8 Days Highlights of Joburg, Kruger & Cape Town

Day 1: Arrive in Johannesburg

Please book your international flight into Johannesburg to arrive in the morning in order to be able to join the tour of Soweto and Johannesburg in the afternoon. If this is not possible, we can book an additional night in Johannesburg for you. One of our representatives will meet you at the airport. Depending on the time of your arrival, you may have time to go check into your guesthouse first. Should your flight arrive between 13h00-14h00, you will go directly on the afternoon tour and check in at your guest house after the tour.

The tour starts at the Apartheid Museum – a beacon of South African hope that shows the world how South Africa is coming to terms with its oppressive past and how we are working towards a future that all South Africans can call their own. After the museum the tour continues through the South of Soweto were you will see iconic places like the FNB Stadium which was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Diepkloof area with its famous “Matchbox” houses and the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (the 3rd largest hospital in the world with 3200 beds and over 6700 staff members). Next is the colourful Soweto Cooling Towers, a prominent landmark in Soweto. The tour of Soweto South ends at Walter Sisulu Square aka Freedom Square in Kliptown where 3000 people gathered in 1955 to adopt the Freedom Charter, which is now the basis of our Constitution. From here we continue to the Hector Pieterson Museum in Orlando West with our last stop being the vibrant Vilakazi Street. This is the most famous street in Soweto and is the only street in the world to have had two Nobel Peace Prize winners as residents – Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. We will end the tour with a visit to two of the local watering holes before returning to Outlook Lodge.

A 3 course set menu dinner is served at Outlook Lodge. (Dinner included)

Day 2 :Gauteng – Kruger Park

The tour departs from Johannesburg between 06h30 – 08h00 to allow for various collection points. The route takes you through the wide open spaces of the Highveld, down the escarpment and through the scenic Lowveld area. You stop for lunch en-route (own expense) and reach the Kruger National Park and Skukuza Rest Camp in the afternoon.

After settling in to your accommodations, you go out on your first game drive which is a SAN PARKS sunset drive. A sunset drive affords you the opportunity to see nocturnal animals that are more active at night and the Park’s rangers are allowed to return after the normal gate closing times. Note that these drives take place in one of the Kruger Park’s vehicles with a Park’s ranger. This is not a private game drive and there may be other guests on this drive. (Families with children under 12 years of age are required to book a private open vehicle for all game drives and will thus have a private game drive instead of the SANP sunset drive.)

Dinner is a three course meal, served al fresco at the operator’s private camp within Skukuza. Wine is served with dinner but guests are welcome to bring along additional / alternative drinks which can be purchased at the shop. (Breakfast & Dinner included)

Day 3-4 :Full day in the Park

Safaris are all about early mornings, getting out there and seeing animals! After an early wake-up call (the time varies according to the seasons and park gate opening times) you have tea or coffee & a light snack before setting off on the morning safari which will take approximately 3-4 hours. Your guide has an intimate knowledge of the park, which contributes a great deal towards brilliant sightings!

On returning to Skukuza, breakfast/brunch will be ready at camp. You then have time to enjoy a swim, visit the Skukuza museum, catch up on some sleep, visit the park shop which includes African curios, general food items and drinks, take a walk around the camp, or simply relax at the viewing platform in front of the restaurant, which overlooks the Sabie River. Skukuza is also a bird watcher’s paradise! Be sure to bring along your binoculars!

After a siesta you set off on the afternoon game drive. All game drives are conducted in specially adapted 4×4 open game drive vehicles to allow guests the best possible vantage point.

Share safari stories at the camp fire under the stars after a scrumptious dinner served in camp. (Breakfast & Dinner included)

Optional Excursion (free of charge)

We offer an optional excursion to visit select attractions along the Panorama Route in all our Kruger Safaris of 3 days or longer. We stop in one of the small towns en-route for breakfast (included) and visit attractions such as Three Rondavels, Lisbon Waterfalls and God’s Window, situated in the Blyde River Canyon. We return to Skukuza at around 11h00. This excursion is available free of charge, replaces one of the morning drives and will be co-ordinated by our staff while you are on safari with us. It can only be done on one of your full days in the park and is not available on the last day.

Day 5 :Kruger to Cape Town

After a final game drive and breakfast, you will be transferred to Nelspruit or Skukuza airport from where you fly to Cape Town. On arrival at the Cape Town airport you will be met by one of our representatives who will take you to The Portswood Hotel, which is ideally situated at the V & A Waterfront. The Waterfront is almost a destination on its own and offers loads of entertainment, different restaurants and shopping. Robben Island tours as well as boat cruises also depart from here.

One of the highlights of visiting South Africa is undoubtedly going up Table Mountain! Since the weather on the mountain can change at the drop of a hat, you should visit the mountain immediately on arrival in Cape Town if it is open. Tickets for the cable way are not included in the price, since we cannot guarantee that you will be able to go up. These tickets can be bought at the ticketing office at the mountain and the hotel concierge can arrange a cab to take you there. The cable way return ticket price is currently R225 – R250 per adult (see http://www.tablemountain.net/content/page/rates).

(Breakfast included)

Day 6 :Cape Peninsula

Today you join an awe-inspiring tour of the Cape Peninsula to the towering headland known as Cape Point. Magnificent beaches, breath-taking views, historic and picturesque coastal villages are to be seen along the way. The Cape Peninsula is one of the world’s most scenic areas and stretches from the City centre to Cape Point.

We travel along the Atlantic Seaboard via Sea Point, Clifton and Camps Bay, stopping at a Llandudno look-out point before continuing to Hout Bay, a quaint village and fishing harbour with magnificent mountain views and beach. Optional: Seal Island boat trip (seasonal, weather permitting) (not included in cost). On through Chapman’s Peak , one of the world’s most breathtaking coastal drives, to Cape Point and the Good Hope Nature Reserve, which has magnificent fynbos vegetation, birdlife, endemic antelope species and zebra, historic lighthouses and shipwrecks. Cape Point is perceived to be the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

After lunch at a nearby restaurant (not included in cost), we go on to historic Simon’s Town, a village with charming Victorian architecture, a naval base and a large penguin colony at the beautiful Boulders Beach. Boulders Penguin Colony (included in cost) is home to a growing colony of the vulnerable African Penguin. Wooden walkways allow visitors to view the penguins in their natural habitat and there is also a new information centre.

We then make our way to visit the well-known Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The Garden is one of eight National Botanical Gardens covering five of South Africa’s six different biomes. When Kirstenbosch, the most famous of the gardens, was founded in 1913 to preserve the country’s unique flora, it was the first botanical garden in the world with this ethos. The garden is world-renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape Flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain

The tour ends at ± 17:30.You have the evening at leisure to explore the city or visit the Waterfront again.

(Breakfast included)

Day 7 :Wine Route

Today we explore the Wine region! Head off to the wine country via the N2 to the heart of South Africa’s wine industry, Stellenbosch, boasting great beauty and culture that is steeped in South African history. Walk down the canal-lined avenues, in the shade of giant oak trees and beautifully preserved historic buildings. With the sheer vastness of wine estates on offer, we are truly spoilt for choice when we enjoy our first wine tasting of the day at the Waterford Estate or similar.

Travel over the Helshoogte Pass to the town of Franschhoek, historically dating back to the 17th century when the French Huguenots arrived. Billed as the Gourmet Capital of South Africa, this charming town, in a most picturesque valley, retains a French Huguenot style.

We enjoy a wine tasting before taking time to enjoy the fabled culinary skills of the Franschhoek chefs at one of the many award winning restaurants (lunch not included in cost).

Onward to Paarl, one of the Cape’s first farming districts. The town is set at the foot of the cluster of remarkable granite domes from which it takes its name. Our last stop for the day is at a wine estate on the Paarl wine route. We return to the bustle of city life after an enthralling day in the countryside, arriving back at the hotels at approximately 17:30 (Note: Alternative estates may be visited over weekends and public holidays.)

(Breakfast included)

Day 8 :Cape Town – ends

Depending on your onward flight details, you may have time for another optional excursion, such as visiting Robben Island, exploring the city and much more. The transfer back to Cape Town airport is included in the price.

(Breakfast included)