Addo Elephant National Park, which nurtures and protects the African Elephant in its near impenetrable thorn trees and bush, the rest of the Big 5 and other species of antelope, adds its own magic to the start of this tour. In the Tsitsikamma indigenous forest, fill your lungs with the cool, clean, revitalizing mountain air. A cruise down the Storms River Gorge and through Knysna’s imposing Heads, with tinkling waterfalls, lush vegetation, massive, precipitous rock faces and a picturesque tidal lagoon are pleasures not to be missed.
You will be mesmerized by the vast stillness of the ancient, Knysna indigenous forest, with its elusive, Knysna Elephants. At Pacaltsdorp, you will receive a warm welcome from the local community, with ancestry harking back to the earliest inhabitants of South Africa. We then take a detour to visit the Calitzdorp cellar of a Cape winemaster, and for a taste of his award winning port, brandy and red wine to toast the end of yet another incredible day.
Mossel Bay, with its sweep of white, sandy beaches, will fascinate you with its history, museums and landmarks of 15th and 16th century Portuguese mariners, and extending even further into the past, its stone age heritage. The Cango Caves, the world’s largest chain of limestone caves, with prehistoric, subterranean stalactites and stalactites, is the last spectacular display of nature we will take in, before heading for Cape Town.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive for the start of your tour at the Four Star Kelway Hotel along the Port Elizabeth beach front. If you arrive there early, you will be treated to lunch with your guide and meet with your fellow travelers. You will then have the rest of the day at leisure to explore the hotel surrounds and the beach. The local Kings Beach, within walking distance, was awarded Blue Flag status in 2002/2003. Lunch included.
Day 2: After breakfast, we will visit various historical landmarks , museums and the world class dolphinarium in Port Elizabeth. In the evening you will have the option of taking a cruise around Algoa Bay, the bay in which Port Elizabeth is situated. You will return as the city night lights twinkle along the bay. Breakfast included. Optional Activities: Cruise on Algoa Bay (minimum of 6 people) US$ 91 per person.
Day 3: We will be off to an early start to visit the Addo Elephant National Park on our Big 5 expedition, but will also stop to view other fascinating species of wildlife. The afternoon is at leisure, and you could stroll down to the beach again or just simply relax. Breakfast included.
Day 4: The Garden Route proper starts today as we depart for the Tsitsikamma National Park in the heart of it. The national park’s lush, temperate forest and fynbos reaches out for 5kms to the seas edge. Its rocky coastline is washed by the warm Indian Ocean breakers, and visited by playful dolphins and porpoises and the shy Cape Clawless Otter. We will stop to look at some points of interest, arriving in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we will visit the “Big Tree”, the biggest Yellow Wood in the Tsitsikamma Forest at over 60 meters tall. Eventually by early evening we will arrive to stay at the Whale song Hotel and Hydro in Plettenberg Bay. Breakfast included.
Day 5: This is our day to start with a leisurely hike through the forest for about an hour, with a guide who is knowledgeable about the plants and forest creatures. Thereafter, we will catch a boat to cruise up the Storm’s River Gorge past 150 meter tall cliffs rising up from the river, and occasional deep caverns carved into the rock face. The echo of the Fish Eagles’ cries will accompany us. From here, on to a guided tour of the scenic Storms River Pass. In the afternoon, you will have the option of engaging in further activities in the Tsitsikamma Forest or just returning to the hotel to laze on the beach. Breakfast included. Optional Activities: Canopy Tour US$66.
Day 6: In the morning, after breakfast, we will leave for Knysna, now a tourist Mecca, and regarded as the center of the Garden Route. On our way, we will stop at the Bloukrans Bridge, a relatively recent and monumental addition to the world’s river gorge bridges. This is the highest river gorge bridge in the southern hemisphere, and the largest single span bridge of its kind in the world, and also where the highest commercial bungee jumps in the world occur. For those not suffering from vertigo, there is a steel cage walk that goes right across the gorge.
We will stop at the Knysna Waterfront, for lunch, for your own account, after which we will take a small boat across the lagoon to the Featherbed private nature reserve, situated at the famous Knysna Heads. We will have a short guided walk or ride ( depending on your preference) in the reserve. In the early evening, we will arrive at the Point Hotel, in its beautiful setting, jutting out from the rocks, overlooking a tidal pool in Mossel Bay. Breakfast included.
Day 7: There is much to see and do in Mossel Bay. You are likely to see dolphins and seals crossing in shore at this time of the year and, should fortune smile on you, from the balcony of the Point Hotel. This day is for you to explore the Mossel Bay surrounds at your leisure. You could visit the fine Maritime Museum, which houses a life sized replica of the Caravel in which Batholomew Diaz sailed into Mossel Bay in 1488, watched by the Khoi and the San, the original inhabitants of South Africa. There is also the Shell Museum, the world renowned white milk wood tree that served as a post office for passing seafarers during that era, the St Blaize Lighthouse and numerous handcraft stores. Breakfast included.
Day 8: Crossing the 800 meters (2600 ft) high Outeniqua Pass surrounded by even higher soaring peaks, we will reach reach the the Klein Karoo and the town of Oudtshoorn. We will head for the Cango Caves, in the Swartberg Mountains, a natural wonder, with its gigantic stalacmites and stalagtites. Later, since this is the center of the ostrich industry in South Africa, we shall have a fascinating visit to an ostrich farm, and if we are brave enough, an ostrich ride. Then, to the nearby town of Calitzdorp, that has the ideal climate and soil for the cultivation of a particular variety of grapes, best suited to port production. As a fitting end to a day of activity, we will stop at the BoPlaas wine farm to sample some of the award winning port, brandy and red table wine of this cellar, which has a long, family history of producing fine wines. But, before lifting the glass, we will experience a conducted cellar tour. Breakfast included.
Day 9: The descendants of the Khoisan people who occupied this region, long before the Portuguese explorers sailed into Mossel Bay, still constitute the majority of its inhabitants. The community of Pacaltsdorp is well representative of such descendants, and they look forward to welcoming you, in their usual, ebullient manner, to their community. You will experience how they live today and gain insight into their history. After a light lunch, we will depart for Cape Town. Breakfast included.
Day 10: After spending one night in Cape Town at a Four Star Hotel in the center of the Mother City, this incredible tour comes to an end. Our air conditioned, luxury coach will be available to transfer you to Cape Town International Airport for your connecting flight home, or you may prolong your tour in Cape Town. Breakfast included.
This tour ends officially at Cape Town Airport on the 27th January, arriving there at around 1400hrs (traffic conditions permitting). Please work out your arrangements from here with this time in mind. That is, do not arrange any flight departing from Cape Town earlier than 1530 hrs. This should be in time to get to Johannesburg for connecting flights to Europe, which are mostly later than 1930 hrs.
Notes:
- Accommodation: All the hotels and lodges are as reflected in this itinerary, but if for reasons beyond the control of our company this is not possible, they will be replaced with establishments of the same star grading.
- Important: Please read the itinerary carefully noting any optional activities you or some members in your group may want to take part in. You do not have to take part in any of the optional activities if you do not wish to do so. It helps us in our planning to know if you are interested and number of participants. These additional optional activities are not costed into this scheduled tour, and if you choose them, you pay the extra amount involved either in advance to us, or on arrival at the venue. You will be informed accordingly by us, and they are extra to the basic cost of the tour.
- This schedule can vary due to weather conditions particularly while in Cape Town and other unforeseen circumstances elsewhere and the itinerary may have to be adjusted accordingly. But we will endeavor to adhere to the above as closely as possible. Please note also, in an attempt to give some freedom of choice only meals costed in to the tour are those mentioned at the end of each day on the itinerary. Any meals not mentioned there are for your own account.
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
9 Nights in 4 star Hotel/Lodge
9 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch Port, Brandy, Table Red Wine tasting and Cellar Tour
Boat Cruise Storms River and Knysna Lagoon
Guided Walk and Drive Tsitsikamma Forest
Guided Tour of Pacaltsdorp, with snack
Single Flight Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth or Cape Town to Port Elizabeth
Transport in Luxury Air Conditioned Vehicle.
Transfers
Entrance to Cango Caves
Qualified Tour Guide
14% Value Added Tax
- Exclusions:
- Flight to and from South Africa
- All Optional Activities
- Travel and Medical Insurance
- All beverages
- Passport and Visa Fees
- Gratuities
- Minimum tour price is based on a per adult person sharing in standard accommodation and for maximum price participation in one optional activity on every day when available is added. A single supplement is levied by all South African accommodation providers.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
South Africa
National Parks
Sightseeing
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