Cape Town & the Garden Route

Welcome to South Africa, our tour begins in Port Elizabeth. Depending on your arrival time, spend the day exploring or relaxing. There will be a welcome briefing in the evening to discuss the adventures to come. Accommodation: La Mer Guesthouse (or similar)

This morning, we head to Addo Elephant National Park, home to some 550 elephants (up from just 16 when the park was formed) plus black rhinos, leopards, lions, buffalos, hyenas, zebras, various antelopes and dung beetles. We enjoy a game drive in our own vehicle and have the option of a second (at extra cost). Accommodation: Avoca Guest Farm (or similar)

Today we head west to the official start of the Garden Route at Storms River and Tsitsikamma National Park. Stretching along the coast, the park, which comprises rocky coastlines, fairytale forests, waterfalls and rivers, gets its name from a local word meaning ‘place of abundant water’. We can hike in the forest and along suspension bridges. The area is also a great place for bird enthusiasts with a variety of sea, forest and fynbos (scrubland) species present. Accommodation: Storms River Mouth Rest Camp (or similar)

We spend the day at Tsitsikamma, where several hikes are available plus other activities (some are weather dependent, such as canoeing). Accommodation: Storms River Mouth Rest Camp (or similar)

We start our day with a visit to Knysna Heads, two tall sandstone cliffs that form a channel through which the turbulent Indian Ocean enters the calmer Knysna Lagoon. We have a bit more time to relax in town before leaving for Oudtshoorn after lunch. As we head inland and over a pass, the landscape changes drastically and we enter the Little Karoo, a much dryer, hotter region. Oudtshoorn itself became renowned for its trade in ostrich feathers and is still the ostrich capital of the world. Our guesthouse is out of town in De Rust, a tranquil, rural Karoo village. Accommodation: House Martin Guest Lodge (or similar)

We spend all day in and around Oudtshoorn. We start by visiting the Cango Caves, an extensive complex of caverns with stalactites and stalagmites. We then enjoy lunch at Buffelsdrift, where we overlook a waterhole occasionally visited by elephants, giraffes and springboks. In the afternoon, we visit the beautiful Meiringspoort Waterfall and enjoy a short walk in the area. (The order in which we do these activities may be reversed). Accommodation: House Martin Guest Lodge (or similar)

Returning towards the coast, we stop at Mossel Bay and the Dias museum complex, which reveals the influence of early Portuguese sailors on South Africa and is home to the Post Office Tree (an old milkwood tree where seafarers once left letters to be taken home by Portuguese sailors). We then continue to Hermanus, the whale capital of the world. Accommodation: Windsor Hotel (or similar)

Today is a free day to relax and enjoy Hermanus. From late August to November, southern right whales are easily spotted from shore as they frolic in Walker Bay. A whale crier sounds his kelp horn when he spots whales off the coast. Those who want can also do a boat-based whale-watching trip. There are also several other activities available from hikes to river cruises and lagoon kayaking, which are available year-round. Accommodation: Windsor Hotel (or similar)

Our next destination is the much-celebrated South African wine region. The industry here, which dates to the 17th century and was heavily influenced by French Huguenots, produces some of the best wines in the world. We can taste some of these before continuing to Cape Town, the Mother City. Accommodation: City Lodge Hotel Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or similar)

We spend the next two days in and around Cape Town, the most exciting city in South Africa. Our activities in Cape Town will, to some extent, be dictated by the weather as visits to the top of Table Mountain, which has its own micro-climate, are determined by cloud cover and wind. Because of this often temperamental weather, it is best not to prebook the cable car but to buy tickets on the spot (not included). Those staying in Cape Town post-tour may opt to visit Table Mountain later if the weather looks as though it may improve. There is also the option of visiting Robben Island on one of the days; however, we recommend you prebook Robben Island with us before the trip (but pay the tour leader locally). On one of the days, we head down the Cape Peninsula. We follow the Atlantic Seaboard past the areas of Camps Bay, Llandudno and Hout Bay to the Cape Point via Chapman's Peak drive, if it is open. The highlight is our visit to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, home to elands, bonteboks, springboks, wildebeest, baboons and ostriches. Rugged cliffs, unspoiled beaches, shipwrecks and beautiful flora are the main features of the reserve. We walk through the reserve for approximately two hours. We first head to the old lighthouse for the panoramic views, before following the pathway to the new lighthouse, which offers spectacular cliff views. We then follow the downhill path to the Cape of Good Hope. Once we leave the park, we stop at the former Royal Navy base at Simon's Town and visit the resident penguin colony at Boulders Beach. Accommodation: City Lodge Hotel Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or similar)

On our final day, we have the option of doing a township tour, strolling along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront or exploring various other parts of Cape Town.