lucia .

After an early breakfast and a last short game drive, you depart for St Lucia in KwaZulu-Natal. The route takes you through the small landlocked Kingdom of Swaziland. (For entry into Swaziland you need a valid passport. For some nationalities a multi-entrance visa is also required - own account). You stop for lunch (own account). At the Lavumisa border post you exit Swaziland to enter the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Your route takes you south through the sub tropical Elephant Coast to arrive at the Elephant Lake Hotel (or similar). Dinner at the restaurant (own account).

Day 6: St Lucia to Durban (±300km)

Destination: Durban
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Edward
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: St. Lucia boat cruises , Golden Mile , KwaZulu-Natal North Coast .

Enjoy breakfast. Embark on a boat cruise on the St Lucia estuary, part of South Africa's first World Heritage Site, the larger Isimangaliso Wetland Park. The Park is the largest estuarine system in Africa. St Lucia estuary is known for it's abundance of hippos, crocodiles and multitude of bird species. Enjoy lunch (own account) before departing on the last leg of your journey to Durban, the holiday capital of South Africa. Dinner is at your hotel (for your own account). The hotel is situated on the so called 'golden mile' on the beach front.

Day 7: Durban to Port Elizabeth - flight

Destination: Port Elizabeth
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Marine
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Durban , Port Elizabeth .

Spend the morning at leisure. You could consider relaxing on the beach, taking a walk on the promenade or visiting the beachfront market. You will be collected at your hotel and transferred to the King Shaka International Airport for your flight to Port Elizabeth (not included). On arrival at Port Elizabeth International Airport, you will be transferred to the beachfront hotel, Protea Hotel Marine (or similar).

Day 8: Port Elizabeth to Knysna (±265 km)

Destination: Knysna
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Knysna Quays
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Storm’s River Mouth , Tsitsikamma , Knysna Estuary .

The tour of the day will take you from Port Elizabeth to Knysna on the Garden Route. En route you visit the Tsitsikamma Forest and Storms River Mouth. Enjoy taking a walk to the suspension bridge over the river mouth and take in the dramatic views of this rugged coast with waves crashing on the rocks. Travel on to Knysna in the heart of the Garden Route, check in at the Protea Hotel Knysna Quays (or similar). Embark (weather permitting) on the Sunset Knysna Oyster Cruise where you will be introduced to the Knysna wild oysters. Dinner will be at Thesen Island (own account) before returning to the hotel.

Day 9: Knysna to Plettenberg Bay and back (±60 km)

Destination: Plettenberg Bay
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Knysna Quays
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Plettenberg Bay .

After breakfast you depart for the town of Plettenberg Bay or Plett, as it is affectionately known by the locals. From Lookout Beach you embark on an Ocean Safari on the bay in search of whales (in season), dolphins and seals. On your return you will have lunch in Plett (own account). After lunch you do a guided tour of the Qolweni Township, school and creche. This is a community project and you are welcome to donate pens, pencils and exercise books. You return to your hotel in Knysna for dinner at one of the many restaurants at the Knysna Waterfront (own account).

Day 10: Knysna to Oudtshoorn via Wilderness (±125 km)

Destination: Oudtshoorn
Accomodation: Buffelsdrift Game Lodge
Meals included: dinner & breakfast
Attractions include: Oudtshoorn ostrich farms .

Today you travel from Knysna to Oudtshoorn. Your first scenic stop will be at Wilderness at the Map of Africa viewpoint (weather permitting). You continue your journey to George where you leave the Garden Route and turn inland over the Outeniqua Mountains to enter the Klein Karoo, (“Little Karoo”). You continue your journey to Oudtshoorn, the Ostrich Capital of the world. You have lunch (own account) at an ostrich farm in the Cango valley and then do a tour of the farm for an introduction to these largest flightless birds in the world. The brave can even venture a ride on an ostrich. You continue down the valley to our overnight stay at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge (or similar). At the lodge, freshen up and enjoy a sumptuous dinner.

Day 11: Oudtshoorn to Cape Town via the Cango Caves (±420 km)

Destination: Cape Town
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Fire & Ice!
Meals included: Breakfast
Attractions include: Cango Caves , Route 62 .

After an early breakfast, you have the exceptional opportunity to participate in the feeding of the elephants that were raised at the Buffelsdrift Game Lodge. You then continue down the valley to the Cango Caves where you do a one hour standard tour. Enjoy the magnificent caves with their fascinating stalagmites and stalactites, huge halls and narrow passages. After the tour you leave the Oudtshoorn region to travel along the popular route 62 that will take you through ever changing scenery, from vineyard and fruit orchards to mountains with deep gorges. You can participate in traditional Mampoer tasting (a potent fruit brew) and lunch (Mampoer tasting included, lunch for own account). Continue through the Breede River Valley and the Huguenot tunnel to Cape Town. You check in at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! (or similar) and enjoy dinner at the hotel (own account).

Day 12: Full Day Peninsula Tour

Destination: Cape Town
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Fire & Ice!
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Cape Peninsula , Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve , Boulders Beach Penguin Colony , Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens .

Today will be devoted to a full day tour of the Cape Peninsula. You travel along the western seaboard of the Peninsula through the towns of Camps Bay and Llandudno and on to Hout Bay. From there the route takes you along the scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive, through Noordhoek and Kommetjie to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point. On the return trip you travel along the eastern seaboard of False Bay. Visit the Boulders Penguins in Simon's Town. The tour ends with a visit to the world renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Dinner at a restaurant in town (own account and arrangements).

Day 13: Cape Town at leisure/ Day of departure

Destination: Cape Town
Meals included: Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. How you spend this day will depend on the departure time of your flight back home.

If time allows consider one or more of the optional tours listed.

Your transfer from the hotel to the airport is included in your tour price and should be arranged separately.

Should you decide to extend your stay in Cape Town with an extra day or two, we can arrange it for you.

Return back home with wonderful memories of your South African tour.