Spoil your family with a once-in-a-lifetime luxury tour in South Africa. Enjoy various entertainment options in Sun City and Big Five game viewing in Pilanesberg before heading to the coast for seaside leisure and family-friendly activities, first on the Garden Route and then in Cape Town.
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From: POAThe price can be reduced by substituting accommodations
What influences prices?Upon arrival in Johannesburg, guests are met and welcomed. After completing a few formalities, your transfer departs the city, heading northeasterly towards the Sun City resort adjacent to the Pilanesberg National Park. Here, the afternoon is spent relaxing after the journey.
Your time at Sun City is spent at leisure. All mentioned activities are optional. 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 meet domestic and wild animals face-to-face. The aviary is home to a huge collection of birds. The 'Motseng Cultural Village' is a museum where visitors can see how indigenous people lived in bygone days. You could also visit the local crocodile sanctuary, where these ancient creatures may be admired in close quarters.
The resort offers two international-standard golf courses, 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 Pilanesberg National Park. On arrival at your safari lodge, you’ll be warmly welcomed and - after orientation, assisted with settling in, after which some time for rest is on the agenda.
Later in the day, you’ll enjoy your first exciting game drive into the 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 continues into the evening, lasting three or four hours to maximize your experience.
While in Pilanesberg, you’ll enjoy two exciting guided game drives daily atop custom-built 4x4 vehicles. If weather permits, you may also participate in an optional guided nature walk at no additional expense.
The park is located in the crater of an extinct volcano. Its rolling hills, plains, and rocky outcrops provide a diverse habitat for the wildlife protected here. You will encounter the Big Five and many antelope species, giraffes, zebras, and small mammals. Crocodiles and hippos inhabit water sources.
A last-morning game drive is followed by a transfer that will return guests to the O.R. Tambo International Airport. From here, you will fly to George on the Garden Route, one of South Africa's most picturesque areas. This region offers an abundance of family activities and fine beaches.
Your African Sky guide will meet you at George Airport and accompany you on the tour through the southern part of South Africa. From George, a drive of just over an hour will take you through the towns of Wilderness and Sedgefield before reaching the overnight destination of Knysna, built around the edges of one of South Africa's largest inland estuaries. Here, the late afternoon is spent at leisure.
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 a mysterious ruin behind a waterfall. The 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 a canopy walk. Monkeyland is the world's first free-roaming multi-species primate sanctuary. It 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.
After lunch, you can relax on one of the fine beaches in the area. Nature lovers will be enchanted by the beautiful fynbos, which attract a wide variety of birds and butterflies, and magnificent views of the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma Mountains surrounding the area.
Following breakfast, we make our way to the Plettenberg Bay docks, where guests will enjoy one of the following two boat cruises, depending on the season. The first is the Discovery Cruise, which will typically look for dolphins and visit the seal colony on the Robberg Peninsula. The Premium Cruise is offered in whale season (June to November). This cruise will allow passengers to get within a couple of feet of some of the largest creatures on the planet. The main focus is on finding whales, then dolphins, and, if time permits, visiting the seal colony.
The afternoon will lead the tour to the Knysna Elephant Sanctuary. The sanctuary provides a haven for African elephants and offers an interactive elephant experience. Upon completing the experience, the tour returns to Knysna.
After breakfast today, you'll be transferred to the local airport near George. From there, you'll board a short flight to Cape Town, South Africa's 'mother city.' The city is one of the world's most beautiful and is South Africa's most popular travel destination. It offers many attractions, activities, and cultural experiences.
You'll be transferred to your overnight accommodation and assisted with check-in on arrival. The hotel offers lovely gardens where you can explore or relax by the pool.
Today, 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 enjoy the fantastic panoramic views across the Cape Peninsula.
Upon descending the mountain, some time is allowed for lunch before we visit Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where the children will delight in the kid's activity trail, which includes points of interest, fun facts, and activities that engage the young ones with nature as they explore the gardens.
Breakfast is followed by a drive to Stellenbosch in the Cape Winelands, where we briefly explore the town with its many examples of Cape Dutch and Georgian Architecture before visiting Spier, one of the many fine wine estates near the town.
Spier offers various activities for adults and children of all ages. Parents can tour the cellar, gain insight into wine-making, and sample some of South Africa's finest wines. There is a well-equipped kids' play area and juice tasting for kids. They can also visit the farm animals. The entire family can enjoy a nature walk on the estate, traversing the vineyards and meandering along the river. Some time is allowed for a late lunch, followed by a return journey to Cape Town.
Following breakfast, guests will visit the Two Oceans Aquarium on the V&A Waterfront. The Aquarium showcases the incredible diversity of marine life 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. The aquarium visit is followed by a short exploration of the Waterfront and an early lunch.
The tour then makes its way to Boulders Beach on the shores of False Bay, where a colony of African Penguins delights with their antics as they waddle along the beach and swim in the ocean. Wooden walkways ensure the breeding colony is not disturbed, making viewing them at close quarters possible. We return to the hotel in the late afternoon.
The morning can be spent relaxing, or your guide can accompany you on last-minute shopping. They can advise you on the best shops based on the gifts and memorabilia you intend to purchase and will drive you to these locations.
Later, guests are transferred to Cape Town International Airport or any other location in or around the city, where a memorable family tour of South Africa ends.