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A choice blend of family thrills, exhilarating entertainment and safari splendor in South Africa.
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Guests are met and welcomed on arrival in Johannesburg. After a few formalities are completed your tour departs the city, heading in a north-easterly direction towards the Sun City resort adjacent to the Pilanesberg National Park. En-route your first stop is at the new Lion & Safari Park where you’ll enjoy a guided Lion & Wild Dog tour, lasting approximately 45 minutes. Other optional activities include cheetah interaction and feeding of giraffe, ostrich, and antelope. The Park also has a large family restaurant where lunch may be enjoyed, before continuing on to Sun City.
Your time at Sun City is spent at leisure. The ‘Valley of Waves’ offers interesting experiences, like the ‘Temple of Courage’, where swimmers drop a heart-stopping 57 feet down a 233-foot chute then hurtle under a bridge and splash into a small pool at the foot of the slide. The ‘Lazy River’ is a gentle tube ride flowing endlessly around a kidney-shaped island. The animal farm is where kids of all ages can meet animals, domestic and wild, face-to-face. The aviary is stocked with a huge collection of birds from around the world. The ‘Motseng Cultural Village’ is a living museum where visitors may see how the indigenous people of the area lived in bygone days. You could also visit the local crocodile sanctuary where these ancient creatures may be admired at close quarters.
The resort offers two golf courses of international standard, both designed by Gary Player. The Gary Player Country Club was the first course to be laid out, followed by the Lost City Golf Course. The Gary Player Country Club is the course where the Nedbank Golf Challenge is held annually and some of the best international players have competed in this tournament over the years. The Lost City Golf Course is unique in that the water feature on the 13th hole is home to 38 crocodiles.
Guests are met after breakfast, from where you’ll be transferred to the malaria-free Madikwe Private Game Reserve , located in South Africa’s North-West province, adjacent to the neighboring country of Botswana. On arrival at your safari lodge you’ll be warmly welcomed, and - after orientation, assisted with settling in, after which some time for rest and relaxation is on the agenda.
Later in the day, you’ll enjoy your first exciting game drive into the Madikwe wilderness, guided by expert rangers and trackers. The game drive starts in the late afternoon, pauses at a remote location in the bush for sundowners, and then continues into the evening, lasting from three or four hours in order to maximize your experience.
While in Madikwe you’ll enjoy two exciting guided game drives daily atop custom-built 4x4 vehicles. You may also choose to participate in an optional guided nature walk at no additional expense if weather conditions permit.
This secluded region was once privy to only a handful of folks who owned the land, remaining undeveloped because of its poor quality of soils. It was decided in the early 1990s that, to make the best use of the land, it should be allowed to revert to its original wilderness state. Under ‘Operation Phoenix’ a massive wildlife relocation program was launched, reintroducing entire breeding herds of elephant, buffalo, white and black rhino, and later lion, cheetah, African wild dog and spotted hyena, increasing the large mammal population to over 10,000. These introductions complimented the already established species such as brown hyena, various antelope, giraffe, zebra and wildebeest, and sightings of all of these animals are now a common occurrence. Once the natural balance was restored the reserve flourished and today over sixty species have been recorded, including the elusive leopard, an iconic African species at the top of every visitor’s wish list. After recent expansions, Madikwe is today South Africa’s fifth largest reserve, comprising some 75,000 hectares of the African wilderness. Madikwe is particularly unique for two reasons: first, game drive vehicles may traverse the entire reserve. This arrangement simply means your ranger may follow an animal wherever it goes and doesn’t have to disappoint guests by explaining that an animal cannot be followed because it crossed an invisible boundary line. Madikwe also conveniently falls in an ‘eco-zone overlap’ in Southern Africa, where the moister eastern parts converge with the drier Kalahari to the west.
A last morning game drive is followed by a transfer to a local airstrip for a charter flight that will return guests to the O.R. Tambo International Airport. Here you will be met and transferred to your overnight accommodation. If time allows, guests will enjoy a short tour of South Africa's capital city - Pretoria. The Union Buildings, with its commanding views of the city, will be on the agenda. The building currently houses the office of the South African president. Designed by the famous British architect Sir Herbert Baker, it is regarded as one of the country's architectural masterpieces.
During the morning, guests are transferred to the airport for a flight of just under two hours to George on South Africa's southern coast. Here you will be met by your African Sky guide and transferred for a scenic drive to the overnight accommodations in Knysna. En route, a visit is made to the Knysna Elephant Sanctuary. The sanctuary provides a safe haven for African elephants and offers interactive elephant experiences. Experience the famous Knysna forest alongside the African elephants on a guided nature walk through the fynbos at an elephant pace.
After breakfast, guests will visit Monkeyland and the Birds of Eden Sanctuary. The Birds of Eden is the world's largest dome, spanning two hectares over a gorge of indigenous forest. The sanctuary has its own mysterious ruin behind a waterfall. The sanctuary's dome incorporates the ability to synthesize thunder and create short spells of rain from an irrigation system in the dome structure. Roofed viewpoints within the gorge have been erected for use during these brief rain storms. Like Monkeyland, Birds of Eden boasts its own canopy walk. Monkeyland is the world's first free-roaming multi-species primate sanctuary and aims to create awareness about the plight of primates to show that, with a greater understanding of our primate cousins, we can all live in harmony.
Some time set aside for lunch is then followed by a boat cruise departing from the Plettenberg Bay Harbor. The Discovery Cruise will typically provide guests with the opportunity to view dolphins and visit the seal colony on the Robberg Peninsula. During the whale season (May to November), guests will have an opportunity to get within a couple of feet of some of the largest creatures on the planet - the southern right whale.
The day is spent at leisure relaxing on one of the fine beaches in the area. Nature lovers will be enchanted by the beautiful fynbos, which attracts a wide variety of birds and butterflies, and magnificent views of the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma Mountains surrounding the area.
After breakfast today you'll be transferred to the local airport near George. From there you'll take a quick airborne hop to Cape Town, South Africa's 'mother city' . On arrival you'll be transferred to your overnight accommodation and assisted with check-in. After settling in and some R&R you’ll visit one of Cape Town’s world-famous attractions under the direction of your experienced African Sky guide. The unmistakable Table Mountain was first summited by António de Saldanha in 1503 when he named it ‘Taboa do Cabo’ or ‘Table of the Cape’. Send a postcard from the upper cable station post office, take a mountaintop walk along one of the established walkways, or simply enjoy the fantastic panoramic views across the Cape Peninsula. On descent you'll be returned to your accommodation. The evening is at leisure.
Prior to European arrival the Khoikhoi peoples were the dominant tribe in the area and farmed the Cape Peninsula and surrounds extensively, later trading with the first Europeans as they attempted to circumnavigate the southern tip of Africa. Portuguese seafarers were the first to make contact with these indigenous Southern African peoples but the Dutch were the first to establish a permanent settlement here. Our morning departure will see us travelling in a circular route as we explore the Cape Peninsula. The little African Penguins at Boulders Beach are world famous and even featured on Animal Planet in a regular documentary. Here they go about their daily affairs, blissfully unruffled by the many human eyes observing their every move. Similarly the Chacma Baboons will keep a close eye on you as you visit the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and make your way to the lighthouse where panoramic ocean views may be enjoyed. Chapman’s Peak traces the steep west coast mountainside as it snakes its way back to the city of Cape Town. Watch out for the bronze leopard as it keeps an ever-watchful eye over Hout Bay, a memorial to the many animals that once inhabited the mountains dominating the Cape Peninsula. We’ll stop for lunch today at the Cape Point Ostrich Farm. En-route, if time allows, a visit is also made to the World of Birds in Hout Bay.
After breakfast a forty-minute drive leads us into the heart of South Africa’s wine producing region , where the stark contrast between vineyards and rugged mountains creates a perfect backdrop for your visit to the Winelands. Stellenbosch, the oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town, is also one of the most historically well-preserved in Southern Africa. Water furrows along oak-lined streets compliment the many fine examples of elegant Cape Dutch, Victorian and Georgian architecture - all part of this unique ‘Town of Oaks’. The Stellenbosch Wine Route is the oldest, largest and probably the 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 lovely beyond measure. The nearby village of Franschhoek – ‘French Corner’ - owes its existence to a small group of French Huguenots who were settled here in the latter half of the 17th century and began working the Drakenstein Valley. Many of the settlers named their new farms after the areas in France from which they originated. La Motte, La Cotte, Cabriere, Provence, Chamonix, Dieu Donne and La Dauphine were among some of the first established farms - most of which still retain their original buildings to this day. During the course of the day you’ll visit several fine wine estates in the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek districts. The region is renowned internationally for the exceptional quality of wines produced by its fertile soils. Most noble cultivars and classic styles are on show here, from superb whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon and Chenin Blanc, to rich reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Merlot. During the late afternoon your tour meanders its way back to Cape Town.
A morning visit is made to the Two Oceans Aquarium. The Two Oceans Aquarium on the V&A Waterfront showcases the incredible diversity of marine life found in the Indian and Atlantic oceans. With over 3 000 living sea animals, including sharks, fish, turtles and penguins, guests will experience one of the finest marine life collections in the world. After the aquarium visit, guests are transferred to Cape Town International Airport, for a flight back to their country of origin a memorable family holiday.
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