South Africa: Cultural Cities & Wildlife Safaris

Board your overnight flight to Cape Town today.

Welcome to South Africa! Settle in to your hotel this evening.

Join your Tour Director for a tour of Cape Town, a beautiful and culturally rich city.

• Take a cable car ride up Table Mountain and soak in panoramic views of the city below (weather permitting)
• See Signal Hill and the Castle of Good Hope
• Catch glimpses of City Hall and the Houses of Parliament as you drive through the city
• Take a walking tour of the Bo-Kaap area, home to Cape Malay culture and some of the city’s most vibrant architecture
• Visit the District Six Museum to learn about the diverse communities that were forcibly removed under apartheid
• See how the museum staff are helping to rebuild the communities and strengthen the rich cultures in District Six and beyond

Spend a free afternoon in Cape Town or add an excursion.

Enjoy a welcome dinner with your fellow travelers this evening.

Please note: On some departures, the optional excursion will be offered in the morning and the sightseeing tour will take place in the afternoon. In the event of inclement weather, the visit to Table Mountain will be moved to day 4 or 5. In the unlikely event of poor weather both days, Table Mountain will be replaced with a visit to Signal Hill.

Spend the day exploring the Cape Peninsula.

• Drive along the Atlantic seaboard, passing the Clifton and Camp’s Bay beaches
• Visit the Cape of Good Hope and the lighthouse at Cape Point and enjoy views of where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet
• Visit Boulders Beach, a protected marine habitat for the endangered African penguin
• Learn how your visit helps support the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, a local NGO

As you travel back to Cape Town, stop to enjoy a performance by the Major Voices South African Choir.

• Listen to Afro-gospel, and jazz music by the talented a cappella group, Isicathamiya
• Hear about the group’s mission to give youth community members an opportunity to be involved in music and the arts

Enjoy a full free day in Cape town or add an excursion.

Travel along the Garden Route to Knysna, making several stops along the way.

• Enjoy a guided tour of Pinnacle Point, known as the Point of Human Origins
• Enter cave 13B to learn about the archaeological site, which contains a record of human occupation and evolution over a period of 170,000 years
• Enjoy an included lunch at a local restaurant in Mossel Bay
• Sip a gin cocktail at a local distillery as you learn about the local herbs used to produce the liquor
• Make your own bottle of handcrafted gin to bring home

Then, continue on to Knysna.

Cross the scenic Knysna Lagoon by ferry and get ready to explore the pristine beauty of Featherbed Nature Reserve on a guided tour.

• Join your naturalist guide in a 4x4 vehicle and ride up the Western Head
• Stop along the way to admire views of the lagoon, mountains, and Knysna village
• Learn about the area’s coastal forest and fynbos, a shrubland with a diverse array of plants, on a nature walk
• Enjoy an outdoor lunch under the grand milkwood trees

Travel back across the Knysna Lagoon by ferry. Then, meet up with a local guide for a tour of Knysna Township.

• Learn about Xhosa culture and interact with the community members, who are part of South Africa’s second-largest ethnic group
• Visit the library before meeting a local resident at their home to learn about Xhosa song and drum traditions
• Discover the roots of the language, which eight million South Africans speak

Today, travel to the sun-drenched shores of Port Elizabeth, set on the beautiful Algoa Bay, making several stops along the way.

• Follow the Garden Route to Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River
• Walk along the Storms River suspension bridge for an incredible photo opportunity

Then, continue on to Port Elizabeth and venture out on an orientation tour before sitting down for an included dinner this evening.

Visit the Pumba Private Game Reserve for a game drive today.

• Keep a lookout for white lions, elephants, and other wildlife
• Sit down for an included lunch at an outdoor boma restaurant

Fly to Durban today. 

Then, continue on to Hluhluwe where you'll sit down for an included dinner with your group.

Drive out into the bush to enjoy a catered, open-air breakfast complete with coffee, tea, and juices. Then, head out for a game drive at the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. The game reserve is home to the Big Five and is one of the best places in all of Africa to view rhinoceroses.

This afternoon, depart for the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, declared South Africa’s first World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999. (Please note: If your flight to Durban is in the morning on day 10, you will enjoy the St. Lucia Estuary cruise in the afternoon on day 10 instead.)

• Admire the flora and fauna of the St. Lucia Estuary on a river cruise
• Try to spot hippos, bush bucks, crocodiles, fish-eagles, monkeys, kingfishers, and mudskippers

Sit down for an included dinner tonight.

(Please note: Depending on timing, your Tour Director may move the game drive to the morning of days 11 or 12.)

Enter the Kingdom of Eswatini, the continent’s last absolute monarchy.

• Stop at the traditional markets in Manzini
• Pay a visit to Swazi Candles, a local fair trade organization that produces high-quality candles
• Tour the manufacturing warehouse and community garden, and receive a small candle to take home

Then, pass mountains, forests, and farms as you continue on to your hotel. Sit down for an included dinner.

Cross the border into South Africa and tour Chimp Eden, the Jane Goodall Institute South Africa Chimpanzee Sanctuary.

• Enjoy the unique opportunity to see chimpanzees in semi-wild enclosures
• Admire the viewpoints at some of the enclosures, which overlook the forest and foraging areas
• Hear how the chimps safely play in these areas and how they help positively reinforce their natural behavior

Continue on to the Kruger National Park region. Sit down for an included outdoor bush dinner at your safari lodge.

Set out for a full day of game drives in Kruger National Park.

• Hop inside your open-air safari vehicle and explore the park with a naturalist guide
• Try to spot the Big Five game animals: buffalo, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos
• Enjoy an included lunch at a private boma in the national park
• Continue riding through the park to see wild animals in their natural habitat

Later this evening, sit down for an included dinner with your group.

See scenic landscapes at every turn as you head to Johannesburg along the Mpumalanga Panorama Route.

• Soak in breathtaking views at God’s Window (weather permitting)
• Walk along a pathway to visit Bourke’s Luck Potholes, a collection of natural rock formations
• Stop at the lush, green Blyde River Canyon, where you can see neighboring Mozambique on a clear day

This morning, set out on a guided sightseeing tour of the Soweto township.

• See the soccer stadium where the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals game was played
• Pass Vilakazi Street, once home to both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu—both recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize
• Enter the Hector Pieterson Museum to learn about the 1976 Soweto uprising

Afterward, raise a glass to your trip at a farewell lunch before transferring to the airport to board your flight home, or continue on the tour extension to explore Victoria Falls.

Arrive home today.