Great Adventure Trips

South Africa

Self-drive / Family / Walking / Romance / General Tours
Horse Safaris / Camping Tours / Victoria Falls extension

Magic of South Africa

Our private escorted tour, using mostly premier accommodation, is at a relaxed pace giving you time to savour each area that you visit. You begin in Cape Town and enjoy scheduled day tours in the City and to Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula and the Winelands. Then you meander along the Garden Route to the bushveld of the Eastern Cape where you enjoy game drives in Addo Elephant National Park. Next you fly to the Kruger area for the scenic delights of the Blyde River Canyon and Pilgrims Rest. Your holiday ends with a flourish as you enjoy a Big Five safari in the Sabi Sands private game reserve – one of the foremost game reserves in Africa.

Meals: As in text below
Accommodation: Premier
Departure Dates: Saturdays from Cape Town
Transport: Luxury VW microbus with Air-conditioning
Price Includes: Meals and accommodation as shown in text, transport, services of a guide, game drives on safari
Price Excludes: International & domestic flights, visas, items of a personal nature, meals not specified
Minimum Number: 1
Climate Sub-tropical climate in Mpumalanga and Swaziland, Meditterranean climate in the Cape
Best time to go: Suitable all year round
Health Requirements: Anti-Malarial precautions essential. Sunblock essential.
Combines well with Victoria Falls

Day 1 - Arrive in Cape Town, 4 nights
On arrival at Cape Town Airport you are met and transferred to the Vineyard Hotel for your 4 night stay. The rest of day is at leisure. Cape Town is one of the most beautifully situated cities in the world. Cradled by Table Mountain, it has immense charm and historical interest whilst its unique cultural blend; part African, part European and part Asian, makes for a cosmopolitan dining experience.

The Vineyard Hotel is a vibrant four star hotel in 6 acres of gardens complete with river frontage only 15 mins from the city centre. Al rooms offer glamorous modern marble bathrooms with separate shower, tea/coffee facilities, minibar on request, satellite television and telephone. The hotel has two restaurants: Au Jardin offering a gourmet dining experience and the new Conservatory for lunches and relaxed evening dining. The sitting room and bar has French doors onto the expansive terrace overlooking the gardens and the mountain, which is also used for alfresco breakfasts and lunches. At the south end of the gardens, is a large heated outdoor swimming pool and the hotel's well-equipped fitness centre, indoor heated pool, healthy eating restaurant as well as the superb Angsana spa. Bed & Breakfast

Day 2 - Half Day Table Mountain and Cape Town City Tour
You begin with a journey by the cable car to the top of Table Mountain for a panoramic view of the Cape Peninsula. Afterwards you travel into the city where you fist visit the Castle of Good Hope, the original fort of Cape Town built in 1652 and now painstakingly restored. From there you continue to the lovely flower market and the historic centre of Cape Town with its many 18th century buildings. Finally you explore the Malay quarter, a historic sector of the city with original Malay buildings and narrow streets before continuing to the Waterfront where the tour ends just before lunch. The afternoon is at leisure. Bed & Breakfast

Day 3 - Full day Cape Peninsula tour
Today is a full day Cape Peninsula tour which includes a scenic coastal drive along Chapmans Peak; the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point; viewing the Penguins at Boulders Bay; Simon's Town historical naval base and ends with the magnificent Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Bed & Breakfast

Day 4 - Full day Cape Winelands tour
You enjoy a scenic tour of the Cape Winelands today. A combination of the favourable effects of the two major ocean currents meeting off the Cape makes the climate in the area perfect for the acres of vineyards. The stunning backdrop of the Hottentots Holland Mountains, the tree-lined streets and the white gabled Cape Dutch homesteads all blend in tranquil harmony.

You first visit a wine estate for a fascinating tour of the winemaking process. You continue to Stellenbosch, one of the finest towns in South Africa. The backdrop of the Hottentots Holland mountains, the white gabled Cape Dutch Homesteads and the oak-lined streets and lanes all blend in to give it a charm that will not be quickly forgotten. You enjoy a scenic drive over the majestic Helshoogte Pass to the lively village of Franschhoek where you visit the magnificent homestead of Boschendal. Enjoy breathtaking views from Paarl Rock before being dropped off at your hotel in the late afternoon.Bed & Breakfast

Day 5 - Fly to George, Afternoon tour to Little Karoo
Transfer to Cape Town airport for a short flight to George (tour excludes flight cost). Here you are met and taken on a tour of the Little Karoo, via the Outeniqua Mountains. You visit the Cango Caves and an ostrich farm before staying overnight at Eight Bells Mountain Inn

Eight Bells Mountain Inn has a superb location on the Robinson Pass. Many features in this hotel, for example the 45cm thick walls of the billiard room, are part of the original homestead. The hotel has 24 en suite rooms, thatched chalets and log cabins all in the rolling gardens. It has a host of leisure activities on the 400 acre estate include swimming, tennis, squash, bowls, billiards, horse riding and a range of walking trails.
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Day 6 - 2 nights Plettenberg Bay
Today you visit the Bartholomeus Diaz museum at Mossel Bay before enjoying a scenic lakeside drive to Plettenberg Bay via the Robberg Nature Reserve.Stay 2 nights at Emily Moon River Lodge.

Emily Moon River Lodge is a tranquil yet surprising haven with glorious sweeping views of the Bitou river. The eight chalets are stylishly decorated with interesting African furniture and artefacts and clean simple lines. Each has a sitting area with fireplace, TV, telephone, minibar, ceiling fan and a private wooden deck overlooking the river. The main lodge is entered by ancient carved wooden doors. Facilities include a swimming pool, canoes for paddling on the river, an acclaimed restaurant and bar.
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Day 7 - Full day boat cruise/tour to Featherbed Nature Reserve, Knysna
You visit Knysna, an attractive little town on the edge of the glorious Knysna lagoon, backed by the magical Knysna forest with its great yellowwood trees and massive ferns. Drive up to the Heads, two sandstone buttressed cliffs at the mouth of the lagoon. Here at the summit of the heads you enjoy a lovely view of the town, the lagoon and the Indian ocean. Next you take a boat cruise across the Knysna Lagoon to Featherbed Nature Reserve where you have a delicious lunch under the milkwood trees. From here you take by 4x4 ride up to the top of the reserve where you enjoy a 2.2 km guided walk to a viewpoint and then down to the lagoon through the reserve. You return to Knysna in the mid afternoon where you have some time at leisure to browse for arts and crafts amongst the many shops or visit the Knysna Oyster Farm
Lunch & Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Day 8 - 2 nights Addo Elephant National Park
Head to the verdant Tsitsikamma forest to visit Storms River en route to Elephant House where you spend 2 nights. There’s an optional valley tour including wine in the late afternoon (extra cost).

Elephant House is an exclusive thatched lodge only minutes from the Addo Elephant Park in the sun-drenched Sundays River Valley. Surrounded by rolling lawns and indigenous trees, this is the perfect place to return to after game viewing in the bush. Elephant House oozes character: deep verandas furnished with antiques; Persian carpets and a fascinating collection of Africana art. Cool off in the pool, relax in the summerhouse or retreat to the Map room for drinks. 12 air-conditioned bedrooms, stylishly decorated with Moorish, African and Colonial influences, open out onto verandas or courtyards. A sumptuous candlelit dinner is served on silver and crystal under the stars, and is prepared with personal attention and great flair.
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Day 9 - Game drive in Addo Elephant Park
This morning you enjoy a 4x4 game drive in the Addo Elephant Park returning just before lunch. In the afternoon you can choose between a game drive in Schotia private reserve or an elephant back safari in the afternoon in the Zurrberg Mountains.
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Day 10 - Fly to Kruger Airport, 2 nights Blyde River Area
You are transferred to Port Elizabeth for a flight to the Kruger Airport via Johannesburg (tour excludes flight cost). On arrival you are met and transferred to Jatinga Country House for 2 nights. Jatinga Country Lodge is a boutique hotel on the outskirts of White River. The original 1920's homestead is surrounded by 40 acres of magnificent gardens with towering purple Jacaranda trees and rolling lawns running down to the river. Here an elevated deck provides the ideal spot for bird-watching or drinks at sunset. Furnished in a mix of styles from Colonial to Provencal to English country, the lodge has 16 superior rooms and 4 luxury suites. All rooms are very spacious with en-suite bathrooms with showers and private patios. Other facilities include a light-filled conservatory, a little pub, bowling green, swimming pool and croquet lawn.
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Day 11 - Full day tour of the Blyde River area
You travel up into the Drakensberg Escarpment, a beautiful area of tumbling streams and waterfalls amongst indigenous woodland and forest plantations where you enjoy a scenic tour of the Blyde River Canyon visiting the Three Rondavels, Bourne’s Luck potholes and God's Window. You also visit Pilgrims Rest, a restored mining village that was the centre of a 19th century gold rush. The town’s many preserved houses and museums bring this fascinating history alive.
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Day 12 & 13 - 2 nights Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve
Transfer by road to Elephant Plains Lodge in the exclusive Sabi Sands private game reserve for 2 nights on safari. Elephant Plains Game Lodge comprises 11 rooms and suites with en suite bathrooms with shower and bath, air-conditioning, ceiling fans and mosquito nets. Meals are served around a fire in the open-air boma under a starlit sky. Adjacent to the swimming pool, the wooden sundeck offers spectacular views overlooking the waterhole and scenic plain. Your experienced game ranger and local Shangaan tracker are keen to share with you their extensive knowledge and love of the African bush. The days starts with an early morning game drive, then after breakfast a bush walk gives you the opportunity to learn about the smaller wonders of the veld. During the afternoon game drive you will stop for sundowners whilst watching the sun set over the awe-inspiring wilderness before enjoying a night drive.
Full Board & Game Drives

Day 14 - Transfer to Hoedspruit Airport
Transfer to Hoedspruit airport for flight to Johannesburg (Flight not included in tour price).

Price per person sharing: 01 May 2009 - 31 Aug 2009= US$3343, 01 Sep 2009 - 30 Sep 2009 = US$3475, 01 Oct 2009 - 31 Oct 2009 = US$3667.00