Garden Route Safari Holidays Garden Route South Africa Holidays Tours

Adventure: Cape Town + Garden Route + Addo Safari
CCS14C

Adventure: Cape Town + Garden Route + Addo Safari
14 NIGHTS
FROM $1,399
International flights and car hire quoted separately
This adrenalin-filled self-drive holiday starts in Cape Town, where you will abseil down dramatic Table Mountain, before driving to Hermanus to cage dive to see great white sharks up close. Continue to Tsitsikamma, the adventure capital of South Africa, to bungy jump from Bloukrans Bridge - the highest bungy in the world! Then enjoy a safari in Addo Elephant Park.
HIGHLIGHTS
Adventure Holidays South Africa Adventure Holiday Cape Town Shark Diving Abseil Table Mountain
• Cape Town • Table Mountain Abseiling • V&A Waterfront • Cape Point
• Stellenbosch Winelands • Shark Cage Diving • Tsitsikamma Forest • Bloukrans Bridge Bungee
• Tree Top Canopy Tour • Addo Elephant Park
Day 1
Arrive Cape Town Airport, collect your hire car and drive to your hotel in this beautiful city, within sight of Table Mountain.
 
Check in and relax in your magnificent surroundings.
Day 2
This morning drive to Table Mountain which you will ascend by cable car to enjoy one of the world's most famous views.
 
After enjoying some time on the mountain, experience a thrilling adrenalin descent as you Abseil down its sheer cliffs, with a short hike back to your starting point.
Day 3
At leisure to explore the beautiful city of Cape Town.
 
Choose one of the many local activities such as a visit to Robben Island, the infamous prison home of Nelson Mandela (advance booking essential in season); explore the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront or simply relax on golden Camps Bay beach – the choice is yours!
Day 4
Today we recommend a full day exploring the beautiful Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where two oceans meet.
 
Start with an optional short boat trip from Hout Bay to view Cape Fur seals at Seal Island and continue via Chapman’s Peak Drive, when open, to spectacular Cape Point where you may see see baboons, ostrich and perhaps even dolphins or whales in season (July/November).
 
On the return journey we recommend driving through naval Simons Town and visit the resident penguin colony at Boulders Beach. You can also make a short stop at the world famous Kirstenbosch Gardens, before returning to your hotel in the late afternoon.
Day 5
Today we recommend a full day exploring the renowned Stellenbosch Winelands, travelling through the scenic Franschhoek Valley where a handful of French Huguenot refugees started South Africa’s now famous wine industry.
 
Visit the historic university town of Stellenbosch and several different wine estates of your choice. In the afternoon we recommend lunch at a good restaurant or wine estate, and a visit to the Cheetah Outreach project in Somerset West on the way home.
Day 6
Today drive 2-hours from Cape Town along the scenic coastal route through Gordon’s Bay and along the False Bay coast to the small seaside town of Hermanus.
 
Along the way you may want to visit Harold Porter Botanical Gardens, renowned for its fynbos flowers.
 
From July to November, southern right and humpback whales come to Hermanus to breed and this is considered the best location for land-based Whale Watching in the world. Once severely endangered, these magnificent creatures of the deep are now breeding successfully in the area due to a major international conservation effort. Check in to your hotel and enjoy the natural beauty of the coastline.
Day 7
Rise early this morning (around 07h30 depending upon the tides) for your 30-min drive to the small village of Gansbaai  for Shark Cage Diving to see the great white sharks of False Bay.
 
After a safety briefing, transfer by boat for the 20-minute ride to Dyer Island and Shark Alley for the chance to view the fearsome Great White Sharks which feed on the resident colony of Cape Fur seals. View these surface-feeding predators from the boat or enter the cage with snorkel or scuba equipment.
 
Whales should also be seen in season (July to November) as well as African penguins, seals, dolphins, cormorants and many other bird species. Waterproof jackets and dive equipment will be supplied on the boat, but remember to bring your own towel. Return to shore 5 hours later after a truly exhilarating day at sea!
Day 8
Drive 5-hours today from Hermanus to Knysna on the scenic Garden Route, travelling through the historic towns of Swellendam and Mossel Bay.
 
In Mossel Bay we suggest you visit the historic Post Office Tree, where early navigators left mail for homebound ships to Europe and where the Portuguese navigator Bartholomew Diaz landed and erected a cross.
 
Check in to your Knysna hotel and enjoy this area of outstanding natural beauty.
Day 9
Today we recommend taking the ferry to Featherbed Nature Reserve situated on Knysna's Western Head, one of two magnificent sandstone cliffs guarding the entrance to the vast Knysna Lagoon.
 
This spectacular nature reserve is only accessible by ferry, followed by a short trailer ride to the top of the reserve which offers panoramic views. Most visitors choose to return on foot along a 1-mile Guided Nature Walk through natural coastal forest onto the cliffs, through caves and along a scenic coastal path, followed by a seafood buffet lunch served under the old Milkwood trees.
  
In the afternoon we recommend a visit to Knysna Elephant Park where you will have the opportunity to feed one of these gentle giants. The remainder of the afternoon is free to explore Knysna. This lively town is famous for its oysters, which are grown in the lagoon. It offers good shopping opportunities and many interesting craft shops.
Day 10
Today drive 1.5-hours along the beautiful Garden Route from Knysna to Tsitsikamma, stopping along the way to enjoy the beaches of Plettenberg Bay.  
 
Check into your accommodation and enjoy the flora and bird life of the Storms River and Tsitsikamma Forest.
Day 11
Today drive to Bloukrans Bridge near Nature's Valley, to experience the adrenalin thrill of bungy jumping from the highest single span arch bridge in the world!
 
After being secured in your full body harness, walk along the catwalk suspended beneath the bridge to the top of the arch - rising over 700 feet (216 m) above the Bloukrans River. Here you will be given final instructions, a countdown and off you go! Bloukrans uses pendulum bungy technology, ensuring the smoothest bungy jump possible.
 
If you do not wish to bungy jump, an alternative adventure activity of equal cost can be substituted.
Day 12
At leisure to relax and explore the scenic beauty of the Tsitsikamma Forest.
 
Many optional adventure activities are available in this region - the adventure capital of South Africa - including black water tubing down the Storms River, abseiling down Storms River gorge, an exciting Tree-top canopy tour, a marine walking & snorkelling trail, or bungy jumping from Bloukrans Bridge - the highest commercial bungy jump in the world.
 
You can also visit Monkeyland and Birds of Eden near Plettenberg Bay.
Day 13
Today drive 3-hour from Tsitsikamma to the malaria-free Addo Elephant Park in the beautiful Eastern Cape.
 
After checking in to your rest camp enjoy a self drive safari into Addo Elephant Park, where game viewing opportunities should present themselves almost immediately. In addition to the elephants, you can hope to see antelope, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and other plains game, as well as several of the Big Five, before dining in your warm African surroundings (park entry fee for own account).
Day 14
This morning enjoy a self drive safari in the malaria free Addo Elephant Park, where you can view these magnificent animals which once roamed free in this area and were saved from extinction by this national park, which has also preserved the rare Cape buffalo and the flying dung beetle. Addo is home to all the Big Five - Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhino - as well as many other interesting species.
  
The remainder of the morning is free to relax at your rest camp, before setting out again in the late afternoon for another game drive. You can hope to see ostrich, giraffe, hippo, kudu, crocodiles, antelope, waterbuck, warthogs, baboons and many other animals. With hundreds of different bird species in the region, outstanding bird watching is also guaranteed!
  
After a beautiful African sunset, enjoy the balmy evening and pristine stars of the Milky Way as you have never seen them before – as well as the spectacular Southern Cross.
Day 15
Enjoy some final game viewing in Addo Elephant Park, before driving 1-hour to Port Elizabeth Airport for your flight home.