URH10R: Sodwana Bay + Safari + Cape Town

Day 1

You will be met at Durban Airport and transferred to your luxury beachfront hotel. Situated on Durban’s Golden Mile, your hotel overlooks the warm Indian Ocean and has its own swimming pool. Relax and unwind in your warm sub-tropical surroundings.

[Alternatively fly directly to Richards Bay, with 2-hour road transfer to Sodwana Bay]

Day 2

Today you will be collected and transferred to Sodwana Bay Marine National Park in the Greater St Lucia Wetlands, a scenic 5-hour drive through rural Zululand.

Sodwana Bay is South Africa’s premier scuba diving location and recognised for its importance in marine conservation as a World Heritage site. This southern-most coral reef in the world, which stretches down from Mozambique, may be dived all year round although the best conditions are during the warm summer months (November to May).

Choose between a local dive resort, comprising simple but comfortable log cabins situated in the indigenous coastal forest, or upgrade to a luxury dive lodge situated right on the beach.

Check in, settle in and relax in your remote surroundings, where monkeys and antelope roam free. Once you are settled in bid farewell to your host, who will leave you to enjoy the facilities of your dive resort.

Days 3 to 5

Rise early each morning, to be on the beach by 06h30 when underwater viewing conditions are at their best. From the wide beach, expect an exhilarating surf entry into the clear warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Water temperatures average 20-25°C and visibility is excellent at 30-50 ft, as no major rivers flow into the sea at this point

Depending upon prevailing weather conditions, you have a choice of over 20 different dive sites, with the reefs named after their distance from the launch site. Their hard and soft corals, canyons and caves are teeming with a huge variety of sea life, including over 1,200 species of fish, turtles, bottle-nosed dolphins, moray eels, ribbon tail rays, mantas, butterfly fish, angelfish, sharks, migrating whales (April to July), whale sharks (January to February) and much more.

After breakfast there is time for an optional second dive, but as the North-Easter tends to blow after 10h00, all dives should be completed by midday.

Spend the afternoon relaxing by the lodge swimming pool or on the pristine beach, surrounded by the highest naturally vegetated sand dunes in the world. Alternatively enjoy one of the optional activities that can be arranged for you or your non-diving partner, including a late evening marine trail to see the remarkable spectacle of the egg laying and hatching of loggerhead and leatherback turtles (November to January).

Day 6

After a last dive at Sodwana Bay, you will be collected and transferred to the famous Hluhluwe iMfolozi National Park, a drive of just under 2-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 7

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 8

Return transfer to Durban Airport (3-hours) for your 2-hour flight to Cape Town.

On the way 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.

[NB: Remember that it is essential that you do not fly within 24 hours of your last dive]

You will be met at Cape Town Airport and transferred to your luxury hotel, conveniently situated near the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Check in and relax in your magnificent surroundings.

Day 9

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 10

Another day of leisure in Cape Town.

Choose one of the many local excursions available such as a visit to Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve where two oceans meet; the beautiful Stellenbosch Winelands or Robben Island the infamous prison home of Nelson Mandela. Or simply relax on golden Camp’s Bay Beach – the choice is yours!

If you choose the Cage Diving option, you will be collected around 06h00 and transferred to the small village of Gansbaai on False Bay, a scenic 2-hour drive. Breakfast will be served on the bus. After a safety briefing, you will transfer by boat for the 20-minute ride to Dyer Island and Shark Alley 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 towels. Return to shore 5 hours later, after a truly exhilarating day at sea and enjoy a hot lunch on the return coach journey to Cape Town.

Day 11

Return transfer to Cape Town Airport.