Ultimate South Africa Tour

About this excursion

£3599 per person

A wonderful 17 day adventure arranged for us by our award-winning friends at Travelsphere who we know will look after us well.

Your holiday includes:

• Scheduled flights from London Heathrow with British Airways or similar scheduled airline and internal flights
• Return transfers from Milton Keynes and the airport.
• Airport Lounge
• Overseas transfers and other transportation
• 14 nights’ accommodation with 14 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 7 dinners and 2 nights in flight
• The services of a Travelsphere Tour Manager and Local Guide + Hotel porterage

Your Tours:

• City tour of Cape Town and visit to iconic Table Mountain (weather permitting)
• Cape Peninsula, Cape Point, Boulders Beach and Botanical Gardens
• Cellar tour and tasting at the famous winelands
• Visit the Drostdy Museum in Swellendam
• Discover the Cango caves and an intriguing Ostrich Farm
• Enjoy the Garden Route, a scenic drive along beautiful coastline
• Soak up the scenic beauty of the Featherbed Nature reserve
• Visit Storms River Mouth in beautiful Tsitsikamma National Park
• Discover charming Port Elizabeth
• Take in the famous Zulu battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift
• Game drive in Kruger National Park, home to abundant wildlife
• Drive along the scenic Panorama Route
• A traditional ‘braai’ dinner under the stars (weather permitting)
• Visit Chimp Eden, a Chimpanzee sanctuary founded by Dr Jane Goodall

Your Itinerary

DAY 1 – UK/South Africa
Depart from Milton Keynes to a UK airport for your scheduled overnight flight to Cape Town.

DAY 2 – Cape Town
You’ll arrive this morning in the vibrant city of Cape Town, where your sightseeing starts straight away as you take in a selection of its highlights en route to your hotel, including the chance to take a cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain (weather permitting). You’ll stay in Cape Town for three nights.

DAY 3 – Cape Peninsula
Today you will spend the day exploring the Cape Peninsula. If the weather conditions are favourable, your adventure heads along Chapman’s Peak, one of the most spectacular coastal drives in the world, finally reaching Cape Nature Reserve and Cape Point at the very tip of the Cape Peninsula. You return to Cape Town via Boulders Beach where you will have the opportunity to admire the penguins. Our journey then continues through Simon’s Town, Fish Hoek and Muizenberg. Finally we call at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which are set against the slopes of Table Mountain. (B)

DAY 4 – Cape Town
Today you are free to continue your independent explorations of Cape Town, or why not join our optional excursions. These include the chance to experience the incredible culture of the Cape Malay community. Head to the heart of the dynamic Cape Malay Quarter, where you’ll learn about the Malay people, their history and how their traditions have been carefully preserved throughout the years. You could also enjoy a delicious afternoon tea at the luxury Mount Nelson Hotel. (B)

DAY 5 – Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch nestles in the centre of what is known as the western cape winelands. Today you’ll leave Cape Town and head here for a tour of this lovely city and the winelands surrounding it. You will visit an estate where you can learn about the production process and enjoy tastings along with a cellar tour. (B)

DAY 6 – Oudtshoorn
Depart Stellenbosch and enjoy a relaxing drive to the charming town of Swellendam. One of the oldest towns in South Africa, it boasts stunning architecture and a fascinating local museum, which you will visit today. The Drostdy Museum consists of several historic buildings, filled with an impressive collection of late 18th and 19th century Cape furniture. Your journey continues to Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo, stopping to take in the stunning views from Huisrivier Pass en route. (B)

DAY 7 – Knysna
Oudtshoorn is the ‘ostrich capital of the world’, and home to the world’s largest population of this unique flightless bird. The town made much of its wealth during the fashion booms in ostrich feathers during the 19th and early 20th centuries. You will have the chance to see these fascinating creatures up close at the Safari Ostrich Farm, before visiting the spectacular Cango Caves. Located in a limestone ridge alongside the stunning Swatberg Mountains, this magnificent cave system is more than 20 million years old. It consists of a series of hidden chambers cut into a thick layer of limestone rock – a truly memorable sight. Continue to Knysna where you will stay for the following two nights.(B)

DAY 8 – Knysna
This morning enjoy a leisurely breakfast before your cruise on the Knysna Lagoon. We had planned to cruise between the beautiful headlands of Knynsa to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, but sadly due to extensive bush fires in and around Knysna large parts of the reserve have been damaged by fire and it is not possible to drive to the headland. Instead we will now take a cruise on the lagoon with a buffet lunch served on board. (B, L)

DAY 9 – Port Elizabeth
Leave Knysna behind and head for Port Elizabeth. Your journey via Plettenberg Bay includes a stop at Storms River Mouth in Tsitsikamma National Park. (B, D)

DAY 10 – Battlefields
Enjoy a tour of Port Elizabeth, one of the largest cities in South Africa. You’ll then head to the airport for your flight to Durban. On arrival, travel into a very different territory to your previous few days as you approach the heart of the Zulu kingdom, the KwaZulu-Natal battlefields. You will enjoy a two-night stay in the area. (B, D)

DAY 11 – Battlefields
Today join a tour that takes in the battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. Stand at the very spot where the 1879 Battle of Isandlwana and subsequent conflict at Rorke’s Drift took place. Your Local Guide brings to life the account of how 20,000 Zulu warriors, armed with traditional weapons, confronted British firepower. (B.L,D)

DAY 12 – Kruger
No visit to South Africa would be complete without experiencing Kruger National Park. Today’s journey to the park is long but it is certainly worth it. On the way, you will experience the many different landscapes of the country as you pass through communities and scenic parks. Your lodgestyle hotel, where you will stay for the next two nights, sits on the banks of the Sabie River. (B, D)

DAY 13 – Kruger
Wake up to the incredible sights and sounds of nature with an optional early-morning game drive, ending at Paul Kruger Gate. If you’d prefer a later start, why not join an optional game drive in the afternoon instead, or you can experience a full-day game drive – the choice is yours. Keep your eyes peeled for elephant, buffalo, lion, zebra, rhino, impala, cheetah and hippo, and make sure you don’t forget your camera.

Alternatively, you could spend time at leisure, perhaps lazing by the pool. (B, D)

DAY 14 – Kruger
Check out this morning, and enjoy an included early-morning game drive, including a breakfast picnic. Then you will transfer to your next hotel. En route, you’ll enjoy an included tour of Chimp Eden, a Chimpanzee Sanctuary founded by Dr Jane Goodall. Situated within the spectacular 1,000-hectare Umhloti Nature Reserve, the sanctuary provides a safe home for chimpanzees that have been rescued from dangerous or unfortunate circumstances. Watch the chimps as they play in their semi-wild enclosures – it’s sure to be a real highlight of your holiday.

This afternoon, join our optional visit to Elephant Whispers. Here, you’ll have the chance to interact with these majestic animals. (B, D)

DAY 15 – Kruger and Panorama Route
This morning you will experience the breathtakingPanorama Route (weather permitting). This is one of the region’s most scenic routes and travels through some of South Africa’s most beautiful scenery. Highlights include the rainforest at God’s Window, waterfalls, the Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Three Rondavels. This evening, you will experience a braai – a traditional South African barbecue – under the stars (weather permitting). (B, D)

DAY 16 – Kruger/UK
Today you will transfer to Johannesburg for your early evening flight to the UK. (B)

Day 17 – UK
Today you will arrive back in the UK where transport will be provided to take you back to Milton Keynes.

 

Deposit Payment
A deposit payment of £300 will secure your place on this holiday.

Single Supplement
The Single Supplement for this holiday is £500 per person.

Please note: South Africa is a vast country with so much to see. To ensure that you see the best of this country this tour will be very busy with long, yet rewarding days.

This holiday includes walking in areas of rough ground, gradients and steps with no hand rails to offer assistance.

 

Your Hotels (updated December 2017)

10 March – ONOMO Inn on the Square – Cape Town (3 nights)

13 March – Protea Hotel by Marriott Stellenbosch (1 night)

14 March – Queens Hotel – (1 night)

15 March – The Rex Hotel – (2 nights)

17 March – Paxton Hotel – (1 night)

18 March – Battlefields Country Lodge – (2 nights)

20 March – Protea Hotel by Marriott Kruger Gate (2 nights)

22 March – Protea Hotel by Marriott Hazyview – (2 nights)

 

Your Flights

Flight from LONDON (HEATHROW) to CAPE TOWN (INTL)
Flight from PORT ELIZABETH to DURBAN (INTL)
Flight from JOHANNESBURG (OR TAMBO) to LONDON (HEATHROW)

 

Optional Excursions:

Afternoon Tea @ Mount Nelson Hotel – From £44
Enjoy a few hours of sheer indulgence with an afternoon tea at Cape Town’s prestigious Mount Nelson Hotel. A tradition that dates back to the city’s colonial heritage, afternoon tea is a much-loved pastime in South Africa and the Mount Nelson is considered the finest place in the city to experience it. The world-renowned afternoon tea buffet is set in the elegant lounge overlooking the garden. Enjoy the sumptuous selection of savoury and sweet delights. No visit to Cape Town is complete without tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel. Afternoon Excursion – An opportunity not to be missed – Minimal walking

Thrilling Game Drive – Kruger National Park
No information available at the present time

Cultural Experience in the Cape Malay District
No information available at the present time

Note
Prices of optional excursions shown may vary according to departure date and are subject to change. The full range of excursions will be detailed in your holiday information pack, sent approximately 15 weeks prior to departure.

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