KPN12J: Kruger Park + Garden Route + Cape Town

Day 1

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

We cross the dramatic Storm’s River Gorge, which is popular for bungi jumping and South African adventure holidays 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 (August 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 2

This morning we visit Featherbed Nature Reserve, situated on the Western Head - one of two magnificent sandstone cliffs guarding the entrance to the 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: 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 bohemian artists and oysters, which are grown in the lagoon. It also offers good shopping opportunities and many interesting craft centres in the town.

Day 3

Today is free for sightseeing in Knysna and the surrounding area.

Explore the town or choose one of the many optional excursions available, such as horse riding, cycling, walking or playing championship golf on one of the Garden Route’s world famous courses. Many adventure activities are also available in the Tsitsikamma Forest.

Alternatively simply relax on Leisure Isle or Brenton Beach.

Two sets of local return transfers provided per day. Extra transfers can be arranged locally

Day 4

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 5

Today we visit an Ostrich Farm to view these huge flightless birds in their natural surroundings, before travelling the spectacular Route 62 through the Karoo and the beautiful Cape Winelands to Cape Town, a scenic drive of around 5-hours.

During our journey we enjoy some wine tasting at two Wine Estates, one renowned for its port and the other for its wine.

Check in to your luxury city hotel conveniently situated near the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and relax in magnificent surroundings.

[Or fly from George Airport, with 1hr transfer from Oudtshoorn]

Day 6

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 to Robben Island, the infamous prison home of Nelson Mandela. Or simply relax on golden Camp’s Bay beach – the choice is yours!

Day 7

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 8

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 9

This morning transfer to Cape Town Airport for your flight to Mpumalanga.

At Mpumalanga Airport you will be met by your safari host and transferred to the world famous Kruger National Park. Game viewing opportunities should present themselves almost immediately in this vast 2-million hectare game sanctuary the size of 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 10 and 11

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 12

This morning we leave Kruger National Park and visit 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.

Your host will then 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, before checking in to your luxury guesthouse in Hazyview for dinner and overnight.

Day 13

This morning we return to Johannesburg Airport, a scenic 5-hour drive through the Transvaal. On the way we stop 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]