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Holidays to Cape Town Tours Safaris in South Africa Stellenbosch Hermanus

South Africa Escorted Tour: Kruger Park + Durban + Garden Route + Cape Town

Grand SA Tour: Kruger + KwaZulu + Garden Route + Cape Town
South Africa Escorted Tour Kruger Park Durban Garden Route Cape Town
12 NIGHTS FROM:
$3,277
Per person sharing
Scheduled flights quoted separately
SYP12J
• South Africa Escorted Tour
• Blyde River Canyon
• Kruger Park
• Swaziland
• Zululand & St Lucia
• Durban
• Port Elizabeth
• Garden Route
• Knysna
• Cape Town

This South Africa escorted tour travels from Johannesburg to view the suberb wildlife of the Kruger Park, before continuing through the kingdoms of Swaziland & Zululand to the beaches of Durban. Then fly to Port Elizabeth & travel along the scenic Garden Route to Cape Town - followed by free time to explore this beautiful city. Regular departures. Group size 2-18. No children < 8.

Day 1
You will be met at Johannesburg Airport and transferred to your hotel.
 
Check in and relax under warm blue South African skies in 'Egoli' - the city of gold.
 
Later meet for your tour briefing and the opportunity to meet your fellow travellers.
Day 2
This morning we leave Johannesburg and travel 4.5-hours to Mpumalanga ('The Place Where The Sun Rises').
 
Our first stop is Pretoria (now called Tshwane), South Africa’s administrative capital, where we have a short city tour. We continue to Mpumalanga, driving eastwards through Lydenburg and Dullstroom, where we stop for lunch (own account). We continue via the Long Tom Pass, where we drop several hundred feet into the subtropical Lowveld and the scenic Drakensberg Panorama Route.
 
On arrival we check into our hotel in Hazyview. This evening dinner is included.
 
Note: On escorted group tours please note that for operational reasons it is sometimes necessary to substitute one hotel with another of similar quality.
Day 3
After an early breakfast, this morning we drive along the breathtaking Panorama Route and the green Blyde River Canyon - the third largest in the world.
  
Enjoy wonderful views from the Three Rondavels lookout and God's Window. We also visit the unusual Bourkes Luck Pot Holes - cylindrical holes formed from the swirling waters of the Blyde and Treur Rivers.
 
After we return to our hotel in Hazyview, with the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Dinner is included tonight.
Day 4
An early start today as we enter the world famous Kruger National Park, driving in an open-top game viewing vehicle with a lodge ranger for a morning of game viewing in this vast 2-million hectare game sanctuary that is the size of Wales (with packed breakfast included).
 
The Kruger National Park offers magnificent game viewing opportunities and the highest concentration of lion in the whole of Africa. With nearly 150 different species of mammals and over 100 species of reptiles, you can hope to see cheetah, giraffe, hippo, kudu, crocodiles, sable antelope, waterbuck, warthogs, baboons, wild dogs and many other interesting animals as well as the Big Five - lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino. Outstanding bird watching is also guaranteed, with over 500 different species including eagles, kingfishers, vultures and storks.
 
Also enjoy a presentation by the Anti-Poaching Dog Unit today. Learn about the dogs that are trained to track rhino poachers in the field, and detect firearms, ammunition and wildlife products that enter and exit through the park gates.
 
Afterwards we return to our hotel, with afternoon at leisure. Alternatively you can enjoy another optional open-top game drive (pay locally and subject to availability). Dinner is included tonight.
 
Note: You will need your passport to enter the Kruger National Park.
Day 5
This morning we travel to eSwatini (previously called Swaziland), a small mountain kingdom known for its lovely scenery, crafts and indigenous culture.
 
Here we visit a Swazi Cultural Village to learn more about their local customs, colourful beadwork, basket weaving and other handcrafts, followed by an included lunch.
 
We then travel via the capital city, Mbabane, to the beautiful Ezulwini Valley, with dinner included tonight.
 
Note: You will need your passport to enter eSwatini (and possibly a visa, if not British).
Day 6
This morning we continue our route southwards, as we travel 4-hours through the beautiful mountains of eSwatini and across the South African border to Hluhluwe in the kingdom of Zululand.
 
We check in to our hotel situated near the famous Hluhluwe Game Reserve, which saved the black rhino from extinction. Here there is the option of an afternoon open-top game drive into this reserve (pay locally). Dinner is for your own account tonight.
Day 7
We leave Hluhluwe this morning and drive 3-hours to Durban.
 
Along the way we stop at St Lucia. Weather permitting, here we will join a boat ride on the estuary, where you may see hippo, buffalo and crocodiles as well as abundant bird life (pay locally). Situated inside the Isimangaliso Wetlands, this area has been declared a RAMSAR Wetland of international significance because of its great biodiversity and importance as a breeding site for waterbirds. Over 520 different species have been recorded in this vast wetland that is surrounded by mangrove swamps and dense reed beds, with birds ranging from permanent residents to tropical and altitudinal migrants, regional nomads and long-distance migrants. These include a variety of storks, pelicans, flamingos, kingfishers, spoonbills, fish eagles, gulls, herons, terns, ducks and geese.
 
Afterwards we continue southwards, driving past Zulu homesteads and sugar cane fields to Durban Airport, where you will be dropped off for your onward flight.
 
Note: You must book a flight that departs after 6 pm.

You will be met at Port Elizabeth Airport by your new guide. Once everyone has arrived, we travel 2-hours to Tsitsikamma - the gateway to the beautiful Garden Route.
 
Check into your accommodation and enjoy the flora and bird life of the Tsitsikamma Forest. Dinner is for your own account tonight.
Day 8
This morning we visit Tsitsikamma National Park where we enjoy a walk to the Storms River Mouth (weather permitting).
 
Tsitsikamma National Park incorporates 50 miles (80 km) of rocky coastline with spectacular landscapes and sea views. This remote mountainous region has secluded valleys covered in fynbos, temperate high forests and deep river gorges leading down to the ses.
 
Afterwards we drive 1-hour to the oyster capital of Knysna and check in to our hotel in this area of oustanding natural beauty. In the late afternoon enjoy a Sunset Cruise on the beautiful lagoon, followed by an included group dinner at a restaurant near the waterfront.
 
Note: Wear comfortable walking shoes today.
Day 9
We leave Knysna today and enjoy a scenic drive past the lakes of Sedgefield and the beaches of Wilderness to George, stopping along the way at Dolphin Point. Then enjoy stunning views from the Outeniqua Pass, as we travel 2-hours to the ostrich capital of Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo.
 
In Outdtshoorn we join an Ostrich Farm tractor tour to learn more about these huge flightless birds and their magnificent plumage, followed by an included light lunch with local specialities such as ostrich steak.
 
In the afternoon we visit the famous Cango Caves. This vast series of underground halls and caverns was formed over 20 million years ago in the foothills of the Swartberg Mountains. The caves, which extend for over 3 miles, contain spectacular stalagmites and stalactites and offer relatively easy access.
 
We then check in to our hotel. Dinner is for your own account tonight.
Day 10
Weather permitting, early this morning there is the option of joining a Meerkat Tour to view these creatures in the wild on a farm outside Oudtshoorn. We will drive 15-minutes to the meeting point at sunrise, as these inquisitive creatures sun themselves outside their burrows (pay locally - no children < 10 years).
 
After breakfast we then enjoy more of the dramatic and contrasting beauty of South Africa on our scenic 4-hour drive along spectacular Route 62 to the small seaside town of Hermanus.
 
Along the way we stop in Barrydale where we visit a local farm school to interact with the children and their teachers, spending time with them in the classroom and learning more about this rural community (subject to the school being open).
 
We then continue via Tradouw's Pass and Swellendam, which has some lovely Cape Dutch architecture, to Hermanus where, from July to November, southern right and humpback whales come to breed and 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. Check in to your hotel and enjoy the natural beauty of the coastline. Dinner is for your own account tonight.
Day 11
After some final views of the coast from the cliffs, we leave Hermanus and drive 2-hours along the scenic coastal route to Somerset West and the winelands of Stellenbosch. This is a spectacular route, with steep cliffs and lovely coves with amazing views over False Bay.
 
On arrival in Stellenbosch you will have some free time to explore the oak-shaded streets, cafes, boutiques and art galleries of this university town, which has a gracious blend of old Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian architecture.
 
We then continue to Cape Town. Check in to your hotel in this beautiful city within sight of Table Mountain.
Day 12
Today enjoy a full day tour of the beautiful Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve peninsula, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.
 
We drive past the sparkling beaches of Camps Bay, Clifton and Llandudno to Hout Bay, the heart of the local crayfish industry. Here you can join an optional cruise to see Cape Fur seals (pay locally).
 
We 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 pass through naval Simons Town, where there is the option to visit the resident penguin colony at Boulders Beach (pay entrance fee locally), before returning to Cape Town in the late afternoon.
 
After breakfast tomorrow morning your tour will come to an end.
 
Note: Lunch and dinner are for your own account today.
Day 13
Transfer to Cape Town airport for your flight home.