Cape Town, the Garden Route & Safari

Depart for Cape Town to enjoy the beauty of South Africa's Garden Route and one of the many highlights of the trip, a Big Five game safari!

We have arrived! Let's meet our guide and kick start our holiday with an excursion to the iconic Table Mountain (weather permitting). Take in the spectacular views of the city on the cable car ride up the mountain, stretching to False Bay, including Robben Island and the Devil’s Peak on a clear day. After our excursion to Table Mountain, we enjoy a short orientation tour en-route to our hotel.

The rest of the evening is yours to relax and become familiar with your surroundings. Our guide will be happy to tell you of further places to visit in your free time.

Embark on a picturesque journey through the delightful Winelands countryside. First stop on our full day excursion is the charming town of Stellenbosch. Let's enjoy a short walk through the town centre. Next we take in the beauty of rolling vineyards while sampling some South African wines, and enjoy a game of wine blending. After our wine blending we savour a some lunch (included). Later we experience the town of Franschhoek on a short orientation tour, before making our way back to Cape Town.

On today’s guided Cape Peninsula excursion, you will be treated to some of the most breath-taking scenery in the world! We drive along the coast route, overlooking the rocky peninsula and take in stunning views of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans along the way. We experience one of the highlights to Cape Point, Boulders Beach for an up close and personal encounter with African Penguins! Discover the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where the Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias first established trading routes between Africa and Asia in the fifteenth century. En- route to your hotel you will have the opportunity of visiting Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Lunch is included.

We make our way back to Cape Town and enjoy the rest of our evening at leisure.

Weather permitting; today you will catch the boat from the Victoria & Alfred waterfront out to Robben Island. Located almost 7km off the coast in Table Bay, the island is internationally known as the location where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Today the island is a UNESCO world heritage site and a living museum, welcoming thousands of visitors every year. You will have a guided tour of the island and museum. Afterwards catch the boat back and transfer onwards to your next destination. Please note: your next destination can vary according to your chosen date of departure.

Depart Cape Town and transfer onwards to the tranquil small fishing village of Arniston for the next two nights of your stay, depending on your chosen date of travel. This quaint village is an attraction for artists and photographers, known for its prettiness, rolling sand dunes, blue sea and rugged cliffs. The transfer will take approximately three hours (210km).

On certain chosen dates, your itinerary will include two nights in Hermanus. Please enquire with your sales agent for available dates and more details.

This morning let's discover Arniston together on an orientation walk. The rest of your day is a free day to embrace the essence of this enchanting seaside destination. Take a leisurely stroll and fully enjoy the refreshing sea breeze. Ask your guide to tell you more insider tips on must-see attractions for you to discover.

Optional excursion:

Discover Arniston with a local guide on a history and cultural walking tour. Visit the fishing village of Kassiebaai, a heritage site; weather and tide permitting, we  will climb into the Waenhhuiskrans (via the cliffs) to see where endangered cormorants' nest. Uncover more on a walking tour of Arniston.

Sturdy, non slip shoes are recommended. This tour will involve walking for approximately 2.5 hours at a leisurely pace.

Please note this may not be a private Travel Department tour and subject to minimum numbers.

Hermanus 

This morning let's discover Hermanus together on an orientation walk. The rest of your day is a free day to embrace the essence of this enchanting seaside destination. Take a leisurely stroll and fully enjoy the refreshing sea breeze, coastal walks, and small shops. Ask your guide to tell you more insider tips on must-see attractions for you to discover.

After breakfast transfer from Hermanus or Arniston (depending on your chosen date) along the N2 via Mossel Bay to Knysna, enjoying some of the most scenic landscape in the world along the Garden Route, the journey will take approximately five and a half to six hours drive to the coastal town of Knysna (364km) with comfort stops. This town lies on the Knysna lagoon, the mouth of which is guarded by two promontories known as ‘The Heads’ and is famed, due to the number of sailors who lost their lives sailing through this dangerous stretch. Arrive in the evening to Arniston. Spend the next two nights of your holiday in Knysna.

Today we visit the Featherbed Nature Reserve, where we make our way by ferry across the Knysna Lagoon. The reserve lies on the unspoilt western head of Knysna, and here you will be driven in a 4x4 to see stunning views and beautiful flora & fauna. Savour a buffet lunch sitting underneath a canopy of Milkwood trees. Also included is the option to take a guided walk through coastal forest and fynbos into ancient sea caves.

Note: Please note your visit to the Featherbed Nature Reserve is subject to weather conditions.  If possible, another attempt will be made and/or an alternative excursion organised.  Our guide will reconfirm the arrangements locally. It is recommended to wear comfortable and supportive shoes during this excursion for the walk.

Let's enjoy the rest of our day at leisure to further soak up our surroundings.

Let's see more as we depart Knysna and make our way to Tsitsikamma, where we experience the dramatic coastal areas of the Garden Route, where the forest meets ocean. Visiting the Tsitsikama National Park, a glorious 10km stretch of wild and rocky coastline characterised by massive cliffs, narrow isolated beaches and shady indigenous forest, composed of Stink Woods and Yellow Woods along the river valleys.

After, we make our way towards our hotel in Port Elizabeth where we will spend the night, our journey today will take approximately four to five hours (261km) plus comfort stops. 
Arrive in the evening, check in and enjoy the rest of our time at leisure to relax and unwind.

We depart Port Elizabeth and make our way to Kariega Game Reserve approximately two hours journey (144km), where we will spend the next three nights. Kariega is a family-owned and operated private safari reserve located in South Africa's Eastern Cape and is situated along the Garden Route and one of the many highlights on our tour. Make sure to have your camera ready, as animals can appear at any time, not just while on a safari drive!

After lunch at the lodge, you will enjoy your first game drive in the Kariega Game Reserve. The experienced game rangers will try to bring you close to the Big 5 - lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard as well as a multitude of other African wild game and bird species. Have your camera ready and the binoculars polished in anticipation for your game drive.

After the game drive, dinner will be served in the lodge. Enjoy the rest of your evening at leisure. Relax more, and soak up the enchanting African surroundings.

It’s time for safari! You will set off early this morning while it’s still cool and the animals are most active, in an open top four-wheel drive vehicle to explore some of the magnificent 10,000 hectares of Kariega Game Reserve. If you are lucky today, you might witness a lion hunting, or the heart-warming social interactions of an elephant herd.

You will return to the lodge for lunch and depart in the afternoon for a second game drive in the reserve. You might be able to see other species such as hippo, hyena, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, eland, kudu, waterbuck and a variety of other antelope, as well as a myriad of bird species including the nesting crowned eagle, martial and fish eagles.

Another early morning start, this time you will drive through a different area of the park in search of some new species of birds and animals to the ones you saw yesterday.

After enjoying lunch at the lodge, you will enjoy your last game drive in the reserve. This is your last chance to see the big 5 so keep your eyes peeled!

Today we say farewell and transfer to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) Airport for your flights home, the journey will take approximately two hours (144km). Check in for your return flight home after enjoying the many memorable highlights South Africa has to offer.

For the following arrivals, due to early flights departing 7am from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg a city tour is now included for the following dates below:

Johannesburg City Tour

We have arrived in Johannesburg airport. Let's collect our bags on arrival in Johannesburg airport and meet our guide in arrivals.

Let’s experience more as we embark on a tour of Johannesburg including Soweto. Discover constitution Hill and the Apartheid Museum or Nelson Mandela's house (depending on your date of travel).

We discover more with a panoramic tour passing Soccer City and enjoy some free time for lunch (included).

Return to the airport in the afternoon for our return flights home.

These dates will include the Apartheid Museum (unless closed and will be replaced with Nelson Mandela's House).

• 12th May 2025 
• 13th June 2025 

These dates will include Nelson Mandela's House unless closed (replaced with Apartheid Museum).

• 03  & 29th September 2025
• 08 & 17th October 2025

Arrive home following your once in a lifetime trip to South Africa.