An increasingly popular tour, which visits many of South Africa's highlights, from unspoilt beaches and the game-rich wildlife reserves and wilderness areas, all accompanied with a sunny climate and a vibration totally 'African'.  South Africa as a holiday destination encompasses a diverse landscape and cultural mix.

Day 1: (Sun) Cape Town
Touch down at Cape Town International Airport, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day exploring the city or famous waterfront and adjusting to the laid-back rhythms of the 'Mother City'.

Day 2: (Mon) Cape Winelands (B)
Journey into the beauty and tranquillity that is the Cape Winelands. Sip some of South Africa's finest wines at two well known estates in Paarl and Stellenbosch. A visit to the Huguenot Memorial and the Afrikaans Language Monument provides a historical perspective.

Day 3: (Tue) Cape Peninsula (B)
Spend a full day's touring the ruggedly beautiful Cape Peninsula via the Atlantic seaboard. We stop at the fishing village of Hout Bay, where you can opt to take a cruise (own account) to Seal Island to watch the antics of these natural performers. Then we continue to the Cape Point Nature Reserve before stopping off to see the lovable penguins at Boulders Beach. We drive through the quaint naval village of Simon's Town on our way back to our Cape Town hotel.

Day 4: (Wed) Cape Town / Oudtshoorn (B)
We depart by 07h30 and travel via the town of Montagu on 'Route 62' (South Africa's version of America's famous 'Route 66') to the pretty village of Barrydale where we stop for tea (own account). Then on to Outshoorn, known as the 'Feather Capital of the World' thanks to its huge ostrich industry. After a fascinating tour of an ostrich farm, we continue to our Oudtshoorn hotel for check in and overnight.

Day 5: (Thu) Oudtshoorn / Knysna (B)
This morning go underground to marvel at the icy formations in the Cango Caves, regarded, for good reason, as one of South Africa's most spectacular natural wonders.  We then drive via the spectacular Outeniqua Pass to the town of George, then onto Knysna, perhaps South Africa's most visually stunning resort, in the heart of the famous Garden Route.  Spend the rest of the day discovering the joys of the town's many art galleries, craft shops and coffee bars.

Day 6: (Fri) Knysna (BL)
Cruise on the vast Knysna Lagoon, then visit the Featherbed Nature Reserve. Enjoy an amazing view of the imposing sandstone 'Heads' which guard the sea entrance to Knysna's huge tidal lagoon, and the forests, marshes and pristine beaches surrounding it. After lunch spend the rest of the day at leisure to enjoy this lovely and special town.

Day 7: (Sat) Port Eizabeth / Durban (B)
We get to Port Elizabeth via the glorious indigenous Tsitsikamma Forest, then hop onboard a mid afternoon flight to Durban (cost of flight not included). There you will be met and transferred to your Durban hotel for the night.

Day 8: (Sun) The Kingdom of the Zulu's  (BL)
Meet your new guide this morning and travel to the kingdom of the Zulu's via the lush north coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Your first stop is a vibrant cultural village. Thrill to the sight of Zulu dancers performing their ancient high-kicking routines to the beat of drums, sample traditional Zulu beer and watch women craft clay pots and intricate beadwork. After a hearty lunch, we proceed to the village of St Lucia checking in at your hotel.

Day 9: (Mon) Swaziland (BLD)
The day begins with a motor launch cruise amid the breathtaking wilderness of Lake St Lucia, a World Heritage Site. Back on dry land, we drive past the traditional rural homesteads of Zululand and into the tiny Kingdom of Swaziland, a former British Protection Territory, now ruled by King MsWati III. Enjoy a visit to the Swazi Candle Factory, where waxy works of art beckon from groaning shelves. We arrive at the hotel in the late afternoon.

Day 10: (Tue) Kruger National Park (BD)
We visit the famous Ngwenya Glass Factory to see master craftsmen fashion collectable figures and functional art out of molten glass. We enter the vast Kruger National Park through its southernmost gate and head north to our camp in time for a welcome sundowner (own account) in the African bush.

Day 11: (Wed) Kruger National Park  (B)
A full day safari. We set off before breakfast in open safari vehicles in search of lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard, and all manner of wondrous wildlife, birds and plants. Savour the magic of this enormous wilderness.

Day 12: (Thu) The Lowveld & Panorama Route  (BD)
Explore living history in the form of Pilgrim's Rest, the old mining village where gold was first discovered; gasp at the glory that is God's Window, a boundless view of forested mountains and fertile plains, and visit the spectacular Blyde River Canyon, one of the natural wonders of Africa. We spend the night in Pilgrim's Rest.
Accommodation: The Royal Hotel or similar

Day 13: (Fri) Pretoria & Johannesburg   (BL)
We leave Mpumalanga rising several hundred feet into the Highveld en route to Pretoria, South Africa's Capital City. After lunch, we proceed on a tour of our Capital, tracing South Africa's extraordinary history with visits to Kruger Museum and the Voortrekker Monument. Arrive in Johannesburg in the late afternoon.  

Day 14: (Sat) Johannesburg (B)
The end of your tour. Check out of your hotel and transfer to the airport for your flight home

Highlights

• View spectacular coastal scenery at the Cape of Good Hope.

• Enjoy wine tasting at well-known wine estates.

• Enjoy an ostrich farm experience.

• Discover the Cango Caves with its magnificent dripstone formations of stalactites and stalagmites.

• Travel by vintage steam train on the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe passing breathtaking coastal scenery.

• Journey via ferry to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, situated at the entrance to the Knysna Lagoon.

• Stroll through the Tsitsikamma National Park, renowned for its age-old trees.

• Experience traditional Zulu life of a bygone era at a cultural village.

• Enjoy a boat cruise on Lake St Lucia - a World Heritage Site.

• Seek out the 'Big Five' in the Kruger National Park in open safari vehicles.

• View the spectacular Blyde River Canyon and God's Window.

• Visit Pretoria to trace South Africa's extraordinary history.