Feel the excitement build as your plane lands in Cape Town, where you’ll be met at the airport for a private transfer to your waterfront hotel.

Backdropped by Table Mountain, Cape Town is one of the world’s most instantly recognisable cities. The hike to the top takes around five hours, so most visitors opt for the cable car. The views are incredible.

Back down, at the V&A Waterfront you’ll find a great choice of shops, bars and restaurants, and a short taxi ride away the beautiful Clifton Beach and Camps Bay.

A trip to Robben Island comes recommended, to learn about the apartheid and see where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. As does a day tour to the Cape of Good Hope which returns via Boulders Beach to see the resident penguin colony. Your Travel Consultant can pre-book both experiences for you.

The Commodore Hotel, Cape Town (or similar)

Breakfast

From Cape Town, your first stop today is the historic town of Stellenbosch in the picturesque Winelands region, where you’ll find plenty of options for lunch, with farm-to-table restaurants overlooking the rolling vineyards.

Continue for just over an hour through the heart of the Hawequas Mountains to Worcester, where you can stretch your legs at the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden. Then, you will join the famous Route 62, one of the most scenic drives in South Africa, that takes you to your accommodation for the night, a charming guesthouse in Montagu.

Cape Town > Montagu | 150 kms

Montagu Vines (or similar)

Breakfast

Continue along Route 62 today, a journey that is simply stunning, with several small farming communities to visit on the way. Stop at Calitzdorp to pick up a bottle of the town’s famous port wine, admire its sandstone church and historical buildings or take a dip in the nearby hot springs. Your destination tonight is Oudtshoorn, a great base to explore the scorched Little Karoo region, with its desert-like landscapes, towering cliffs and abundant wildlife.

Montagu > Oudtshoorn | 250 kms

Hlangana Lodge (or similar)

Breakfast

You have a whole day to explore this fascinating corner of South Africa. A visit to the impressive Cango Caves is a must. Here you can join a guided tour through six main magnificent limestone halls, where it is thought groups of Khoekhoe and San people lived thousands of years ago. For the more flexible, there is also an adventure tour, that heads deeper into the cave network through narrow tunnels and passages, with some crawling or belly sliding required!

Consider also visiting one of Oudtshoorn’s working ostrich farms. The birds have been bred in the area for over 160 years for meat, leather and feathers. You’ll find ostrich steak on the menu at many restaurants in town.

Hlangana Lodge (or similar)

Breakfast

After a leisurely breakfast, it’s back on the road today, though with only 110 kms to cover you have plenty of time for photo stops and exploring.

Leaving Oudtshoorn, drop down through the spectacular Outeniqua Pass to George and the lush coastal section of the Garden Route. Here you have a choice. You can follow the N2 to Knysna, with the ocean on your right and ancient Yellowwood forests to your left, or take the winding Seven Passes Road, which heads back into the hills and crosses seven gorges before dropping into town.

Knysna sits on the edge of large saltwater lagoon. If you arrive soon after midday, you should be in time to join an afternoon cruise across the lagoon to Featherbed Nature Reserve, for stunning views and to learn about the local fauna and flora from your guide.

Oudtshoorn > Knysna | 110 kms

Waterfront Lodge (or similar)

Breakfast

Around 30 minutes from Knysna is the upmarket seaside town of Plettenberg Bay, perfect for a day trip to relax on its long sandy beaches and enjoy a leisurely lunch, before walking it off on one of the scenic trails on the Robberg Peninsula, where a colony of fur seals lives. Between May and February you may just spot southern right or humpback whales in the ocean waters!

Waterfront Lodge (or similar)

Breakfast

En route to Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) a stop at Tsitsikamma National Park comes highly recommended. Hugging the coast around the mouth of the Storms River, the park protects an area of temperate high forest and fynbos (indigenous plants) that cling to rocky cliffs, pounded at their foot by the waves of the Indian Ocean.

Follow a roughly one hour walking trail to get to the 77 metre long Storms River suspension bridge, standing in the middle of which you can’t help but appreciates the might of the sea and natural beauty of Tsitsikamma National Park.

In Port Elizabeth you can relax at your hotel or perhaps take an evening stroll along the wooden promenades in Summerstrand.

Knysna > Port Elizabeth | 250 kms

Fifth Avenue Beach House (or similar)

Breakfast

This morning, drive east towards the Eastern Cape for a three night safari at one of the region’s exceptional private game reserves. This often overlooked safari destination offers a great alternative to South Africa’s larger parks, with superb wildlife viewing, fewer vehicles and a relaxed pace.

Choose from Kariega Game Reserve, Amakhala Game Reserve or Shamwari Private Game Reserve, each offering a unique safari experience. Learn more about each reserve below, or get in touch with our Africa Experts for their recommendations.

Port Elizabeth > Eastern Cape Reserve | ~150 kms (depending on reserve)

Choose your safari lodge below

All meals whilst on safari

This morning there may be time for one last game drive, before the drive back to Port Elizabeth for your flight home.

Eastern Cape Reserve > Port Elizabeth | ~150 kms
Breakfast

Kariega Game Reserve offers an intimate and exclusive safari experience in South Africa’s malaria-free Eastern Cape, making it ideal for families and first-time safari-goers.Spanning over 10,000 hectares of diverse landscapes from river valleys to rolling hills, this private reserve is home to ‘Africa’s Big 5’, alongside giraffe, zebra, hippo and a wealth of birdlife.

What sets Kariega apart is its combination of exceptional game viewing and choice of accommodation,

• River Lodge, luxury thatched suites
• Settlers Drift, luxury tented suites
• Main Lodge, large wooden cabins
• Ukhozi Lodge, contemporary suites with private plunge pools

With expertly guided game drives, river cruises and the option of walking safaris, you’ll experience the thrill of African wildlife with warm, personal hospitality, just 90 minutes drive from Port Elizabeth.

Amakhala Game Reserve offers an authentic ‘Big 5’ safari experience in South Africa’s malaria-free Eastern Cape, just 60 minutes drive from Port Elizabeth.

Spanning over 9,000 hectares of diverse landscapes from river valleys to open plains, this private reserve is home to lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard, alongside cheetah, giraffe and an abundance of antelope species.

What makes Amakhala special is its multiple accomodation options ranging from luxurious retreats to intimate tented camps.

• Woodbury Tented Camp, ensuite safari tents
• Woodbury Lodge, elevated lodge rooms
• Amakhala Safari Lodge, luxury thatched suites
• Bush Lodge, luxury thatched suites with private plunge pools

With expertly guided game drives, river cruises along the scenic Bushman’s River, and optional walking safaris, you’ll experience warm Eastern Cape hospitality and exceptional wildlife encounters in this beautiful and accessible reserve.

Shamwari Game Reserve is one of South Africa’s most prestigious ‘Big 5’ safari destinations, spanning 25,000 hectares of malaria-free wilderness in the Eastern Cape.

Just an hour’s drive from Port Elizabeth, this award-winning reserve is renowned for its exceptional conservation efforts and choice of luxurious accommodation.

• Riverdene Family Lodge, large interconnected rooms
• Bayethe Tented Lodge, ensuite safari tents with private plunge pool
• Long Lee Manor, elegant rooms with private verandahs

Beyond twice-daily game drives where you’ll encounter lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard, you can also visit the Born Free Big Cat Sanctuary and Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, experiencing first-hand how Shamwari is restoring and protecting this magnificent landscape for future generations.