SOLD-OUT: South Africa FAM (August 12-20, 2024)

Upon arrival in Johannesburg, a local representative will be waiting for you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.

***IMPORTANT: Check-in is at 2:00 PM***

Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Overnight in Johannesburg | Meals: N/A

Breakfast at the hotel

Visit the Apartheid Museum*

*Should the museum not be open daily at the time of travel, the group will visit Nelson Mandela House and Hector Pieterson Museum during the Soweto tour.

The museum opened in 2001 and is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th-century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story. A series of 22 individual exhibition areas takes the visitor through a dramatic emotional journey that tells a story of a state-sanctioned system based on racial discrimination and the struggle of the majority to overthrow this tyranny. The museum is a beacon of hope showing the world how South Africa is coming to terms with its oppressive past and working towards a future that all South Africans can call their own.

Depart for Soweto for your orientation tour.

South of Johannesburg is Soweto, a city developed as a township for black people under the apartheid system. Soweto is inhabited by over two million people, with homes ranging from extravagant mansions to makeshift shacks. It boasts one of the largest hospitals on the continent and the only African-owned private clinic. Soweto was created in the 1930s, with Orlando being the first township established.

Enjoy lunch at a local shebeen (restaurant). During lunch, you will be part of a unique experience in which you will participate and receive your own African name!

Dinner is at your leisure.

Overnight in Johannesburg | Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

After an early breakfast, continue your exploration of fantastic landscapes as you travel to the Kruger area.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step back in time and visit Ndebele Village? Ndebele women give a cultural show on the Ndebele traditions. Guests can also try the local beer and mopane worms. Local beadwork is also available.

Continue to Numbi.

Stop at Nkambeni Tented Camp for a light lunch.

After lunch enjoy your first safari with experienced rangers in open vehicles on a private concession of Kruger Park.

Return late afternoon and continue to White River.

Overnight in White River | Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner

Early wake-up call (packed breakfasts will be arranged with the lodge).

Depart the lodge early morning for a full-day game drive in the Kruger National Park

Gate opening time at 6:00 AM and return at around 4:00 PM.

Enter the Kruger National Park at Phabeni Gate; transfer onto open vehicle 4 x 4 safari vehicles and enjoy a game drive with a professional ranger.

This reserve was created by former President Paul Kruger in 1898 as a sanctuary for animals, which currently comprises about 450 different birds, and 106 different types of mammals, i.e. elephant, rhino, giraffe, zebra, hippos, kudu, impala, and lion. The park is about 220 miles long and 37 miles wide, but there is every chance of seeing the Big 5, i.e. Lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant.

Lunch at leisure (not included)

Continue safari game drive in an open vehicle

At the end of the afternoon exit the park and return to the lodge for a buffet dinner and overnight.

Overnight in White River | Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Breakfast & Check out. Transfer to Nelspruit airport (flight is not included, to be booked by agents).

*Suggested flight - Airlink 4Z 664 Departing 1:25 PM from MQP / Arrive in CPT at 4:10 PM
If you do not book this flight, please book similar times as one group transfer will be provided.

Upon arrival in Cape Town, you will be transferred to your hotel. The hotel is situated at the entry to the world-famous V&A Waterfront.

The V&A Waterfront is an iconic mixed-use destination located in the oldest working harbor in the Southern Hemisphere. With Table Mountain as its backdrop, the 123-hectare neighborhood sits within the beautiful city of Cape Town, welcoming millions of people from all over the continent and the rest of the world. The V&A is a symbol of heritage and diversity, where people from all walks of life can play, live, shop, dine, and work while immersed in the vibrant spirit and authentic local culture that exists in this bustling ecosystem.

Sites include shops, markets, cruises, museums and restaurants.

Rest of the evening and dinner at leisure.

Overnight in Cape Town | Meals: Breakfast

Following breakfast, meet your local guide for today’s excursions.

Start today with a Cape Malay culinary experience in the Cape Malay Quarter.

The tour starts with a visit to the Bo-Kaap Museum for a better understanding of Cape Malay culture. Meet locals; visit a shop offering a wide variety of spices; thereafter visitors will meet at the house of a local inhabitant; assist with preparing Cape Malay dishes, and then sit down and join the chef for lunch!

Next, we will visit Table Mountain. This excursion usually takes about 2 hours.

Use the cable car to ascend Table Mountain for the most beautiful panoramic views of the city, the Atlantic Ocean, and Robben Island 11km offshore. The Table Mountain range has about 1 400 species of flowers and is also home to the rock hyrax, a furry little creature often found on the rocks, basking in the sun.

**(Visit is weather dependent; should excursion not be possible, it will be moved to the following day or the day after –
weather permitting)

Dinner is at your leisure.

Overnight in Cape Town | Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Following breakfast, you will head along a ride along the Atlantic Coastline passing the areas called Sea Point, Clifton, and Camps Bay before arriving in Hout Bay, a small fishing village, dominated by the scenic Chapman’s Peak Pass.

Hout Bay is one of the most beautiful and popular places on the Cape Peninsula and is a highlight of any holiday in South Africa.

Starting with a boat cruise from Hout Bay to view the seals at Seal Island, where you will see thousands of Cape Fur Seals basking on the rocks, or frolicking in the cold Atlantic Ocean.

Return to the harbor and browse the local craft market.

Continue via the False Bay coastline to Simon’s Town, which is home to the South African Navy. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. For more than two centuries it has been an important naval base and harbor (first for the Royal Navy and now for the South African Navy). The town is named after Simon van der Stel, an early governor of the Cape Colony.

The beautiful Boulders Beach is one of Cape Town’s most visited beaches and the only place in the world where you get close to African Penguins

Lunch is at your leisure.

Continue to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. The area has been declared a National World Heritage Site and abounds with buck, baboons, and Cape Zebra, as well as over 50 species of birds. Rugged rocks and sheer cliffs towering more than 200 meters above the sea cut into the ocean but that is not its sole allure; many visitors are drawn to the area because of its rich maritime history. Named the ‘Cape of Storms’ by Bartholomeu Dias in 1488; the ‘Point’ was treated with respect by sailors for centuries. Fog as well as violent storms and dangerous rocks have caused that over the centuries shipwrecks have dotted the coastline.

Visit the lighthouse first completed in 1859; it still stands at 249 meters above sea level and offers a magnificent view.

End of the afternoon, we’ll return to Cape Town.

Check in at our next Cape Town hotel and later enjoy an African dinner experience at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Cape Town | Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Following breakfast, we are headed to Stellenbosch.

The Stellenbosch Wine Route was the first wine route to have been developed 40 years ago. The town is currently surrounded by +/- 100 000 hectares of vineyards. The wines of the Cape have a worldwide reputation for quality. It is in this region where you will see various examples of Cape Dutch architecture and about 60 of these houses have been declared national monuments. Stellenbosch is also a well-known University Town.

Enjoy a wine tasting Visit the Seven Sisters Vineyard (subject to availability).The Seven Sisters wine brand evolved from its association with the seven Brutus sisters of Paternoster. The Brutus family lived in a small fishing village on the western coast. The Brutus sisters and their baby brother left the tranquility of their sleepy town at a very early age when the family was evicted from their home. They yearned to return but were not able to do so given the unfavorable circumstances of the time.

Stop and walk around the town of Stellenbosch, the 2nd oldest town in South Africa. Stellenbosch is also a well-known University Town.

Continue to Wellington and enjoy a unique lunch and wine-tasting experience.

Val Du Charron Farm is nestled at the foot of the Groenberg mountain. We will meet with the Vigneron, the owner of the premises who will share the workings of the farm, and the grape varieties, and also give you a brief insight into the history of the region and the farm.

Next, we will have a unique wine tasting of Three Acts featuring The Black Countess (a professional actress) 3 wines.

Once the wine is explained to our guests, The Countess delivers the stories behind the names of each wine dressed in her full Victorian garb.

Tasting with wines served with “African appetizers”.

Lunch will be a truly South African specialty – Bobotie, it’s a bit like the shepherd's pie, a mixture of minced meat, bread crumbs, milk, and curry covered with eggs and baked. This dish dates back to the migration of slaves from the Dutch colonies of Batavia (Indonesia) and is now one of the main Cape Malay specialties – a must!

Return to Cape Town.

Stop at the Shimansky Cape Town branch for a Diamond Tour.

Shimansky New York opened the Cape Town branch as an opportunity to give back to a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and creating an appreciation for the world’s oldest and most beautiful gem.

The private tour (45 minutes) will provide in-depth information on the history of diamonds, with a tour of the workshop (only possible until 4:00 PM).

Complimentary glass of sparkling wine upon arrival.

Dinner is at your leisure.

Overnight in Cape Town | Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Breakfast at the hotel.

9:00 AM Visit to Robben Island, the unique symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, suffering, and injustice, with a rich 500-year-old multi-layered history. The tour takes 3½ hours including the ferry trip to and from the island. You will meet your tour guide when you have boarded the bus. The tour guides inside the prison are former political prisoners. The tour route includes the graveyard of people who died from leprosy, the Lime Quarry, Robert Sobukwe’s house, the Bluestone quarry, the army and navy bunkers, and the Maximum Security Prison where thousands of South Africa’s freedom fighters were incarcerated for years. The tour culminates with a viewing of Nelson Mandela’s cell.

Lunch is at your leisure.

At the appropriate time, you will be transferred to the Cape Town International Airport for your departing flight home.

Note: Ensure to book your flight for a departure of 6 PM or later to avoid disruption with today’s planned activities

Meals: Breakfast