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AN 11 DAY SAFARI FEATURING
THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE
CAPE, GARDEN ROUTE,
DRAKENSBERG ESCARPMENT AND EASTERN LOWVELD WILDLIFE AREAS
- INCLUDING THE KRUGER PARK.
Day1
– We will meet you at Cape
Town Airport and transfer you to the hotel in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront to
relax. In the afternoon we visit the Two Oceans Aquarium.
You will be able to feel the different temperatures of the
tanks containing sea life from the warm
Indian Ocean to that from
the cold Atlantic Ocean. In the specially designed touch
pool you can feel starfish and other marvels of the
oceans. PORTSWOOD BB
Day 2
– After breakfast we travel along the Atlantic Seaboard to
Camps Bay where we go for a walk on the secluded beach
which is renowned for its soft, clean sand and cool
Atlantic sea water. The tour continues to the fishing
harbour of Hout Bay, full of sounds and smells of a
historic fishing community. Here you board a boat for a
cruise to Duiker Island - home to a large, fairly noisy,
colony of Cape Fur Seals and various birds. Your guide
will help you identify each type by the calls they make -
be ready for the rather pungent aroma when the wind is
blowing towards you.
We then continue over Constantia Nek to Groot Constantia -
the oldest wine farm in
South
Africa. Here you will have the opportunity to taste some
of the wines that have made this Estate famous. It is said
that when Napoleon was in exile he would only drink Groot
Constantia wines.
After lunch we visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical gardens
where there is a braille trail where one can experience
the different textures and smells of a wide variety of
indigenous flora.
Tonight we enjoy a seafood
dinner at a V&A Waterfront restaurant. PORTSWOOD LDBB
Day 3
- We leave Cape Town and
travel to a local township where we visit the Uncedo
pottery project and a local carpet weaving factory - you
may even have the chance to taste some locally brewed
traditional beer
We continue to the Spier
Wine estate on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. After a
conducted tasting of 7 of the finest local wines we invite
you to enjoy a taste of Cape
Malay cuisine at the Jonkershuis.
This afternoon the brave
can go horse riding (accompanied by an experienced rider)
through the vineyards while the more cautious can enjoy
the same experience in a horse drawn buggy. THE VILLAGE
AT SPIER LDBB
Day 4
– Today we travel through the Hugenot tunnel and on to the
farming village of Worcester where we visit Kleinplasie -
a living farm museum. Here you will be introduced to the
implements that early farmers used and you may be able to
taste bread and preserves made as they were in days gone
by.
We continue through the
Small Karoo to Calitzdorp - the home of South Africa’s
Port industry – once again, you may wish to taste their
produce as well as other sweet desert wines like muscadel
and hanepoot.
Then it is on to Oudtshoorn - feather capital of the world.
Here we visit Highgate Ostrich Farm where you will be
encouraged to hold baby ostriches, feel the tanned and
very expensive ostrich skin and the soft feathers. You may
want to sit on an ostrich and sense the strength of
ostrich eggs by standing on them. At dinner will be able
to taste of the very healthy ostrich meat.
HLANGANA LODGE DBB
Day 5 -
This morning we visit the Cango Crocodile Ranch where you
will learn more about these prehistoric beasts. You will
be able to feel the roughness of their skin and sharpness
of their teeth (not on a live one!) You will also feel the
shells of the large variety of tortoises at the Ranch -
from the tiny to the huge with all the wonderful different
geometric designs on their shells.
We cross the Outeniqua
Pass to George and continue to
Knysna in the middle of our Lake District. It is also the
centre of South Africa’s indigenous wood industry and you
will be introduced to the textures of artifacts made from
Yellowwood and Stinkwood.
This evening we enjoy a
sundowner cruise on the Knysna Lagoon with champagne and
local Knysna oysters.
KNYSNA RIVER CLUB DBB
Day 6
- You will be transfered
to George airport for your flight to
Johannesburg. Here we connect to the capital of
Mpumalanga
Province, Nelspruit where you will be met and tour to Berg n’ Dal rest camp in
the Kruger
National Park. Berg n’ Dal has a
braille trail within the camp. The Kruger
Park, because of its size and
shape and differing habitats, is home to the greatest
diversity of wildlife species of any park in the world.
Apart from Africa’s wildlife, this area is also home to a magnificent variety of
indigenous vegetation, from the thorny Acacia species to
the powdery barked Fever Trees. Your ranger / guide will
introduce you to these species. (With due caution for the
sharper kind!)
Tonights dinner will be a
traditional braai (BBQ) prepared for you by your guide on
an open fire made from the aromatic hardwood, Hardekool.
We enjoy an evening around the fire to the calls of the
African night and maybe even the roar of the King of the
Beasts echoing in the surrounding hills? BERG n’ DAL
RESTCAMP DBB
Day 7
– An early wake up call to
enjoy coffee and rusks in the cool African dawn. The
safari continues through the Kruger. Your ranger guide
will be equipped with recordings of the calls of the
species we pass on our way out of the park to Sabie in the
heights of the Drakensberg escarpment. This is the heart
of South Africa’s timber farming area and we will visit
the forestry museum in Sabie. We then take a short drive
to the source of the Sabie River (River of Fear) at Lone Creek
Falls. Apart from enjoying a
delightful picnic lunch in the forests we will also take a
short walk to the pool, where the cool spray from the 89
metre high falls, plunging from above, is a welcome
experience on a warm day.
We continue along the
escarpment to Bourkes Luck Potholes. Your guide will
relate the delightful gold mining history of this area and
the geology of this 3.5 Billion year old rock. At Boukes
Luck there is a brail trail where one not only gets to
feel these rugged rocks but is also introduced to the
unique and diverse textures of the lichens that grow on
them. We descend back to the lowveld and Tshukudu Game
Lodge in the heart of big game territory. Here we once
again enjoy dinner and the calls of the African night.
TSHUKUDU GAME LODGE LDBB
Day 8
– Another early wake up
call before we enjoy a wonderful walk in the bushveld with
your armed ranger. This is however a walk with a
difference as you are accompanied by some of Tshukudu’s
animals. Tshukudu have several orphaned animals who have
been hand reared. A walk with an elephant, accompanied by
lion cubs or occasionally leopard cubs or even a warthog
is an unforgettable experience. Your ranger will also
point out and explain interesting vegetation types,
smaller insect life and maybe even the texture of dry
elephant and antelope dung.
After lunch at the lodge
we travel to Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
Population pressures and habitat changes have regrettably
seen many animals and birds suffer injury and this center
becomes home to them during the rehabilitation process.
Here, we are not only told of these changes and the work
the center does, but also get to play with and touch some
of the birds and animals living here. One can even enter
the vulture cage to assist in the feeding of these large,
and surprisingly heavy, birds.
On the way back to the
lodge we will stop at a giant Baobab tree. These trees
live for thousands of years and amazingly attain a girth
at their base of up to 80 metres. TSHUKUDU GAME LODGE
LDBB
Day 9
– After breakfast we
travel to the Nyani
Cultural Village. The indigenous
people of this region are the wonderful Shangaan nation.
Axon Khosa is the grandson of the former Chief Kapama and
today we visit his village for an insight into the culture
and traditions of these lovely people. The village is the
original and retains the traditional mud and grass roofed
huts. Demonstrations are given in which one can
participate. These include rope making, mat making from
reeds, maize crushing using a round and concave stone and
even the opportunity of the Sangoma (Witch doctor) telling
your fortune. We share in a meal of chicken with
traditional vegetables and maize accompaniments, eaten
with the fingers.
After returning to the
lodge one is welcome to go on the evening game drive or
relax and enjoy the sounds of roosting birds and other
calls of the evening before dinner. TSHUKUDU GAME LODGE
LDBB
Day 10
– Today is the last day of
your safari so we decided to give you a day to enjoy the
warm African sun, swimming pool and lodge facilities or
just to reminisce on the exciting experiences you have
had. Maybe another early walk, game drive or just a day of
leisure. TSHUKUDU GAME LODGE
Day 11
– After a relaxed morning and breakfast at the lodge it’s
a sad farewell. We travel to the copper mining town of
Phalaborwa for your return flight to Johannesburg and
onward connection back home.
BON VOYAGE! |
