CPT12J: Cape Town + Hermanus + Kruger Park

Day 1

Arrive Cape Town Airport and meet your Cape Town holiday host, who will transfer you to your luxury hotel conveniently situated near the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Check in and relax in your magnificent surroundings.

Day 2

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, then explore the shops and many other attractions of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, which is also the centre of Cape Town’s nightlife.

Day 3

This morning your 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 4

Another day of leisure in Cape Town.

Choose one of the many local excursions available such as a visit to Robben Island, the infamous prison home of Nelson Mandela. Alternatively explore the many sights of Cape Town, shop at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, or simply relax on golden Camp’s Bay beach – the choice is yours!

Day 5

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 6

This morning transfer to the small seaside town of Hermanus, a scenic coastal drive of just under 2-hours, travelling via Gordon’s Bay and False Bay.

From July to November, southern right and humpback whales come here to breed and this is considered the best location for land-based Whale Watching holidays in the world. Weather permitting, this will include a boat trip to get closer views.

Out of whale season, we stop at a Wine Estate to taste some of South Africa’s world famous wines. Then relax and enjoy the beauty of the Cape beaches.

Your host will return to Cape Town after you have checked in to your luxury guesthouse.

Day 7

Enjoy the beauty of the coastline today, as you explore Hermanus on foot and whale watch from the cliffs, which usually offer excellent viewing.

Once severely endangered, these magnificent creatures of the deep are now breeding successfully in the area due to a major international conservation effort.

There is an excellent coastal path, to allow you to enjoy the fynbos and bird life, and a small beach with steep access. There are many interesting shops in the village and an open-air craft market in season.

 Day 8

Return transfer to Cape Town Airport for your 2-hour flight to Mpumalanga.

You will be met at Mpumalanga Airport by your Kruger Park safari host, who will introduce you to the beauty of the Eastern Transvaal on your scenic 45-minute drive to Hazyview. Check in to your luxury guesthouse for dinner and overnight.

Day 9

This morning your host will share with you the splendour of the Drakensberg Panorama Route as you drive through Blyde River Canyon, the third largest canyon in the world.

View Mac Mac Falls, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the panoramic views from God’s Window. If time permits, we also make a brief stop at the historic mining village of Pilgrim’s Rest.

Continue to Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, where you have the unique opportunity of viewing wild lion, leopard, cheetah, eagles and vultures at close quarters. Animals found injured, poisoned or orphaned are given a second chance and released back into the wilds.

Check in to your luxury guesthouse for dinner and overnight.

Day 10

Today we enter the world famous Kruger National Park. Game viewing opportunities should present themselves almost immediately in this vast 2-million hectare game sanctuary the size to Wales. Hopefully we will see several species of antelope, zebra, wildebeest and maybe even giraffe before we reach camp.

The Kruger Park offers a choice of seven camps, each situated in a different section of the park with its own unique flora and fauna: Skukuza, Letaba, Olifants, Lower Sabie, Pretoriuskop, Satara and Berg-en-Dal. Accommodation is in simple but comfortable thatched game park bungalows, with each camp having a restaurant and a small shop.

Check in, settle-in and relax in your outdoor bushveld surroundings before enjoying dinner (exact camp subject to availability at time of booking).

Days 11 and 12

As you will have the services of a private driver/guide throughout your safari, you will have the flexibility of discussing preferred routings and travelling times with him each day. However we recommend setting off early each morning as the camp gates open (05h30 to 06h00 depending on the season), to take advantage of the best game viewing conditions of the day.

Explore the vast Kruger Plains, which offer magnificent game viewing opportunities and the highest concentration of lion in the whole of Africa. Hopefully we will see at least one of the Big Five today - Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhino, before returning to camp at around 09h00 for breakfast.

The rest of the morning can be spent relaxing at camp, reading or bird watching, before setting out again at the time of your choice (usually the late afternoon) for another game drive.

One game drive per day will be in an open-top game viewing vehicle operated by the Kruger Park (either early morning, late afternoon or evening), with all other game drives taken with your host in an air-conditioned minibus, as this is more comfortable in the heat of the day.

With nearly 150 different species of mammals and over 100 species of reptiles in the Kruger Park, we hope to see giraffe, kudu, sable antelope, waterbuck, warthogs, baboons, wild dogs and many other interesting animals.

In the evening, enjoy the balmy weather and pristine stars of the Southern Sky and Milky Way, as you have never seen them before – including the spectacular Southern Cross.

[Note: Children < 12 are not allowed on open top game drives. However they may enjoy unlimited game drives in your host’s vehicle]

Day 13

This morning we return to Johannesburg Airport, stopping at a Cultural Village and self-help project to give you the opportunity of supporting the local community by purchasing one of their handmade products.

[Or fly from Mpumalanga Airport]