Itineraries
A fully escorted 14 day tour of South Africa visiting; Johannesburg, Pilgrim’s Rest, Kruger National Park, Swaziland, Zululand, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Knysna, Oudtshoorn and Cape Town.
Kruger National Park
• View the spectacular Blyde River Canyon and God’s Window.
• Seek out the ‘Big Five’ in the Kruger National Park in open safari vehicles
• Visit a traditional African craft market in the Kingdom of Swaziland
• Enjoy a Swazi cultural experience
• Enjoy a boat cruise on Lake St Lucia – A World Heritage Site
• Swim, bathe, and surf along the pristine beaches of Durban’s ‘Golden Mile’
• Stroll through the Tsitsikamma National Park, with its age-old trees
• Journey via ferry to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, situated at the entrance to the Knysna Lagoon
• Discover the Cango Caves with its magnificent dripstone formations of stalactites and stalagmites
• Enjoy an ostrich farm experience
• The best land-based whale watching in the world, is in Hermanus. (Seasonal July to November only)
• Explore the coastline of the Cape Peninsula
• Enjoy wine tasting at some of the Cape’s most famous wine estates.
• Tour in air-conditioned micro-buses or 22-seater mini-buses
• A professional Tour Guide
• Rooms with private facilities, on a twin share basis
• 13 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 4 dinners
• Flights from London to South Africa, and pre-paid air taxes
• Airport transfers in South Africa
• Hotel porterage.
From £2695 Jan-Apr, £2485 May & Aug and from £2860 18 Sep – 31 Oct per person sharing, including international flights from the UK, pre-paid air taxes and one internal flight. Please note that we reserve the right to offer accommodation of a similar standard, subject to availability.
Single supplement £335/375.
Email us or ring 020 7226 1004 for availability and if you would like to book.
Depart in the early evening on British Airways / South African Airways overnight flight to Johannesburg
Touch down at Johannesburg International Airport where you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, exploring the magnificent suburban shopping malls or take an optional Johannesburg City Tour (own account).
Accommodation: Protea Hotel Wanderers or similar, breakfast included
Leave Johannesburg’s distinctive skyline and head for Mpumalanga, dropping several hundred feet into the lush subtropical region of the Lowveld to the historic town of Pilgrims Rest.
Accommodation: The Royal Hotel or similar (inc breakfast and dinner)
Explore living history at Pilgrim’s Rest, the old mining village where gold was first discovered, gasp at the glory of God’s Window, a bound-less view of mountains and fertile plains, and visit the spectacular Blyde River Canyon, one of the natural wonders of Africa. We arrive at our Kruger National Park rest camp in time for a welcome sundowner (own account) in the African bushveld.
Accommodation: Kruger - Rest Camp or similar (inc breakfast and dinner)
Set off before breakfast in open safari vehicle in search of lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard, and all manner of wondrous wildlife, birds and plant species. Savour the magic of this enormous wilderness.
Accommodation: Kruger - Rest Camp or similar (inc breakfast)
Enjoy an enchanting drive to the tiny Kingdom of Swaziland, a former British Protection Territory, now ruled by King MsWati III. Witness a Swazi cultural experience before visiting the Ngwenya Glass Factory to see master craftsmen fashion collectable figures and functional art out of molten glass. Our next stop is the capital city, Mbabane, known for its vibrant markets packed with woven baskets, beadwork and carvings. Spend the night in the beautiful Ezulwini Valley
Accommodation: Lugogo Sun or similar (inc breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Visit the Swazi Candle Factory, teeming with exquisite wax artworks in every shape and colour imaginable. Then on into Zululand, passing traditional round huts and endless vistas. Arrive mid afternoon at the town of St Lucia, a World Heritage Site and home to hippo, crocodile and no less than 367 bird species
Accommodation: Protea Hotel St Lucia or similar (inc breakfast)
* You have the option to purchase an exciting afternoon open safari vehicle game drive into Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve.
This morning enjoy a cruise on Lake St Lucia before departing for Durban. Hug the lush KwaZulu-Natal coastline en route to Durban, watching the sugar cane fields do their own version of the Mexican wave at the urging of the wind. Check into your hotel just before lunch (own account). Explore the beachfront and its many attractions at leisure, or take an optional afternoon Durban City Tour (own account).
Accommodation: Protea Hotel Umhlanga or similar (inc breakfast)
An early start. Transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Port Elizabeth. There you’ll be met by a new guide who’ll take you through the glorious, indigenous Tsitsikamma Forest. We make several scenic stops before arriving at Knysna, perhaps South Africa’s most visually stunning resort, in the heart of the famous Garden Route. Dinner and overnight in Knysna.
Accommodation: Knysna Log-Inn or similar (inc breakfast and dinner)
Cruise on the vast Knysna Lagoon and visit the Featherbed Nature Reserve. Enjoy an amazing view of the imposing sandstone ‘Heads’ which guard the sea entrance to Knysna’s huge tidal lagoon, and the forests, marshes and pristine beaches beyond. After lunch the remainder of the day at leisure, to enjoy this lovely and special town.
Accommodation: Knysna Log-Inn or similar (breakfast and lunch)
Enjoy the wonderful views of the spectacular Outeniqua Pass en route to Oudtshoorn, the ‘feather capital of the world’, so named because it’s the centre of South Africa’s ostrich industry. After lunch, we learn more about these hardy, enigmatic creatures during a tour of an ostrich farm. We then head underground for a fascinating tour of the Cango Caves, one of South Africa’s most incredible natural wonders. Overnight in Oudtshoorn.
Accommodation: Queens Hotel or similar (inc breakfast and lunch)
A day of magnificent vistas. Enjoy the ever-changing passing canvas as we travel to Cape Town. During the whale season we will travel via the seaside village of Hermanus in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Southern Right whales, which frolic offshore (Jul to Nov). Out of season we will return to Cape Town along ‘Route 62’, South Africa version of America’s ‘Route 66’.
Accommodation: Protea Hotel President or similar (inc breakfast)
A full day touring of the ruggedly beautiful Cape Peninsula via the Atlantic seaboard. We stop at the fishing village of Hout Bay, where you can opt to take a cruise (own account) to Seal Island to watch the antics of these natural performers. Then we carry on along the Indian Ocean coastline to Boulders Beach for close encounters with another of the Cape’s adorable creatures, penguins. We drive through the quaint naval village of Simon’s Town on our way back to Cape Town.
Accommodation: Protea Hotel President or similar (inc breakfast)
Journey into the beautiful and tranquil Cape Winelands. Sip some of South Africa’s finest wines at two well known estates in Paarl and Stellenbosch. A visit to the Huguenot Memorial Museum and the Afrikaans Language Monument provides a historical perspective.
Accommodation: Protea Hotel President or similar (inc breakfast)
This brings us to the end of the tour. Check out of your hotel and transfer to the airport for your overnight flight home. (inc breakfast)
Arrive early morning at London Heathrow airport.
Cape Town and Table Mountain