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South Africa, A Whole World in One Country
offered by supplier M09212 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 9
day(s)
Group Size: 4
- 6
people
Destination(s):
South Africa
Specialty Categories:
Cultural Journey
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 2487 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 2487 US Dollar (USD)
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Explore the Mother City and the Fairest Cape - from the oldest buildings in South Africa too trendy waterfront shopping; from majestic Table Mountain to glamorous beaches and dramatic seascapes.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Depart the USA and get ready for your South African Adventure of Culture, History and Wildlife!
Day 2: Arrival in Cape Town after your flight from the United States. You will be met by your local English speaking driver-guide. Depart from the airport and transfer the short distance to the hotel (journey time approximately 30 minutes unless arrival is during morning rush hour). Your guide will take you on an orientation tour of the city en route to the hotel. Check into the hotel for a chance to relax and unwind after your flight. Dinner this evening will be served at the hotel. Overnight on a bed and breakfast basis at the Urban Chic Boutique Hotel. Included: (D).
Day 3: After a good night’s sleep and hearty breakfast your guide will meet you for your tour of the fabled Cape Peninsula. Your journey starts along the city’s “platinum mile” facing the Atlantic Ocean, with the suburbs of Sea Point, Bantry Bay, Clifton and Camp’s Bay. From here it is a short distance to the fishing port of Hout Bay where you exchange your vehicle for a boat as you set out to Duiker Island, home to one of the largest colonies of Cape Fur Seals off the African coast. Returning to dry land, travel over the spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive, with towering cliffs to the one side and a sheer drop to the ocean below on the other. Your destination is the Cape Point Nature Reserve, where you will find the famous Cape of Good Hope considered by many as the “end of Africa”. Here you will also be able to walk or take the funicular (optional extra) up to the lighthouse at Cape Point for spectacular views to the tip of the peninsula and out to the Atlantic Ocean and False Bay. Stop for a fish lunch at the well known Black Marlin restaurant, overlooking the ocean. After lunch your journey will take you along the False Bay coastline, stopping at Boulder’s Beach, famous for its breeding colony of African Penguins. Leaving False Bay head back towards the city, stopping at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, situated on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and regarded as one of the greatest botanical institutes in the world. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon. The evening is at leisure to enjoy in Cape Town. Overnight on a bed and breakfast basis at the Urban Chic Boutique Hotel. Included: (B), (L).
Day 4: This morning awake for your transfer to the vibrant V&A Waterfront from where you will leave for a thought provoking tour of Robben Island. For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 12 km. from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here that rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society. During the apartheid years Robben Island became internationally known for its institutional brutality. The duty of those who ran the Island and its prison was to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. Some freedom fighters spent more than a quarter of a century in prison for their beliefs. Those imprisoned on the Island succeeded on a psychological and political level in turning a prison 'hell-hole' into a symbol of freedom and personal liberation. Robben Island came to symbolise, not only for South Africa and the African continent, but also for the entire world, the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity. After returning to Cape Town from Robben Island enjoy lunch in the V&A Waterfront before proceeding to Table Mountain, the iconic symbol of the city! This towering granite mountain stands proud above the city and offers spectacular views of the city, peninsula and beyond! Your trip up the mountain is in a modern revolving cable car that will whisk you to the top in under 5 minutes (weather permitting). After your visit to Table Mountain continue your tour through the city ending in the colorful Bo-Kaap. The "Bo Kaap" or "Cape Malay Quarter" belongs to the culturally and historically most interesting parts of Cape Town. Many of the inhabitants are descendants of the people from Indonesia (Batavia), Sri Lanka, India and Malaysia, who were captured in the 17th and 18th century and enslaved by the Dutch-East Indian Trading Company. Many were Muslims and others were converted to Islam by the Cape Muslim community. The Cape Malays have preserved their cultural identity and Islamic creed. The old Malay Quarter with its steep and narrow streets, the plain artisan houses, Mosques and Minaretts reaches from the Buitengracht Street up to the Signal Hill. The houses were restored and colorfully painted. The architectural style is a synthesis of Cape Dutch and Edwardian. Here you will enjoy a walking tour of the area with one of the residents, ending in tea and traditional cakes in one of the beautiful houses of the Bo-Kaap. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure. Overnight on a bed and breakfast basis at the Urban Chic Boutique Hotel. Included: (B), (L).
Day 5: After an early breakfast depart from the hotel for the transfer to the airport for your flight to Johannesburg. On arrival in Johannesburg you will be met by a local English speaking guide for the second half of your journey. Leaving the airport depart eastwards towards the province of Mpumalanga, also known as “Paradise Country” thanks to its magnificent scenery. Leaving Johannesburg the industrial landscape gradually gives way to rolling fields of grain. Further east the fields slowly give way to hills and valleys as the high plateau (highveld) on which Johannesburg is situated drops to the low lying areas of Mpumalanga. Lunch will be served en route. Travel through the magnificent scenery to reach your destination situated on the Da Gama Dam. Here you will enjoy a sundowner cruise on the dam before dinner at the lodge. Overnight on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis at Hulala Lakeside Lodge. Included: (B), (L), (D).
Day 6: After breakfast depart from the lodge after an early breakfast to travel over the spectacular Panorama Route, including God’s Window, the mystical geological shapes at Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the awe-inspiring Blyde River Canyon (the third largest canyon in the world and the largest “green canyon”). From here it is a short drive over the Abel Erasmus Pass and down into “Big Game Country”. Your destination is the Manyaleti Game Reserve. The name Manyeleti, means 'Place of the Stars' in the local Shangaan language and guests have the opportunity to watch the magnificent Southern Constellation. Manyeleti is situated away from the mainstream tourist areas and guests can experience the tranquility of the African Bush in absolute seclusion. Manyeleti Game Reserve is situated between the Timbavati Private Reserve, the Kruger National Park and the Sabi Sands Game Reserve and is home to the big five and many other species of wildlife. Settle into your lodge situated in the heart of the African bush. The lodge is a blend of the traditional safari tent with modern chic. Your accommodation is in luxury en-suited tented accommodation nestling into pristine savannah. After a hearty high tea depart from the lodge in open 4x4 vehicles with your ranger and tracker team who will help you discover the secrets of the bush. Your ranger and tracker team will help you look for the animals and explain the various flora and fauna that you see en route. You will stop at sunset in the bush to enjoy sundowner drinks before continuing the safari after dark with the aid of powerful spotlights to try and catch sight of the elusive nocturnal game, including lion and leopard! Return to the lodge after your safari for dinner under the African stars (weather permitting). Overnight on a fully inclusive basis at Honeyguide Safari Lodge (note the actual camp used will depend on availability for each group – however, each camp is of the same standard and the same rate) Included: (B), (L), (D).
Day 7: Awake at dawn for your morning safari after a cup of steaming coffee to get you going! The safaris take place in the early morning and late afternoons as these are the coolest times of day, when the game is at its most active. The reserve is home to the “Big Five” – elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo as well as a whole host of other game, including zebra, giraffe and many species of antelope. As the reserve shares an unfenced border with the Kruger National Park it shares all the same game as this renowned wildlife sanctuary. After your morning drive which last for approximately three hours you will return to camp for breakfast. After breakfast you will depart from the lodge with one of the ranger to visit the neighboring Shangaan village. It is from this village that many of the staff at the lodge hail and it is a chance for you to witness first hand rural community life. You will get to meet the family and friends of the staff and possibly the chance to visit one of the schools in the village. Return to the lodge in the afternoon for lunch. In the late afternoon depart for your second sunset safari, returning to the lodge during the evening for dinner and a well earned sleep! Overnight on a fully inclusive basis at Honeyguide Safari Lodge Included: (B), (L), (D).
Day 8: After your dawn safari this morning you will have the opportunity to accompany your ranger or tracker on a walking safari into the bushveld for a close of view of your surroundings and a great chance to learn more about the bushveld ecosystem. After your walk depart from the lodge for your return journey to Johannesburg. Stop for a late lunch in the trout fishing village of Dullstroom. Arrival in Johannesburg in the late afternoon. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner at the vibrant “Moyo” restaurant. Overnight on a bed and breakfast basis at the Sunnyside Park Hotel Included: (B), (L).
Day 9: After breakfast, depart hotel for a full day tour of the most thought provoking sites of Johannesburg. Your tour will start at Johannesburg’s Constitution Hill. The Constitutional Court of South Africa is Johannesburg’s newest historical landmark and a unique architectural symbol of South Africa’s democracy. On this site, once the Old Fort Prison Complex, commonly known as Number Four, political prisoners and common criminals awaited trial and sat out their jail sentences. Today, the elegant Constitutional Court presides over this once-reviled place and stands as a proud monument to South Africa’s hard-earned freedom. The Court extends an invitation to the general public and international visitors to explore the history of South Africa’s political transition. Come and see the splendid and symbolic artwork, sit in the graceful public gallery, watch the 11 justices deliberate the finer details of the Constitution and wander around the largest human rights library in the southern hemisphere. Here, the height of apartheid rule, up to 2000 black South Africans were processed through its entrance daily. Struggle stalwarts like Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Luthuli, Robert Sobukwe and Nelson Mandela spent many cold, lonely hours in the cells reserved for black males at Number Four. The prison was closed in 1983, leaving a scar on Johannesburg’s metropolis - a bleak reminder of our painful past. The site has now been transformed into a modern, living museum dedicated to human rights. After the tour, group will lunch. After lunch visit the Apartheid Museum. The museum reminds one of apartheid’s brutal history at almost every cultural turn. Residual inequalities, like the shanty-towns that still exist, make it impossible to forget. But for an in-depth, historic take on the nation’s four decades of state-approved racism, the Apartheid Museum is unparalleled. Christopher Till, the museum’s curator, was inspired by Washington’s Holocaust Museum and has captured a similar mood here. Unnerving film and video footage, photos and artefacts illustrate the harrowing conditions in which black Africans, Indians and mixed-raced “coloreds” were forced to live. Time to say a sad goodbye to new friends, and incredible experiences, as you head home to the USA. You will be dropped off at the airport for your outbound flight during the afternoon. Included: (B), (L)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Starting at $2487 land/ $3369 Air & Land.
Included:
- RT Trans Atlantic Flights, RT Transfers;
- 7 nights Accommodation as listed below;
- 19 Meals per itinerary (7 x breakfast, 7 x lunch, 5 x dinner);
- English speaking guide throughout;
- Transport in air-conditioned vehicle – type VW microbus/kombi or similar;
- Entrance fees to all visits mentioned;
- All park fees and game viewing activities as per the programme;
- Porterage at all hotels and airports.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
South Africa
Cultural Journey
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