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On arrival into Johannesburg International Airport, South Africa, from your international flight, you will be met and assisted onto a scheduled light aircraft flight departing at 1115 to Madikwe. On arrival at 1215 you will be met and taken to Impodimo Lodge where you stay for three nights (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
South Africa is a beautiful destination for a relaxing and picturesque Vacation which is easily combined with a safari.
Impodimo Lodge is a superb five-star safari lodge set in the 80,000-hectare 'malaria free' Madikwe Game Reserve. The lodge is set on an attractive spring line and each of the very spacious, air conditioned chalets has wonderful views for miles across the reserve. Each of the safari chalets has large beds, elegant safari furniture and a full en suite bathroom, as well as an outside shower and at the front there is a spacious area of decking where you can relax and enjoy the views.
The main safari lodge building has a dining room and lounge and Impodimo has a large pool where you can cool off between safari activities, which is great for the children after along safari game drive. Delicious meals can be taken in the dining room or in a traditional semi-circular boma.
The Madikwe Game Reserve is a vast area of rolling grassland and hill country watered by beautiful rivers and supports a particularly wide range of wildlife. Black and white rhinoceros can be seen as well as elephant and graceful looking giraffe while on your safari game drive. There are several types of antelope, zebra, jackal, wildebeest and a range of other plains game. Madikwe is also noted for its predator life and guests regularly see lion, leopard and packs of rare wild dog which sometimes cover twenty kilometres a day in search of their prey who are hunting co-operatively.
Impodimo safari lodge has a highly experienced body of guides and in the morning you can either take a safari game drive by open vehicle moving further afield to explore the reserve, or you can go on a slow paced fascinating guided walking safari with an armed guide, tracking animals on foot and learning a huge amount about the fundamentals of bush craft, pausing occasionally by a spring or waterhole to watch the pattern of life unfold before you as these animals come down to drink and interact.
You will be transferred to the airstrip to board a scheduled light aircraft flight departing at 1230 to Johannesburg. Arrive at 1330 connect with flight SA349 departing at 1535 to Cape Town. On arrival at 1745 you will be met and taken by private road transfer to The Cape Grace where you stay for three nights (bed and breakfast).
The Cape Grace, Cape Town, is quite simply one of the finest luxury hotels in Africa, set in a superb private position on Cape Town's Victoria and Alfred Waterfront with views towards the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the immense flat-topped expanse of Table Mountain to the other. The atmosphere at the hotel combines genuine warmth and friendliness with a very high standard of service and efficiency and while you are here the hotel will be pleased to arrange any excursions in and around Cape Town, either on a private or shared basis. Surrounding the hotel is the Cape Waterfront complex with entertainment, shops and attractive restaurants in an area which is safe to wander around during the day and in the evening.
The Cape Grace is privately owned and not part of a large chain and this is reflected in the comfortable elegance of the furnishings and decor of the rooms, suites and public areas. There are eighty one spacious luxury rooms, ten superior rooms which have balconies with fine views, and eighteen luxury loft rooms which are a located on the top floor, each with terrace and access to their own private lounge facilities. In addition, there are ten suites and two penthouses.
The hotel has a library and lounge, two restaurants and a bar, and on the top floor a fully equipped spa and heated swimming pool. Guests also have complimentary access to a conveniently located health club.
In 1662, Jan van Riebeeck sailed into Table Bay on the north Cape Peninsula and laid the foundations of South Africa's oldest settlement, Cape Town. Three hundred and fifty years of history have been preserved in much of Cape Town's architecture, which combines attractively with the more functional demands of the 21st century.
The Houses of Parliament, National Gallery, Museum and Planetarium are all within ambling distance of elegant shopping malls and colourful markets, which entice shoppers to browse and buy everything from souvenirs to African art, gems and antiques. In the last ten years, the restoration of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront dockland area evokes images of 19th century seafaring activities and provides a superb setting for an array of cafes, restaurants and bars. From here, you can take boat trips round the harbour and out across Table Bay.
Dominating the city's skyline and flanked by Devils Peak is the looming mass of Table Mountain, and visitors should not miss the opportunity to ascend Table Mountain by cable car. The view of the City and the south Atlantic from the summit is quite magnificent.
There is a wide range of excursions and activities in and around Cape Town including visits to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner, visits to Townships where you can enjoy lunch and exposure to Africa's vibrant urban culture. To the south lies the scenic Peninsula with its attractive sandy bays and pretty little towns. There are remote penguin colonies which can be visited by boat and canoe, and from July to November you can set off further afield in search of southern right whales. The more adventurous can even go looking for sharks in special caged diving facilities.
An hour's drive to the east of Cape Town lie the Cape Winelands where you find beautiful undulating scenery covered in ancient vineyards and fruit orchards. There are literally dozens of ancient wineries, many of which are open for tastings and lunch and which have magnificent estate houses. For the golfer there are several beautifully maintained championship golf courses, and the attractive little towns of Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are each worth a visit.
After breakfast depart with your private guide on a Cape Town City tour which takes in the castle, city, signal hall and the harbour. This tour kicks off with a visit to the Cape Town castle. Completed in 1679, the castle is the oldest European building in southern Africa. The guided visit to this building offers visitors an overview of the early history of Cape Town. From the castle you then travel through the city centre to the South African museum and Houses of Parliament, then up signal hill from where the entire harbour, city bowl and sea point areas are visible (weather permitting). Steve will explain the role that the hill played in the city's early history. Continue to the Malay Quarter - the Malay people were first brought to Cape Town as slaves, and today their colourful culture and cuisine are an influential part of city life. You reach Cape Town harbour, one of the busiest in Africa and a key reason for Cape Town's existence. Weather permitting take the gently revolving Table Mountain aerial cableway to the mountains 1086m summit where you can enjoy panoramic views, over 2km of pathways leading to 12 splendid viewing points, fascinating botany and a host of other activities.
For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, about twelve kilometres from Cape Town was a place of exile and imprisonment where rulers sent those they regarded as outcasts and troublemakers.
Since 1997 Robben Island has been a museum acting as a focal point of South African heritage. Daily tours of about four hours long, including the two half-hour ferry rides are offered (weather permitting) from the V and A Waterfront in Cape Town. In 1999 the island was declared a World Heritage Site.
During the apartheid years Robben Island was used to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. Freedom fighters, like Nelson Mandela, spent more than a quarter of a century in prison for their beliefs.
Overcoming opposition from the prison authorities, prisoners on the Island after the 1960s were able to organise sporting events, political debates and educational programmes, and to assert their right to be treated as human beings, with dignity and equality. They were able to help the country establish the foundations of a modern democracy.
Robben Island was used at various times between the 17th and 20th centuries as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups and a military base. Its buildings, particularly those of the late 20th century such as the maximum security prison for political prisoners, witness the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism.
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.
In the afternoon you will have the morning to do another private excursion with your private guide. He will then transfer you to the airport to board a scheduled flight departing at 1300 to Port Elizabeth. On arrival at 1410 you will be met and taken by light aircraft fifteen minutes to the Kwandwe Private Safari Game Reserve where you stay for three nights at Ecca (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve stretches along 42 kilometres of the Great Fish River and each of the luxurious glass and thatch suites overlooks its lush riverbanks. It is a river of great historical significance, as it was a hotly contested border during the Frontier Wars of 1779-1878 between the Settlers (and the Dutch farmers) and the Xhosa nation. The river has created a flourishing habitat for rare and endangered species like the Blue crane. Kwandwe aptly means Place of the Blue Crane in Xhosa and the reserve is home to a stable population of these beautiful birds.
The 15,800 hectare reserve is set on the edge of the former Karoo Basin where several of Africa's vegetation zones converge and biodiversity is therefore extremely rich. The Kwandwe landscape is dominated by valley bushveld on open plains and rolling hills, with succulent euphorbias, aloes and spekboom among the characteristic plants. Many animals, including the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) have been reintroduced to roam the reserve, which is also a haven for endangered animals and birds and numerous programmes to support them have been introduced.
Set in spectacular African wilderness surrounds, Ecca safari Lodge is a unique safari property of revolutionary design - stone-and-mesh gabion walls, sliding glass, timber and gauze doors and corrugated iron roofing. Exquisite guest areas overlook spekboom valleys with a backdrop of the distant cliff-faces of ecca shale. Nestled into a gently sloping, densely vegetated hillside, the Lodge is airy and open.
Each Luxury suite features an elegant en suite bathroom with spacious, plate glass-enclosed shower, bath, private w.c and twin hand-basins, as well as a sitting area. Overlooking rolling spekboom valleys, guest areas comprise a spacious sitting room with fireplace, dining room and bar area and deep veranda with expansive viewing decks. Delicious fresh farm cuisine is prepared in the modern, open-plan kitchen.
Experienced rangers and Xhosa trackers will lead you on interpretive, twice-daily safari game-drives in open 4x4 safari vehicles, bringing you close to Africa's Big Five and other magnificent animals and birds. Fascinating nocturnal animals such as aardvark, aardwolf, porcupine, Cape fox, bat-eared fox and springhare are regularly encountered on exciting night drives. Guided bush walks can also be taken in Kwandwe's pristine wilderness bringing you face-to-face with wild Africa at its best.
Hiking along the river is especially rewarding for those interested in birds, vegetation and folklore, and fishing is available for enthusiasts (Kwandwe supports 'tag and release' procedures). You may also catch sight of some of Kwandwe's incredible birdlife while paddling along the Great Fish River in a sturdy canoe.
Cape Town and Eastern South Africa combine Luxury accommodation with a once of a lifetime safari experience. South Africa is a fantastic area to take your family as many of the parks are Malaria-free and the wildlife is in abundance, giving your children many African memories that will stay with them for the rest of their lives
In the afternoon you will be transferred by light aircraft charter to Port Elizabeth for a scheduled flight departing at 1635 to Johannesburg. Arrive at 1820 and connect with your onward flight departing at 2100.