Spectacular South Africa Tour

Depart from the UK airport most convenient for you with British Airways at no extra cost. Your flight will depart from London Heathrow, with complimentary regional connections from Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Belfast.

We land in magnificent Cape Town, where our waiting coach will take us to the President Hotel. The rest of our day is at leisure until the early evening when we shall gather for drinks so we may all become acquainted for our forthcoming travels together.

A tour of South Africa’s Mother City takes us around Cape Town’s most important buildings and monuments. Experience first-hand the vibrant cultures and history and enjoy the city’s wonderful scenery. Weather conditions permitting, we shall take a cable car ride to enjoy spectacular views from the top of Table Mountain, followed by a walk through the colourful Malay Quarter of Bo Kaap. We drive through Green Market Square and District Six before continuing via Company Gardens and the Houses of Parliament, City Hall, the Castle of Good Hope and Slave Lodge. This afternoon we visit the superb Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. These gardens were founded in 1913 to preserve the country’s unique flora, and they are world-renowned not only for their beauty and diversity, but also for their magnificent setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.

Today, we venture out of the city to explore the spectacular landscapes surrounding Cape Town. Our day begins with a scenic drive through the pretty seaside suburbs of Sea Point and Camps Bay. We continue via Hout Bay, a charming fishing harbour with magnificent mountain views, before driving along Chapman’s Peak, one of the world’s most breath-taking coastal drives. We reach the Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans’ currents meet. We continue to Boulders Beach, home to a colony of the endangered African Penguin. Enjoy a visit to Simon’s Town prior to our return to Cape Town later in the afternoon.

This is our first Freedom Day, where we can choose to relax or explore as we please. Our Distant Journeys Tour Manager will be on hand to help with advice on things to do, where to eat, make any arrangements and book excursions for you to further explore the area. Perhaps take a journey to discover the winelands of the Western Cape. The tour will take us through the valleys and vineyards of the Cape Winelands and includes a cellar tour and wine-tasting in one of the region’s fabulous wineries. The scenery as we drive across the Helshoogte Pass to Stellenbosch is spectacular, and upon arrival we will have plenty of time to discover the second oldest settlement in South Africa. The town’s oak tree-lined streets and white-washed Cape Dutch-style buildings make this a delight for exploration on foot. Enjoy a stroll as well as a spot of lunch whilst watching the world go by. We also have time to visit Franschhoek before returning to the hotel later in the afternoon.

A further Freedom Day where you may choose to relax by the pool or possibly take an optional trip to Robben Island. Once reserved for high profile prisoners of the apartheid regime, today Robben Island is a monument recognising the iconic struggle of heroes including Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. The island was brought to the world’s attention when Nelson Mandela was released from prison in the early 1990s after serving more than two decades for the crime of speaking out against the apartheid government. Today, Robben Island is a World Heritage Site – acting as a museum as well as a reminder of the price Nelson Mandela and so many others paid for the freedom of democracy

We say goodbye to Cape Town today, as we begin our Garden Route tour. Our journey takes us to Swellendam, a one-time rebel republic’s capital. We continue eastward through undulating countryside and peaceful villages to Mossel Bay, where we visit the Post Office Tree – a place 16th and 17th-century sailors left their letters for returning ships to carry to Europe. From Mossel Bay we continue to Knysna and our next three nights will be spent at the Protea Knysna Quays.

This morning, we have included an excursion to The Featherbed Nature Reserve, a unique 150-hectare private nature reserve, which encompasses the whole of the Western Head of Knysna, and is one of South Africa’s Natural Heritage Sites. We cruise across Knysna Lagoon before spending time enjoying the spectacular coastal scenery. The reserve is home to many native flowers and trees, as well as the endangered Blue Duiker (the smallest known antelope species in Africa), Cape Mountain Tortoises, Blue Cranes (South Africa’s national bird) and rare Black African Oyster Catchers. Your afternoon is free to relax or stroll around Knysna’s pretty waterfront.

On our Freedom Day, we will have the opportunity to join an optional tour to the Cango Caves and Oudtshoorn, South Africa’s ostrich capital. The day begins with a drive over the visually stunning Outeniqua Pass as we make our way to the beauty of the semi-arid Klein Karoo. Enjoy a tour of the Cango Caves, a vast series of magnificently colourful limestone caverns which to this day have only been partially explored. This is followed by a guided tour of an ostrich farm, tracing the ostrich from egg to adulthood. Finally, drive via the laid-back country town of Oudtshoorn, with its pretty Victorian buildings. Later in the day we return to Knysna.

This morning, our journey continues along the Garden Route, via Plettenberg Bay, stopping en-route to enjoy some fantastic photographic opportunities. After lunch, we continue to Port Elizabeth in time for our flight to Durban. Upon arrival we transfer to the luxurious Beverly Hills Hotel, ideally situated overlooking the Indian Ocean, in the upmarket resort of Umhlanga Rocks.

After breakfast, we enjoy a half-day sightseeing tour of nearby Durban. Visits include Victoria Embankment and City Hall. We also explore the impressive Durban Botanical Gardens, founded in 1849 and home to a fine array of African, Asian and American trees and shrubs. With a prime beachfront location and unobstructed sea views, relaxing by the hotel’s huge pool is a wonderful way to unwind in the afternoon.

A day at leisure to spend as you please on South Africa’s beautiful Dolphin Coast. Why not take a full-day optional excursion to explore the 19th-century Anglo-Zulu battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift? Learn about the fascinating history of the battles that took place in January 1879 and witness the landscape on which the fighting occurred. Alternatively, embark on an immersive day trip to the tiny country of Lesotho. Travel in a 4×4 vehicle in order to cross Africa’s highest pass: the 9,435-foot-high (2,876 metres) Sani Pass, to enter this intriguing land-locked kingdom. Once inside, pay a visit to a Sotho village to experience how the locals live.

This morning we travel along South Africa’s Elephant Coast to the magnificent Bayala Private Game Reserve situated in the heart of Zululand. Nestled within a non-malaria, ‘Big Five’ private conservancy of close to 30,000 hectares of unspoiled wilderness, Bayala Private Safari Lodge and Camp provides the perfect venue for your safari experience. Upon arrival we will enjoy lunch prior to checking in; each of our thatch-roofed en-suite rooms are tastefully decorated with neutral bushveld colours. Later in the afternoon we take to our open jeeps for our first game drive around the reserve. Bayala is teeming with wildlife including giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, hyena and white rhino, as well as over 450 different bird species.  After a thrilling afternoon we return to our lodge in time for dinner.

Tour Highlight

This morning we wake early for another exciting game drive. Bayala is home to ‘The Big Five’, so keep a look out for elephant and lions as well as the more usual game species. We return to our lodge in time for a relaxed breakfast where you are free to relax until the heat of the day subsides later in the afternoon.  Perhaps read a book or take a swim in the pool enjoying the sights and sounds of the African bush.  Later in the day we return to our jeeps for another game drive prior to dinner.

All good things must come to an end and, following a leisurely breakfast, we leave Bayala and make our way back to the coast. We stop for lunch at a seafront restaurant before driving to Durban where we board our flight to Johannesburg. Upon arrival we make our way to the beautiful Irene Country Lodge, where we stay for two nights.

This morning, enjoy a tour around the city of Pretoria. Included is the Union Building, Voortrekkers Monument and Smuts House Museum. Our afternoon is at leisure. There is the option of a visit to the Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Breeding Centre. Established in 1971, as the De Wildt Cheetah Research Centre, the centre has performed an important role in the preservation and protection of cheetahs.

The day is yours to spend as you please prior to our departure to the airport later in the day. Perhaps use the opportunity to visit the region’s liveliest township, Soweto, home to over 3.5 million people and steeped in history. This evening we board our chosen for our home bound journey to the UK.

See more of Africa

If you prefer, you have the perfect opportunity to extend your stay and visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Victoria Falls with our 3-night Victoria Falls holiday extension, or take in Chobe National Park as well with our 6-night Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park extension.

We arrive at our chosen airport. After 18 fabulous days, our Spectacular South African adventure comes to an end.