Cape Town, the Garden Route & Big Five Safari

Elephants outside the Garden Route Game Lodge

Experience one of the world’s most beautiful cities, some startling scenery, and the giants of the animal kingdom.

Knysna, South Africa Cape Town

Available Feb, Apr, May, Sep to Nov 2022, Jan to Jun & Sep to Nov 2023 Fly direct (flight upgrades available). Prices from

• Heathrow £2,409 (UK connecting flights available, call us for details) Personalise your holiday

• Robben Island (full day) – from £69 Room for Sole Use from £459

Please note: The order of the itinerary may sometimes vary but the overall content and tour duration in South Africa will always be maintained. In 2023 the itinerary will operate in reverse.

Stellenbosch

South Africa

WINELANDS

Cape Town Stellenbosch

Hermanus Albertinia

Mossel Bay Knysna

• Four game drives in search of the ‘Big Five’ • Ride Table Mountain’s rotating cable car • Spend two nights in the privately owned

Garden Route Game Lodge • Tour the beautiful Cape Peninsula • Visit whale-watching town of Hermanus • Discover South Africa’s Cape Winelands and beautiful Western Cape • Wine tasting on a Franschhoek estate • See the extraordinary Cango Caves and visit an ostrich farm • Journey to Knysna, on the Garden Route • Take a cruise on Knysna Lagoon • Tour of Stellenbosch with included bubbly and nougat experience • A spectacular whale-watching cruise (Sep to Nov departures only) • Nine nights’ carefully chosen bed and breakfast accommodation, plus two nights on the aircraft • Three lunches and four dinners • Return flights to Cape Town via

Johannesburg, with coach travel and transfers throughout • Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager

Join us for a perfect introduction to South Africa, one of the world’s most beautiful countries, on an extraordinary-value tour crammed with unforgettable highlights. Discover spectacular Cape Town in its glorious setting beneath Table Mountain, see rugged Indian Ocean-washed shores, cross the arid plain of the Little Karoo, go in search of the Big Five in a private game reserve, and relax in the sun-kissed surroundings of some of South Africa’s finest vineyards.

Day One – Fly to Cape Town Fly from the UK, via Johannesburg, to Cape Town. Day Two – Free day at leisure Today you’re free to relax in one of the world’s most stunningly located cities. Perhaps take a stroll along the V&A Waterfront, where you’ll find several cultural landmarks, including the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art. This evening, you might choose to join the optional sunset cruise on the bay. Day Three – Included Cape Town city tour Meet your tour manager for an orientation tour of the city. You’ll see historical landmarks like the Castle of Good Hope, the House of Parliament, and the leafy Company’s Gardens. You’ll also enjoy a stroll past the colourful Bo Kapp colonial district before returning to your hotel by lunchtime. This afternoon, you can choose between enjoying some time at leisure or joining the optional tour to the infamous Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Day Four – Included Cape Peninsula tour and Table Mountain cable-car ride Enjoy a fascinating full-day tour on which you’ll visit treacherous Cape Point, where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean, Kirstenbosch, famous for its Botanical Gardens and Hout Bay, and – weather-permitting – breathtakingly scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive. This afternoon, ascend Table Mountain in a rotating cable car that offers a 360-degree panorama as it climbs to the 1000-metre high summit. Day Five – Included Winelands tour and visit to Franschhoek Head east into the verdant Cape Winelands region and to wine-producing Franschhoek for lunch and a wine tasting in the fabled Franschhoek Wine Valley, before continuing to Stellenbosch, deep in the heart of this scenic landscape. Enjoy a guided introduction of Stellenbosch, followed by a glass of bubbly and some local nougat. With its oak trees and picturesque, European-style Cape Dutch houses, Stellenbosch is a delightful place to spend a night. Day Six – Included visit to the Cango Caves and the Little Karoo Travel on to Oudtshoorn, the Ostrich Capital of the World, in the heart of the Little Karoo plain. The world’s strangest, largest and often most valuable bird has been farmed here for 130 years. Enjoy a taste at your barbecue lunch, before visiting the worldrenowned Cango Caves. Later, you’ll continue to the coastal Garden Route resort of Mossel Bay for a two-night stay. Day Seven – Knysna Lagoon and the Garden of Eden This morning, you’ll travel to coastal Knysna for a cruise on the beautiful lagoon. After the cruise, you’ll travel in a 4x4 up to the headland for some spectacular views, listening as your expert guide tells you about the local history, flora and fauna. A buffet lunch will be served at an outdoor restaurant under a picturesque canopy of milkwood trees. After some free time to explore Knysna’s charming waterfront, enjoy a guided walk around the Garden of Eden in the Harkerville Forest, before returning to Mossel Bay for a traditional South African barbecue. Day Eight – Included game drive at the Garden Route Game Lodge Journey via the historic, sleepy harbour town of Mossel Bay to the Garden Route Game Lodge, in the heart of a privately operated reserve where you’ll spend the next two days. During your stay here, in the shadow of the Langeberg mountains, you’ll enjoy all the wonders of safari game drives to see the Big Five while staying in comfortable lodges and enjoying typical African dinners looking out over the reserve. This afternoon, enjoy your first game drive, then perhaps enjoy a sun-downer before dinner. Day Nine – Two included game drives A second day at the lodge begins with a pre-breakfast game drive. Enjoy some free time for a siesta before setting off on a second evening game drive. Upon your return to the camp, enjoy a complimentary refreshment beside the authentic boma (campfire), before you savour another memorable dinner under the stars. Day 10 – Travel to Hermanus After a final early morning game drive, you’ll journey west to Hermanus, a famous whale-watching centre from July to November. Departures between September and November will include a whalewatching cruise. Later, enjoy a sumptuous dinner with a panoramic view of Walker Bay at La Pentola restaurant. Day 11 – Travel to Cape and return flight Begin your last scenic day of touring as you make the dramatic descent from Sir Lowry’s Pass onto the Cape Flats. Return to Cape Town airport, via Stony Point Nature reserve to see the penguin colony, for your overnight flight home via Johannesburg. Day 12 – Arrive in the UK You’ll land back home this morning, at the end of a wonderful holiday in South Africa.

Your Hotels

Male Lion

Ilita Lodge, Mossel Bay

Bantry Bay Suite Hotel, Cape Town nights 2-4

The boutique hotel is situated in a prime seafront location. The hotel boasts a choice of two restaurants and spacious suite accommodation that come with kitchenette facilities. De Zalze Lodge Hotel, Stellenbosch night 5

This Dutch vernacular-style lodge is opposite the golf course. There is a pool and restaurant, a bar and all en-suite rooms have TV and tea/ coffee-making facilities. Ilita Lodge, Mossel Bay nights 6-7

Offers panoramic Southern Ocean views on a hill overlooking Great Brak River. A sun terrace with sun-loungers surrounds the pool. Airconditioned rooms feature private balconies with sea views, and seating areas with satellite TV. Each has a mini-bar.

Garden Route Game Lodge

Garden Route Game Lodge, Albertinia nights 8-9

Here you’ll find a host of wildlife, including, the Big Five at this private game reserve. There is a restaurant, bar, pool and spa. Rooms are air conditioned and have a balcony or patio, tea/ coffee-making facilities, afridge and a microwave. Marine Hotel, Hermanus night 10

Perched on top of the cliffs overlooking Hermanus’s Walker Bay, the rooms are stylishly decorated and have magnificent views of the sea, and mountains or the beautiful courtyard and gardens.

Please note: On selected departures, you’ll stay at the Windsor Hotel in Hermanus.