We will visit Hermanus, well-known for its wonderful whale watching opportunities. From here we head out to the scenically beautiful Garden Route, just as popular amongst locals as it is amongst tourists. Here you will enjoy the many great attractions to the area, including the opportunity to stroke a live cheetah! Our final stop, before heading home will be Addo Elephant Park. There is no better place in the world to get up close and personal to lands greatest animal. Your stay in the luxury Intsomi Forest Lodge will be the perfect end to an amazing holiday.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Cape Town.
Overnight in 5 star Hotel in Waterfront - full board basis. Upon arrival at Cape Town’s International Airport, you will be met by an English-speaking, registered tour guide and welcomed into South Africa’s popular “Mother City”. Your guide will transfer you to your hotel, situated within the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront complex. After check-in, there will be some time to relax and freshen up after your flights. Dinner will be served at your hotel, at the Atlantic Restaurant.
Day 2: Cape Town.
Overnight in 5 star hotel in waterfront - full board basis. Today is for you to enjoy a full day at your leisure, taking in the various sights and sounds of South Africa’s popular “Mother City”. Your guide and vehicle will be at your disposal for the entire day (24 hours prior notice is required for services on this day). Lunch and dinner will be arranged.
Day 3: Cape Town – Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Table Mountain.
Overnight in 5 star Hotel in Waterfront - full board basis. After breakfast we will depart the hotel for a morning excursion to Cape Town’s most popular garden – Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens – to acquaint ourselves with some of the Cape’s indigenous flora. The beautiful Kirstenbosch gardens cover an area of 528 hectares with 36 hectares of cultivated garden. The gardens are a celebration of South African flora - showcasing only indigenous South African plants. Fynbos, proteas, cycads and rolling lawns are intermingled with streams and ponds and well-laid out pathways for easy walking. Leisurely lunch will be served at Kirstenbosch Restaurant.
After lunch we will make our way to Cape Town’s most famous landmark - Table Mountain. A visit to Cape Town would not be complete without a cable car ride to the top of this massif (weather permitting). The top of Table Mountain offers spectacular views in all directions and gives a bird’s eye view of the city. The upper cable car station is situated at 1067 meters and the revolving cable car makes sure that your trip up and down gives you a good look in all directions.
After our visit to Table Mountain, we will transfer to the Mount Nelson Hotel for High Tea, followed by a return transfer to your hotel. During the evening we will drive through the newly renovated Malay Quarter, where we will stop for dinner at one of the many trendy restaurants in the area. Activities included: entry into Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cable Car to the top of Table Mountain.
Day 4: Cape Town – Cape of Good Hope.
Overnight in 5 star Hotel in Waterfront - full board basis. Today will be a full day’s excursion where we will take a scenic drive along the Cape Peninsula. At the tip of the Cape Peninsula you will find Cape Point situated within the Cape Peninsula National Park where we will transfer to the Lighthouse lookout by funicular or on foot for spectacular views over the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
Also included in today’s outing will be a visit to Boulders Beach to view our resident African Penguin colony as well as a short boat cruise to Seal Island to see our large Cape Fur seal colony. Seafood lunch will be served en route at a local restaurant. After lunch continue with your Cape Peninsula Tour. In the evening we visit Signal Hill for a sunset view over Cape Town, followed by a transfer to the V&A Waterfront for dinner. Activities included: Seal Island cruise, Park entry fees to Cape Point Nature Reserve, Funicular and Boulders Beach.
Day 5: Cape Town – West Coast.
Overnight in 5 star Hotel in Waterfront - full board basis. Today after breakfast we start our way along the West Coast of South Africa toward North. Our first daily destination is the famous West Coast National Park. Just inland from the secluded harbor of Saldanha Bay one finds the azure waters of the Langebaan Lagoon, focal point of the West Coast National Park.
Thousands of seabirds roost on sheltered islands, pristine golden beaches stretch endlessly into the early morning mist and brooding salt marshes are home to vast concentrations of migrant waders from the northern hemisphere. During the spring the strand veld is embroidered with a tapestry of multi-hued flowers, while in the Postberg section many antelope are to be seen in a setting that is as unique as it is idyllic (open September and October). Lunch will be served inside the Park in a very characteristic local restaurant.
Included in today’s activities, we will enjoy a boat cruise, weather dependent, in either the morning or the afternoon. We will arrive at your Hotel in the late afternoon in time to refresh before dinner. Activities included: Yacht cruise incl. a platter dish and drinks. Park entry fees to West Coast National Park
Day 6: Cape Town - Wineland.
Overnight in 5 star Lanzerac Manor in Stellenbosch - full board basis. Today we will transfer to the Cape’s breathtaking winelands, visiting the valleys of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch to sample some of the best wines our country has to offer. Lunch will be served at one of the numerous local wine estates. During the afternoon we will pay a visit to the Stellenbosch museum, followed by a late afternoon arrival at your hotel - the 300 year old Lanzerac Manor & Winery is located on a private working wine estate in the world-famous Jonkers-hoek Valley, surrounded by the dramatic Helderberg mountains. Activities included:
- Three Wine Tastings
- Entry into Stellenbosch Museum.
Day 7: Garden Route - Hermaus.
Overnight in 5 star Marine Hotel, Hermanus. After breakfast, late morning departure for the coastal holiday village of Hermanus, situated approximately 1,5 hours drive from Cape Town. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant in town, followed by leisure time for shopping, etc. Hermanus is famous for its wonderful whale-watching opportunities, especially of the Southern Right whales (main whale-watching season runs from July – November). Enjoy some leisure time sight-seeing and shopping in one of our most popular seaside holiday villages.
Day 8: Garden Route - George.
Overnight at Fancourt Golf and Country Estate. Today, we depart Hermanus for the start of our journey along the scenically beautiful Garden Route. Travelling via Mossel Bay, our next destination is George, and the well-known Fancourt Golf and Country Estate - one of South Africa’s finest golfing estates, on a par with international golfing estates the world over. At the estate’s wonderful health and beauty spa, one can relax and be pampered in truly beautiful and superbly appointed surroundings, enjoying an unrivaled range of therapies, treatments and leisure activities. All meals are included at any one of the five fabulous restaurants on the estate, each offering a variety of excellent dining experiences in truly delightful settings.
Day 9: Garden Route - Oudtshoorn.
Overnight at Fancourt Golf and Country Estate. After breakfast, we will make our way inland, towards the Karoo town of Oudtshoorn, where we will enjoy a visit to one of the many local Ostrich Farms in the area and of course one cannot miss out on Oudtshoorn’s most popular tourist attraction – the Cango Wildlife Ranch, where one can observe cheetahs, lions, jaguars, pumas and white Bengal tigers.
The Cango Wildlife Ranch and its breeding center is carefully designed so that its more than 47 species of animals and reptiles can roam peacefully in comfortable natural enclosures, giving visitors the opportunity to closely observe, and in some cases, interact with a wide variety of unusual and endangered animals.
Here you will also have the unique opportunity to stroke a live cheetah. We will return to Knysna during the late afternoon where we will have dinner. Activities included: entry into Cango Wildlife Ranch and Cango Ostrich Farm
Day 10: Garden Route – Knysna.
Overnight at Pezula. Today we travel further along the Garden Route. Spectacular scenery includes the Indian Ocean breakers, pounding rocky shores beneath 180 meters high cliffs, ever-green forests and fynbos (proteas and heath) rolling down to the sea in a lush carpet where ancient rivers have carved their path to the ocean through rocky ravines. We will arrive in the late morning at the coastal holiday village of Knysna – this quaint town has been voted South Africa’s favorite town. It is the place of adventure, with everything from adrenaline-thumping extreme sports to the more relaxing pleasures of arts, crafts and culture. The Waterfront at the Knysna Quays is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike, and offers unusual restaurants, bookshops, clothes, gifts and jeweler stores.
Lunch will be served at the Knysna Waterfront, followed by leisure time/ shopping. Knysna Lagoon is popular for sailing, canoeing, water-skiing, windsurfing and fishing. Great restaurants and shopping can be found at Knysna’s Waterfront. Knysna is also noted for its superb oysters, which can definitely be recommended. This afternoon we will enjoy a sunset cruise on the Knysna Lagoon on board the ‘Knysna Charters’ ferry, taking in the spectacular scenery of the Knysna Heads. There are plenty of local restaurants to choose from as dinner venues. Activities included: Sunset Cruise on Knysna Charters.
Day 11: Garden Route – Addo Elephant Park.
Overnight at Intsomi Forest Lodge. Today we travel further along the Garden Route via the Tsitsikamma, Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth. 72 kilometres from Port Elizabeth in the Sundays River Valley and Zuurberg Mountain range, we will arrive at our private lodge in the afternoon. Hidden within the malaria-free Eastern Cape is 1 000 hectares of land unique in natural diversity, unspoiled beauty, cultural heritage and historical richness. Intsomi Forest Lodge is situated on this reserve in the untouched Alexandria Forest and is a part of the greater Addo Elephant National Park.
Juxtaposed with the new, Intsomi is situated on land steeped in history. Come join us in the mystical Eastern Cape and create your own legend. Included in our rate, is one guided nature walk or drive per day. The reserve offers spectacular and diverse scenery and landscapes, limited wildlife and numerous bird and tree species.
Wildlife includes: Buffalo, Gemsbok, Eland, Red Hartebeest, Bush Buck, the rare Oribi, zebra, duiker, jackals and Caracal. The smaller species include springhare, bush pig, Cape porcupine and arrdvark. Activities included: Entry into Addo Elephant Park.
Day 12: Garden Route – Addo Elephant Park.
Overnight at Intsomi Forest Lodge. Today you will enjoy a full day trip to Addo Elephant National Park. The original Elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area - today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 450 elephants, Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo.
But the Addo story has only just begun. Plans to expand the 164 000 ha Addo National Elephant Park into a 360 000 ha mega-park are moving forward at an exciting pace. This expansion is transforming Addo into the ultimate tourism destination. Some of its unique features already include: unrivaled natural diversity, with five of South Africa’s seven major vegetation zones (biomes). The big 7 (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, whales and great white sharks) in their natural habitat. Activities included: Entry into Addo Elephant Park.
Note:
- Low season: from the 1st of May to the end of August
- High season: from the 6th of January to the end of April and from the 1st of September to the 19th of December
- Peak season: from the 20th of December to the 5th of January
- You can extend your stay or combine it with another at this destination or a different one (on request).
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 12 nights in 5 stars/luxury hotel and lodge- full board basis
- Cape Grace
- Marine-Hermanus
- Lanzerac
- Fancourt
- Pezula
- Intsomi
- All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- All transfers
- Entrance to day tours and excursions as specified on the itinerary
- Vehicles equipped with hydraulic lift
- Services of a qualified English-speaking safari guide and accompanying tour escort as outlined in itinerary
- Luggage handling at all hotels and at the airport upon arrival and departure
- Local taxes.
Price Excludes:
- International flights outside Africa
- Internal flight from Port Elisabeth to Johannesburg/Cape Town
- Transfers not specified in the itinerary
- Single supplement charges
- Drinks and beverage
- Comprehensive insurance (luggage, personal liability abroad etc.)
- Optional activities
- Laundry
- Gratuities and items of a personal nature
- Tipping and gratuities to chauffeur and local guides
- Passport and visa fees.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
South Africa
Outdoor: Land Rambler
Walking Tours
Wildlife Viewing
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