Cape Town

Cape Town is one of those ‘must see’ places, being an outdoor city with hundreds of striking views, especially where Table Mountain is involved. There are beautiful gardens like Kirstenbosch, the white sandy beaches of Camps Bay and spectacular sightseeing down on the Peninsular, not to mention the fine Cape cuisine and local estate wines. Cape Town makes a fine port of call either before or after a safari, and is well worth a visit - even if it’s just for the shopping!

Suggested Accommodation:
The Cape Grace Hotel
The Bay Hotel, Camps Bay
Les Cacades Guest Lodge

THERE ARE MANY OTHER IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS WE COULD GIVE YOU ABOUT CAPE TOWN, SO WHY NOT CHAT WITH MIKE OR CHRIS ON 08700 ‘Safari’

The Winelands

Less than an hour’s drive from Cape Town are the famous Winelands. Set in an area of breathtaking natural beauty, many types of grapes are pressed producing some of the worlds finest wine’s.

In the 17th Century French and Dutch settlers brought their winemaking skills to the fertile valleys around Franschhoek and Stellenbosch and Paarl and today these are still the main wine growing areas.

There are a great many routes across the region, all of which are well sign-posted. Many estates are open to the public for wine-tasting and most estates have excellent restaurants.

Suggested Accommodation:
La Couronne

THERE ARE MANY OTHER IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS WE COULD GIVE YOU ABOUT THE WINELENDS, SO WHY NOT CHAT WITH CHRIS OR MIKE ON 08700 ‘Safari’

Garden Route

The road between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth is commonly known as the ‘Garden Route’ and is a must for the first-time visitor. It is not Kew Gardens for 622km but a journey through ever changing scenery with open farmland, mountains, lakes, towns and fantastic ocean views. If traveling between August and November there is every chance you may see the whale migration.

There are many places to visit en route such as Oudtshoorn with it’s ostrich farms, Cango Caves, and the outstandingly beautiful Tsitsikamma National Park, while good bases to stay at along the coast are Wilderness, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.

Our Personal Comment: " … The true Garden Route is generally a slightly shorter route between Mossel Bay and the Tsitsikamma Forest. I would recommend traveling here during the African spring (September to November) to see it at its’ best. It is at this time when all the spring flowers are on show, and when the whales migrate along the coast in search of warmer waters. Don’t let the name garden route lull you into expecting a string of gardens…it is the lush vegetation that gives the place its name .. certainly worth a visit, but is only merits a few days of anyone’s itinerary"-..Mike

Suggested Acommodation:
Knysna Quays Hotel
The Plettenberg Hotel
Palms Wilderness Hotel

THERE ARE MANY OTHER IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS WE COULD GIVE YOU ABOUT THE GARDEN ROUTE, SO WHY NOT CHAT WITH MIKE OR CHRIS ON 08700 ‘Safari’

Whale Watching

Whales come in-shore to calve along the Southern Cape coast from August to November. The low cliffs and deep water means whales can be seen from as close as 10 m. The three main species seen are Bryde's Whale, the Humpback and the Southern Right which can be as much as 80 tons. A never to be forgotten sight!

Hermanus is built along the shores of Walker Bay near the Southern most tip of Africa. Magnificent mountains watch over the town which is home of the Southern Right Whale. Nature lovers from all over the world visit Hermanus to view these magnificent creatures from the best land based whale watching destination in the world.

Our Personal Comment.. " It really is a fantastic experience to get so close to a whale that you feel that you could reach out and touch it! This is the only part of the world that I know of where you can literally get right next to a whale without having to board a boat of any kind. The last time that I visited Bay in Hermanus during September 2003, I was able to sit on the rocks on the water's edge, and have a whale park itself no more that 20 feet away. Truly an awe inspiring spectacle!" .. -Mike

Suggested Acommodation:
Auberge Burgundy
Grootbos Nature Reserve

THERE ARE MANY OTHER IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS WE COULD GIVE YOU ABOUT DOING SOME WHALE-WATCHING, SO WHY NOT CHAT WITH CHRIS OR MIKE ON 08700 ‘Safari’

Johannesburg

This city was founded on the discovery of gold in the late 1890’s and since then has grown into Africa’s major commercial centre with a vitality all of its own. As it is the international gateway to the country you may have to overnight in the city where we use hotels in the northern suburbs. If you are arriving late in the evening or departing early in the morning then the Inter-Continental at Johannesburg International Airport is the ideal stop-over.

Suggested Acommodation:
Johannesburg International Airport
The Westcliffe Hotel

THERE ARE MANY OTHER IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS WE COULD GIVE YOU ABOUT THE JOHANNESBURG REGION, SO WHY NOT CHAT WITH MIKE OR CHRIS ON 08700 ‘Safari’

Pilanesburg National Park & Sun City Pilanesburg

The Pilanesburg National Park is the closest major wildlife reserve to Johannesburg and Pretoria being just 2 hours drive away. Sun City with all its entertainments borders the park.

Opened in 1979, this malaria-free park covers some 55 000 hectares and is almost perfectly circular as it is set on the eroded remains of an extinct volcanic crater, one of only three extensive craters in the world. It boasts much game and is also very popular for birding with over 300 species recorded.

Suggested Acommodation:
Tshukudu Bush Lodge
Palace of the Lost City Hotel

THERE ARE MANY OTHER IDEAS WE COULD GIVE YOU ABOUT THE PILANESBURG AREA AND SUN CITY, SO WHY NOT CHAT WITH CHRIS OR MIKE ON 08700 ‘Safari’

Mpumalanga, near Kruger National Park

Mpumalanga Outside the western border of Kruger Park exists an area of outstanding beauty: the Panorama Route which can be driven around in a day, is one of the most beautiful and popular travel destinations in South Africa. It leads through the rugged mountain range of the northern Drakensberg in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa Panorama Route passes the north-eastern part of the Great Escarpment, the inland plateau declines abruptly and steeply and opens up fantastic views of the plains of the Lowveld a thousand metres below. This view is most reliable in the dry winter months.

Suggested Acommodation:
Rissington Inn
Cybele Foresrt Lodge & Spa
Tanamera
Hulala Lakeside Lodge

THERE ARE MANY OTHER IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS WE COULD GIVE YOU ABOUT THE AREA OUTSIDE KRUGER PARK, SO WHY NOT CHAT WITH MIKE OR CHRIS ON 08700 ‘Safari’

Rail Journeys Rail Journeys

Breathtaking scenery and the very highest of standards in comfort, service and cuisine evoke the golden age of travel . Throughout southern Africa there is a good rail network with scheduled services operating between all major cities, in fact as far north as Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. See below for a list of possible journeys:

Blue Train: Pretoria/Cape Town / Pretoria, up to 13 times monthly each way, a 27- hour journey Cape Town/Garden Route/Cape Town, various autumn & spring dates, journey time of 46 hours

Rovos Rail: Pretoria/Cape Town/ Pretoria, up to 4 times monthly each way Pretoria/Victoria Falls/Pretoria, up to 4 times monthly each way, calls at a private game reserve en route to Polokwane from where you fly by private aircraft to Livingstone - journey time 50 hours Pretoria/Komatipoort (for game reserves/Durban/Pretoria), fortnightly each way, journey includes game viewing drives in Kruger National Park, Mkhaya game reserve in Swaziland & Hluhluwe Game reserve in Zululand - journey time 55 hrs.

Shongololo Express: Three itineraries operating throughout the year. Shongololo Good Hope: 16 days, (of the 25 sights marked as 'must sees' by the S A National Tourist Office, this tour takes in 23): Cape Town, Winelands,Kimberley, Battlefield region, Zululand, Swaziland, Kruger Park, Panorama Route, Pretoria and Johannesburg. Shongololo Dunes: 16 days, a tour that incorporates extraordinary contrasts from the desert aridity to the vitality of the ocean and the wildlife of Etosha National Park. Shongololo Cross: 16 days, traveling across six countries in 16 days the route delivers stunning experiences from Johannesburg Mozambique, Kruger Park, Venda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana.

THERE ARE MANY OTHER IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS WE COULD GIVE YOU ABOUT AFRICAN RAIL ITINERARIES, SO WHY NOT CHAT WITH CHRIS OR MIKE ON 08700 ‘Safari’

Victoria Falls Victoria Falls

The Africans call it Mosi-Oa-Tunya, 'the smoke that thunders'. Truly an awesome sight this curtain of water 1 ¼ miles wide plunges 300 feet into the gorge of the Zambezi and forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Due to the unstable political and social situation in Zimbabwe, it is probably inadvisable to venture there unless with a proper organized group or if passing through on a rail journey. We currently fly all our travelers to the Zambian side at Livingstone to view this Falls.

Suggested Acommodation:
Royal Livingstone
Tongabezi Lodge

THERE ARE MANY OTHER IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS WE COULD GIVE YOU ABOUT THE VICTORIA FALLS AREA, SO WHY NOT CHAT WITH MIKE OR CHRIS ON 08700 ‘Safari’