We spend our first three days in the vibrant city of Cape Town. Here you can visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was a prisoner for 18 years, take the cable car up Table Mountain for spectacular views of Cape Town, as well as take your time to visit the Waterfront including the Aquarium, one of the city’s main attractions. Shark diving further down the coast at Hermanus or a day trip to Cape Point and the penguin colony can be organised.

Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X3 Dinners
Optional excursions: Robben Island, Boulders Penguin Colony, Table Mountain and cable car, Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Point, paragliding, kiteboarding, wine tour, shark dive

Departing Cape Town early morning we are on the scenic drive to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of the African continent. After a stop at the lighthouse we then travel on to Bonnievale to camp. We enjoy a late afternoon wine
tasting this afternoon. South Africa is a New World wine region, but is no new comer to wine producing with
the first vines being planted in 1655.

Distance: 338 kms
Est. Drive Time: 7.5 hours incl. lunch stop and viewing time at lighthouse
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner

Today we head to Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world. Handling tiny fluffy ostrich chicks is an absolute delight, while those game enough can have a go at racing on the back of an enormous adult!! We also visit the Cango Caves which contain spectacular halls and grand limestone formations.

Distance: 262 kms
Est. Drive Time: 4 hours
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner
Included wildlife activity: Ostrich Farm Tour

This morning we head through the spectacular Montague Pass where we pass hops plantations, the area being home to Mitchells Brewery, and then on to Knysna, voted south Africa’s best seaside town. In particular the Garden Route coastline between June and December is an important nursery area for southern right whales.

Arriving at Tsitsikamma Forest, a canopy tour can be arranged to spend time high amongst ancient yellowwood trees. We then travel to Stormsriver, a village near to Bloukrans Bridge, where the highest commercially operated bungee jump in the world, located 216 meters above the Bloukrans River.

Blackwater tubing at Storms River is also a ton of fun, as well as the flying fox.

Distance, Day 6: 214 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 6: 5 hours including lunch stop
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X2 Dinners
Optionals Excursions: Whale watching (season dependent), black water tubing (season dependent), Bloukrans Bungee, flying fox, Tsitsikamma Forest – tree top canopy walk

Day 8 we travel on to Port Elizabeth, en route to The Homestead Lodge at Addo. We stop off at Port Elizabeth on the way where some clients leave, and others can join us. Addo National Park is the perfect setting for some fabulous wildlife viewing including night game drives. Addo also incorporates the largest coastal dune field in the southern hemisphere.
This park boasts the Big Seven, (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, southern right whale and great white shark) and also protects the world’s largest Cape gannet breeding population on Bird Island. The original elephant section of this park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area. Today this finely tuned ecosystem is now sanctuary to over 450 elephants, Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as a unique flightless dung beetle that is almost exclusively found in Addo.

Distance, Day 8: 224 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 8: 5 hours including stops
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X2 Dinners
Included wildlife activity: Game drive in Addo National Park
Vehicle for game drive: Overland truck
Optional excursions: Addo National Park night drives, Addo National Park horse trails, Sundowner tours

We leave Addo early for our camp in beautiful Hogsback set amongst waterfalls, forests and mountains. Following lunch here you can spend time enjoying the Auckland Nature reserve, the hike to the Mother and Child Waterfall, or wander in to town to check out local arts and crafts. There are also village tours as well as horseriding, abseiling and mountain biking.

Distance: 239 kms
Est. Drive Time: 6 hours
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner
Optional excursions: Bushwalking, abseiling, horse riding, village tour

Getting away very early we are on the road to the magic mountain kingdom of Lesotho. We have lunch at Aliwal north, before crossing the border. Arriving at Malealea Lodge, nestled in the Makhomalong Valley and surrounded by the Maloti Mountains,
you will be captivated by the quiet and stillness of this picturesque setting. Take time to enjoy the tranquility, but do also get out hiking, pony trekking and also take time to meet the locals and find out a little about their way of life. Visit the coffee shop and enjoy local cuisine in the restaurant. Local singers entertain us during our stay, and you may enjoy upgrading to one of the simple Basotho or Forest Huts whilst here.

Distance, Day 11: 398 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 11: 13 hours depending on the border and incl. lunch stop
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X2 Dinners
Optional excursions: Pony trek, village tour, hiking, mountain biking, farm (donga) visit, hiking

Next stop is “The Drak” as we continue our mountain journey returning into South Africa today via the Maseru border.
Here in the northern Drakensberg you can enjoy hiking, rock climbing or abseiling. Our campsite faces directly onto the Amphitheatre, one of the most impressive cliff faces on the planet, and the Tugela Falls can be seen plunging over this on a clear day after rain. Take a full day or half day hike to Tugela, or a guided hike to find out about the San rock art.
There is a fantastic amount of rock art here and much wonderful wildlife so this is a fantastic place again to get out amongst it! Forest cable tours, quad biking and mountain biking can also be arranged.

Distance, Day 13: 367 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 13: 10 hours incl. lunch and shopping stops
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X2 Dinners
Optional excursions: Hiking – half day and day hiking, abseiling, rock climbing, cable tours, mountain biking and quad biking

We arrive in to Johannesburg, the “city of gold” early afternoon to park up at the Backpackers Connection. Most head out this afternoon to visit the Apartheid Museum, which chronicles the rise and fall of apartheid, the key events in the saga, as well as some human stories from this state sanctioned system of racial discrimination. The Museum opened in 2001.
The tour finishes tonight with our evening meal and overnight in the Backpackers.

Distance: 327 kms
Est. Drive Time: 6 hours incl. lunch
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner
Optional excursion: Apartheid Museum
To consider after your trip: Soweto tour, Pilansberg Game Reserve, Kruger National Park