14-Day South African Wildlife and Cape Town Tour: - Johannesburg to Cape Town
We conduct exclusive tours to the game reserves and scenic destinations in South Africa. We like our clients to be able to make the most of their experience, hence the dedicated private tours where the agenda of others does not impair on your holiday. One of the best ways to make the most of visiting our wildlife and scenic venues would be the following suggested itinerary. We would collect you from the airport on your arrival or from your overnight accommodation after breakfast and set off on the tour.
Day One – Johannesburg –Drakensberg Escarpment. (Lunch & Dinner)
We collect you from your overnight accommodation or from the airport and travel through Highveld industrial, mining and agricultural areas. Our guide will make this section interesting, adding value with his interpretation of the local history and sights. The scenery is pretty flat but this changes as we approach the Drakensberg Escarpment where we drop down to the Lowveld through scenic passes. This Drakensberg Escarpment area is really beautiful and has scenic vistas over the Lowveld of the Kruger National Park. Our meals will be at wayside cafes en route to and from the Park. The remainder of the day will be spent in visiting the Drakensberg Escarpment, also known as the Panorama Route, where we will visit the areas of the Blyde River Canyon, “God’s Window”, “Bourke’s Luck Potholes”, “Three Rondawels” and a waterfall or two in the area, time permitting. Overnight at Forever Resorts, Blydepoort. Commanding excellent views of the Blyde River Canyon and the ‘Three Rondawels’, this Mpumulanga Resort is situated on the escarpment, 160km north of Nelspruit and a mere 50km north of Graskop. It is the ideal base for hiking trails and scenic trips by car to well-known Mpumulanga locations, including Pilgrim’s Rest. Accommodation comprises a luxury guest house (with 3 en-suite double rooms) overlooking the gorge, 98 2-5 sleeper rustic stone chalets, a 30 stand caravan park, all with power points, serviced by two ablution facilities.
Day Two, Three, Four, Five - Kruger National Park. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
After breakfast we depart for the Kruger Park which is an excellent venue with good sightings of lion, elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, warthog, baboon, monkey, hippo and impala regularly seen. The more elusive animals like leopard are an exciting find. We include a night drive in an open safari vehicle on one of the evenings, this to enhance the possibility of seeing the nocturnal species such as leopard (always difficult to find), lion, hyena, genet, bush babies and then the other nocturnal animals such as the smaller cats, owls and nightjars. You also get to see most of the diurnal animals, with their eyes lighting up like a little town in the reflection of the spotlights when you chance on a herd of Impala.In the game reserve we will have breakfast and dinners in the restaurants. Lunches are usually a snack type at one of the camps or at picnic stop cafes. Here the choice is limited to toasted sandwiches, burgers, fries and the like. We enjoy a full game-viewing programme for the balance of the days. Depending on which camps we will be staying at so the mid-day siesta period could be spent at the swimming pool - Kruger Park is pretty hot and humid in summer - or to visit one of the camp interpretation centres, which are always interesting.
We encourage an early start to make the most of the best time of day to view the animals. So first one out at dawn - this to see if we are able to sight some of the nocturnal predators returning to their daytime resting place and then to have breakfast, possibly at a different locality. We recommend staying at different camps to make the most on what the Kruger Park has to offer and to get the best game viewing.
Day Six- Swaziland. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
After our morning game viewing we leave Kruger Park and travel to Swaziland. We will then visit the Ngwenya Glass Factory before making our way to Reilly’s Rock (or similar). Situated in the Mliliwane Game Reserve. Reilly’s Rock’s unique Hilltop Lodge has been tastefully decorated in keeping with its colonial roots by Swaziland's leading conservation team, Ted and Liz Reilly. Notwithstanding the necessary subtle additions and renovations, the house still stands as it was built almost a century ago. Mliliwane Game Reserve is Swaziland's pioneer conservation area and is situated in a beautiful, secluded sanctuary in Swaziland's Valley of Heaven, the Ezulwini Valley, an area between Mbabane and Manzini.Day Seven, Eight - Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Park. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
We leave Reilly’s Rock after breakfast and travel through rural Swaziland and Zululand and proceed to the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Park where we would spend two nights at the world renowned Hilltop Camp. The accommodation here is brick under thatch chalets, each with their own private bathroom. The meals would be at the excellent Mapunyane Restaurant.This is the game reserve famous for "Operation Rhino" where the then Natal Park's Board (now known as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife), brought the white rhino back from the brink of extinction. One can see just how successful they have been. Sightings of rhino, giraffe, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, warthog, baboon, vervet monkey and antelope such as impala, nyala and kudu are frequently seen and with the possibility of seeing lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, black rhino, hippo, crocodile, monitor lizards, hyena and antelope such as red duiker, steenbuck, waterbuck, eland, reedbuck, bushbuck and then the rare Samango monkey and wild dog, much less frequently.
This evening we will go on another night drive in an open game-viewing vehicle with rangers from KZN Wildlife to search for the nocturnal species. The rest of the time will be spent on extended game drives to various areas of the Park, with an early start to make the most of the day and to possibly chance upon one of the predators returning to their day-time lair.
Day Nine – St. Lucia. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
More game viewing follows as we leave the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Park to the village of St. Lucia, arriving in time for lunch. Overnight Elephant Lake Hotel (or similar). The Elephant Lake Hotel is situated on the Elephant Coast in the heart of the exquisite St. Lucia World Heritage Site between Lake St. Lucia and the Indian Ocean in South Africa. The hotel is sited on the banks of the St. Lucia Estuary and overlooks the lake. All the rooms offer an en suite bathroom, telephone, air conditioning, satellite TV and a tea/coffee maker. This afternoon after lunch we visit the eastern shores Lake St. Lucia and head to Cape Vidal, game viewing all the while. After a visit to the beach we would continue on the circular route for another game drive before returning to the village to overnight.Day Ten – Durban. (Breakfast & Lunch)
After breakfast we board for a two-hour morning launch tour of Lake St. Lucia, here hopefully to see hippos (guaranteed sightings!), crocodiles and numerous water birds in this recently proclaimed World Heritage Site. After this we will head to Durban and do a short orientation tour of this city, possibly visiting a diamond outlet to learn about the diamond industry and the “S.A. Ideal Cut” of these precious gems. We will overnight at the Oyster Box Hotel (or similar) in the suburb of Umhlanga Rocks. For an intimate service, superb cuisine, gracious comfort and absolute beachfront,
the Oyster Box Private Hotel - situated in Umhlanga, is just 15 km north of Durban.Day Eleven – Cape Town. (Breakfast)
Today you fly (cost included) to the “Mother City” of Cape Town. You will be collected from the airport and taken on a short orientation tour of this magnificent city, before being taken to your hotel close to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront where you spend three nights. This is a city with a diverse range of attractions, sights and activities on offer; Cape Town has something for everyone. From the landmark beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay to the vibrant V&A Waterfront and Cape Town city centre and the award winning wine farms of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, the scenery of the Cape Peninsula and more - time spent in Cape Town will not be forgotten. Overnight at the Breakwater Lodge (or similar). Just minutes away from the Waterfront, the Breakwater Lodge was once a 19th Century prison, and today provides comfortable Cape Town hotel accommodation in a spectacular setting that looks over the bay and up onto Table Mountain.
Day Twelve- Winelands. (Breakfast)
This morning, we depart on a full day tour of the Cape Winelands. We make our way directly to Stellenbosch where we visit a Wine Estate for a cellar tour and wine tasting. This is followed by an orientation tour of the university town and includes a visit to the Village Museum. We then depart Stellenbosch and make our way to Franschoek where we stop for lunch (for your own account).
After lunch we visit the Huguenot Monument before departing for Paarl. Here we visit another Wine Estate for more wine tasting before departing for Cape Town in the late afternoon. Overnight Breakwater Lodge.Day Thirteen- Cape Peninsula Tour. (Breakfast)
Today we depart from the hotel and travel along the Atlantic Seaboard through Sea Point, Bantry Bay, Camps Bay and Llandudno before visiting the fishing village of Hout Bay.
From here we make our way via Chapman's Peak drive to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve where we visit Cape Point to explore the diversity of plant species in this reserve first hand and hopefully to view the rare bontebok and zebra, eland, baboon and other wildlife of the reserve. The scenery here is stunning and one has the option of getting to the view site by foot or by the less strenuous Funicular, (own account). We will have lunch at the Two Oceans Restaurant (own account) before proceeding to the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach to view and learn more about these fascinating birds.
We then travel through the naval-base town of Simon's Town along the False Bay Coastline, and should time allow we would visit the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Which is world-renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. Kirstenbosch grows only indigenous South African plants. The estate covers 528 hectares and supports a diverse fynbos flora and natural forest. The cultivated garden (36 hectares) displays collections of South African plants, particularly those from the winter rainfall region of the country. Overnight Breakwater Lodge.Day Fourteen – Tour Ends. (Breakfast)
Today you are at leisure until your departure from South Africa. Should time allow you could visit Table Mountain, (weather permitting), or take a tour by boat to visit Robben Island where our most famous citizen spent many years of his life in prison. Alternatively you could catch up on some last minute shopping at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront before we collect you for your transfer to the airport.Package Includes:
All airport/hotel transfers.
Accommodation.
Meals as indicated.
Sundowner drives and boat cruise where indicated.
Transport in luxury air-conditioned vehicles.
Service of qualified Driver/Guide.
All entrance fees and levies.Package Excludes:
Items of a personal nature e.g. beverages, phone calls, laundry etc.
Travel insurance.
All Airfare.
Optional excursions where indicated.
Meals where indicated.*Please note - to avoid disappointment
If, on this "once in a lifetime Safari”, having close-up sightings of the large cats, i.e. Lion, Cheetah and Leopard, along with Elephant, Buffalo and Rhino (also known as “The Big 5”) is a priority for you and your party, we suggest that you visit our recommended luxury private game reserves. Here the rangers track these elusive animals, off road if necessary, in a mostly successful attempt to secure a sighting. We are not allowed off the public roads in the Provincial and National Parks on our guided Safaris. On this tour you can substitute the 2-3 star Kruger National Park for our preferred luxury lodge in the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve and the 3 star Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Park for one of either the luxury Phinda or the Amazulu Private Game Reserve.
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