The itinerary is tentative and subject to change.

NOVEMBER 17 DEPART USA

NOVEMBER 18 JOHANNESBURG 

On arrival at Johannesburg airport you will be met and transferred to Southern Sun Katherine Street for overnight the next two nights in a standard room. 

NOVEMBER 19 JOHANNESBURG (BL)

Breakfast at the hotel. 

Today you will be taken on a tour of Kliptown open air museum and Soweto. You know the name. It's a legend. SOWETO, acronym for South Western Township, is home to over 2 million people, who, despite living in crowded and chaotic conditions, have a tangible sense of community, one which ironically, the ordered, walled, elitist northern suburbs lack. 

Inside Soweto, you will visit the Hector Pieterson Museum and discover the cause of the tragic riots which led to his death. Photo stop at Mandela House (entrance optional and own account). Your journey continues to Regina Mundi Church, site of many secret underground meetings of the then banned political parties. Soweto is unlike a suburb you've ever seen or been to, yet the history of struggle encapsulated here is a cornerstone of the South African story.

Lunch is included at Sakhumzi’s restaurant. After lunch visit The Apartheid Museum, the first of its kind, illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid. The museum is a superb example of design, space and landscape offering the international community a unique South African experience. The exhibits have been assembled and organised by a multi-disciplinary team of curators, film-makers, historians and designers. They include provocative film footage, photographs, text panels and artefacts illustrating the events and human stories that are part of the epic saga, known as apartheid. A series of 22 individual exhibition areas takes the visitor through a dramatic emotional journey that tells a story of a state-sanctioned system based on racial discrimination and the struggle of the majority to overthrow this tyranny. For anyone wanting to understand and experience what apartheid South Africa was really like, a visit to the Apartheid Museum is fundamental. The museum is a beacon of hope showing the world how South Africa is coming to terms with its oppressive past and working towards a future that all South Africans can call their own.

Return to your hotel and overnight. 

NOVEMBER 20 KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (BD)

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Johannesburg airport in time for your flight to Kruger Mpumalanga airport. On arrival you will be met and transferred to the Protea hotel by Marriott Kruger Gate for overnight the next 2 nights in a guest room. Dinner is included tonight. 

Our lodge-style hotel, with soaring walkways and treetop ambiance, uniquely offers classic Big 5 safaris in the Kruger National Park with all the comforts of an upmarket 4-star hotel experience. Your adventures into the pristine wilderness will be perfectly balanced by the hotel’s contemporary relaxation options. Set in a tranquil riverine woodland of immense African trees, there is a range of elegant accommodation from standard to large guest rooms, and from the executive to presidential suites. With refined Africa-inspired décor, all rooms have en-suite bathrooms, air-conditioning, free wi-fi and in-room dining. Special highlights of your stay will include game-viewing from the Pool Bar with its stunning infinity pool; luxurious care at the beautifully appointed Spa and sumptuous dining in the glow of stars and wood fires in the outdoor Lapa.

NOVEMBER 21 KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (BD)

Full day open-vehicle game drive in Kruger Park. Lunch in the park – own account. 

Encompassing nearly two million hectares and fourteen different ecosystems, Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa and a highlight of a South Africa vacation and is located in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa. Although areas of Kruger (named for former South African Republic president Paul Kruger) have been protected since 1898, it officially became South Africa’s first national park in 1926. Today, Kruger is run by the South African National Parks (SANP) and is considered by many to be one of the best managed national parks in Africa. 

The main goals of Kruger National Park are wildlife, conservation, education and tourism. On South Africa safaris, the park boasts “the Big Five”, the lion, the African elephant, the Cape buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros. The term “Big Five” was coined by big game hunters regarding the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot.

Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.  

NOVEMBER 22 ARRIVE IN CAPE TOWN (BD)

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport in time for your flight to Cape Town. On arrival at Cape Town airport you will be met and transferred to the Commodore hotel for overnight the next three nights, on a bed and breakfast basis in a standard room. Tonight you will have return transfers and dinner at Golds with interactive drumming. 

With its majestic Table Mountain backdrop, Cape Town is one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the world; an eclectic mix of architectural styles reflects the tastes and dictates of the past and the more functional demands of the 20th Century. Cobblestone streets, mosques and the flat roofed pastel homes of the Malay quarter enhance a cosmopolitan ambience and in a recent development, the restoration of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront evokes images of the seafaring activities of the 19th century. At the end of the day, gourmets and lovers of sophisticated entertainment have a treat in store as the choice for your evening's repast is vast.

NOVEMBER 23 CAPE TOWN (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. This morning you will meet your guide and walk to the ferry terminal at the V&A waterfront. Your Robben Island tour will start at 9:00am (weather dependent). The standard tour to Robben Island is 3.5 hours long, including the two half-hour ferry rides. 

Please note that Robben Island has implemented a new procedure for all passengers booked on the Robben Island tour.  Guests are required to show proof of passport/ ID and fill out an indemnity form before boarding the vessel to Robben Island. They may bring copies of Identification should they wish to rather keep the original at the hotel.

From the 17th to the 20th centuries, Robben Island served as a place of banishment, isolation and imprisonment. Today it is a World Heritage Site and museum, a poignant reminder to the newly democratic South Africa of the price paid for freedom. It is important for all visitors to experience all phases of the Island, to realize that the Island is a place of pain and a place of triumph and victory. The island tour discusses these themes as well as the detention and isolation of insane females, people with leprosy and prisoners, including African chiefs in the 1800’s. The Prison tour depicts the lives of political prisoners detained from the 1960’s to 1991. Former Robben Island prisoners conduct the tour.

The Robben Island Tour includes: A return boat trip across Table Bay, a visit to the infamous Maximum Security Prison, interaction with an ex-political prisoner, a 45-minute bus ride with a guide providing commentary, the opportunity to explore the Murray's Bay Harbour precinct attractions, such as the Muslim shrine, or kramat, and the Museum Shop.

Return to the Waterfront for lunch own account. After lunch transfer to the Table Mountain cableway for a wonderful view of the city. The Table Mountain ticket is included (weather dependent). After visit The Castle and Company’s Garden. Drive by Parliament, City Hall and Slave Lodge. Drive through Bo Kaap, and the Malay Quarter. Return to your hotel for overnight. 

NOVEMBER 24 CAPE TOWN (B)

What is the best feature of the Cape Winelands? It’s true that it is renowned for its crisp white and classic French-style red wines, but it also has a stunning wealth of natural rustic beauty with vast estates shaded from the African sunshine by giant oak trees and towering mountains overlooking lush valleys. On this full day tour we will visit Franschhoek for a walking tour of the town. Enjoy a cellar tour and wine tasting at a Franschhoek wine estate. Transfer to a Stellenbosch wine estate for wine tasting. Lunch own account. 

You will have a Stellenbosch orientation tour and return to Cape Town for overnight. 

NOVEMBER 25 DEPART (B)

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Cape Town airport in time for your flight home7