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Holidays Cape + Karoo, South Africa: Tours of SALT Telescope, Sutherland + Kalahari

Cape Town + Winelands + Karoo to Kalahari (self drive)

Holidays Cape Karoo South Africa Tours SALT Telescope Sutherland Kalahari

16 NIGHTS FROM:

$2,791

Per person sharing

Scheduled flights + car hire quoted separately

SCR16C

• Holidays Cape Town, South Africa

• Hermanus

• Stellenbosch Winelands

• Matjiesfontein

• Great Karoo

• Tours SALT Telescope, Sutherland

• Augrabies Falls

• Kalahari Safari

• Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

• Astronomy Holidays, South Africa

If you are interested in astronomy and the stars of the southern skies, our self drive holidays to Cape Town & the Great Karoo in South Africa include Hermanus and the winelands of Stellenbosch, as well as tours to view the gigantic SALT telescope near Sutherland. Also enjoy a thrilling safari in the remote Kalahari, staying in a Bushman-owned lodge. All game drives included.

Detailed itinerary ▶

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Day 1

You will be met at Cape Town Airport and transferred to your hotel in this beautiful city, within sight of Table Mountain.

Check in and relax in your magnificent surroundings.

Day 2

Today is free for independent sightseeing in Cape Town.

To orientate yourself, use your pre-paid pass for the Red Route Hop-Off Bus, which stops at all Cape Town’s key sights and attractions, including the Table Mountain (a Fast Track cable car ticket is also included). Here you can ascend and enjoy one of the world's most famous views.

Continue to trendy Camps Bay beach and the many attractions of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

Note: Don't let the colour of the bus confuse you. All buses are red, but they run two different routes - the Red City Route and the Blue Kirstenbosch Route.

Table Mountain cable car is closed for annual maintenance from mid July to end August.

Day 3

At leisure to explore more of the beautiful city of Cape Town.

You can visit the Mandela Legacy Exhibition at the City Hall, explore the vibrant Victoria & Alfred Waterfront or take the ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned (advance booking essential in season).

You can also take the Hop Off bus (Blue Route) to visit world famous Kirstenbosch Gardens or simply relax on golden Camps Bay Beach.

Day 4

This morning your hire car will be dropped off at your hotel.

We recommend you spend the rest of the day exploring the beautiful Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve peninsula (pay all entrance fees locally). Start with an optional short boat trip from Hout Bay to view Cape Fur seals at Seal Island and continue via Chapman’s Peak Drive to spectacular Cape Point where you may see baboons, ostrich and perhaps even dolphins or whales in season (July/November).

On the return journey we recommend driving through naval Simons Town and visit the resident penguin colony at Boulders Beach. Time permitting, you can also visit the world famous Kirstenbosch Gardens before returning to Cape Town.

Day 5

Drive 2-hours from the Cape Peninsula along the scenic coastal route through Gordon’s Bay and along the False Bay coast to the small seaside town of Hermanus.

Along the way we suggest stopping at the Stoney Point Penguin Colony in the small coastal town of Bettys Bay. You may also want to visit Harold Porter Botanical Gardens, renowned for its birdlife and fynbos flowers. The walk through the gorge and down to the waterfall is particularly rewarding (pay all entrance fees locally).

Continue to Hermanus and check into your hotel. From July to November, southern right and humpback whales come here to breed and this is considered the best location for land-based Whale Watching in the world. Once severely endangered, these magnificent creatures of the deep are now breeding successfully in the area due to a major international conservation effort.

Day 6

In season, enjoy whale watching from the cliffs of Hermanus. Weather permitting, you can transfer to the harbour for an optional Whale Watching boat ride, to get up close to these magnificent creatures of the deep.

Afterwards you can explore this small town on foot, with its open-air craft market in season and coastal path with indigenous fynbos and bird life. There is a small beach at the foot of the cliffs, with steep access.

Note: If you take the optional whale watching boat ride, wear a jacket as it can get cold on the boat and take a sun hat, sun glasses, binoculars, sunscreen, camera & small towel. Take your own snacks & drinks. You will be on the water for several hours in seas that can be rough, so if you are not a good sailor remember to take preventative travel sickness tablets well in advance.

Day 7

Drive 2-hours today from Hermanus to Stellenbosch in the beautiful Cape Winelands.

Along the way you can stop at the Cheetah Outreach project in Somerset West, to observe these magnificent endangered cats up close. This community-based programme is seeking to raise awareness of the plight of the cheetah and campaign for its survival (pay entrance fee locally).

On arrival in Stellenboch, you can also stop at Vergelegen - the historic Cape Dutch homestead of Simon Van Der Stel, the first governor of the Cape Colony, with its magnificent 300-year old giant camphor trees.

Check into your hotel in this famous wine producing area, relax under the giant oak trees and savour the fine food and wines of this region.

Day 8

At leisure to relax in beautiful Stellenbosch, which is surrounded by its mountains and vineyards.

Explore this old university town with its many street markets, craft shops and museums, including the Modern & Contemporary Art Gallery, or visit Stellenbosch Botanical Gardens.

You can also self-drive the wine routes of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl with many opportunities for wine tasting at famous wine estates. Alternatively use the Vine Hopper hop-off bus to explore these winelands (advance booking online recommended) or book an optional small group tour.

In the evening there are several fine dining restaurants in the area (advance booking strongly recommended).

Note: Vine Hopper bus does not operate on Sundays.

Day 9

Today leave Stellenbosch and drive 4.5-hours to Sutherland in the arid Great Karoo.

Along the way we suggest you stop at the small town of Matjiesfontein, which was founded in 1884 by James Douglas Logan, an energetic Scottish railway man. An important stop on the railway into the interior, it quickly established itself as a fashionable Victorian health spa and some of its old buildings can still be seen today.

Continue to your guest house in Sutherland and enjoy the wonderfully clear night skies of the Karoo.

Day 10

Today enjoy a guided walk through the Visitor Centre and a tour of selected research telescopes, including viewing the main SALT telescope, with balance of day at leisure.

In the evening participate in a 1.5-hour guided tour that includes viewing interesting objects in the night sky through two Visitor Telescopes (a 16" Meade and a 14" Celestron). In the case of bad weather, you will be taken to the Visitor Centre for a movie instead.

As this is a “NO LIGHTS” research area, with international astronomers at work, please DO NOT DRIVE UP THE ROAD LEADING TO THE DOMES. The visitors’ telescopes are near the Visitor Centre and not up on the hill.

Note: The SALT telescope tour operates daily from Monday to Saturday (10.30 and 14.30). The evening tour only operates on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Day 11

Today drive 5-hours through the vast Great Karoo to Upington, a small town that acts as the gateway to the vast Kalahari.

Check into your hotel and relax under warm blue South African skies.

Day 12

This morning drive 5-hours from Upington travelling through the vast and arid Kalahari, one of the world’s last unspoilt ecosystems and one of Africa’s greatest wilderness areas. In this land of far horizons, marvel at the gigantic nests of the sociable weaver birds set high in camel thorn trees and stop to examine some of the amazing succulent desert plants which have adapted to survive in such harsh conditions.

The malaria-free Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a visionary 3.7-million hectare joint venture between South African and Botswana. Check in and relax at your lodge, before enjoying your first game drive with a lodge ranger, followed by dinner under the stars.

Note: You must enter the park at Twee Rivieren (3-hours from Upington) and drive a further 1.5-hours to Kamqua picnic site, allowing extra time for game viewing along the way. At 2.30 pm a lodge representative will escort you to the Rooibrak waterhole, where you will leave your car continue in a 4x4 safari vehicle to the lodge. If you are driving a 4x4, you can continue in convoy across the dunes all the way to the lodge, which is a further 19 miles (30 km).

Days 13 To 14

Today is devoted to game viewing in the vast Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Rise early for an exciting dawn open-top game drive, when game viewing conditions are at their best. Kgaladagi is home to several amazing wildlife species that have successfully adapted to the harsh desert conditions – including the black-maned lion, the magnificent horned oryx and the springbok. The Kalahari is also superb for viewing leopard and cheetah, which are more easily seen in the sparse vegetation and sand dunes.

Return to the lodge for breakfast, then relax by the swimming pool or pamper yourself at the spa. There is also the opportunity to learn more about the culture of the fascinating Bushmen who first conquered the great Kalahari and to enjoy a walking trail. You will see some of Africa’s most unusual animals in the Kalahari and many of the “great cats” – lion, cheetah and leopard – but the vegetation does not support elephants, rhino or buffalo.

Day 15

A full day on the road today as you leave Kgalagadi and drive 5.5-hours via Upington to Augrabies in Bushmanland.

Along the way we suggest stopping at a Bushman craft stall to give you the opportunity of supporting the local community by buying one of their hand-made products. Please be aware that Bushmen will expect a small tip for photographs taken of them.

On arrival check in to your hotel in the small town of Augrabies in the North West Cape and relax in your warm surroundings.

Day 16

This morning we suggest you visit Augrabies Falls - "The Place of Great Noise” (pay entrance fee locally).

Here the mighty Orange River dramatically crashes over the rim of a granite canyon during the summer flood, to plunge 270 ft into the gorge below, forming South Africa’s largest waterfall and the sixth largest in the world.

Afterwards you can enjoy a short drive in the park, where you may see giraffe, eland, and other smaller antelope.You can also stop at a Wine Farm on the way home.

Day 17

Drive 1.5-hours to Upington Airport for your flight home.

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