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Holiday, South Africa: Cape Town + Kalahari (Whales + Wildflowers, Namaqualand)

Cape Town + West Coast to Kalahari (self drive)

16 NIGHTS FROM:

$2,272

Per person sharing

Scheduled flights + car hire quoted separately

SCW16C

• Holiday, South Africa

• Cape Town

• Table Mountain & Cape Point

• Whales in Hermanus

• Stellenbosch Winelands

• West Coast National Park

• Wildflowers, Namaqualand

• Augrabies Falls

• Kalahari Safari

• Kgalagadi National Park

From mid-August to mid-September, on this self-drive holiday in South Africa you can travel up the West Coast from Cape Town to the Kalahari - after visiting Hermanus to see whales & enjoying wine tasting in Stellenbosch. Then drive to Springbok to view the spectacular wildflowers of Namaqualand, before finishing with a safari at a Bushman lodge in Kgalagadi (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).

From July to November you can take an optional whale watching trip to Hermanus.

Alternatively you can 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

At leisure to relax in the small clifftop town of Hermanus or explore more of the surrounding area.

You can wander around the village and along the coastal path, with its indigenous fynbos and birdlife. You can also visit the small Fernkloof Nature Reserve, a gem of a fynbos wildflower sanctuary, cared for by the local botanical society and set against a mountain at the end of the village.

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 your guide will introduce you to the stunning scenery of the West Coast, as we drive 2-hours to Langebaan.

This rugged lagoon is a Ramsar Wetland of international significance, with thousands of seabirds roosting on the nearby sheltered islands. Large concentrations of flamingos and migrants can also be seen wading on the salt marshes.

In West Coast National Park on the shores of the lagoon, you can see zebra, wildebeest, eland, red hartebeest, grysbok, caracal and rock hyrax. Migrating whales may be seen between July and November.

Day 10

Today is free to enjoy the wildflowers of Postberg Flower Reserve (pay entrance fee locally).

This special flower conservancy on Langebaan Lagoon is only open to visitors during the flower season, ensuring an abundance of undisturbed blooms. Depending on the rains, from mid August to mid September you may see spectacular fields of wildflowers that form a carpet of many colours. On clear sunny days, the wildflowers appear to erupt from every sandy nook and rocky cranny, opening up to the blue sky and providing an unforgettable floral extravaganza.

Day 11

Today leave Langebaan and drive 5-hours northwards to Springbok in the heart of Namaqualand, passing through several small towns.

Clanwilliam is the gateway to the magnificent Cederberg Mountains and Vanrhynsdorp is home to the world’s largest collection of succulent plants. Bitterfontein produces and exports green granite and Garies produces kaolin, which is an essential element in the production of paper and fine porcelain.

As you approach Springbok at certain times of the year you can see miles and miles of brightly coloured wildflowers that bloom here during August and September – carpeting what is normally an arid semi-desert landscape. This spectacular natural phenomenon occurs for only a few weeks, with the quality and timing of the floral displays depending upon the mid-year rainfall. Check into your hotel in the heart of the wildflower region.

Day 12

During wildflower season (late July to mid |September, although this does depend on the rainfall) we suggest visiting Goegap Nature Reserve, as well as regions such as Kamieskroon or Nababeep depending upon where the wildflowers are at their best, with picnic lunch included.

On one day you can take a full day excursion to Namaqua National Park and surrounding area. Enjoy photographing these colourful blooms, which are a truly remarkable sight.

At other times of the year there is much to photograph in these quaint rural towns in this far-flung part of South Africa, where the Bushmen once roamed. To learn more about their culture you can adapt your itinerary to explore areas such as Riemvasmaak Canyon, the mountainous Richtersveld or the beautiful coastline at Port Nolloth instead.

Each evening marvel at the glorious night skies overhead, offering some of the best star gazing opportunities in the world.

Note: The wildflower areas only open at 11am.

Day 13

Today leave Namaqualand and drive 4.5-hour to Upington.

Along the way we suggest you detour 1.5-hour to visit Augrabies Falls - “The Place of Great Noise” - where 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 (pay entrance fee locally).

Continue to Upington and check into your hotel.

Day 14

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).

Day 15

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 16

Enjoy some final game viewing in Kgalagadi National Park today before driving 4-hours through Bushmanland to Upington.

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

Day 17

Drive to Upington Airport for your flight home.

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