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Highlights: 16 Day best of South Africa tour - Pretoria, Blyderiver Canyon, Kruger National Park, Itala Game Reserve, Zululand, Garden Route and Cape Town. Day 1 On arrival at Johannesburg International Airport you will be met by your tour guide, where after you will be transferred to Pretoria, the capital city of South Africa. This beautiful garden-like city with its shady Jacaranda lined streets and its magnificent historic buildings, has a multicultural buzz, which emanates from a harmonious blend of traditions, cultures, languages and architecture. We will be doing a short city tour. Day 2 Early morning departure from Pretoria for Mpumalanga Province. On-route we visit the spectacular Blyde River Canyon, the third largest in the world after the Grand Canyon (USA) and the Fish River Canyon (Namibia). Moving onto the natural phenomena of Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the endless vistas of God’s Window, we travel through Graskop for Hazyview, where you will be based for the next 2 nights. Day 3 Today will be spent visiting the historical gold mining town of Pilgrims Rest and taking in the magnificent scenic wonders and natural waterfalls this area is renowned for. Overnight in Hazyview. Day 4 Morning departure for the Kruger National Park. Founded in 1898 as the Sabi Game Reserve, the Kruger boasts the greatest species diversity of any park in Africa and encompasses 14 different ecosystems. Overnight in one of the rest camps. Day 5 A full day of game viewing awaits you, with possible sightings of the Big 5 (Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, Lion and Buffalo) and a multitude of other animal, bird and reptile species. Checking in to one of the southern Kruger Camps, the afternoon can be spent at leisure. Day 6 Morning departure from Kruger National Park for Itala Game Reserve via Swaziland. Swaziland is a land-locked kingdom situated on the borders of Mozambique and South Africa, and is the smallest country in the Southern Hemisphere. Entering South Africa we travel onto Itala Game Reserve, situated in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, overlooks the Pongola River valley, and offers a wildlife experience second to none. Scenic beauty aside, Itala’s most characteristic feature is the astonishing geological diversity. Overnight in the Reserve. Day 7 After a morning walking trail in Itala, a full day game drive will unveil this superb game reserve to you. Overnight in the Reserve. Day 8 Depart Itala for Dumazulu Cultural Village, where you will have the opportunity to learn more about the Zulu Culture. We take a step back in time into the history of the Zulu people and the great kraal of King Shaka and experience the mystery and magic that is Africa. We then continue our journey to St Lucia. Here you will go on-board a boat for a short cruise on the St Lucia Lake in search of Hippo and crocodile. After lunch depart for Durban. Overnight in Durban. Day 9 Morning tour of Durban taking in the golden mile, the Indian Market, Dick King Statue, Francis Farewell Square, The Majestic City Hall, the Vasco da Gama Clock and more. After the City Tour we depart for Durban International Airport for your internal flight from Durban to Port Elizabeth. The rest of the day will be spent sightseeing in and around the city. Overnight in Port Elizabeth. Day 10 Early morning departure on a scenic tour of the Garden Route en-route to Knysna. The quaint little town set on a lagoon amongst majestic forests has long been popular with retirees and holidaymakers. We overnight at the Knysna River Club. On route we will be visiting a few places of interest the first being the Storms River Bridge for refreshments and a photo shoot. Followed by the Big Tree a short distance away. From here we visit the Tsisikama Nature reserve where the Storms River enters the Indian Ocean. Here you will have the opportunity to take a short hike along the beach to the river mouth. The not- so -active people can just relax in the restaurant overlooking this beautiful coastline. Lunch may be enjoyed here. After Lunch we continue our journey and follow a short detour to drive through the scenic Natures Valley before joining the National road again on route to Plettenberg Bay our next place of interest. After a brief stopover we continue our journey to reach Knysna late afternoon. Day 11 After breakfast we drive to the Knysna Heads a prime view site from where you may get a Birdseye view of Knysna and the world famous Knysna lagoon. Excellent for a photo shoot. We return to Knysna to where you will board the Outiniqua Choo-Choo steam train for a scenic drive to Sedgefield some 27 kilometers South –West of Knysna. (This train is not running on Sundays and should this day fall on a Sunday, we continue the journey from Knysna by bus) The bus will meet you in Sedgefield and from there we continue our journey to Oudtshoorn. En-Route we will stop in Wilderness at the viewpoint and in the Outeniqua Pass at any one of the good viewpoints to give our guide the opportunity to tell you more of this pass and the area. On our arrival in Oudtshoorn we visit one of the many good Ostrich farms before going to our overnight accommodation at one of the local guesthouses. We overnight in Oudtshoorn. Day 12 After breakfast we depart for the Cango Caves some 25 kilometers away before leaving for Mossel Bay late morning. Boasting one of the most enjoyable climates in the world, the sunny port of Mossel Bay nestles on the Cape St Blaize peninsula overlooking a wide bay of the Indian Ocean. On our arrival we visit the world famous Post Office Tree and Mossel Bay Bartholomew Dias Museum and the nearby flee market for those interested in buying a few curious. We overnight in Mossel Bay. (Overnight in one of the many fine hotels or guesthouses)
Day 13 After breakfast we continue to Wellington En-route we will be stopping frequently at some of the interesting tourist attractions such as the Aloe Vera factory in Albertinia, the old town of Swellendam for a short hike of a few hundred meters and a photo shoot. At this point we leave the National N2 road to continue our journey through the scenic Breede River valley en-route to Wellington. This is also known as the Brandy route. We finally cross the famous Bains Kloof Pass before arriving at Wellington where we will spend the night. Day 14 Depart early morning on a full day Wine lands Tour - Cellar Tour - Wine tasting at one of many wine cellars - Paarl, the pearl of the Cape - Franschoek Valley – French Hugenote monument - Boschendal Manor House - Stellenbosch, the "town of oaks" Depart for Cape Town some 55 kilometers away. On arrival in Cape Town we check in at one of the Hotels were we will be spending the next 2 nights.
Day 15 Depart 08h45 on a full day Peninsula Tour - Drive through Sea Point, Bantry Bay, Clifton and Camps Bay - Houtbay - Simon’s Town Historical Naval Base - Visit to Penguins at Boulders Bay - Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point - Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens - Return to our overnight accommodation. Day 16 Today we visit Table Mountain - Ascent of Table Mountain by cable car (weather permitting) - Drive past the Castle, restored fort of Cape Town - Flower Market - Muslim (Malay) Quarter - Victoria and Alfred Waterfront for shopping Afternoon transfer to the airport depending on your departure time. Tour ends
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