Suggested Holiday Itinerary
Summary Of The Route and Costs
This itinerary takes in many of our favourite properties. Staying at great value properties along the way and ending with an authentic tented safari experience, this is a great holiday for visitors to South Africa who want to get the best out of their budget.
Starting with 3 nights in an apartment in the heart of the buzzy and vibrant V&A Waterfront area, you have a few days in Cape Town with a hire car to explore the city and the surrounding area. Why not take a day trip down to the Cape Peninsula, stopping en-route there or back at Boulders Beach which is home to one of only 2 mainland nesting colonies of African penguins in South Africa.
On leaving the city you will then stay in the beautiful village of Franschhoek to enjoy some of the fine wines produced in the surrounding vinyards. Your friendly guest house here is a 5 minute walk from the main High Street with its quaint mixture of restaurants, art galleries and artisan shops.
Next stop is the town of Oudtshoorn, famous for its ostrich farms and meerkat experiences. A warm welcome awaits you at De Zeekoe where you also have the unique opportunity to sit and watch wild meerkats at sunrise!
Then it's off to the Garden Route coastline. There are a huge number of things to do in and around the town of Plettenberg Bay in the heart of the Garden Route including elephant sanctuaries, Monkeyland and Birds of Eden, whale and dolphin watching in season, golf and much more. Periwinkle Guest Lodge is directly across the road from the Robberg Blue Flag Beach, so you can also enjoy some 'down time' on the beach during your stay here.
The holiday finishes on a real highlight with a 2 night safari in the Amakhala Game Reserve where you can go in search of Africa's Big 5. Quatermains Camp is a classic 1920s style expedition camp modelled on the heyday of exploration, that golden era when adventure lay around every corner. This intimate camp offers you the opportunity to experience 'Africa under canvas', in a safari tent fitted out with military campaign style furnishings - the choice of pioneers, hunters and explorers of that time.
Summary Of The Itinerary
Holiday Title: Classic Escape to the Cape
Countries Visited: South Africa
Arrive into Cape Town Airport. Go through Immigration, collect your luggage and clear Customs, then make your way into the Arrivals Hall where your driver will be waiting for you, holding a sign board with your name on it. You will then be transferred to the V&A Waterfront area.
Cape Town is consistently voted amongst the top cities in the world to visit so it is no surprise that this wonderful city is one of the highlights of a holiday to South Africa. Waterfront Village, situated on the water's edge in the picturesque V&A Waterfront Marina next to the Cape Grace Hotel and One&Only, offers guests luxury serviced apartments. Guests can enjoy access to the swimming pools and gym and an abundance of shops and restaurants are within walking distance.
Cape Town
Your hire car will be delivered this morning giving you total flexibility to explore this lovely area at your own pace.
11 Day Car Rental: Any Car
Allow about an hour to drive to Franschhoek, a small village nestled at the bottom of a valley in the heart of the Cape Winelands and surrounded by rolling green hills, strawberry farms and endless rows of grapevines. One suggestion during your stay here is to take a hop-on/hop-off tour on the Franschhoek Wine Tram - a totally unique and leisurely way to see the Franschhoek Valley as you trundle in an open-side tram bus through vineyards and stunning scenery, stopping at wine estates along the way.
The Cape Winelands
Allow about 4 hours to drive the Route 62 to Oudtshoorn, which offers the scenic alternative to the N2 highway. The ever changing colours of the majestic mountains, scenic passes, rivers, vineyards and orchards will give you an unforgettable drive. Oudshoorn itself is famous for its meerkat adventures and its Ostrich Show Farms, as well as the impressive Cango Caves, which are only 30 km from Oudshoorn. The caves are illuminated to show some of the biggest stalagmite formations in the world.
The Klein Karoo
Your meerkat tour commences at sunrise and is wholly dependent on fair weather, since these little creatures will not venture outside their burrows on cold and rainy days. The meerkat tours last between 2-3 hours and booking is essential. Upon arrival at the meerkat burrows, guests are treated to a hot cup of coffee, after which they are issued with a lightweight aluminium chair to sit in while observing the meerkats as they come out of the burrow into the sunshine and then go about their daily routine of foraging and frolicking. These habituated wild animals are never fed or handled by humans. These tours are a fantastic experience and a unique privilege to get this close to these little creatures in the wild.
Drive to Plettenberg Bay (the journey is about 155 km so allow about 2 hours). Plettenberg Bay is home to some of the best beaches along the Garden Route. It is a trendy, upmarket beach town set in a curving bay with a backdrop of rugged mountains. The endless white sandy beaches are ideal for swimming or for just relaxing and enjoying the sunshine.
The Garden Route
Drive to Amakhala Game Reserve (a drive of approximately 280 km so allow 3 hours). Become part of Africa as you experience a Big 5 safari adventure here on daily morning and evening game drives. Wildlife likely to be encountered during the game drives in the reserve are lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard as well as cheetah, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and plenty of antelope species. Quatermains Camp offers secluded accommodation coupled with an authentic African wildlife safari experience.
Amakhala Game Reserve
Example Cost
Holiday Title: Classic Escape to the Cape
Holiday Destination: Holiday to South Africa for 12 nights
Passengers: 2 Adults
Example Cost for 2 Adults: * per person sharing.
*Excludes international flights from your home country - please ask us if you would like us to include these for you.
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