Classic South African Adventure

Fly overnight to Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest and most vibrant city.

You’ll arrive in Johannesburg, ready to kick off your African adventure and meet your tour manager. A transfer will then drive you to the Lesedi Cultural Village set within the bushveld, backed by rocky hills and within the Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site. Take some time to unwind in your traditionally decorated homestead accommodation, kitted out with modern essentials for a comfortable and enlightening stay.

This evening, after a gastronomic feast of African dishes under the star-speckled sky, you’ll receive the warmest welcome by your Lesedi hosts, Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho, and Ndebele tribespeople. You’ll be introduced to their cultures, enjoy a tour around their homes and watch a performance of traditional music and dancing.

After a leisurely breakfast, you’ll travel to historic Lilliesleaf, an award-winning national heritage site, which honours the South African liberation movement. This famous farmstead served as the headquarters of the African National Congress and Umkhonto we Sizwe (the ‘Spear of the Nation’) until a security police raid in 1963, which led to the trial and imprisonment of the organisations’ leaders, including Nelson Mandela.

You’ll be led around the property by a guide and pay a visit to Johannesburg’s moving Apartheid Museum. Exhibits featuring photographs, film footage, text panels and artefacts will provide further insight into the historical background of today’s democratic South Africa.

Following this educational day, you’ll return to Lesedi for your second evening and another delicious dinner in the village.

Rise early, tuck into breakfast and bid farewell to your friendly hosts at Lesedi. The tour will then set off to a safari lodge in Mpumalanga, bordered by the vast Kruger National Park.

Upon arrival at the lodge, you can settle in, take in the surroundings of the Lowveld, and cool off in the pool, perhaps sipping on a G&T in-between. This property, overlooking the Sable River, is set within the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, a private game reserve that promises a plethora of wildlife sightings during your stay.

Those who are eager to get out there can go for an optional game drive into the Kruger National Park in the afternoon.  

Dinner will be served at the lodge’s on-site restaurant before you get an early night, prepping for the busy next few days.

Fuel up with a hearty breakfast and pack a charged camera as today you’ll be venturing along the spectacular Panorama Route, overlooking the Blyde River Canyon. With included stops at the Three Rondavels, a trio of rocky outcrops, Bourke's Luck Potholes, a geological attraction caused by erosion, and God’s Window, named for its sweeping views of the Lowveld, this guided tour will prove incredibly memorable.

Lunch will be enjoyed at the town of Graskop (payable locally), a charming town on the edge of the Drakensberg escarpment, offering views of the lush scenery below.

After an active afternoon, you’ll return to the lodge, kick off your walking shoes and have the evening at your leisure, maybe concluding with a sundowner before dinner.

It’s officially safari time! Khaki gear and sun cream at the ready, you’ll arise early, with a breakfast pack in hand, and be transferred to Kruger Gate of the Kruger National Park where you’ll be met by your friendly, knowledgeable ranger and an open-air 4X4 vehicle and then set off into the park for a full-day safari. Home to the ‘Big Five, the Kruger National Park is one of the world’s largest reserves, teeming with ecosystems and wildlife.

The safari will pause for a break and a spot of lunch at a rest camp inside the park, where you can buy lunch and stock up on snacks and souvenirs. You’ll then commence with your game-viewing excursion before heading back to Kruger Gate, where you'll be picked up by the driver and travel to the lodge.

Freshen up and experience a special final dinner as a group with your newly found friends.

Those eager for some more exploring can join a guided nature walk this morning. Otherwise, today, you’re in for a longer journey, but there will be lots to see along the way.

The tour will cross the border into the compact Kingdom of Eswatini, a former British Protectorate. En route, you’ll stop over at a collection of curio shops and cultural centres (potentially the Ngwenya Glass Factory and Swazi Candles company) then continue into KwaZulu Natal to your delightful hotel in the countryside.

Take a stroll around the lovely gardens, brimming with sunbirds and paradise catchers before enjoying dinner at your leisure tonight.

The tour is back on the road again after breakfast for a visit to the Zulu battlefields area.

You’ll stop for lunch and arrive at your next lodge. You really can’t beat the views of the sunsets from this corner of the world, which will be followed by dinner at the in-house restaurant.

After an early breakfast, you’ll visit the nearby battlefields of KwaZulu Natal, with lunch packs provided. Here, you’ll be met by a specialist battlefields guide who’ll introduce you to the tumultuous history of the Zulu Wars, the battlefields of Isandlwana and, most famously, Rorke’s Drift, the latter immortalised in the 1964 movie Zulu.

You’ll return to the hotel later today to relax and have dinner.

Another early start this morning sees you return to Johannesburg airport and fly south to bustling, friendly Port Elizabeth. A hugely popular beach resort, modern ‘PE’ still offers glimpses of Victorian grandeur and is fringed by pristine stretches of sand.

Upon arrival, you’ll meet your tour manager for the next few days and transfer to your overnight hotel – ideally located across from the beach and within walking distance to an array of dining options.

Muse over a pre-drink on the viewing deck, keeping your eyes peeled for dolphins or whales before seeking out a dinner spot.

Port Elizabeth is the gateway to the Garden Route, which you’ll experience today. This incredibly picturesque drive will take three hours in total, concluding in the seaside town of Knysna. You can choose to take an optional cruise here, crossing the lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, riding a tractor around the reserve, and then stopping for lunch in the milkwood forest.

Alternatively, you can meander around the Knysna waterfront and have lunch at one of the sea-facing restaurants.

By late afternoon, you’ll travel to a new lodge, set on a hill overlooking Mossel Bay, for a two-night stay. Arrive in time to watch the sunset then dinner this evening will be for your account.

Oudtshoorn, ‘the Ostrich Capital’ of the world, is on your agenda today. However, you’ll start by visiting the world-renowned Cango Caves, with their stalactites and stalagmites formed over millions of years.

You’ll then venture to the heart of the ‘Little Karoo’ plain to visit the Safari Ostrich Show Farm in Oudtshoorn for a guided tour of the property. The world’s strangest, largest, and often most valuable bird has been farmed here for 130 years, first for its plumage and more recently for its high-protein, low-cholesterol meat.

After the tour and lunch, you can potter around the town of Oudtshoorn at your own pace before returning late afternoon to the lodge. The rest of the day is at your leisure, perhaps take a dip in the pool before dinner, which is on your account.

Start the day with breakfast at the lodge, check out and then depart for Cape Town.

You’ll get your first taste of this sublime province with a tour of the verdant Cape Winelands region, stopping off at the towns of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.  

Sample the region’s award-winning wine labels with two tastings and choose a charcuterie platter of local produce for lunch. While doing so, sit back and soak up the backdrop of rolling vineyard-covered hills and valleys dotted with villages built in ‘Cape Dutch’, Edwardian, and Art-Deco styles.

Late afternoon, continue to Cape Town, one of the world’s most beautifully located cities, and weather permitting, ascent to the summit of Table Mountain in a cable car. Alternatively, you can visit the mountain on day 14.

The hotel for tonight is within walking distance from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, offering top-quality restaurants, bars, theatres, and shops for you to survey at your leisure.

Today, the tour will travel along one of the world’s most dramatic coastal roads, Chapman’s Peak Drive, towards the Cape Point Peninsula. You’ll go by the Atlantic Seaboard via Sea Point, Clifton, and Camps Bay, stopping at Llandudno look-out point. Next up is Hout Bay, Chapman's Peak, Cape Point and then the Good Hope Nature Reserve.

An included lunch stop (lunch payable locally) will take place in Simon’s Town, one of South Africa’s oldest towns, looking out over the harbour and False Bay.

On the drive home, you’ll have the chance to amble around Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens after receiving a short introduction from your guide.

If a visit to Table Mountain was not included the day before, you can fit it in today’s itinerary, weather permitting.

You can choose to visit Table Mountain as a group if the weather didn’t permit the previous four days. Alternatively, you have a full day to seek out the delights of Cape Town in your own time. Perhaps hike up Lion’s Head, roam through the Company’s Gardens or visit the Two Oceans Aquarium. A fun way to take in the city is on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus, with more than 30 stops.

The recommended optional excursion is to Robben Island, the ‘former’ home of Nelson Mandela. You’ll set off to this World Heritage Site early in the morning and experience a tour around three and a half hours. Travelling via ferry, you’ll arrive at the island for a 45-minute bus ride and then visit the prison museum.

For your last dinner, GOLD Restaurant is highly recommended with its Cape Malay and African-inspired menu, and live entertainment.

Make the most of your last day in Cape Town, before transferring this afternoon to the airport and the return overnight flight.

Arrive back in the UK after an enlightening South African experience.