DPU12D: Zulu Battlefields, Garden Route + Cape Town

Day 1

Arrive Durban Airport and meet your Battlefields safari host, who will transfer you to your luxury Beach Resort, situated 40-minutes north of Durban, renowned for its picturesque sandy beaches and reliably good holiday weather all year round.

Relax and unwind in warm sub-tropical surroundings on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

Day 2

This morning your host will share with you the beauty of rural Zululand as you transfer to the famous Hluhluwe iMfolozi National Park, a drive of just under 3-hours.

On the way we stop at an authentically reconstructed Zulu Village to experience Zulu life and culture, and stop at a self-help project to give you the opportunity of supporting the local community by purchasing one of their handmade products.

Check in to your luxury game lodge situated just outside the park, relax and settle in to your African bushveld surroundings. Then enjoy your first game drive in an open-top game-viewing vehicle into the vast Hluhluwe iMfolozi National Park, hosted by a lodge ranger. We hope to see one or more of the Big 5, before relaxing with drinks around the campfire in the Boma and enjoying dinner, which is likely to include several interesting game dishes.

Day 3

Up early today for a 05h30 game drive in an open-top vehicle into the great Hluhluwe iMfolozi National Park, hosted by your lodge ranger. This is one of South Africa’s most beautiful game parks and home to all the Big Five and the subcontinent’s largest population of endangered white and black rhino. We expect to see lion, buffalo, rhino, elephant, giraffe and many other interesting species.

Return to the lodge for a full breakfast at approx 09h30. The remainder of the morning is free to relax at the lodge or enjoy a guided walk on the lodge property with a ranger to view the smaller trees, insects and flora of the region. In the afternoon return to Hluhluwe iMfolozi for a full afternoon of game viewing with your host in his vehicle.

Whilst the sun sets over the park, enjoy sundowners in the scenic hills and in the evening dine in the atmosphere that only the African bushveld can provide!

Day 4

After a leisurely breakfast, today we reluctantly leave Hluhluwe iMfolozi and enjoy a boat ride on the Lake St Lucia estuary to see hippos and crocodiles. Part of the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park, this area has been declared a World Heritage Site because of its importance to marine conservation. With over 600 different bird species in the region, including flamingos and pelicans, it also offers one of the greatest bird watching experiences in the world.

We continue to the remote battlefields at Isandlwana, a scenic 3-hour drive through rural Zululand. On the way we visit a Zulu Village to experience Zulu life and culture and stop at a self-help project to give you the opportunity of supporting the local community by purchasing one of their handmade products.

Check in to your luxury Zulu accommodation, settle in an enjoy dinner whilst absorbing some of the fascinating history of this great conflict between Britain and the proud Zulu Kingdom. Then take time to view the pristine stars of the Southern Sky, including the distinctive Southern Cross.

Day 5

This morning we visit the poignant battlefield at Isandlwana, where in 1879 the mighty British army suffered the greatest defeat in its history following its controversial invasion of Zululand. See for yourself the events portrayed so passionately in the film Zulu Dawn, as the regiment was wiped out almost to a man by 25,000 Zulu warriors.

We continue to Fugitives Drift, where a handful of survivors fought valiantly to save the Queen’s colours and Rorkes Drift, where the following morning honour was restored as a small contingent of 100 British soldiers (many of them sick) held off over 4,000 Zulus earning no fewer than 11 Victoria Crosses – unforgettably brought to life by Michael Caine in the film Zulu.

Recommended Reading:
Brave Men’s Blood – Ian Knight

Day 6

Return transfer to Durban Airport for your 1.5-hour flight to Port Elizabeth.

Arrive Port Elizabeth Airport and meet your Garden Route holiday host, who will introduce you to the beauty of the Eastern Cape on your 3-hour transfer to Knysna.

We drive southwards along the Garden Route as we cross the dramatic Storm’s River Gorge and view the giant yellowwoods of Tsitsikamma Forest.

We also visit Plettenberg Bay, South Africa’s playground for the rich and famous. Schools of dolphins are regularly seen here in the warm Indian Ocean and whales may be seen in season (July to November).

Check in to your luxury hotel in Knysna and settle in to your beautiful surroundings.

[Or 45-minute transfer from George Airport]

Day 7

This morning we visit Featherbed Nature Reserve, situated on the 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 via a 1-mile Guided Nature Walk through natural coastal forest onto the cliffs, through caves and along a scenic coastal path. A seafood buffet lunch is then served under the old Milkwood trees.

The remainder of the afternoon and evening are free to explore Knysna on foot. This lively town is famous for its oysters, which are grown in the lagoon. It also offers good shopping opportunities and many interesting craft shops in the town.

Day 8

Today we follow the spectacular coastal route from Knysna via the Goukamma Nature Reserve and Sedgefield Lakes to Wilderness.

We continue through the Outeniqua Pass into the arid Little Karoo to Oudtshoorn, where we visit the world-renowned Cango Caves – a vast series of underground halls and caverns formed over 20 million years ago in the foothills of the Swartberg Mountains. The caves, which extend for over 3 miles, contain spectacular stalagmites and stalactites and offer relatively easy access.

Check in to your luxury guesthouse for overnight and dinner.

Day 9

This morning we visit an Ostrich Farm to view these huge flightless birds in their natural surroundings.

Your host will then show you more of the dramatic and contrasting beauty of South Africa on your scenic 6-hour drive to Cape Town, via spectacular Route 62. During our journey we enjoy some wine tasting at two Wine Estates, one renowned for its port and the other for its wine.

Transfer to your luxury hotel conveniently situated near the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Your Garden Route host will bid you farewell once you are checked in to your hotel and settled into your magnificent surroundings.

Day 10

Today is free for independent sightseeing in Cape Town.

You will be given a day pass for the convenient red Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, which stops at all Cape Town’s key sights and beaches. Start by ascending Table Mountain by cable car to enjoy one of the world’s most famous views. Continue to Camps Bay beach, and then explore the shops and many other attractions of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, which is also the centre of Cape Town’s nightlife.

Alternatively choose one of the many optional excursions available, such as to the Robben Island, the infamous prison home of Nelson Mandela. Or simply relax on golden Camp’s Bay beach – the choice is yours!

Day 11

This morning your Cape Town host will collect you for a full day tour to the beautiful Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.

We start with a short boat trip from Hout Bay to view Cape Fur seals at Seal Island. We continue via spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive to Cape Point where we hope to see ostrich, baboons and perhaps even dolphins. On the return journey we pass through naval Simons Town, and stop to see its resident penguin colony at Boulders Beach.

We also make a short stop at the Living Hope HIV/AIDs craft centre, your opportunity to support this self-help scheme by purchasing some of their hand-made products, before returning to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Day 12

Enjoy a full day tour to the Stellenbosch Winelands today, travelling through the scenic Franschhoek Valley where a handful of French Huguenot refugees started South Africa’s now famous wine industry.

Visit the historic town of Stellenbosch and several different Wine Estates of your choice – sampling as you go! Enjoy a picnic lunch at a wine estate, before visiting a cheetah breeding project and another Wine Estate on the way home.

Day 13

Return transfer to Cape Town Airport.