Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival in Cape Town. Arrival in Cape Town
An experience starting from your arrival at the airport, where we will pick you up in style and transfer you to your hotel or guest house. After relaxing from your flight, we will take you to Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, where we will introduce you to an extraordinary working harbor and mecca of shopping and entertainment. This revitalized dockland, set against the backdrop of Table Mountain, is now a leisure wonderland, and has become the country's premier tourist attraction. Emerge here into the fresh sea air after your long flight, and walk around the docking place for pleasure boats, enjoy the superb views across the Victoria basin and adjoining docklands, a panorama with no equal. The bright and airy glass-topped mall is a stylish combination of upmarket shopping, fashionable eateries and an absorbing parade of both locals and visitors. The Waterfront Craft Market, is one of the best places to visit - as it contains wonderfully creative and colorful handwork, curios and memorabilia, offering a piece of Africa to take home. Experience already on your first day the charm and magic of the Mother City, amongst the beautiful sights and sounds of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.
Day 2: Cape Peninsula - Cape Point (Full Day)
The famous trip along the Cape Peninsula will definitely prove to be the highlight of your time in Cape Town. Sea More-Express Tours and Guest House will take you all the way the Atlantic Seaboard that stretches some 55 kilometers (34 miles) from the waters of Table Bay along the western coast to the nature reserve at Cape Point. The exceptional beaches and rugged mountains along this coastline makes this a popular tour as it provides outstanding views across the Atlantic Ocean, with the most spectacular sunsets in the world. Cape Town's Atlantic coast is backed by the lofty mountain range, called the Twelve Apostles. Other highlights of this tour includes a visit to the most famous of the peninsula's wine estates: Constantia. Set amid towering oak trees, the Groot Constantia Manor house symbolizes Constantia's wine-making heritage, established by Simon van der Stel in the 1700's.
Today, it is used as the cellar of modern wine-making operations, which offers both tours and tastings. Famed not only for its fine wines, but also for the preservation of its period furniture and objects of art, with pieces dating back to the early 1600's. From here we will take you on the scenic route from Kommetjie towards Fish Hoek onto one of the most magnificent stretches of road in the Cape. Both the setting and views along 'Old Cape Road' - are quite extraordinary as it winds through the mountainside and into Silver mine Nature Reserve. Beyond Fish Hoek, lies the picturesque village of Simon's Town, home base of the South African Navy. Simon's Town is spectacularly situated beneath a 678m high ridge of mountains. Many of the charmed arcaded buildings lining Simon's Town's Main Road date back to the 19th century. Its busy arcade of shops,market stalls and cafes look down over the harbor. Just outside Simon's Town is the secluded enclave of Boulders Beach, home to a colony of endangered jackass penguins, and it is protected by the massive rounded granite outcrops from which it gets its name.
This Peninsula route is renowned for its seafood, therefore Sea More-Express will let you experience the finest seafood menus as offered by the Black Marlin, near Miller's Point. The tour will take you past Miller's Point and Smitswinkelbaai, where crayfish divers and snorkelers converge to either harvest the plentiful crustacean or explore the marine life. We will continue to the southern tipe of the Cape Peninsula, where you will experience for yourself the natural beauty and superlative views of one of the wonders of the peninsula, take photographs, breathe the sea air, admire the fauna and flora and walk the unspoilt terrain. We will head back to Cape Town visiting Hout Bay, which remains an important fishing harbor, relatively unscratched by modern development, crowded with boats from every description, with a character and ambiance of its own. The most spectacular and most scenic drive in the Cape: Chapman's Peak Drive. The awe-inspiring scenic drive around Chapman's Peak is surpassed only by its superlative sunsets, and one this note we return you to Cape Town, driving through the exclusive Camps Bay, Clifton, Bantry Bay, and Sea Point, the perfect way to end our tour.
Day 3: Winelands Combo
Capetonians believe that life's too short to be wasted on bad wine, therefore Sea More-Express will take you on a full-day wine excursion, offering you the best of the Fairest Cape's wines. Our tour firstly takes you to Stellenbosch, where you will not only taste splendid wines but you will also be charmed by victorian cottages along oak-lined streets evoking Stellenbosch's rich architectural heritage. We will take you to De Bergkelder, or 'mountain cellar', which is a consulted series of cellar chambers cut into the bulk of Papegaai mountain. Within the eerie walls, packed wall-to-wall with wine and lit by candles, you are welcome to taste the fruits of Stellenbosch's renowned vineyards. We will depart from De Bergkelder for a visit to Neethlingshof, where we will enjoy a spectacular lunch among the vines, and taste the Neethlingshof's wines that bear a distinctive label depicting the prominent avenue of pine trees for which the estate is known. The views from the farm are quite spectacular.
From here we will embark to the town of Paarl, one of the counrty's main wine-producing areas. Known for its quality wines and cheeses, we will visit Fairview, situated on the southern stretch of Paarl Mountain. The Swiss mountain goats are a popular attraction, and can be seen making their nimble way up and down the specially built staircase to their loft home. Sea More-Express Tours & Guest House will take you next to the tranquil valley cradling the town of Franschoek, also one of the country's most prolific wine-producing areas. The views of the Franschoek Valley from the Franschoek Pass are unsurpassed. Our tour will take you to La Motte, nearly 300 years old, a wine farm owned originally by the renowned Rupert family in 1970. Here we will experience the celebrated wines that it is famous for.
Most of the estates along our wine routes produce excellent wines, leaving visitors with the dilemma of selecting which estates to include and which to leave off the itinerary. This wine tour by Sea More-Express combines the small estates with the well-known, enabling you to experience the fine wines as well as the rustic enchantment of the famed wine lands. Franschoek's greatest attraction is the many restaurants and bistros, so we leave the option with you to end your day of wine tasting with dinner at an award-winning restaurant, with menus varying from French provincial to Cape Malay at its best.
Day 4: Hermanus and The Whale Route Tour.
The southern coastline of the Western Cape is a delightful mix of cultures, attractions and unsurpassed natural splendor. Each of the communities, along these shores has its own charm, while the waters offshore are an important whale breeding ground.Our tour takes you through Somerset-West, where we will visit the magnificent famous Cape Dutch homestead of Vergelegen, revealing a story almost forgotten by man about Willem Adriaan Van Der Stel's obsession with this romantic piece of land, destroying in the process himself and others, but also forming a whole cluster of industries: workshop, water-mill, tannery, winery, granary, groves of fruit trees, corn lands, and a vineyard of over half a million vines, together with exquisite gardens and architecture. None of the wine farms in the area of the Hottentots Holland Mountains have quite the atmosphere of Van Der Stel's old farm, therefore a visit to this beautiful estate is an absolute must.
Our tour then takes you to the warm waters of Strand and Gordon's Bay where sailboats skim the waves, children frolic on the white sand and sunbathers swim and soak up the sun. Gordon's Bay boasts one of the country's finest yacht clubs and enjoys a splendid view of the sea and the mountain. The route from Hangklip to Kleinmond, will take us to Betty's Bay, originally a whaling station, catering for nature lovers with Disa Kloof at the nearby Harold Porter Botanic Gardens on the mountain slopes. Here you will experience a natural paradise, with a magnificent stream and waterfall, and a multitude of wild flowers, including the disa.
Our tour eventually takes you to Hermanus, where the breeding of southern right whales awaits you: The most thrilling of sights on this route. Hermanus ranks as one of the Cape's most popular getaway spots, and Sea More-Express will take you to the cliff top path overlooking Walker's Bay, the country's top whale-whale watching spot. At the foot of the harbor cliffs stands the Perlemoen / Abalone Hatchery where abalone are bred - either to be released or sold. Abalone are are popular delicacy in the Far East and due to the limited stocks available, command high prices. We can arrange a special tour of this extraordinary farm on request and there is also unusual jewelery for sale. Each year, hundreds of Southern Right whales migrate into our coastal waters, visiting the sheltered, shallow bays to calve and nurse their young. The whales, mere meters from the shore, provide unsurpassed whale watching opportunities between June and November. Humpback whales migrate through our region between May and December. Bryde's whales are found slightly further off shore all year round.
Hermanus is renowned as the heart of the Cape Whale Coast. Acknowledged by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as one of the twelve best whale watching sites in the world, whales can be seen is some places from as close as five meters from its rocky cliffs. The southern right whales start arriving in Walker Bay from June and have usually left again by December. The peak whale season, when sightings are virtually guaranteed every day, is during September and October. The whale population peaks in Walker Bay during October. Hermanus even has 'the world's only whale crier', Wilson Salukazana, who blows a horn made of sea bamboo to tell people that whales are in view. He will answer the questions of every eager tourist. The whales seem to appreciate an audience and provide spectacular entertainment. Sea More-Express aims to take you to the best sites for whale-watching, at any particular time of the year. We end this day with a unforgettable sunset cruise from the harbor of Hermanus, for the ultimate experience in whale-watching.
No living animals have captured our imaginations as have the great whales. They fire our imaginations and stab at our emotions. They inspire our art, literature, and music. And so they should. The indescribable blend of grace, power, and beauty of a whale as it glides underwater, leaps toward the sky, or simply lifts its flukes and slides into the sea symbolizes a vanishing poetry of the wild.
Day 5: The West Coast Tour.
Sunset over the Cape West Coast, South Africa. The arid western half of South Africa has an unique beauty that is not found anywhere else in the country, but be warned, once you have fallen under the spell of this harsh semi-desert landscape you will want to return again and again. The West Coast is a region of extreme beauty and contrast, extending from the superb of Milnerton, just beyond the northern reaches of the peninsula, to the village of Velddrif.
The simple landscape of gentle fynbos and endless beach looks out over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and combines an uncomplicated lifestyle with a wealth of wildlife. The West Coast forms part of what is known as the Cape Floral Kingdom, a unique bio which incorporates more than 1 000 flowering species, with no less than 80 plants specific to this corner of the world. And of course, an added attraction to the West Coast is its prolific bird life, which lures birder watchers from all over the world. We will also visit unique towns like Darling, where there are extraordinary periodic homes and the first area in South Africa to breed merino sheep. It is here that the spectacle of flowers occur every spring, with endless fields of wild flowers coloring the entire landscape.
We will visit the Langebaan Lagoon, the heart of the West Coast, where archaeological discoveries were made dating as far back as 10 million years, and a pair of fossilized footprints made by an early human that is estimated to be 117 000 years old. The best the West Coast has to offer in terms of food will be on your platter at the famous Strandloper restaurant, where you will be tempted to wolf down the delicious tastes of the West Coast. We will visit towns like Hopefield and Paternoster, surrounded by open expanses of renosterveld, rietveld, sand veld and wetlands, the most picturesque villages on the West Coast. Sea More-Express Tours and Guest House welcomes you on this tour, where you will experience the full glory of this world, with the sun at your back.
Day 6: Kirstenbosch and Table Mountain.
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is known throughout the world for its spectacular beauty and incredible diversity of plants. The gardens spread across the mountain's eastern slopes and extend up to Maclear's Beacon, comprising over 500 hectares (1 235 acres) as well as 478 hectares (1 181 acres) of fynbos and natural forest. The landscape includes nearly 7 000 species of indigenous plants. Several trails lead through this magnificent garden, and Sea More-Express will take you through this garden on the most spectacular trail, offering you a delightful picnic in this mountain landscape. Highlights include: The famous aromatic herb garden, the fragrance garden, The Dell and Cycad Amphitheater, The Camphor Avenue, The Compton Herbarium (taking up 5 hectares (12 acres) of ground. With its burst of color and unrivaled mountains backdrop, Kirstenbosch is one of the world's most beautiful botanical gardens.
No visit to Cape Town is complete without a visit to the summit of Table Mountain, from where the dramatic lookout points afford exhilarating views of the city and its environment. You can see the whole chain of mountains reaching southward to distant Cape point. Apart from the breathtaking pan aroma, perhaps the most impressive sight on Table Mountain is its unique array of flora and fauna.
Day 7: Robben Island and Cape Town City Tour.
The 11.5 km (7 mile) boat trip from The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront to Robben Island takes about half an hour each way, and the tour lasts about three hours. It includes a comprehensive tour of the political prison of Nelson Mandela, and a bus ride which takes you to various sites across the island. The history of Robben Island provides a fascinating look into the history of South Africa. Other highlights include the 18 meter (54 feet) lighthouse, erected in 1863, and extraordinary architecture of buildings built in the late 1800's, an old leper morgue used between 1846 and 1931 for a leper colony, the wreck of Fung Chung II, a taiwanese fishing vessel which foundered in 1977, the kramat (Muslim shrine) near the harbor and walls of the political prison, built over the grave of the Prince of Madura, who died in exile on this island in 1754. The natural heritage of Robben Island remains important: Elephant and lion roamed here millions of years ago, but today the fauna consists largely of steenbok, springbok and bontebok, and the bird life includes a nesting colony of jackass penguins, and most important: Seals, after which the island is named. "Robben" is the Dutch word for seals.
History books will tell you about Cape Town's past, but the wealth of our heritage lies within the hearts of the people of Cape Town. In our city tour we will take you to places where you can enrich your life with the past of Cape Town: Places like the District Six Museum, place of shame and sadness, we will take you to the flower sellers and you will experience their spirit of optimism and street wisdom at its best.
Historical Cape Town has a lot to offer in terms of fine architectural and sculptural features. In the heart of Cape Town lies the Company's Garden, originally laid out in 1652 by Jan van Riebeeck. Today, this garden is home to magnificent stands of both indigenous and exotic vegetation. The stately Houses of Parliament and the Colonial Regency-style Tuynhuys, the President's City Office, are but a few of the gracious places to see and experience. The South African Cultural History Museum, containing lifelike exhibits on indigenous cultures, rock paintings and certainly the most impressive of these exhibits must be the magnificent Whale Well, which echoes to the eerie strains of whale song while the giant skeletons of these mammals from the southern oceans dangle from the ceiling. We will also take you to the markets of Africa, where you will experience an eclectic mix of art, craft, textiles and jewelery, as well as an array of traditional African basket ware, bead work and township art.
An extraordinary day, as we present you with a portrait of Cape Town and its people, combining history, South African Art, national treasures, everything that makes Cape Town such an incredible place. We are proud to be part of the southern tip of the continent of Africa that is free and democratic, non-racial and non-sexist. If we are to realize the true potential of our African motherland, it will take the effort and commitment of those who call the continent of Africa their homeland, as well as the entire international community.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Notes: Free accommodation including scrumptious breakfast with any day tour and R600 pp sharing per day plus a free airport transfer.
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Africa
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