Day 1: Ashanti Lodge Gardens, Cape Town
Resting at the confluence of the Indian and Atlantic Ocean, sandwiched between the slopes of the iconic Table Mountain and the glistening sapphire waters of Table Bay, the exceptionally scenic city of Cape Town is in a class of its own. Some cities boast rich culture, vibrant nightlife, a cosmopolitan atmosphere and extraordinary architecture, while others boast breath-taking landscapes and extraordinary natural wonders. Cape Town is lucky enough to be blessed with all of these attractions and so much more. With its bustling harbour, world-class beaches, top-notch vineyards, and its mountainous surroundings brimming with diverse flora and fauna, Cape Town consistently captivates the hearts of all who visit.
Day Itinerary
Upon your arrival in the beautiful city of Cape Town you will be met at the airport by one of our representatives and given more information about your trip, as well as be assisted with collecting your rental car. Once you have checked into your hotel, the rest of the day is yours to spend at leisure. You can explore the vibrant Long and Bree Streets or visit the Waterfront and harbour.
Overnight: Ashanti Lodge Gardens
Located at the foot of Table Mountain, Ashanti Lodge and Travel Centre is your gateway to Cape Town. Well-known for our superb facilities, outstanding service and excellent security, Ashanti Lodge is the fun, friendly, effortless way to discover the Cape … and more!
Within walking distance of the city centre and close to Cape Town’s magnificent beaches, we cater for all accommodation needs from camping and backpacker dorms to private, en-suite rooms in our guesthouse around the corner. Within our gorgeous Victorian mansion, you will find clean, comfortable dorms with individual reading lights, personal safes and international plug points.
We’ll help you plan your next adventure; whether it’s overland, under water or beyond the border. From crosscountry safaris to day tours, including hiring cars and booking accommodation, we have dedicated Travel Centre staff to ensure you get the best from your trip, no matter where you’re going in Southern Africa.
If you’re looking for a slick, comfortable place to stay with lots of buzz and plenty of playground material – don’t delay head this way!
Day 2: Ashanti Lodge Gardens, Cape Town
Day Itinerary
Explore the scenically beautiful Cape Peninsula today while on a full day tour to Cape Point. You will pass through the picturesque fishing villages of Hout Bay and Fish Hoek. The journey will take you through the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve which is home to antelope such as bontebok and eland. Take a stroll up to the lighthouse at Cape Point and admire the scenery.
On the return journey, you will stop at Boulders Beach where you can see a colony of land-based endangered African penguins and explore the naval base of Simonstown. You will return to Cape Town and might like to go to the Waterfront in the harbour and sip on refreshing sundowners while watching the sunset. Basis – Bed & Breakfast
Day 3: Aquila Private Game Reserve & Spa, Western Cape
The Western Cape, arguably the most scenic and varied of South Africa’s nine provinces, serves as a major drawcard for visitors to South Africa. Located in the southwest corner of the country, the province is blessed with stunning coastlines, breathtaking mountains, indigenous forests, historic wine estates and scorched stretches of strikingly beautiful semi-desert. Visitors can enjoy everything from the magnificent city of Cape Town with its iconic Table Mountain and gorgeous surrounding Winelands, to the exhilarating outdoor activities and spectacular natural scenery of the Garden Route, as well as the fynbos-covered sand dunes, sun-bleached beaches and remote fishing villages of the lesser-explored West Coast region. The Western Cape has just about everything that the rest of the country can offer, all rolled into one easy explorable destination.
Day Itinerary
Leaving Cape Town behind, you travel to Aquila Game Reserve.
The Aquila Private Game Reserve nestles in a Big 5, malaria-free game reserve which is from Cape Town a two-hour scenic drive. This 4,510-hectare private nature reserve is rich in Khoi-San and Boer War history and is home to three new biomes of vegetation set in the most magnificent Karoo mountains, valleys, rivers and kloofs. Aquila Game
Reserve is in South Africa’s Western Cape Province and has been recognized as one of the major tourist attractions
Overnight: Aquila Private Game Reserve & Spa
Overnight accommodation in luxury chalets, Accommodation includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 4×4 game drives, Cigar Bar, Conferencing, Wildlife including the Big 5, Curio Shop and Outdoor swimming pool.
Day 4: Karoo National Park Rest Camp, Western Cape
Day Itinerary
Today, you will head into the semi desert region known as the Karoo. These semi-desert landscapes offer beautiful views and are primarily given over to the farming of sheep which produce the famous Karoo Lamb.
Overnight: Karoo National Park Rest Camp
Towards late afternoon, the great, unyielding canopy slowly softens its fierceness, and from pastel shades of pink and blue, the colours deepen, setting the endless Karoo canvas ablaze with glorious hues of orange and red. Being the largest ecosystem in South Africa, the Karoo is home to a fascinating diversity of life, all having adapted to survive in these harsh conditions.
The Karoo National Park has been restocked with many species being relocated to their former ranges and now brown hyena, lion and Cape mountain zebra roam the Karoo once again. Other species include Red Hartebeest, Black Wildebeest, Eland, Kudu, Springbok and Klipspringer and birding is dominated by the 20 breeding pairs of black eagle that find sanctuary within the park. Other valued sighting include the Karoo Korhaan, Ludwig’s Bustard, Chestnutvented Tit-babbler, and Namaqua Sandgrouse should also be looked for.
Day 5: Karoo National Park Rest Camp, Western Cape
Day Itinerary
Spend the day exploring the Karoo National Park.
Karoo National Park has a wide variety of endemic wildlife. Many species have been relocated to their former ranges
– such as black rhino and buffalo, as well as Cape mountain zebra. Over 20 breeding pairs of black eagle find sanctuary within the park. The Great Karoo is a vast and unforgiving landscape and being the largest ecosystem in South Africa, it is home to a fascinating diversity of life, all having adapted to survive in these harsh conditions. There is also a wide diversity of succulent plants and small reptiles at Karoo National Park.
Day 6: Mooiplaas Guest House, Oudtshoorn
Located along the well-known Route 62 in South Africa’s beautiful Klein Karoo, the charming town of Oudtshoorn is known as the ostrich capital of the world. It is surrounded by numerous ostrich farms and the golden arid landscape of the Karoo. Visitors can enjoy the locally produced wine and port; sample ostrich meat and biltong; learn about the ostrich feather boom at the C.P. Nel Museum; and visit the world-renowned Cango Caves, the largest cave system in Africa featuring ancient rock formations and sparkiling stalactites and stalagmites. Other popular activities include: mountain biking, paragliding, horse riding, and taking a day trip to the quaint town of Prince Albert over the scenic Swartberg Pass.
Day Itinerary
Continuing your journey through the Karoo, you will travel to the town dubbed the Ostrich Capital of the World – Oudshoorn. The towns of Oudtshoorn and De Rust are in the Klein Karoo between the Swartberg and Outeniqua mountains. Oudtshoorn is the ostrich capital of the world. The world’s biggest bird is just one of the many attractions in this area of exceptional contrasts and natural beauty. The region is home to the spectacular Cango Caves, Africa’s largest show cave system; an ecological hotspot where three distinct plant biomes (succulent karoo, cape thicket and fynbos) converge; and the Swartberg mountain range, which is part of the Cape Floral World Heritage Site.
Overnight: Mooiplaas Guest House
Here you can relax, unwind and enjoy yourself in the comfort of our stylish and luxurious 4 star accommodation and experience something different, an authentic and unique farm stay. Soak up the family friendly atmosphere while enjoying the peace of wide open spaces and big skies of the Klein Karoo. When you arrive at Mooiplaas Guesthouse and Spa, we greet you with a welcome drink. Rooms are decorated and equipped to make you feel special. At night we light up the evening torches that give a warm glow to the evening atmosphere and we turn down your bed with a little surprise. We delight in spoiling our guests – no request is too much effort for us! Our dining room offers fine local cuisine and serves a full breakfast (included in the rate), four course set dinner menu and an open bar. Find out more about our traditional Karoo cuisine and check out our favorite recipes!
Day 7: Lagoona Inn, Knysna
Sandwiched between the towering Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean, Knysna is known as the ‘Garden of Eden’. It is surrounded by world-renowned forests, lovely lagoons and pristine beaches. Visitors can look forward to an array of markets offering delicious food and organic locally-made goods, explore the town’s picturesque waterfront and quaint streets, adventure through the lush forest, skip over streams and catch a glimpse of the multicoloured Knysna Loerie, take a ferry trip to the famed Knysna Heads and sample the local oysters. Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of exciting activities including: surfing, swimming, yachting, jet skiing, boating, fishing, and golfing.
Day Itinerary
On this day you will head to the beautiful coast of the Garden Route and the Town of Knysna. In the morning before you leave – you will visit the famous Cango Caves.
Cango Caves
The Cango Caves are located in Precambrian limestones at the foothills of the Swartberg range near the town of Oudtshoorn, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The principal cave is one of the country’s finest, best known, and most popular tourist caves and attracts many visitors from overseas. Although the extensive system of tunnels and chambers go on for over 4 km (2.5 mi), only about a quarter of this is open to visitors, who may proceed into the cave only in groups supervised by a guide.
Overnight: Lagoona Inn
Lagoona Inn is ideally situated in the picturesque town of Knysna in the Garden Route, South Africa. The ambiance is a unique international blend of superb hospitality, cuisine, and service. Every one of the bedrooms and apartments enjoys spectacular panoramic views of the mysterious beauty of Knysna. Accommodation is modern, en-suite, with sliding doors and sun shutters which open onto your private balcony or garden frontage. The sparkling lagoon surrounded by an amphitheatre of mountains and forests creates a wonderful natural canvas, not only for the first time visitor but also for the many artists who have made this area their home and inspiration.
Day 8: Lagoona Inn, Knysna
Day Itinerary
Today, you will explore the town of Knysna . You will also enjoy a cruise on the beautiful Knysna Lagoon.
Featherbed Experience
A 25-minute return ferry trip on the Knysna Lagoon to the Western Head. It includes a 4 x 4 vehicle / trailer drive up the headland onto the Reserve, stopping at a magnificent viewpoint. Specialist guide giving info on history, fauna & flora. Optional guided 2.2km walk through coastal forest and fynbos into ancient sea caves. Followed by a tasty lunch at the Featherbed restaurant.
Day 9: Rosedale Bed & Breakfast, Greater Addo
Stretching from the spectacularly scenic Zuurberg Mountain Range to the beautiful Sundays River, the Greater Addo area is known for its malaria-free big game viewing opportunities. It is an area rich in history and diverse in culture featuring lush citrus valleys, rolling dunes and abundant fauna and flora. Easily accessible from the large city of Port Elizabeth, Greater Addo boasts numerous private game reserves, which are home to the Big Five. Must-see sites include the renowned Addo Elephant National Park, hosting one of the most densely populated elephant herds in the world and the thriving Nanaga Farm Stall known for its delicious pies. The Greater Addo area offers an exciting array of activities ranging from hiking, horse riding, fishing, canoeing and mountain biking; to bird watching, game safaris and 4×4 off road adventures.
Day Itinerary
Leaving the scenic town of Knysna behind, you will travel to your accommodation on the edge of the Addo National Park. This region is still part of the Garden Route and is very scenic.
Overnight: Rosedale Bed & Breakfast
Breathtaking panoramic views, large tourist resorts, unique African organic meals and our organic farm are just some of the delights that await you. Greater Addo is a wonderful place to spend a holiday – three industries come together here – nature conservation, tourism and agriculture, which means that your stay can be filled with many different, rewarding and educational experiences. Our cabins lie safely in the garden, where many native bushes and trees have been planted. The morning is filled with varied bird songs of the more than 60 species we have seen on the farm. The cabins are designed for low energy consumption. The thatched roofs are a pleasure to sleep on. They store the heat in winter and remain cool in summer. The solar water heaters use the hot African sun and provide a relaxing shower after a long day in Addo. To further minimize the impact on the environment, we offer our guests mild soaps and shampoos that are free of harmful chemicals. Our laundry is washed in these “green” products, which clean effectively but are quickly and safely biodegradable.
Day 10: Rosedale Bed & Breakfast, Greater Addo
Day Itinerary
Today, we suggest you enjoy a full day game drive in the Addo National Park.
If it is elephants you want to see then head to Addo Elephant Park. Now South Africa’s third largest national reserve, Addo Elephant National Park lies in the malaria-free Sundays River valley in the Eastern Cape, just over an hour’s drive from Port Elizabeth. Addo is home to one of the densest African Elephant populations on earth, roughly 550 of them. They once roamed the entire continent. By 1979 there were only 1.3 million African elephants left, and in 1989 they were added to the international list of the most endangered species, with only sixteen left in the Greater Addo area.
The Elephants play a key role in the environment – pulling down trees, breaking up bushes, and digging waterholes and trails. Their droppings are particularly important as baboons and birds pick them over for undigested seeds and nuts, and the dung beetle (the flightless dung beetle is only found in Addo) use them in which to reproduce.
More recently the Addo Elephant National Park has expanded to become the only park in the world to lay claim to Africa’s ‘Big 7’ – elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, southern right whale and great white shark.
Day 11: Cape St Francis Resort, St Francis Bay
Located along South Africa’s spectacularly scenic Sunshine Coast, just west of Port Elizabeth, St Francis Bay is a picturesque holiday village known for its excellent surfing, pristine white-sand beach and its uniform architecture featuring black roofs and white walls built on the shores of an extensive network of human-made canals. Visitors can enjoy a variety of water activities along the canals and in the ocean such as swimming, boating, and fishing. Don’t miss the opportunity to take a day trip to the nearby village of Cape St Francis to explore the century-old Seal Point Lighthouse and the penguin rehabilitation facility.
Day Itinerary
Heading further along the coast, you will travel to the town of St Francis.
Touted as the country’s answer to ‘little Venice’, St Francis Bay lies just 90 kilometres west of Port Elizabeth – a series of little man-made canals and waterways that lend themselves perfectly to boating, swimming and other water sports.
St Francis Bay is the playground of dolphins, whales and the wealthy, the bay magnificent with a white sandy St Francis Bay beach that offers some of the safest bathing on the coast and some fine opportunities to fish on the rocks. Surfers flock here, as they do to most of this part of the coast, for its waves; and the fabulous beaches are surrounded by nature reserves, making them alive with the calls of birds and an incredible escape from the city lifestyle that ensnares most of us.
It gets pretty tricky around here to remember just which St Francis you’re in. The bay includes Port St Francis, St
Francis Bay, Cape St Francis and Oyster Bay. St Francis Bay lies alongside Cape St Francis at the estuary of the Kromme River, navigable for about 10 kilometres with many twists and turns that make it an amazing stretch along which to boat.
Overnight: Cape St Francis Resort
Situated 108 kms west of Port Elizabeth in the quaint village of Cape St Francis lies the Cape St Francis Resort and the luxurious beach villas Beach Break. Privately owned and family run we provide accommodation ranging from luxury beach villas set on the edge of the dunes where you can choose between a sea facing or garden facing room or the entire villa .With a private swimming pool and direct beach access the villas are your ideal choice when looking for a beach destination. Travelling as a family we can offer family styled cottages a mere 200 metres from the beach. These cottages are tastefully decorated and have a strong beach theme. Club Break rooms are set around a communal swimming pool. Facilities at the Resort include Joe Fish Restaurant and Bar, a Health and Beauty Studio as well as a convenience shop.
The area is rich in activities such as walking and hiking, golf, surfing, cultural excursions, whale and dolphin excursions , visits to the penguin rehabilitation centre , canal and river cruises. Any of these can be booked through our front desk at Resort Adventures.
Day 12: Cape St Francis Resort, St Francis Bay
Day Itinerary
Suggested sites
Cape St Francis lighthouse
Boasting the tallest masonry tower on the South African coast, the Cape St Francis lighthouse, called such as it lies above the generous bay early Portuguese navigators christened such, actually lies on a small rocky outcrop known as Seal Point.
The rocks around here should give one an idea of the danger on this stretch of the coast, which was notorious for the number of shipwrecks that happened along here, starting as early as 1690 when the Noord ran aground near the cape. However, only later in August 1871, did the Governor of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope make an enquiry into how best to light the eastern coastline. The need for a lighthouse was so great that the government actually sacrificed a new lantern meant for Cape Agulhas to light the intended lighthouse at Cape St Francis, the lamp of which was finally lit in November 1876.
Day 13: End of Itinerary
Day Itinerary
Today, you will travel to the town of Port Elizabeth for your return flight home.
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