15 DAY WORLD IN ONE SOUTH AFRICA-ESWATINI

A wind-ranging discovery of South Africa’s impeccable blend of terrains, towns and spectacular wildernesses

Day 1: Mpumalanga Highlands

Visitors will be met on arrival at O R Tambo International Airport by a tourAfrika guide, or any other location convenient to them in either Johannesburg or Pretoria, for the start of the Captivating Mpumalanga tour. From here the tour traverses east crossing the coal-rich Highveld and the sublime slopes of Mpumalanga to the settlement of Dullstroom. The region encompassing Dullstroom entails of unsheltered plains, which is governed by the 2 332m high “Intaba” (the mountain). It is the topmost feature flanked by the Limpopo and the Vaal Rivers. We make a call to the Dullstroom Bird Of Prey & Rehabilitation Center, which was founded in 1997 in order to promote awareness of indigenous raptors and their increasing dilemma as endangered species. A huge amount of diverse raptor species and their part in the ecology is underscored. Then we head off to the overnight destination of Mount Sheba. The woodlands encircling Mount Sheba is home to a horde of small creatures and birds. It has several gently worn wonderful forest paths, which expose the silent grace of the flora and fauna.

Overnight:  Mount Sheba
Meals:  Dinner

Day 2: Mpumalanga Highlands

The centre of the day tour is Mpumalanga Panorama Route. Stopovers are made to the Blyde River Gorge, prominently featuring the triplet peaks of the Three Rondavels and Bourke’s Luck, where the distinctive geographical marks of the potholes can be seen. The tour proceeds to God’s Window. It is a fissure in the edge of the cliff from where glorious views of the Lowveld can be adored. God’s Window is located in a territory of indigenous jungle where many blossoming flowers and scented plants flourish. A stopover is also undertaken to the historic mining village of Pilgrims Rest. It is an illustrious case in point of a mining town which was created by the gold rush and prospered in the 1870’s. Gold was detected here in 1873 and the town was confirmed a national monument in 1986. Visitors will enjoy a gold digging and panning demonstration before traveling to the overnight destination.

Overnight:  Mount Sheba
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 3: Kruger National Park

Marvellous panorama thrives as the Mpumalanga expedition heads its path to the Shangana Cultural Village . Visitors are led through the Marula Market by an proficient guide, who gives details how the Shangaan customarily gather food from their environment and the manner in which traditional farming is performed. The itinerary takes you to a traditional Shangaan Village, which is the home of the headman, his wives and children. In the village, some time is dedicated to acquiring and understanding into the history and culture of the Shangaan.

Kruger National Park is a brief drive from the cultural village. The park is christened after Paul Kruger, the then sitting president of the old Transvaal Republic, who proclaimed the Sabie Reserve in 1897. This reserve was the beginning of the Kruger National Park as it is referred today. Roughly two million hectares in area, the park is globally recognized as one of the world’s notable conservation areas. The late afternoon is dedicated to a first game drive to seek out of Africa’s legendary Big Five, in an region where many other animals and bird species embellish the plains.

Overnight:  Kruger Gate Lodge
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 4: Kruger National Park

A morning safari is performed by your experienced guide. He will check the sightings of the preceding day that have been recorded by a number of groups, as this will augment your chance of viewing a pride of lion on a fresh kill, sighting the commanding white rhino or the hard to pin down African wild dog in an area where it was recently spotted.

During the late afternoon, guests commence on a night safari with a Kruger Park ranger. The night safari gives an opportunity view of creatures like spotted genet, serval and aardvark, which are hardly seen during the day. The large predators are nocturnal hunters and are in commonly livelier during this period of the day.

Overnight:  Kruger Gate Lodge
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 5: Kruger National Park

This territory is a wonderland for the wildlife fanatic, with nearly to 150 discrete animal species, stretching from Brant’s climbing mouse weighing a few grams, to the gigantic African elephant which may weigh up to 7000 tonnes. The known bird species in the region amount to more than 500 and the region is lauded with richness of vegetation. Early morning and late afternoon game drives in the companionship of your experienced ranger offer the prospect to appreciate the natural riches of this part of the world. The impeccable knowledge of the ranger is certain to augment to your experience and knowledge of the traditions and activities of the different animals.

Overnight:  Kruger Gate Lodge
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 6: Eswatini

The final morning game drive in Kruger is followed by a late breakfast. The tour heads its way south, passing through Nelspruit/Mbobela, the capital of the Mpumalanga province, en route to the South African border with Eswatini at Oshoek. The small mountain Kingdom of Eswatini is one of the tiniest self-contained sovereign states in the world. The Swazi are a pleasant and colourful people who are famous for their artistry. Before reaching the overnight destination set in the Ezulwini “Heaven Valley”, we stopover at a local craft market and a Swazi candle maker.

Overnight:  Reilly’s Rock
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 7: KwaZulu

It’s off to an early morning start as the expedition heads south. The Kingdom of Eswatini gives way to the rolling hills of KwaZulu and we move into the heart of the region which is home to the magnificent Zulu nation. KwaZulu was once led by the great King Shaka – one of Africa’s supreme kings, one of Africa’s supreme kings who aroused distress and respect in the hearts of his foes and subjects. Shakaland is constructed on a location where the original Zulu clan inhabited in the 18th century. The village was also utilized in the blockbuster Shaka Zulu film. The cultural experience underscores the traditional accommodation, food preparation and social structures which are culturally abided to by the Zulu. It is also a depicts for the traditional dress, weapons and dance of South Africa’s warrior nation.

Overnight:  Shakaland
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 8: Garden Route

Visitors are shuttle transferred to Durban International Airport for a flight to George. From George Airport, and shuttle transferred to their overnight destination of Knysna on arrival where the evening is spent relaxation.

Overnight:  Villla Castollini
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 9: Garden Route

The Outeniqua Mountains shape the barricade which splits the semi-arid inland from the lavish seaside savannahs of the Garden Route. The expedition crosses over this barricade via the Outeniqua Pass to Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the globe. The town is located in the great valley which is called the Little Karoo, with the Langeberge and Outeniqua ranges establishing its boundary to the east and the Swartberg creating its western boundary. Your initial stop is the Cango Caves, which are located at the foothills of the Swartberg Mountains. This vast cave system is amongst the world’s biggest and is blessed with elaborate drip stone structures, the tallest with height of 12.6m tall. The caves spread out up to about 1600m into the limestone-rich hills and are an indeed extraordinary sight. After a lunch, visitors will be taken on a brief drive to an ostrich farm, where you focus on the farming of the greatest of the world’s birds. Today, the meat, with its enjoyable low fat content, is sought-after in a world over which is more preoccupied with healthy living, and the leather is a treasured raw material in the manufacture of fashion ornaments. The brave can even attempt an ostrich ride after which we head off to the overnight destination.

Overnight:  Villa Castollini
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 10: Garden Route

After breakfast, the tour crosses over the Knysna Lagoon head to the Featherbed Nature Reserve. The reserve is a distinctive 150 ha private reserve which incorporates the complete Western Head of Knysna with fabulous sights beyond the lagoon and the ocean including the precarious passage amongst the two, which claimed many ships during Knysna’s days as an exporter of timber. The reserve is one of South Africa’s heritage sites and houses two of the Garden Route’s natural icons, namely the Knysna Loerie and the blue duiker, one of Africa’s smallest antelope species.

The afternoon draws the tour to Plettenberg Bay, where the best beaches in the Garden Route offer the unspoiled exquisite experience. Relax in the sun or take on the waves of the Indian Ocean. The tour heads back to the overnight destination after a charming soothing afternoon.

Overnight:  Villa Castollini
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 11: Overberg

After breakfast, the tour travels to the coastal city of Mossel Bay. It is here that the Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Diaz set foot on shore in 1488 and you will dedicate some time to visiting the museum which bears his name. The museum stands not far from the Milkwood Tree and fountain which served respectively as a post office and watering hole to seafarers in centuries past. Then it’s on to the town of Swellendam, set in a well-watered valley at the foot of the Langeberge. Unique architecture and a visit to the Drostdy Museum, which housed the magistracy of the area and is today a fine period museum, are followed by a trip through wheat fields to Arniston. The village takes its name from a tragic shipwreck which occurred in these treacherous waters in 1815. The village is situated a stone’s throw from the southern tip of Africa. The coastline surrounding it is noted for its bizarre marine erosions of which the most famous is Waenhuiskrans, an enormous cavern eroded from the cliffs.

Overnight:  Arniston Hotel
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 12: Cape Town

After breakfast, the excursion heads off to Hermanus, South Africa’s renowned whale viewing centre. Here the southern right whale is likely to be spotted in Walker Bay on the shorelines to which the town of Hermanus is located. These whales are a constant feature of the waters of South Africa’s coastline throughout the months between June and November. They journey around 2000km from the Southern Ocean to give birth in the shielded bays of our coastline. From Hermanus, the tour traces the outstanding coastal route via the towns of Betty’s Bay and Rooi Els. Many stops are made at vantage points from where the whales may be viewed. Crossing over Gordon’s Bay, the tour then heads off to Cape Town, the South African Mother City, set underneath the attentive facade of Table Mountain.

Overnight:  Cape Cadogan
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 13: Cape Town

Your Cape Town morning tour is dedicated to a cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain. The central attribute of the mountain is a level plateau of 3km, adjoined to the east by Devil’s Peak and to the west by Lion’s Head. Table mountain is a great flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town. The cable car ride, which takes about 5 minutes, presents extraordinary viewpoints of Cape Town. On making it to the summit, you may dedicate some time to pay a visit the various vantage points, from which amazing views of the Cape Peninsula may be enjoyed.

The expedition heads for the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens from Table Mountain. The gardens overlay is of an area of 528 hectares, of which is of 36 hectares of cultivated garden. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden lives up to its reputation as the most beautiful garden in Africa and one of the great botanic gardens of the world. Few gar.dens can match the sheer grandeur of the setting of Kirstenbosch, against the eastern slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain. Visitors return to the hotel after Kirstenbosch tour.

Overnight:  Cape Cadogan
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 14: Cape Town

The tour makes its way to Paarl on the N1. The N1 national road stretches from Cape Town to the Beit Bridge border post, on the Limpopo River between South Africa and Zimbabwe.  The highway forms the first section of the famous “Cape to Cairo” road. A stopover is through to one of the remarkable wineries in this dazzling valley. At this point the wine production process is detailed and visitors may also test some of the wines manufactured here. The wine tour consists an account of the aging process in the course manufacture of these wines.

The tour then proceeds to the town of Franschhoek, the town was founded by the first French settlers in South Africa. The town is located in the midst of mountains and encircled by wineries where some of South Africa’s best wines are manufactured. We pay a short visit to one of the wineries in the Franschhoek Valley, before heading on to Stellenbosch via the magnificent Helshoogte Pass. Stellenbosch, is the second oldest town in South Africa and is considered the heart of the South African wine industry. A stopover to one of the celebrated wineries in the Stellenbosch region and a return journey back to Cape Town on completion.

Overnight:  Cape Cadogan
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 15: Departure

Your trip to Robben Island kick-off with an enlightening video screening at the V&A Waterfront, after which you will board a ferry. The ferry ride is around half an hour long, with striking views of the mountain and city inspiring the voyage. A bleak visit to the cell where Nelson Mandela spent the bulk of his 27 years in prison will prove to be the best part of the tour. The duration of the Robben Island excursion, including the return ferry trip, is about four hours, which would bring guests back to the V&A waterfront around lunch time. Visitors are then shuttle transferred to Cape Town International Airport for a flight back to their country of origin after enjoying the 15 Day World in One South Africa tour, one of our most inclusive South Africa tours.

Overnight:  None
Meals:  Breakfast