Experience the unimaginable and create family memories to last a lifetime on this unique family-orientated tour of South Africa.
This tour is ideal for families wishing to enjoy a comprehensive and memorable holiday in South Africa. It starts with a few nights at Sun City, South Africa's premier resort for family entertainment, before enjoying a malaria-free Big Five Safari in Pilanesberg. Families then spend a night in Pretoria before traveling south, first to the Garden Route and then to Cape Town.
Guests are met and welcomed on arrival in Johannesburg. After completing a few formalities, your tour departs the city, heading north-easterly towards the Sun City Resort adjacent to the Pilanesberg National Park. En route, we stop at the Lion & Safari Park, where you'll enjoy a guided Lion and Wild Dog tour lasting approximately 45 minutes. Other optional activities include cheetah interaction, giraffe, ostrich, and antelope feeding. The Park also has a large family restaurant where lunch may be enjoyed before continuing to Sun City. With unmatched entertainment options, the resort draws thousands of visitors yearly to its four top-quality hotels, sporting and recreational facilities, the magical Lost City, and the Valley of Waves. The afternoon is spent relaxing.
Your time at Sun City is spent at leisure. Activities are not included in the price of the tour. 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 stocked with a huge collection of birds. The 'Motseng Cultural Village' is a living museum where visitors can see how the indigenous people 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 designed by Gary Player. The Gary Player Country Club was the first course to be laid out, followed by the Lost City Golf Course.
A 25-minute transfer will bring guests to Black Rhino Lodge in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. The 55 000 Ha reserve is located in the crater of a long-extinct volcano - a fascinating alkaline complex produced by volcanic eruptions some 1 300 million years ago. Pilanesberg is one of the largest volcanic complexes of its kind in the world. Its rare rock types and structure make it a unique geological feature. An open vehicle game drive is conducted during the late afternoon. It will allow guests to see the Big Five, various antelope, giraffes, and zebras.
While in Pilanesberg, you'll enjoy two exciting guided game drives daily atop custom-built 4x4 vehicles conducted by a professional ranger and tracker. Pilanesberg is home to various African animals, including lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, black and white rhino, Cape buffalo, hippo, crocodile, and brown hyena. A recent African wild dog introduction program has been initiated. At least 360 species of birds have been recorded. Your game drives (two daily) occur during periods of increased wildlife activity, during the early morning, late afternoon, and evening. The remainder of your day may be spent enjoying the creature comforts of your accommodations.
After breakfast, the tour travels to Pretoria, the capital of South Africa. Pretoria is also known as the Jacaranda City, so named for the thousands of Jacaranda trees that line its streets and transform the city into a purple wonderland during spring, when the trees are in full bloom. The overnight destination is adjacent to Menlyn Maine, a vibrant entertainment hub. A selection of restaurants, movies, and a wall-to-wall trampoline park are only a few steps away. The afternoon is spent at leisure.
Guests are transferred to O.R. Tambo International for a flight to George in South Africa's Garden Route region. From George, we travel to the coastal town of Plettenberg Bay. En route, visits are made to Monkeyland and the Birds of Eden Sanctuary. Monkeyland is the world's first free-roaming multi-species primate sanctuary. It aims to create awareness about primates' plight and demonstrate that we can all live in harmony with a greater understanding of our primate cousins. Birds of Eden is the world's largest dome, spanning two hectares over a gorge in an indigenous forest. The sanctuary has a mysterious ruin, which incorporates a walk-behind a waterfall. The sanctuary's dome includes 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.
The day is spent leisurely relaxing on one of the fine beaches in the area.
Following breakfast, we make our way to the Plettenberg Bay Waterfront. Guests will enjoy one of the following two boat cruises depending on the season. The first is the Discovery Cruise, which typically looks for dolphins and visits the Robberg Peninsula's seal colony. The Premium Cruise is offered in whale season (May 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. Experience the famous Knysna forest alongside the African elephants on a guided nature walk through the woods at an elephant pace. Upon completing the elephant experience, the tour returns to Plettenberg Bay.
After breakfast, guests are returned to George Airport for a short flight to Cape Town, where they are met and transferred to the overnight accommodations on Cape Town's V&A Waterfront. The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront was named for Prince Alfred, who visited in 1860, and his mother, Queen Victoria. This 300-acre center commands sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Table Bay Harbour, and the ever-watchful Table Mountain. It offers abundant shopping, dining, and recreation opportunities, all within a short walk from the hotel. Guests spend the afternoon at leisure.
After breakfast, we take a breathtaking drive along Chapman's Peak. This road hugs the near-vertical face of Chapman's Peak between Hout Bay and Noordhoek. Cut out of the face of the mountain between 1915 and 1922. The road was at the time regarded as a significant feat of engineering. The road leads to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. In the nature reserve, you visit Cape Point, where the calming influence of the Indian Ocean reputedly meets the stormy waters of the Atlantic. On the return journey to Cape Town, we visit the towns of Simons Town and Muizenberg, which are set along the shores of False Bay. Before returning to the overnight accommodations, a visit is also made to Boulders Beach. This beach is an attractive secluded haven that comprises a tumble of huge round boulders on a sandy shore. The boulders are an ideal vantage point for observing the antics of the colony of mainland-based African penguins that inhabit the coastline.
We devote the morning to visiting the Two Oceans Aquarium. It 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. Some time is allotted for lunch, after which a cable car ride is enjoyed to the top of Table Mountain. Table Mountain is one of the world's most recognizable natural landmarks and was recently voted one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. 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, the tour returns to the overnight accommodation.
A leisurely morning offers the opportunity for some last-minute shopping before guests are met by their guide and returned to Cape Town International Airport, where an unforgettable two-week family adventure ends.