GRIS5P: Malaria-free Safari + Garden Route

Day 1

You will be met at Port Elizabeth Airport and transferred 45-minutes to your beautiful malaria-free Private Game Reserve situated in the Eastern Cape.

In the afternoon, enjoy your first safari game drive in an open-top vehicle accompanied by a lodge ranger, before returning to your lodge for dinner.

Day 2

Rise before dawn to take advantage of the best game viewing conditions of the day, as you search for the Big Five – lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard. You may also see giraffe, wild dogs, wildebeest and many other species of antelope and plains game.

Accommodation is on a full board basis and includes two game-viewing drives per day in an open game-viewing vehicle, with an experienced ranger (early morning and late afternoon).

Between game drives relax at your safari lodge, which has a swimming pool and also offers guided walks. Bird Watching is also outstanding.

Game Lodge Options:
SILVER: Kariega Main Lodge
GOLD: Kariega Ukhozi Lodge or Lalibela
PLATINUM: Shamwari Game Reserve

Day 3

Enjoy another early open-top game drive this morning, before returning to your lodge for breakfast.

You will be collected from your game lodge in the morning and transferred to the beautiful Garden Route, a scenic 3-hour drive along the coast across the dramatic Storm’s River Gorge and through Tsitsikamma.

Check in to your luxury hotel in Knysna or Plettenberg Bay and relax in this area of outstanding natural beauty.

Day 4

This morning you will be transferred to the ferry to 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.

Day 5

Today is free for relaxation and independent sightseeing in Knysna. This lively town is famous for its bohemian artists and oysters, which are grown in the lagoon. It offers many interesting craft shops and several excellent seafood restaurants.

Many optional excursions are available such as a day visit to Oudtshoorn to see ostriches and the Cango Caves. Visit neighbouring Plettenberg Bay, South Africa’s playground for the rich and famous with spectacular sweeping beaches. Schools of dolphins are regularly seen in the warm Indian Ocean and whales may be seen in season (August to November).

Day 6

Today you will be transferred along the coastal route to Cape Town Airport, a scenic 6-hour drive.

[Alternatively 45-minute transfer to George Airport; or 3-hour transfer to Port Elizabeth Airport]