A world-class golfing expedition that couples green grandeur with some of the country's top accommodations and destinations.
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What influences prices?Upon arrival at Cape Town International Airport, guests are met for a day to explore two of the top attractions in the city: Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. We might quickly stop at the hotel to drop off your luggage before a short drive to the Cable Way Base Station for a trip to the summit of the mountain. Here, we admire the city, peninsula, Robben Island, and Signal Hill from one of the many viewpoints atop the mountain. Guests can enjoy lunch here before returning to the base station.
In the afternoon, we visit Kirstenbosch, one of the world's finest botanical gardens, which spans over 528 hectares on the mountain's eastern slopes. Here, we see several exhibitions and displays, walking along the impressive 'Boomslang' walkway elevated among the treetops with grand views of the surroundings. In the later afternoon, guests are accompanied to the hotel and assisted with check-in.
Today, a round of golf is enjoyed on Arabella Golf Course, which is close to the seaside town of Hermanus. Course designer Peter Matkovich embraced the lagoon by having the finishing holes on each nine run alongside its wide and gentle waters, making for spectacular golf terrain. The course features generous playing corridors with white bunker sand framing the greens. Nevertheless, it's a challenging test for the good player, even more so when the wind blows during the summer.
The course has troubled the professionals in recent years. The tougher holes come on early, at the inland 3rd, 4th, and 6th, all exacting par fours in terms of length and difficulty. The 9th and 16th are shortish par fours where you can risk all with your driver or play cautiously. The round ends with a par three, the 17th, edging the lagoon, and a long curving par following the shoreline, where a bunker is the only barrier preventing your golf ball from disappearing into the wetland.
Before returning to Cape Town, your tour stops at the charming seaside town of Hermanus for a late lunch. We then take a brief stroll on the cliff path along Walker Bay, visiting various vantage points from which whales may be spotted. After a memorable day, the tour makes its way back to Cape Town.
Before European arrival, the Khoikhoi people were the dominant tribe in the area. They farmed the Cape Peninsula and its surroundings extensively, later trading with the first Europeans as they attempted to circumnavigate the southern tip of Africa. Portuguese seafarers were the first to contact these indigenous Southern African peoples, but the Dutch were the first to establish a permanent settlement here. Our full-day itinerary includes scenic cliff-side mountain passes, idyllic seaside settlements, and fynbos ecosystems as we trace the Peninsula en route to the Cape's popular attractions. Our morning departure will see us traveling on a circular route.
The little African penguins at Boulders Beach are world-famous and featured on Animal Planet in a regular documentary. They go about their daily affairs, blissfully unruffled by the many human eyes observing their every move. Similarly, the Chacma Baboons will watch you closely as you visit the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and travel to the lighthouse, where panoramic ocean views may be enjoyed. Chapman's Peak Drive traces the steep west coast mountainside as it snakes along the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Watch out for the bronze leopard as it keeps an ever-watchful eye over Hout Bay. It memorializes the many animals that once inhabited the mountains dominating the Cape Peninsula. An exhilarating day of sightseeing sees us return to the city in the late afternoon.
After breakfast, the road leads to Somerset West for a round at Erinvale. Nestled at the foot of the Helderberg Mountains, the prestigious Erinvale Golf course has hosted the World Cup of Golf and the South African Open in years past. Unlike many other golf courses in the Cape Town area, this Gary Player-designed parkland course is blissfully South-Easter wind-free. Erinvale is beautifully displayed beneath the Hottentots Holland Mountains and provides a challenging round with numerous water hazards and strategically placed bunkers.
Following a satisfying round at Erinvale and some time for lunch, the tour makes its way to Vergelegen, one of the grandest wine estates in the country. Vergelegen has been producing quality wines for over three hundred years. While there, you'll enjoy an introduction to winemaking and the opportunity to sample some of South Africa's finest wines. After that, your tour returns to the overnight accommodation.
The morning is devoted to playing at the beautiful coastal Atlantic Beach Golf Course, which has a picture-perfect view of Table Mountain. The links course is plagued by regular wind, but golfers who prove up for the challenge will find it most rewarding.
Following your round at Atlantic Beach and some time for lunch, we visit The Franschhoek Motor Museum en route to the overnight accommodation. The museum has over 220 vehicles, including an 1898 Beeston motor tricycle and a sought-after 2003 Ferrari Enzo. Several recognizable brands such as Aston Martin, Maserati, Ferrari, and Porsche are exhibited, as well as several lesser-known collectibles like the Humberette (1914), Moretti 750, Bugatti Type 23, and the French-produced Le Zebre - inappropriately named after the African equid to which it bears no resemblance!
The day is dedicated to exploring Stellenbosch and the wine route surrounding it. Stellenbosch is the oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town. Oak-lined streets along water furrows complement the many fine examples of elegant Cape Dutch, Victorian, and Georgian architecture on display.
Some time is devoted to exploring the town before venturing into the surrounding Winelands. The Stellenbosch Wine Route is the oldest, largest, and most visited of the southwest Cape's wine routes. Many of the estates are very old. Their gabled, whitewashed Cape Dutch homesteads, rolling vineyards, and shade-dappled grounds are beautiful beyond measure. You will visit two of these fine estates where the art of winemaking in South Africa is experienced first-hand. A large variety of wines can be sampled, ensuring you can find a wine that will appeal to your palette.
A morning surrounded by spectacular Cape Winelands mountain scenery is followed by a transfer to Cape Town airport, where you'll board a flight to Johannesburg. On arrival, you'll be met by your guide. From Johannesburg, we'll travel to South Africa's capital, Pretoria. In springtime, the city's streets explode into a proliferation of purple as the Jacaranda trees burst into blossom. This phenomenon has earned Pretoria the affectionate nickname of 'Jacaranda City.' We stop at the Union Buildings, home to the presidential offices and government headquarters. Designed by celebrated British architect Sir Herbert Baker, the Buildings enjoy arresting views of the capital. Later, we make our way to Castello Di Monte
The property is built in a Tuscan style; this luxury accommodation is located on a hilltop in the affluent suburb of Waterkloof Ridge and enjoys superb views of the city of Pretoria, including the Union Buildings on the opposite side of the valley and the granite Voortrekker Monument to the west. Creature comforts at Castello include fully stocked minibars, satellite television, underfloor heating, air-conditioning, on-demand tea and coffee, and local newspapers. The upper roof deck is the perfect location to unwind and enjoy an African sunset with your beverage of choice. Included in your stay as African Sky guests is a full-course dinner.
In the morning, a short drive brings guests to the Silver Lakes Golf Course on the outskirts of Pretoria's eastern suburbs. The course is surrounded by a beautiful splash of lakes, for which the estate is named. The par three 9th is a gem on a spectacular green island.
Upon completion of the round and some time allocated to lunch, a visit is made to Cullinan, where the world's largest diamond was discovered in 1905. This fabulous diamond weighed an incredible 3 106 carats in the rough. The Asscher Brothers in Amsterdam transformed it into magnificent stones that grace the British Crown Jewels today. A mine tour gives visitors insight into how these precious stones are formed under great pressure and heat. The visit to Cullinan Diamond Mine is followed by a transfer back to your overnight accommodation.
After breakfast, your tour travels west toward the Sun City Resort, home to two of South Africa's finest courses, designed by golf legend Gary Player. En route to Sun City, you will enjoy a visit to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. This conservation area is located in a unique transitional zone where the Kalahari and Lowveld biomes meet, creating what is known as 'bushveld.'
The park, which is 55,000 hectares in extent, stretches over the crater of a long-extinct volcano, now covered in camel thorn, camphor bush, marula trees, and mountain aloes. Your African Sky guide conducts a game drive in this malaria-free wilderness, where sightings of rare antelope, such as roan or tsessebe, or the 'Big Five,' and the rare black and white Rhino, are possible. Thereafter, a short drive leads to Sun City.
A morning round on the Gary Player Golf Course may highlight your golf tour in South Africa. This prestigious course has been home to the yearly Nedbank Sun City Golf Challenge since 1981. The course runs over 7000 meters from the championship tees and enjoys magnificent views of the Pilanesberg Mountains.
The afternoon is leisurely, with various entertainment options to keep guests busy. Hike through the resort's leagues of artificial forests, enjoy the waterpark spoils of the Valley of the Waves, or head to the casino and try your hand at a game of poker.
Your morning round is at the Lost City Golf Course. It may not be as well-known as the Gary Player Golf Course, but it certainly provides its own intrigues—a water hazard that hosts a few dozen crocodiles, for one! The desert-style course offers striking views of the Palace of the Lost City and the surrounding mountains. The par three 13th hole requires a Tee shot across a lake and waterfall, a test of skill enjoyed by most. Animals are occasionally sighted wandering across the fairways and greens.
Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, you can explore the resort at your leisure. You may opt to relax at the valley of the waves, partake in watersports, or simply enjoy cocktails at one of the fine establishments set in the tropical gardens.
During the morning, guests are transferred to O.R. Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg for a flight to Mbombela (Nelspruit). On arrival, you'll be met and transferred to Lukimbi Safari Lodge. This luxurious safari lodge is located along the banks of the non-perennial Lwakahle stream, a tributary of the nearby Crocodile River. The lodge occupies a very exclusive 37,000-acre (14,973 hectares) private concession in the game-rich southern region of this world-famous national park.
The nearby Crocodile River is a permanent water source, ensuring a constant wildlife presence in the region. The region supports an abundance of 'Big 5' animals and numerous plains game species such as impala, giraffe, waterbuck, zebra, and warthog, to mention a few. After a short rest in your luxury suite, you'll depart on your first game drive in an open 4x4 vehicle into this wilderness area under the guidance of Lukimbi's expert tracker and ranger.
It's off to an early start as guests are transferred from Lukimbi via the Malelane Gate of the Kruger National Park for a round of golf on the illustrious Leopard Creek Golf Course. The sluggishly-flowing Crocodile River separates the lush Leopard Creek course and the estate that surrounds it from the vast wilderness of the Kruger National Park. The estate occupies a remarkable site offering a stunning contrast between these two worlds, and Leopard Creek is South Africa's most exclusive course. It is the dream golfing locale of wealthy businessman Johann Rupert.
Utilizing the expertise of both Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, the course was specifically designed to blend in with its surroundings. Here, the term 'water hazard' takes on a new meaning as many of the water features are inhabited by hippos, and the adjacent Crocodile River is precisely what its name implies. Sightings of antelope, buffalo, and elephants are commonplace, sometimes even on the course. The resident giraffe often enjoys an amble past the clubhouse. This course makes a stern test of golf for both amateurs and professionals alike. Leopard Creek offers the finest golfing experience in Africa, making it a notable addition to the world's most celebrated courses. During the afternoon, you are transferred back to Lukimbi.
The day is devoted to two open 4X4 game drives in the company of an experienced ranger and tracker. This region is a paradise for wildlife enthusiasts, with close to 150 different mammal species ranging in size from tiny antelope species like steenbok and duiker to the colossal African elephant. The game drives are conducted in the early morning and late afternoon and will immerse you in the wilderness. You will learn about the behavior, life cycles, and role in the food chain of the various species.
After the morning game drive, you can partake in a bush walk in the company of an armed ranger or relax in camp with a good book, the sounds of the wild a constant present, and the occasional animal wandering. The trees in the camp harbor an abundance of birds.
Following a final game drive in the world-renowned wilderness of Kruger, guests enjoy a scrumptious breakfast before being transferred to the airport for a flight to O.R. Tambo International Airport where an unforgettable golf tour comes to an end.