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Cape Town, Winelands & Garden Route
(with optional Safari extension)
| Tour Code: | SDCPTPLZ |
| Duration: | a) Without private safari lodge extension: 9 days / 8 nights
b) With private safari lodge extension: 11 days / 10 nights |
| Routing: | Cape Town – Port Elizabeth |
| Includes: | Option a) Arrival transfer in Cape Town, accommodation as indicated. Ticket for “Hop On, Hop Off” sightseeing tour in Cape Town. Option b) as above plus private safari lodge accommodation, meals, drinks and safari activities as indicated in itinerary. Meals as indicated B=Breakfast L=Lunch D=Dinner |
| Excludes: | Car hire – add car hire rate for desired vehicle type: Option a) 7 days car hire, Option b) 9 days car hire Rental car delivery fee, contract fee and fuel. Optional tours and activities. |
| Notes: | Distances in South Africa are big. This programme (9 or 11 days) can be extended at your request, e.g. add extra time in Cape Town, Winelands and Plettenberg Bay/Tsitsikamma. Details on request. Minimum 2 persons travelling together. |
| Accommodation: | Choice of 3* or 4* guesthouses & hotels. 5* accommodation – details on request. |
Hotels used – 3* option:
Cape Town: Ritz Hotel or similar
Stellenbosch: Rivierbos Guest House or similar
Oudtshoorn: Oudtshoorn Hotel or similar
Knysna: Idle Monkey B&B or similar
Tsitsikamma: Protea Hotel Tsitsikamma Village
Hotels used – 4* option:
Cape Town: Protea Hotel Vic Junction or similar
Stellenbosch: Kleine Zalze Guest House or similar
Oudtshoorn: La Plume Guesthouse or similar
Knysna: The Rex Hotel or similar
Tsitsikamma: Whalesong Hotel & Hydro, Plettenberg Bay
For Safari lodge options:
Safari Lodge: Kichaka Private Safari Lodge (5*)
Day 1
You will be met on arrival in Cape Town by our representative, who will transfer you to your guesthouse or hotel. Your accommodation is centrally located, close to attractions, shops and restaurants. We recommend that you explore the V&A Waterfront area on foot in the evening.
Overnight: Cape Town.
Day 2
A full day’s “Hop On, Hop Off” sightseeing tour, starting at the Two Ocean’s Aquarium in the V&A Waterfront. Sightsee Cape Town at your leisure.
Overnight: Cape Town. (B)
Day 3
Your rental car will be delivered to your guesthouse / hotel in the morning. We recommend that you take a drive via Hout Bay (optional cruise to Seal Island). Continue to Cape Point, and return via Simonstown (suggest stop at the Penguin Colony).
Estimated driving time (excluding stops): 3 hours.
Overnight: Cape Town (B)
Day 4
Today, drive to the Cape Winelands, you will find yourself in beautiful wine-producing areas just one hour’s drive from Cape Town. You should explore the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek areas. Stellenbosch is an old city with so much history, traditional architecture and well-known wine-estates in the area. Franschhoek is a charming, small village set in the most beautiful scenery, Franschhoek was first settled by French Huguenots and the French “flair” is still clearly seen. The wine estates are clearly marked. Most of the farms offer wine-tasting, many also produce their own cheese. At Spier estate in Stellenbosch you can also visit the Cheetah research project. You may also like to travel further afield. A trip to the sea-side holiday town of Hermanus is also recommended, particularly in whale-watching season (July – November); Hermanus is one of the best land-based whale-watching sites in the world.
Overnight: Stellenbosch (B) (3* option only includes continental breakfast)
Day 5
Today you drive east, to Oudtshoorn. We recommend you take “Route 60”, via Robertson and Montagu. The scenery is impressive and you will travel through cosy villages.
Estimated driving time (excluding stops): 5 hours.
Overnight: Oudtshoorn. (B)
Day 6
Oudtshoorn was the “feather capital” of the world in the 1920’ies when ostrich boas and ostrich leather shoes were top fashion items. Spend the day exploring the amazing Cango Caves, visiting one of the many ostrich show farms and viewing the incredible animals housed at the Cango Safari Wildlife Park. Beautiful scenery will greet you along Outeniqua pass, from Oudtshoorn to Knysna, where you will spend the next two nights.
Estimated driving time (excluding stops): 1˝ hours.
Overnight: Knysna. (B)
Day 7
A day at leisure, to explore Knysna and its charming surroundings. You can take a cruise on the Knysna Lagoon, a trip into the Featherbed Nature Reserve, or perhaps take the scenic road over the mountains via Prince Alfred’s Pass, into the “little Karoo” and to the small village of Uniondale.
Overnight: Knysna. (B)
Day 8
Leave Knysna at your leisure and travel east, along the Garden Route. Arrive in Plettenberg Bay, you will spend the next night here. You may like to visit the Elephant Sanctuary, here you can enjoy an hour or two walking, touching and interacting with these majestic beasts. Next-door to this sanctuary is Money Land, a primate rehabilitation centre, and a bird park, these are well worth a visit. You are also not far from Tsitsikamma National Park. Here, you can take a walking trail, bicycle ride, or the unique Treetop Canopy Tour, where you glide along cables from tree-top to tree-top. This is also the area where the world’s highest bungy jump takes place. Plettenberg Bay also offers Dolphin sea-safaris.
Estimated driving time (excluding stops): ˝ hour.
Overnight: Plettenberg Bay / Tsitsikamma. (B)
Day 9
Option a): Spend some time exploring the Tsitsikamma and Storms River area. The area offers great hiking routes and scenic beauty. Two well-known attractions in the area are:
• Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour: A first in Africa. Enjoy the unequaled beauty of the indigenous forest high up on ten treetop platforms. Gently glide along in a harness, on steel cables 30 meters above the forest floor. Birdlife is abundant (including Knysna Loeries and the elusive Narina Trojan), and your guides will explain the ecology of the lush primeval forest. Safety is paramount, and the system has been built to the highest civil engineering standards.
• The world’s highest bungy jump: The Bloukrans Bungy Jump is officially recognized by Guinness World Records as being the World Highest Commercial Bungy Jump from a bridge at a whooping 216 m high!
Drive to Port Elizabeth. Hand back your rental car at Port Elizabeth airport prior to your flight departure.
Estimated driving time (excluding stops): 2 ˝ hours. (B)
Day 9
Option b): Drive east, and arrive at a “Big 5” private safari lodge. This 5* safari lodge is set in a private wildlife reserve. Check in at Kichaka Lodge: this is an exclusive yet relaxed and cosy camp (maximum 16 guests in the entire camp which consist of 8 superbly decorated private chalets). After “High Tea” (late lunch), set off on your first safari drive in open 4x4 vehicles, accompanied by a qualified game ranger. Stop for ‘sundowner’ drinks admiring the silence of the ‘bush’, and continue the drive after dark using spotlights to see some of the shy nocturnal creatures. Return to the lodge for a delicious dinner.
Estimated driving time (excluding stops): 3 ˝ hours.
Dinner and overnight: Kichaka Safari Lodge. (5*) (B,L,D)
Day 10
As this is a private reserve, you will not encounter private cars (as is the case in the National Parks). Each day, you will be taken on two safari drives; one starting just before sunrise and continuing for approximately 3 – 4 hours; the other starting late afternoon and continuing after dark when spotlights will be used to spot some of the shy, nocturnal animals and birds. You will be accompanied by an expert game ranger who will explain the sightings, as well as the interactions between all living things in the African bush. In the middle of the day, relax by the pool or bird-watch from the comfort of your private terrace. At this lodge, all meals are included, soft drinks, beer and local wine with dinner, as well as all safari activities.
Dinner and overnight: Kichaka Safari Lodge. (5*) (B,L,D)
Day 11
Your last morning game drive, followed by breakfast. Check out and drive to Port Elizabeth. Approximate driving time (excluding stops): 1˝ hours. Hand back your rental car prior to flight departure. (B)
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