South Africa Joburg, Kruger & Cape

You will be met at OR Tambo International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Rosebank. The rest of the day is at leisure to relax and recover before your adventure begins.

Rosebank is one of Johannesburg’s most vibrant and convenient districts. Your hotel is close to Rosebank Mall in a lively, walkable area known for its shopping, restaurants, art galleries and excellent transport links. Rosebank Mall, The Zone and The Firs form an interconnected complex offering international brands, cafes, rooftop venues and cinemas. During the day, you can easily explore the area on foot and enjoy the mix of shopping, dining and culture right on your doorstep.

Tour Style: This tour can depart any day and is made up of a selection of excursions and activities, with transportation and accommodation. You will have different local guides for each excursion. Excursions and game drives are on a shared basis, meaning you will be joined by other travellers.

Today you explore Johannesburg and Soweto on a full day guided tour. Begin with an orientation of Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city. A highlight of the day is the Apartheid Museum. Opened in 2001, it traces the rise and fall of apartheid through powerful film footage, photographs, text panels and artefacts.

Then continue to Soweto, to visit the Mandela House Museum, where Nelson Mandela lived from 1946 until he went underground in 1961. Declared a National Heritage Site, the house offers insight into the Mandela family’s life and legacy. You will also visit the Hector Pieterson Memorial and see Freedom Square nearby, where the Freedom Charter was adopted in 1955.

At approximately 07:00 you will be met at your hotel for an early morning private road transfer to your luxury tented lodge near the Kruger National Park. At around 13:00 you will be collected from the lodge and transferred to the Kruger gate, approximately one hour away, for an open-vehicle afternoon game drive.

Although wildlife often rests during the midday heat, afternoon safaris benefit from up-to-date sightings shared between guides. Your guide will focus on active waterholes, where elephants, buffalo and other animals gather to drink and cool off. As the temperature drops, wildlife becomes more active, increasing your chances of rewarding sightings. Your experienced guide will share insight into the park’s animals, birdlife and vegetation. Return to the lodge, with time to freshen up before dinner.

You will be collected from the lodge at around 05:15. Collect your breakfast packs before departure. Entering the park as the gates open, you spend the day exploring the Southern Kruger in custom-built open safari vehicles designed for comfort and optimal viewing. Search for the Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo - along with giraffe, zebra, hippo and a variety of antelope such as impala and kudu. Birdlife is abundant, including hornbills, eagles and secretary birds. Your qualified guide brings years of experience and a deep knowledge of the park, stopping at picnic sites and rest camps for breakfast and comfort breaks. On return to the lodge at approximately 16:00, there's time to relax before dinner.

Today is at leisure. You may wish to relax at the lodge or choose one of the following optional excursions.

Optional Morning Kruger Game Drive (05:15-13:00)
An early start offers some of the best wildlife viewing. Entering the park at gate opening, you explore prime wildlife areas in the Southern Kruger, stopping at waterholes and lookout points. Breakfast packs are enjoyed at a picnic site before you return to the lodge around midday.
Optional Full Day Panorama Route Tour including lunch (08:30 - 16:30)
This scenic journey explores the dramatic landscapes of Mpumalanga’s escarpment. Visit Blyde River Canyon, the third largest canyon in the world, with sweeping views over the Lowveld, and see the Three Rondavels, named for their resemblance to traditional African huts. At Bourke’s Luck Potholes, centuries of swirling water have carved striking rock formations at the meeting point of the Treur and Blyde rivers. Then continue to God’s Window, approximately 1,000 metres above sea level, where on a clear day views stretch towards the Kruger. Stops will also be made at the Berlin and Lisbon Waterfalls. Enjoy lunch at Graskop Gorge, where you may take the viewing lift 51 metres down into the forest to explore wooden walkways and suspension bridges. Return to the lodge in the late afternoon.

The morning is at leisure at the lodge. You will then be transferred to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport for your direct flight to Cape Town. On arrival at Cape Town International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Please note: The flight from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport to Cape Town International Airport is not included in the cost of the tour. There are daily direct flights, we recommend booking one to depart at midday or early afternoon. Please provide us with your flight details once you have booked this flight.

At around 08:30 you will be collected by your guide for a morning tour of Cape Town, the Mother City. Travel through the city centre, rich in history and culture. Highlights include Table Mountain, where you have the option to take the aerial cableway to the summit (weather permitting). Visit Bo-Kaap, known for its brightly coloured houses and cobbled streets, and stroll through the Company’s Garden, established in the 1650s as a refreshment station for passing ships. At Greenmarket Square, you can browse African arts and crafts. You also enjoy an orientation drive past the Castle of Good Hope, City Hall, the Grand Parade and Adderley Street.

The afternoon is at leisure for you to explore further.

After breakfast depart on a full day tour exploring the spectacular Cape Peninsula. Drive along the Atlantic Seaboard, passing Clifton and Camps Bay, with a photo stop at Maidens Cove overlooking the Twelve Apostles and Lion’s Head. In Hout Bay, you may choose an optional boat trip to Duiker Island to see Cape fur seals. Then travel along Chapman’s Peak Drive, regarded as one of the world’s most scenic coastal roads.

Within the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, you explore Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, often referred to as the south-western tip of Africa. Continue along the False Bay coastline, where whale sightings are possible between June and November, and visit Boulders Beach to see the resident African penguin colony. The tour also includes Simon’s Town, home to South Africa’s naval base, and a picturesque drive past Kalk Bay and Muizenberg, known for its colourful beach huts. Return to Cape Town in the late afternoon.

Spend the day ay leisure in Cape Town or join an optional Cape Winelands Tour.

Optional Full Day Cape Winelands Tour
Departing at around 09:00, travel approximately 45 minutes to the Cape Winelands, surrounded by vineyards, mountains and Cape Dutch architecture. In Stellenbosch, one of South Africa’s oldest towns, you stroll along oak-lined streets and enjoy your first wine tasting. You continue over the Helshoogte Pass to Franschhoek, known as the country’s culinary capital. After a wine tasting, you have time to get lunch at one of the town’s renowned restaurants - for your own account. In Paarl, set beneath striking granite domes, you enjoy a final wine tasting. Return to Cape Town in the late afternoon.

After breakfast, and depending on your flight time, you may have some leisure time before you are met at the hotel and transferred to Cape Town International Airport. This marks the end of an incredible journey through South Africa.