10 DAY CAPE TOWN TO ADDO

Trek between South Africa’s utmost diverse city and distinctive semi-shore wild of Addo Elephant National Park

Day 1 : Cape Town

Visitors will be met and welcomed upon arrival at Cape Town International Airport for the initial excursion from Cape Town to Addo tour. After which we run with sightseeing one of the world’s most attractive cities. Table Mountain, is possibly the most remarkable natural landmark in Africa is first attraction to be viewed. From Table Mountain, you take pleasure of experiencing one of the most striking viewpoints in the world. We furthermore visit the world-famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The garden is houses to 4 000 of the 18 000 species of flora which are in South Africa and forms a most amazing spectacle. Stunning views of the whole of Cape Flats will be experienced whilst you are at the memorial of Cecil John Rhodes, and this is where we end a memorable day.

Overnight:  Portswood
Meals:  Dinner

Day 2: Cape Town

The stunning Chapman’s Peak Drive, trod into the 650m high Chapman’s Peak takes the excursion over the town of Noordhoek to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. A botanical and scenic enjoyment, the reserve houses many antelope species and this coupled with boundless diversity of birds and flowering plants. The absorbing experience is guaranteed to be the stroll to the edge of Cape Point, the utmost southwestern tip of Africa’s continent. This Cape, has had pivotal role in the stories and myths of the ocean, was and continues to be a significant landmark.

The excursion heads off to False Bay on the way back to Cape Town and includes a visit to Boulders Beach, an appealing sheltered haven which consists of a tumble of huge round rocks on a sandy shore. The boulders are perfect vantage viewpoints for watching the colony of mainland-based African penguins from.

Overnight:  Portswood
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 3: Cape Town

Located in one of the most picturesque valleys of the Cape, the town of Franschhoek owes its existence to the first French settlers who worked the Drakenstein Valley. Some time is devoted to exploring the town and its memorial to the French Huguenots, set in a lovely garden, before visiting three of the fine wine estates in the valley, which are renowned internationally for the exceptional quality of wines. All the noble cultivars and classic styles are on display, from superb whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon and Chenin Blanc to the rich reds of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Merlot. In the late afternoon, the tour heads off back to Mother City.

Overnight:  Portswood
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 4: Overberg

The excursion transverses the coast from Gordon’s Bay, criss-crossing the towns of Rooi Els and Betty’s Bay on the way to Hermanus. Numerous stopovers are made at vantage points from where the southern right whale may possibly be seen as we march on to Hermanus. Whales are regular visitors on these waters of South Africa’s coastline in the months between June and November. They journey about 2 000km from the Southern Ocean to give birth over here. Seeing these elegant mammals ceremoniously plopping about is an exhilarating experience. We lunch in beach town Hermanus with its splendid views of Walker Bay, said to be the finest place on the entire coast from which to sight whales. After having spent some time in Hermanus, the expedition carries on via Bredasdorp to the old-fashioned fishing village of Arniston. The village name is derived from a tragic shipwreck which befell in these deceitful waters in 1815. The village is situated not far from the southernmost tip of Africa and the coastline encircling it. It is notable for its peculiar marine erosions, of which the most prominent is Waenhuiskrans. We visit the lighthouse and museum at Cape Agulhas the southernmost tip of the continent after which we travel to our overnight destination.

Overnight:  Arniston Hotel
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 5: Garden Route

We journey to the coastal city of Mossel Bay after breakfast. Batholomew Diaz was a Portuguese navigator whose discovery in 1488 of the Cape of Good Hope showed Europeans there was a feasible route to India around the storm-driven southern tip of Africa. We visit the museum which bears his name. The museum is located near the Milkwood Tree and fountain which served respectively as a post office and watering hole to seafarers in centuries past. The tour moves on to Knysna where the late afternoon is spent at leisure.

Overnight:  Knysna Quays
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 6: Garden Route

The Outeniqua Mountains create the barricade which splits the semi-arid interior from the lavish shoreline plains of the Garden Route. The excursion cuts across this barrier via the Outeniqua Pass to Oudtshoorn, the world’s ostrich capital. The town is positioned in the grand valley known as the Little Karoo, with the Outeniqua and Langeberge ranges establishing its boundary to the east and the Swartberg Mountains forming its western boundary. Your initial stop is the Cango Caves, which are situated at the bases of the Swartberg Mountains. The vast cave system is among the world’s biggest and is lauded with extravagant drip stone formations, the tallest of which stands 12.6m tall. The caves stretch to about 1600m into the limestone-rich hills and are beyond doubt a remarkable sight. After we take a brief drive to an ostrich farm where the spotlight is on the farming of the world’s largest birds. Abundant fortunes where built the peak of the industry when the feathers where esteemed fashion ornaments. In today’s world, where healthy living is the norm the ostrich low-fat meat is huge demand, and the leather is a treasured raw material in the manufacture of fashion ornaments. The brave can even may attempt an ostrich ride after which we head-off to the overnight destination.

Overnight:  Knysna Quays
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 7: Port Elizabeth

The scenic magnificence of the Garden Route is palpable once more as the tour heads off north to Natures Valley. We descend the Grootrivier Pass into the valley below, where the antiquated coastal resort of Natures Valley rests cuddled on an grainy plain next to the Grootrivier Lagoon. This river also a landmark of the western boundary of the Tsitsikamma Nature Reserve. The road then bridges the Bloukrans River as it climbs 183m in three kilometers with some of the utmost spectacular backdrop in the Garden Route guiding the way. After a brief a short drive we land on Storms River mouth set in the Tsitsikamma National Park. The key fascinations here cover a waterfall and impressive views of the sea shore, coupled with the abundance of birdlife of the region. After a visit to Storms River mouth, the trek ends at the overnight destination in Port Elizabeth.

Overnight:  Marine Hotel
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 8: Addo Elephant Park

We drive for hour and a half’s drive inland from Port Elizabeth and we alight at Addo National Park for a tour of extraordinary assembly of tough drought-resistant plants, shrubs and stunted trees amalgamate to yield the famous ‘Addo bush’. The earliest elephant section of the park was declared in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area. Currently, this exceptionally regulated ecosystem is a sanctuary to over 280 Cape buffalo, 350 elephants, a range of antelope species, black rhino, and the distinctive nonflying dung beetle. A great portion of the park are set in the bases of the Zuurberg Mountains. It houses no less than five of South Africa’s seven vegetation zones, which sustain a host of numerous species of which the Big Five are the most prominent. The afternoon you will embark on our first game drive in the company of your skilled guide.

Overnight:  Addo Main Camp
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 9: Addo Elephant Park

Your early morning and late afternoon is spent on game drives in this region of an impeccable ecosystem. You may sight the elegant elephant or the rare black rhino – comparatively smaller than the white, but with a notoriety for being temperamental, sometimes on the face of no provocation. The big cats and many diverse grassland game species that once again roam freely in their inherited foraging grounds offers a thrilling sight of Africa. In the main of this interpretive game viewing, with the aid of your guide is the enhancement guests’ understanding of the wildlife on habits and behaviour of the different species.

Overnight:  Addo Main Camp
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 10: Departure

A morning bush walk conducted in the company of a resident ranger affords another an opportunity on different perspective to the wilderness experience. This is truly exhilarating experience on being on foot near elephants. Visitors are transferred to Port Elizabeth Airport after the bush walk for a flight to Cape Town, and this completes your Cape Town to Addo tour.

Overnight:  None
Meals:  Breakfast