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South Africa
Top 5
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Bethulie, Free State |
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Bulwer, Kwazulu-Natal |
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Cradock, Eastern Cape |
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Gelukwaarts, Western Cape |
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Taung, North West Province |
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| 22 Day A World in One Country |
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| Johannesburg, Pretoria, Kruger National Park, Swaziland, Hluhluwe-umfolozi , St Lucia, Southern Drakensberg , Port Elizabeth , Ado , Plettenberg bay , Knysna , Outdshoorn , Cape Town. This route has it all – it is the highlights of all our most popular packages packed into one awesome itinerary. Spanning South Africa from Johannesburg to the stunning Garden route and Cape Town – this itinerary is for the person who enjoys a bit of everything. |
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distance: APP 50 KM
Depart from Johannesburg heading towards Pretoria / City of Tshwane. After checking into your guesthouse – take a drive around. A relatively small city, Pretoria lies about 50km north of Johannesburg. Although largely a government-based city, it is also a place of culture, with theatres, museums and monuments. As the academic, scientific and technological capital of South Africa, the city has the most highly developed technology and research sector in Africa. Jacarandas throw a blanket of mauve over this, slightly, more sedate city. Even so, Pretoria boasts superb shopping centres, museums, art galleries and restaurants. There is also an abundance of open spaces ' Pretoria has more than 100 parks, including bird sanctuaries and nature reserves.
Overnight Pretoria
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Travel
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Tour the city, the administrative capital of South Africa. Visit the Union buildings with its beautiful gardens. Spend time in historic Church Square, dominated by the statue of Paul Kruger, President of the Transvaal Republic and the government buildings of the time. Visit his simple home in Church Street. Take a drive to the Voortrekker Monument a brooding presence on the hill outside Tshwane, commemorating the great trek made to the North. The Pretoria National Botanical Gardens offer more than 5,000 indigenous plant species.
Overnight Pretoria
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Travel
Tip: Click
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distance: APP 350 KM
You will depart Johannesburg early in the morning and drive Eastwards towards the Kruger National Park to will begin your adventure into BIG 5 territory. Once in Mpumalanga Province you will overnight in one of our preferred accredited lodges. Your evening will be at leisure, whilst you look over your maps and information to plan your following day in the Kruger National Park. Hazyview / White River is the gateway to the Kruger National Park, so is the perfect place to spend the night. Speak to you hosts and fellow travellers about the Kruger Park Hotspots.
Overnight Hazyview / White River Mpumlanaga |
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Travel
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Off
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We recommend that you head off early to visit the world famous Kruger National Park. The entrance fees (conservation fee) for the Kruger National Park are at present at R 132 per person per day (children paying half). The gates open at 05h30am and close at sunset. Please note that you need to leave the Kruger National Park before then. Please ensure that you stay in your vehicle at all times unless in a designated stopping area. The speed limit in the park is 40km/h. Your accommodation tonight will be in the GREATER KRUGER PARK in our preferred lodges. Spend your evening around the fire talking to other travellers about your adventures of the day, and getting tips on where to go the following day. The Greater Kruger is West of South Africa's Kruger National Park. Bordering it are independent safari lodges and hotels perfectly positioned to allow for a combination of activities allowing easy access to all the exciting highlights of this region.
Overnight Greater Kruger National Park area |
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Travel
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distance: APP 570 KM
After breakfast, you will leave your lodge and take a drive along the lovely Panoramic Route in the Province of Mpumalanga “The Land of the Rising Sun” where you will be able to enjoy the famous landmarks of the Pinnacle, Gods Window, The 3 Rondavels, Bourke’s Potholes and the historic little town of Pilgrim’s Rest. The name 3 Rondavels comes from the name of the African huts that have the same shape as the mountains. You have to stop at Bourke’s Luck Potholes, for millions of years the Blyde River and Treur River ran a collision course here and stunning. After lunch at one of the towns along the way, you return to the Mpumalanga province to Nelspruit where you will spend the night. The lowveld botanical gardens just outside of the town boast a rare collection of plant species and the first man-made rain forests. Nearby Sudwala caves, Dinosaur Park and cultural centre expose your senses to the primitive Africa. Many beautiful nature and hiking trails are near Nelspruit.
Overnight Nelspruit |
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Travel
Tip: Click
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Off
the beaten track: Click
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in this region |
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distance: APP 450 Km
You continue your journey in a southerly direction and travel to the small kingdom of Swaziland. This is one of the last true monarchies in Southern Africa with spectacular marriage ceremonies being performed that date back to their ancestors. After clearing customs, you drive through this beautiful kingdom to the capital Mbabane where you can visit a local craft market. You will spend the night in one of the National Parks of Swaziland. Although Swaziland is a small country, they have successfully created several game reserves and protected areas. Mlilwane is one of the most accessible. The Hlane Game Reserve in the lowveld belongs to the king, who holds it in trust for the nation. Part of the land is a royal hunting reserve. Mkhaya is a private reserve near Mlilwane where black rhino, elephant and Nguni cattle live. Malolotja National Reserve is in the western mountains and Mlawula Nature Reserve lies in the Lebombo Mountains next to Hlane Reserve. Access to Swaziland, may be made through any of the twelve border posts or the centrally located Matsapha airport with all four cornes of the country accessible by tarred road.
Overnight in Swaziland
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Travel
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Today you will explore Swaziland. The wildlife parks offer drives, walks and horse riding excursions.
Ligugu Lemaswati Cultural Village is a must see, where you can take in the ancestry of the Swazi culture. The capital Mbabane, and the industrial hub of Manzini, are sophisticated business centres offering an upbeat alternative to the tranquillity and relaxation found in areas that are more outlying
Overnight Swaziland
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Travel
Tip: Click
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distance: APP 350 KM
Today you will leave Swaziland and travel through the sugarcane fields to Zululand. Zululand is an area that once was ruled by the famous Zulu King Shaka. Hluhluwe and Umfolozi reserves were founded in 1895 and are the oldest such sanctuaries in Africa. It was here that during the 1960s, they started successfully capturing and relocating white rhino to havens within South Africa and abroad. As a result, this country's white rhino population is now 12 times the 1960 count of 500. Today a single park, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi is focusing its efforts on saving the endangered black rhino, whose number in Africa has dwindled from 14 000 to a pitiful 2 550 in the past decade. You will find at least a fifth of the world's black and white rhino population here. Besides the Big Five - Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, Lion And Buffalo, there is an astonishing variety of wildlife to ensure a fascinating encounter for the visitor.
Overnight in Hluhluwe
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Travel
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Today you will drive to the coast where you will find the St. Lucia Wetlands. St Lucia Estuary is one of the tourism focal points of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, a recently declared World Heritage Site. The Park comprises a number of conservation areas, the oldest of which is the St Lucia Game Reserve, established in 1895. St Lucia Estuary is the gateway to the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia. The region contains the highest vegetated dunes in the world, extensive and diverse wetland systems, as well as coastal grasslands with an associated fauna that includes the Africa's highest density of common reedbuck. Numerous waterfowl, grassland, forest and sea birds provide an attraction to birdwatchers from around the world. You can go for long walks, go on a boat tour on the Lake of St. Lucia or on a game drive in the well-known Hluhluwe / Umfolozi National Park or visit a Zulu village.
Overnight St Lucia wetlands
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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Off
the beaten track: Click
here for unordinary places to discover
in this region |
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distance: APP 250 Km
In the morning, you leave for the majestic Drakensberg Mountains. You will drive via the Natal Midlands, where you can visit the 18th century battlefields between the Zulu’s, English & the Boers. Here you get a very good idea about the spectacular history of this area. You will stay in the Southern Drakensberg area, with its rolling hills and awe inspiring cliff-faces it is definitely one of the most romantic places in South Africa.
The Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa or uKhahlamba (the Barrier of Spears) is a 200-kilometre-long mountainous wonderland and world heritage site.
Overnight at the foot of this spectacular Mountain range
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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Today is your day, and with an impressive list of things to do, there is something for everyone. Whether you prefer to stroll through secluded, shaded valleys, walk the rolling foothills, hike the upper reaches or take on the challenge of man against mountain, the Drakensberg is certainly a hiker’s paradise. Even overnight trails are possible. The Southern Drakensberg offers softer hiking trails with wonderful sandstone formations.
You can take a tour where
Bushman rock art at many sites in the Drakensberg and with the assistance of a qualified guide will astound you. Tours to the top of the Drakensberg escarpment to the Sentinel where you arrive at the source of the Tugela falls a spectacular waterfall falling some 950m.
Then there are horse trails, 4x4 trails, mountain bike trails, trout fishing, quad bike trails, wild flower tours, cultural experiences, abseiling, golf, rock climbing and much more.
Overnight at the foot of this stunning mountain range
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Add-ons: Enjoy Hiking? Why not spend an additional 2 nights in the Drakensberg area
This will give you 4 days and you can for your hiking options.
Click
here for more information |
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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Off
the beaten track: Click
here for unordinary places to discover
in this region |
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distance: APP 250
Departing the Drakensberg continue towards Durban where you will go to the airport and connect with your flight from Durban – Port Elizabeth
Overnight Port Elizabeth |
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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Arriving in Port Elizabeth, you can pick up your car at our point of arrival. Port Elizabeth is a city situated in the Eastern Cape Province, at 33°58′S 25°36′E. The city is located on Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa. Port Elizabeth, ("PE"), and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", was founded in 1820 by Sir Rufane Donkin, the Acting Governor of the Cape Colony, and populated with 4,000 British settlers arriving by sea named the new Town after his late wife, Elizabeth. Spend your day exploring this historic town and going over your travel documents, (which are handed to you by your car hire company) for the next 9 days of your self-drive trip to Cape Town. Famous also for its long white beaches, horse rides and museums – Port Elizabeth has something for everybody.
Tonight you will take in the vibrant nightlife on offer
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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distance: APP 75 KM
After breakfast, you will say goodbye to Port Elizabeth and head off in the direction of Addo Elephant Park. We have made this a short drive to give you a full day in the Addo Elephant Park. Today you have time to visit the Addo Elephant Park and meet these interesting giants. Addo – world renowned for its large Elephant population. Also home to a variety of other animals, Addo is always full of surprises. The park has more than 300 Elephants, which used to live in and around the Eastern Cape. These particular elephants feed on the leaves “The pink-flowered spekboom (Portulacaria Afra)”. Activities in the Park include hikes, horse trails, game drives and bird watching
Tonight your accommodation will be in the area where you can swap stories with fellow travellers.
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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Off
the beaten track: Click
here for unordinary places to discover
in this region |
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distance: APP 325 Km
Departing Addo Elephant Park, you will start the Garden Route going through Jefferey Bay (world-renowned surf paradise), Cape St. Francis, Storms River and Natures Valley and visiting the Tsitsikamma National park. On your way, you will also pass the Bloukranz Bridge – home to the worlds highest bungee jump (216M).Well known for the unique combination of forest and sea and its great hikes through the immense and ancient forests, the jagged coastline and the beautiful forest will impress you. Seek and you shall find a variety of animals for example baboons and small antelope. You can explore the forest by foot or mountain bike or see the hidden beauty of the sea on a snorkelling or diving trip. After lunch and soaking in as much of the nature as possible, you will drive to Plettenberg Bay. Plettenberg Bay is characterised by sweeping, unspoilt golden beaches, a dramatic rocky peninsula, intriguing lagoons and estuaries, towering indigenous forests and unpolluted rivers and sea. With its exceptional climate, and beautiful view sites over the Indian Ocean, Plettenberg Bay is perfect for tourists interested in exploring, watching or just lazing.
Spend tonight in Plettenberg Bay / similar
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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distance: APP 80 Km
Today you will leave Plettenberg Bay and go to the next town on the beautiful Garden Route – Knysna. Knysna is the largest town on the Garden Route. Knysna is world Famous for its Oyster Festival and the Knysna Heads. The town nestles between the impressive Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean, with the world-renowned indigenous forests surrounding it. At the heart of Knysna is the 21 ha lagoon protected from the sea by the well-known sandstone Knysna "Heads". The “Heads” make this lagoon a haven for holidaymakers. Take a drive to the next town Sedgefield located between Knysna and George. Also a resort town Sedgefield offers the bird watcher a variety of beautiful bird species to be found in the surrounding area. There are many hiking trails. At the same time, you can marvel at the beautiful and colourful wild flowers and fynbos. To the west lies Swartvlei, forming a safe estuary for bathing.
Tonight you will stay in Knysna (we love the seafood - eat it )
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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Off
the beaten track: Click
here for unordinary places to discover
in this region |
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distance: APP 250
After breakfast and a good bye to the lush greenery of the Garden Route, you will drive through scenic mountain passes in the direction of the dry and very interesting Little Karoo to Oudtshoorn – Outdshoorn dubbed the “Ostrich Capital” of South Africa. Experience the world’s largest, flightless bird at the Ostrich Show Farms in Oudtshoorn. These birds known throughout the world for their feathers, leather and meat, Some farms offer ostich rides - if you dare. In the afternoon, there is time to relax, or you can have a look at the impressive Cango Caves. The Cango Caves is just one of the many natural wonders in the Little Karoo. Water, time and simple chemistry have combined, over hundreds of thousands of years, to create a magical display of carved caverns, corridors and dripstone formations deep within the Swartberg Mountain Range.
Tonight you will stay in Oudtshoorn
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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Off
the beaten track: Click
here for unordinary places to discover
in this region |
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distance: APP 250
Leaving the Little Karoo behind, you will follow Route 62 – (the longest wine route in the world) and can you visit Worchester and Paarl along the way. This is a very scenic route through beautiful mountainous surroundings and the wine fields. Stop and have lunch in one of the small towns, with spectacular views of the Breede River and surrounding wine lands. For some spectacular views of Table Mountain, take the Du Toits Kloof Pass instead of the Toll Road through the tunnel.
After your arrival in Cape town - The Mother City book into your guesthouse and go out for a nice dinner and night on the town
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After breakfast, take a drive around the scenic Cape Peninsula. Visit Hout Bay and take a boat trip to Duiker Island to see the seals. Drive over the spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive to Noordhoek and on to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. Return along the False Bay coastline to Boulders and visit the 3 000 strong colony of African Penguins. Continue to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and enjoy a quiet walk through the indigenous vegetation. In the evening, relax or party at one of Cape Town’s nightclubs.
Overnight Cape Town
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Add-ons: We can have your car collected from you at this stage should you not wish to drive, and you will then do guided excursions around Cape Town and then get transferred to the airport on day 22.
Click
here for more information |
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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Off
the beaten track: Click
here for unordinary places to discover
in this region |
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Today you will travel with a local tour operator to the wine lands. (We do not suggest self-drive, as drinking and driving is a criminal offence). Get up early for a nice and tasty breakfast to line your stomach before you set off for Cape Town’s breathtaking wine farms. Enjoy the day with beautiful views, and of course delicious wine. Have lunch at one of the farms. Wine can be purchased from all farms and they can point you in the right direction should you wish to package and ship your wine home.
Suggestion for the day: Stick to one colour wine
Overnight Cape Town |
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Travel
Tip: Click
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After 3 fun filled days in Cape Town, take this day (weather permitting) to do some shopping, get some rest and tan on the beach or if the weather is having a bad day – go to the aquarium at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront or go see a movie. There is much to do and see in the centre if town from antique shopping to local craft markets and some wonderful offbeat cafes on Long Street. Go to Exclusive Books, sit in their coffee shop, and submerge yourself in their books. Visit Robben Island, and of course, not to be missed – Table Mountain. Go to one of the delis and buy a small picnic lunch, and find a quiet spot on the Mountain to feed your soul, taking in the Majestic city below.
Overnight Cape Town
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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Spend your last day in the Cape Region doing last minute gift shopping, and wishing you were not going home, because you really enjoy it here |
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Travel
Tip: Click
here for Travel Tips in this region |
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21 nights accommodation as per itinerary
Meals as per basis at Lodge / B&B / Hotel
22 days car hire and insurance
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Flights
Optional Activities
Travel insurance
Entrance / Concession fees
Additional meals and beverages
Personal insurance
Additional nights
Visas if required
Guide / driver
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| * Prices are indications only and are subject to change |
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