16 Day Highlights of South Africa Southbound Scheduled tour

Day 1: Monday - Arrival at Rosebank - Johannesburg (±30km)

Destination: Rosebank (Johannesburg)
Accomodation: Crowne Plaza Johannesburg - The Rosebank Hotel
Meals included: None

Your international flight to South Africa will arrive at O.R. Tambo International Airport close to Johannesburg. We will arrange a ±45-minute hotel transfer for you or you may elect to take the rapid rail Gautrain to Rosebank Station, a leisurely 10-minute walk from your hotel. If you should already be in Johannesburg for some reason, e.g. a conference, we'll make arrangements to transport you to your hotel for the night (all of these options for your own account).

Johannesburg is a fascinating city, it came into being in a matter of years after the discovery of Gold in 1886. Your hotel is located in Rosebank, an upmarket 'northern suburb' of Johannesburg. You can enjoy dinner at your leisure at any of the myriad of restaurant options within walking distance of your hotel, or at one of the hotel's trendy restaurants (own account). You will be met by your tour guide at 18:30 for a briefing of the tour.

Day 2: Johannesburg to Ohrigstad (±365km)

Destination: Ohrigstad
Accomodation: Hannah Game Lodge
Meals included: breakfast

You join the rest of the tour group and your guide, and after breakfast you depart on your journey. You travel to the scenic Mpumalanga province in the north-east of South Africa. En route you pass through Belfast before arriving at the quaint trout-fishing village of Dullstroom for lunch (own account). There will be time to shop for arts and crafts. From Dullstroom your journey continues via nearby Lydenburg and Ohrigstad to your overnight destination, Hannah Game Lodge. Enjoy pre-dinner drinks and dinner at the Lodge (own account).

Day 3: Ohrigstad to Hazyview via Panorama Route (± 190Km)

Destination: Hazyview
Accomodation: Casa do Sol Hotel & Resort
Meals included: Dinner and Breakfast
Attractions include: Panorama Route , Blyde River Canyon .

Before leaving the Lodge you have the option to join a game drive in the reserve (own account) in search of plains game such as oryx, giraffe, zebra, serval and the rare sable.

Today you travel from Ohrigstad to the scenic Panorama Route. You pass along the Blyde River Canyon, the largest green Canyon in the world. A stop at the Three Rondavels viewpoint will give you a breathtaking view down the Canyon. Continue for visits to the Bourke’s Luck Potholes and Wonder View. Wonder View is the highest point on the route with views over the Lowveld with a sheer drop of about 700m. You will have lunch at Pilgrim’s Rest (own account), an open air museum town where gold was discovered in the late 1800’s. Your overnight stay is at the Casa do Sol Hotel & resort or similar.

Day 4: Full Day tour in Kruger National Park

Destination: Hazyview
Accomodation: Casa do Sol Hotel & Resort
Meals included: Dinner and Breakfast
Attractions include: Kruger National Park .

Enjoy an early breakfast before leaving for the nearby Kruger National Park for a full day game drive in a closed vehicle. You will try and spot as many of the large variety of animals as possible. Lunch will be at one of the rest camps in the park (own account). After an enjoyable day in the African bush and seeing many animals in their natural surroundings, you return to your hotel for dinner and a relaxing evening.

The Kruger National Park is large. It covers 19,485 square kilometer and the distance from its south to north borders is 360 Km. It boasts a remarkable variety of fauna and flora. More than 500 bird - and 147 mammal species have been identified. These include the ‘big five’ - lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino.

Optional: Instead of the game drive in our closed vehicle, you could opt for a full day game viewing in an open safari vehicle. (own account and excluding lunch)

Day 5: Hazyview to Hluhluwe through Swaziland (±470 Km)

Destination: Hluhluwe
Accomodation: Bonamanzi Game Reserve
Meals included: Breakfast
Attractions include: Swaziland , Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve , St. Lucia Estuary & Lake .

After an early breakfast, you depart for Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal. The route takes you to the national road (N4) where you travel east with a comfort stop near Malelane. You turn south to enter the kingdom of Swaziland at the Mangana border post. The southbound road leads through the Hlane Royal National Park and the town of Big Bend until you reach Nisela Safari Lodge for a lunch stop (own account). You exit Swaziland at the Lavumisa border post to enter the sub tropical South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. Continue to Bonamanzi Game Park for dinner (own account) and the overnight stop.

Please note: Passing through the independent kingdom of Swaziland requires that you have a valid passport. Nationals of some countries also need multi-entry visas.

Day 6: Hluhluwe to Umhlanga via St Lucia (320km)

Destination: Umhlanga Rocks
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Umhlanga Ridge
Meals included: Breakfast
Attractions include: Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve , iSimangaliso Wetland Park .

After an early breakfast, you depart in your closed vehicle for the nearby Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, the only Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal that has the ‘big five’ (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino). This Reserve is famous for successfully saving the endangered white rhino. Enjoy searching for animals in a region different from the Kruger National Park.

After spending some time in the Game Reserve, you travel to St. Lucia in the Isimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site, with the largest estuarine system in Africa. Enjoy some time at leisure or take an optional boat trip (own account) on the estuary, known for many hippo’s, crocodiles and a multitude of birds. Enjoy lunch in St Lucia (own account).

After lunch, you depart for the popular holiday town, Umhlanga Rocks, north of Durban on the warm Indian Ocean. Dinner can be enjoyed at one of the many local restaurants (for own account).

Day 7: Umhlanga to Coffee Bay (±503 km)

Destination: Coffee Bay
Accomodation: Ocean View Hotel (Coffee Bay)
Meals included: dinner and breakfast
Attractions include: Hole-in-the-Wall .

Today's journey will take you into deep rural traditional land. After breakfast, you travel south along the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, past many coastal hamlets. You turn inland for your lunch stop (own account) near Kokstad. From there you continue into the region of the Transkei which is the land of the Xhosa people and part of the province of the Eastern Cape. This is rural country and much of Xhosa tradition and lifestyle is still retained. The countryside is dotted by small compounds of traditional rondavels. Many people travel on foot and you may find free roaming cattle and goats.

After passing through Mthatha, the main town of the Transkei, you turn to Coffee Bay on the Wild Coast. The Bay was named after a ship that stranded there an spilled it's load of coffee beans. This long coastal belt of the Transkei is named ‘wild’ because of it’s underdeveloped, untamed and pristine state. Check in at the hotel and relax before enjoying dinner (local fare).

Day 8: Full day at leisure

Accomodation: Ocean View Hotel (Coffee Bay)
Meals included: dinner and breakfast
Attractions include: Hole-in-the-Wall , Xhosa people .

After seven days on the road, this is your opportunity to rest and relax in beautiful surroundings. You can spend the day enjoying the beach and visiting the remarkable Hole-in-the-Wall, or you can choose one of the more adventurous activities that are available, e.g. fishing, snorkeling, abseiling, quad biking and rock climbing.

Enjoy lunch (own account) at the hotel or one of the nearby venues and use the opportunity to mix with the local Pondo people. Dinner at your hotel.

Day 9: Coffee Bay to Port Alfred (±460km)

Destination: Port Alfred
Accomodation: Halyards Hotel
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Kowie River boat cruises .

Today you travel from Coffee Bay to Port Alfred on the Sunshine Coast of the Eastern Cape. After an early breakfast you leave the Wild coast and travel inland to Qunu, the birthplace of former President Nelson Mandela. Qunu consists of a number of small villages. Since the release of President Mandela from prison and his international acclaim, these little villages received much attention. This is where he grew up, herded cattle and went to school. He never lost touch with this region which is dear to him.

From Qunu you continue to East London, where the Sunshine Coast begins. You continue to the settler town, Port Alfred. This town was founded by British settlers who were brought into the country in 1820 to serve as a buffer between the white farmers and the Xhosa people. Your hotel is situated on a beautiful Marina and small boat harbour. Check in and relax. Enjoy dinner (own account) at the hotel or at a local restaurant.

Day 10: Port Alfred to Keurboomstrand (±380km)

Destination: Keurboomstrand
Accomodation: The Dunes Hotel & Resort
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Garden Route , Storm’s River Mouth , Tsitsikamma , Storm's River Mouth suspension bridge , The Big Tree (Tsitsikamma) .

Enjoy an early breakfast before you board a river cruise boat for a scenic trip up the Kowie River (weather permitting). On return, you travel inland to the university town, Grahamstown, the main town founded by the British settlers of 1820. Grahamstown boasts the only genuine Victorian Camera Obscura in the southern hemisphere. You then continue your tour to the Garden Route, named after the abundance and variety of indigenous plants. The Garden Route lies between the Tsitsikamma Mountain Range and the Indian Ocean. En route you pay visits to the Tsitsikamma Forest and Storm's River Mouth. Lunch will be enjoyed en route (own account).

The tour of the day ends at Keurboomstrand, near Plettenberg Bay. You check in at your hotel and enjoy some time on the hotel's private beach. Dinner is at the hotel (own account).

Day 11: Day at leisure - Keurboomstrand (Garden Route)

Destination: Keurboomstrand
Accomodation: The Dunes Hotel & Resort
Meals included: Breakfast
Attractions include: Knysna , Featherbed Nature Reserve , Knysna Elephant Park .

Today, you have the option of enjoying a day of leisure at the resort and on the beach, or you could join an optional tour to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, and then pay a visit to the Elephant Park in Knysna (own account).

The optional tour will travel to the nearby town of Knysna where you board a ferry to take you to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, situated on the Western Heads of the Knysna lagoon. On arrival, you board a trailer, pulled by a Unimog tractor that will take you to the top of the Heads for breathtaking views over the Indian Ocean and the Knysna lagoon. You have the option to return along a scenic pathway of about 2 km that leads through a Milkwood tree forest. On arrival at the Featherbed quay you enjoy a buffet lunch (included) at their open air restaurant. After returning to Knysna by ferry, pay a visit to the Elephant Park for a close encounter with these wonderful prehistoric creatures of Africa. Dinner is at the hotel (own account).

Day 12: Keurboomstrand to Oudtshoorn (±160km)

Destination: Oudtshoorn
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Riempie Estate
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Knysna , Knysna Heads , Oudtshoorn ostrich farms , Cango Caves .

After breakfast, you depart for Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo. The route will take you along the scenic Garden Route via Plettenberg Bay, Knysna and George where you will cross the Outeniqua Mountains to enter the semi-arid Little Karoo.

The day offers wonderful photo opportunities. At Knysna you will have beautiful views over the Indian Ocean and the Knysna lagoon. En route you pass through the Wilderness region which offers scenic beauty begging to be photographed. At George you turn inland to cross the Outeniqua Mountain Pass and enter the Little Karoo, the opposite of the lush Garden Route, but attractive in a different way. You visit one of the Ostrich show farms outside Oudtshoorn for an interesting introduction to these exotic birds. Lunch to be enjoyed at the ostrich farm (own account).

The next visit will be to the famous Cango Caves, that runs deep into the Swartberg Mountains. You do a guided tour of one hour and visit different chambers with wonderful drip stone stalactites and stalagmites. You return to the outskirts of Oudtshoorn to check in at your country hotel for the evening. Dinner at the hotel (own account).

Day 13: Oudtshoorn to Stellenbosch (±410 km)

Destination: Stellenbosch
Accomodation: Protea Hotel Stellenbosch
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Barrydale , Klipdrift Brandy Distillery .

The tour of the day takes you from Oudtshoorn to Stellenbosch via the iconic Route 62. The major part of the route runs along the Little Karoo, an extended valley between two major mountain ranges. This makes for ever changing scenery to include mountain passes, gorges and valleys with vineyards and orchards. Route 62 is also known as the longest wine route in the world.

You stop at the scenic town, Barrydale for lunch (own account) before continuing to Montagu. After Montagu you leave the Little Karoo through the gorge called Kochman's Kloof. At Robertson you stop at a distillery for brandy tasting before continuing through the Huguenot tunnel into the Cape Winelands and on to Stellenbosch.

Stellenbosch is the second oldest town in South Africa. It is known for it's historical architecture, Oak lined streets, it's viniculture and well known University. Check in at the hotel in Stellenbosch and relax. Dinner is in one of the restaurants of the hotel (own account).

Day 14: Stellenbosch to Cape Town via the Cape Winelands (±100 km)

Destination: Cape Town
Accomodation: Inn on the Square Hotel
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Cape Winelands , Paarl wine estates , Afrikaans Language Monument .

After breakfast enjoy a walking tour of this beautiful town rich in culture and history. Walk along the oak lined streets and stop at some of the historic old buildings in typical Cape Dutch style. Enjoy the setting of the town against the backdrop of majestic mountains.

From Stellenbosch you travel to Paarl in the Cape Winelands. A visit is made to one of the many wine estates around Paarl for wine tasting and lunch (own account).

Paarl is the third oldest city, after Cape Town and Stellenbosch. ‘Paarl' is the Dutch for ‘pearl’. The name is derived form the huge granite boulders on top of the Paarl mountain that shimmer like pearls in the sun after rain. Paarl is renowned for viniculture and has some outstanding wine estates in the vicinity. It is also known for the role it played in the recognition of Afrikaans as an official language thus the visit at the "Afrikaanse Taalmonument", the Afrikaanse Language Monument.

From Paarl you travel to Cape Town on the N1 with lovely views on the city at the foot of the majestic Table Mountain. Your hotel is situated in the heart of Cape Town on the historic Greenmarket Square. Check in with some leisure time. Dinner will be at the hotel (own account).

Day 15: Day at leisure in Cape Town

Destination: Cape Town
Accomodation: Inn on the Square Hotel
Meals included: breakfast
Attractions include: Table Mountain .

Cape Town is a truly remarkable city, graded as one of the ten top tourist destinations in the world. One could stay here for a week and still not experience all that the city has to offer. Today, you have the opportunity of visiting some of these attractions (own account). Should you opt for more days in Cape Town, we can arrange it for you.

For today and tomorrow (depending on your flight back home) we recommend the following to consider: The city of Cape Town and Table Mountain: You can book a day ticket on the red hop-on-hop-off bus. This will take you to different venues worth a visit. You hop off and then hop on when a next bus comes around. Going up Table Mountain by cable car must not be missed. This is weather dependent. Should the mountain be under cloud on this day, plan to do it on your last day. The second possibility is: A day tour of the Cape Peninsula: This tour will take you along the coast around the peninsula with visits to Camps Bay, Hout Bay with a possible trip to seal island. Scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive, the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Cape Point and the Boulders Penguin Colony.

This evening enjoy more of Cape Town's wine and cuisine at one of the restaurants, or at your hotel (own account).

Day 16: Day of departure (±20km)

Destination: Cape Town International Airport
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, we recommend that you consider the possibilities that you could not fit in on the previous day. At your Cape Town hotel it is time to say good bye.

Your transfer from the hotel to the airport is not included in your tour price and shoud 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 enriched with your experience of South Africa.