South African Surprise

You will be met by a representative and assisted to your transfer service. Settle in to your hotel, and this evening there will be a welcome briefing on the tour and a chance to meet your fellow travellers. 

Depart for Mpumalanga this morning, dropping several hundred feet into the lush subtropical region of the Lowveld. Drive along the circular Panorama Route, stopping at viewing points including the Blyde River Canyon, God’s Window and Bourke’s Luck Potholes.
 
Meals: Breakfast 

Make an early start this morning, to explore the Kruger National Park. This internationally renowned game reserve is home to the largest variety of wildlife on the African continent. Consider joining a thrilling safari drive in an open-top vehicle (optional and under own account). Return to your hotel for lunch and spend the afternoon at leisure.
 
Meals included: Packed Breakfast 

Travel to the independent kingdom of eSwatini (Swaziland), known for its scenic landscapes, handicrafts and colourful indigenous culture. Learn about the local people and their traditions with an interactive cultural experience, before travelling south to your hotel, nestled in the mountainous peaks of eSwatini.
 
Meals included: Breakfast 

Continue through eSwatini (Swaziland), visiting Ngwenya Glass, where a small group of craftsmen and women produce beautiful handmade pieces from recycled glass. Meet more local artisans at The Swazi Candles Centre, then head into the kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal. Here, the ancient traditions and modern cultures of both Zulu and Settler have formed a vibrant society living in peace and harmony. Arrive at your hotel in the late afternoon.
 
Meals included: Breakfast 

Take an optional morning game drive in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve (at own expense), before driving to Durban. Enjoy an orientation tour of this lively coastal city, travelling along the Golden Mile and seeing the beachfront promenade, the Point Waterfront and harbour. Finish with a visit to the Durban Botanic Gardens before arriving at your hotel in the late afternoon.
 
Meals included: Breakfast 

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast, or explore Umhlanga Beach with a stroll along the bustling Promenade. Then head into the majestic Southern Drakensberg Mountains. Visit the impressive 300-foot Howick Falls, then continue through the Southern Midlands Meander Route. Check in to your hotel, located on a scenic World Heritage site and spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure, soaking up to views or taking a hike or horseback ride in the clean mountain air (optional and at own expense). Enjoy a sumptuous dinner at your hotel this evening.
 
Meals included: Breakfast & dinner 

Today you’ll be at leisure to take in the magnificent surroundings of the Southern Drakensberg. Choose from a range of leisure activities, such as a thrilling 4x4 tour along the spectacular Sani Pass into the mountain kingdom of Lesotho (optional and at own expense). Enjoy another dinner at your hotel.
 
Meals included: Breakfast & dinner 

Continue south to the Eastern Cape. En route, learn about the traditional way of life in the former homeland area known as the Transkei, and stop for lunch outside the capital of Mthata. Travel past Nelson Mandela’s house and birthplace, and arrive at your coastal lodge in Chinsta East. Enjoy a hearty dinner of local specialities at your hotel.
 
Meals included: Breakfast & dinner 

Awake to the sound of crashing waves and spend the morning at leisure to relax on the beach. Later, head off towards the the spectacularly beautiful Tsitsikamma Forest.
 
Meals included: Breakfast 

Explore the Tsitsikamma Forest this morning, taking advantage of some of the wonderful scenic walking routes. A short walk to Storms River Mouth offers incredible views of the gorge and river below. Continue to Knysna, known as the oyster box of South Africa, and check in to your hotel. Dinner will be served at your hotel’s trendy restaurant this evening.
 
Meals included: Breakfast & dinner 

Travel inland over the scenic Outeniqua Pass to Oudtshoorn, known as the ‘ostrich capital of the world’. Visit a working ostrich farm and then explore the remarkable Cango Caves, with their magnificent dripstone formations of stalactites and stalagmites. Overnight in Oudtshoorn.
 
Meals included: Breakfast 

Drive along the famed Route 62 and through the Little Karoo, towards Cape Town. Along the way, stop in Calitzdorp to sample some high-quality port-style wines, continue through Worcester and the Huguenot Tunnel, and arrive in the Mother City in the late afternoon.
 
Meals included: Breakfast 

Explore Cape Town independently today. Consider taking a cable car to the top of Table Mountain and joining a boat trip to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was once imprisoned. Be sure to check out the shops and eateries on the V&A Waterfront, and perhaps take a tour of the scenic Cape Peninsula.
 
Meals included: Breakfast 

Check out of your hotel this morning, and spend the remainder of the day at leisure until your transfer to Cape Town International Airport.
 
Meals included: Breakfast