Cape Town to Victoria Falls Tour - 10 Days

Guests will be met on arrival at Cape Town International Airport or any location of their choice in Cape Town . Thereafter the day is spent exploring one of the world's most beautiful cities. A cable car ride up Table Mountain is first on the agenda, affording some of the finest scenic views to be found anywhere. We also visit the world-famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which originated when the mining magnate and philanthropist Cecil Rhodes donated the land to the people of South Africa. The garden is home to 4 000 of the 18 000 species of flora found in South Africa, all of which create a most remarkable display. The tour then makes its way to the hotel situated on Cape Town's famous Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

A drive over the spectacular Chapman's Peak pass, cut into the 650m high Chapman's Peak, leads the tour through the town of Noordhoek to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. A botanical and scenic delight, the reserve is home to several antelope species as well as a great diversity of flowering plants and birds. A highlight is sure to be the walk to the edge of Cape Point , where it is said the stormy waters of the Atlantic are met by the calming influence of the Indian Ocean. The tour traces False Bay on the way back to Cape Town, stopping at Boulders Beach, an attractive secluded beach comprising a tumble of huge round rocks on a sandy shore and a colony of African penguins.

Today is devoted to several of Cape Town's historical places of interest. After crossing Adderley Street in the upper half of the Heerengracht, we'll walk down Government Avenue into the heart of Cape Town and catch a glimpse of the Houses of Parliament. Later we'll pay a visit to the pentagonal Cape Castle, oldest of all buildings in South Africa, and now serving primarily as a museum. It houses the Good Hope Gallery, while the attached Military Museum is dedicated to the preservation of military artifacts from both the Dutch and British periods of occupation. Subsequent to visiting the Castle we'll venture to the nearby District Six, where time is devoted to visiting the local museum, housed in the former Methodist Mission in Buitenkant Street. The historic Strand Street is the last point of call before the tour makes its way to your accommodation after a memorable day of touring.

Guests will be transferred to Cape Town International Airport for a flight to Johannesburg, where they are met by their African Sky Guide. Departing the city, your tour travels in an easterly direction through the coal-rich Highveld and the rolling hills of Mpumalanga to the village of Dullstroom. The area surrounding Dullstroom is windswept grassland and is dominated by the 2,332m high ‘die berg’ - the mountain, the highest point between the Limpopo and Vaal rivers. Before reaching town a visit is made to the Dullstroom Bird Of Prey Rehabilitation Centre , established in 1997 to promote awareness about our raptor species and their growing plight as endangered animals in Southern Africa. A large number of species may be viewed at close quarters, and after a flying display, we’ll move to nearby Dullstroom for lunch. After some time spent exploring the village at leisure your tour continues to your overnight destination at Mount Sheba. This secluded lodge is situated in an indigenous forest in the hills above the mining town of Pilgrims Rest. You may choose to relax for the remainder of the day or otherwise take one or more short walks into the surrounding forest, which are home to some rather unique animals such as Samango Monkeys or Red Duiker.

Splendid scenery abounds as the tour makes its way to Shangana Cultural Village , where guests are led from the Marula Market by a local guide. The guide will explain how the Shangaan traditionally collect food from their environment and the way in which traditional farming is conducted. The route leads up to a traditional Shangaan village, which is the residence of a headman, his wives, and his children. In the village, some time is devoted to gaining some insight into the history and culture of the Shangaan. Upon completion of this tour, we travel onwards to the Kruger National Park.

Kruger National Park is a short drive from the cultural village. The park is named after 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 known today. Approximately two million hectares in extent, the park is internationally renowned as one of the world's foremost conservation areas. The late afternoon is devoted to a first game drive in search of Africa's legendary Big Five , in an area where many other mammal and bird species grace the African savanna.

Guests enjoy daily game drives for the duration of their stay in the Kruger National Park. The finer details, such as daily departure times, length of game drives and the direction they’ll take, as well as when and where meals are taken, will be communicated to you by your private guide once in the park. He or she will keep track of animal activity through sightings boards, as well as use his or her extensive knowledge of the park, to ensure maximum wildlife sightings while in Kruger. In addition to your included game drives, you may also book an optional sunset drive with a park ranger, which will stay out after dark. Guided bush walks, ‘bush braais’ - dinner in the bush, are also possibilities. Note that some activities require a minimum number before they’re confirmed. Your guide will gladly assist with these arrangements.

After breakfast and your last game drive in Kruger, you'll be transferred to the airport at Nelspruit. Once there you'll board a regional flight to Livingstone in Zambia. The town was established in 1905 by the British South Africa Company and bears the name of the famous missionary-explorer Sir David Livingstone. The Livingstone Museum still houses the largest collection of his letters and journals and bears testament to the legacy of this legendary man, who spent more than half his life in Africa. He was devoted to the exploration of the continent and the plight of its peoples, who were at the time still brutally exploited by slave traders. A glimpse of the mist rising above the thundering Victoria Falls is followed by check-in at the hotel. The late afternoon is spent at leisure.

The morning is devoted to a guided tour of the mighty Victoria Falls , previously one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The falls lie within the local ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ National Park, that name meaning ‘the smoke that thunders’, the name local peoples have used for the falls for many generations. The sanctuary affords incredible views in almost every direction. There is also a curio market at the entrance to the falls, and guests may take some time to view the different arts and crafts on display before returning to the hotel. During the middle afternoon, you’ll be met and transferred to a local jetty where the remainder of your day is spent enjoying a tranquil sunset cruise on Africa’s fourth-largest river, the mighty Zambezi . Drinks and snacks are served on the riverboat, and on a good day, you might see a pod of hippos or an elephant or two. After a spectacular African sunset, you’ll be returned to your overnight accommodations, where the remainder of your evening may be spent at leisure.

Guests spend the morning at leisure after which they will be transferred to Livingstone Airport for a flight to Johannesburg. Guests will be met at O.R. Tambo International and then assisted in transferring to an international flight back to their country of origin, after a Southern African tour which experiences all the region’s highlights.