Overview
Spend four nights exploring the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town, two nights on an adventure safari in Pilanesberg National Park and two nights at the mighty Victoria Falls.
Itinerary
Day 1
TRAVELING
Depart from New York JFK or Washington Dulles on your South African Airways flight.
Day 2
Cape Town
On arrival in Johannesburg, you will connect for your two-hour flight to Cape Town. On arrival you will be met for the transfer to your hotel.
Overnight on a bed and breakfast basis at Southern Sun Waterfront.
Day 3
Cape Town
After breakfast you will be met by your local English-speaking driver-guide for your full day tour of the Cape Peninsula. Depart the hotel and flank the colder Atlantic Ocean en route to Hout Bay. Once a fishing community, and now one of the most popular residential areas, the harbor still has a charm of days gone by. For the not so adventurous, the fish market "Mariners Wharf" is a must. The tour now continues over the famous Chapman’s Peak drive – if open, with a 200 meter drop on one side and a 200 meter rise on the other, as we make our way south, following the Atlantic Ocean until we reach Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Said to be the romantic meeting place of the two mighty oceans, the Atlantic and the Indian, Sir Francis Drake the Explorer once called it "the fairest Cape that we saw in the whole circumference of the globe". And rightly so, it must be the highlight of any visit to the Mother City, if not South Africa. Our optional lunch stop today is at the Fish Hoek Galley. We pass the naval base of Simonstown as we continue along the Indian Ocean, en route to see the Jackass penguin colony which has become well established at Boulders Beach near Simonstown. Our last stop of the day is at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (optional), home of some 3,500 species of Southern African fauna and flora. We return to the hotel in the late afternoon, having seen some of the best the Cape has to offer.
Overnight on a bed and breakfast basis at Southern Sun Waterfront.
Day 4
Cape Town
Take a full day at leisure to explore the beautiful city of Cape Town. Maybe take a trip in the cable car up Table Mountain or a boat ride for a poignant visit to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years. Perhaps take time to explore the vibrant V&A Waterfront with its many shops, restaurants and activities as well as the fascinating Two Oceans Aquarium. In the summer months maybe head for the white sand beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay for people watching and soaking up the African sun. Whatever else, you will not be at a loss for things to do!
Overnight on a bed and breakfast basis at Southern Sun Waterfront.
Day 5
Cape Town
Another full day at leisure. We recommend taking an optional Cape Winelands tour - ask your safari expert when booking.
Overnight on a bed and breakfast basis at Southern Sun Waterfront.
Day 6
CAPE TOWN
After breakfast you will be met and transferred to the Cape Town airport for your flight to Johannesburg.
On arrival in Johannesburg, meet your driver-guide for your road transfer to the “Big 5” Pilanesberg Game Reserve. Apart from the “Big 5”, there are 50 other species of large mammals, 354 species of birds and 132 species of trees. A wide variety of other rare mammal species also exists in the park, such as the nocturnal brown hyena, the fleet-footed cheetah and the majestic sable antelope. The lodge site is particularly favored by both black rhino and white rhino, and sightings of lion and elephant are frequent. The nearby cliffs are home to klipspringer and rock hyrax and provide strong updrafts for Verreaux’s Eagle and many more soaring marvels.
Overnight on a full board basis at Shepherd's Tree Game Lodge.
Day 7
PILANESBERG NATIONAL PARK
A host of nature and safari activities are on offer from daily morning and afternoon game drives in open game vehicles with dedicated game rangers to walking trails through the Pilanesberg wilderness. Refreshment breaks have been included on your game drives to make your safari experience that much more enjoyable. Meals are enjoyed at the lodge.
Overnight on a full board basis at Shepherd's Tree Game Lodge.
Day 8
PILANESBERG NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast you will be transferred to the Johannesburg airport for your flight to the Livingstone airport in Zambia.
On arrival, you will be met by your local English- speaking representative who will transfer you to the Stanley Safari Lodge.
The atmosphere at Stanley Safari Lodge is tranquil and intimate, and with only 10 private cottages or suites we are able to give you an unmatched level of entirely personalised service.
Each and every cottage is individually designed. But what makes Stanley Safari Lodge really special is the open design of many of our rooms: the optimal way to experience the real Africa - just like Stanley must have done centuries ago… And if you really want to indulge yourself, ask for one of our suites with a private plunge pool.
Overnight on a full board basis at Stanley Safari Lodge.
Day 9
Victoria Falls
After breakfast take an optional tour of Victoria Falls or Village Visit.
· Guided tour of The Victoria Falls (Park Fees are extra).
OR
· A visit to Mukuni Village, an experience of the real Zambia & Livingstone Museum tour – for information about the Livingstone area (History, Natural History and Cultural) and also hosts a section on David Livingstone with many of his original letters on display.
Overnight on a full board basis at Stanley Safari Lodge.
Day 10
Victoria Falls
Morning at leisure until your transfer from the lodge to the Livingstone airport for your flight to Johannesburg and connecting flight to the United States.
Day 11
ARRIVAL
Arrival at New York JFK or Washington Dulles airport.
Includes
Round trip coach air on South African Airways from New York JFK or Washington Dulles airport to Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport; Domestic coach air in South Africa as per the itinerary Johannesburg - Cape Town – Johannesburg; Roundtrip airfare from Johannesburg - Livingstone - Johannesburg; Accommodation as per the itinerary; Most meals as per the itinerary (8x breakfast, 4x lunches, 4x dinners); Ground transfers as per the itinerary; Scheduled Cape Peninsula tour; Zambia Tour of the Falls; All park fees and safari activities.
Excludes
Add on air from other US cities; Any meals or services not mentioned above; Entrance fees on Cape Peninsula tour to Kirstenbosch, Seal Island cruise; Any items of personal expense - i.e. drinks, telephone calls, laundry etc; Gratuities for rangers/guides/drivers.
