Cape Town & Winelands Tour - 7 Days

Upon arrival at Cape Town International Airport, you will be met by your African Sky guide, who will be holding a sign with your name. From the airport, the tour makes its way to the overnight destination where guests are afforded the opportunity to relax and freshen up. During the late afternoon, your guide will accompany you to Table Bay Harbor for a sunset cruise . The sunset cruise lasts about an hour and a half. It offers magnificent views of Table Mountain with Lion's Head and Devil's Peak - the sentinels standing guard alongside the mountain. Upon conclusion of the cruise, your guide will accompany you back to the hotel.

This day of your Cape Town tour is devoted to visiting the Whale Route and the town of Hermanus. The tour makes its way through Gordon's Bay, located on the eastern shore of False Bay on to Betty's Bay, which used to be a whaling station in centuries past. The route is one of the most picturesque in South Africa, with sweeping ocean and mountain views. A quick stop is made at the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden, where an abundance of flowering plants, a waterfall, and impressive scenery may be admired. The tour then travels to Hermanus where we stroll along the cliff top path - a great spot for land-based whale watching between the months of June and November. After the visit to Hermanus, the tour travels back to Cape Town via the national highway and the impressive Sir Lowry's pass.

We devote this day to exploring two of the natural icons of Cape Town. Table Mountain , which stands guard over the city, is the most popular of all the tourist attractions in South Africa. The mountain is ascended via the cableway, which departs from the top of Kloof Nek Road. The cable car, which can accommodate up to 65 people, operates on all days, except when high winds or bad weather hamper the safe operation of the service. We spend about an hour atop the mountain admiring the incredible views of Cape Town's city bowl and the Cape Peninsula. Some time allotted to lunch is followed by a visit to Kirstenbosch, South Africa's premier botanical garden, which is located on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. In peak flowering season, almost 1 500 flowering are on display. The tour makes its way back to the hotel during the late afternoon.

Adventure is on the agenda of this day as you travel to Gansbaai for an up-close view of the most fearsome predator to roam the world's oceans - the great white shark . The drive to Gansbaai is about two hours, after which a boat trip of five miles brings you to Dyer Island's Shark Alley. Here you will start chumming for sharks. The dive master will explain the diving process and the safety precautions involved. Guests will then descend into the shark-ridden sea, protected by an enforced cage. Snacks and refreshments are provided on board. The excursion lasts about four and a half hours, after which we return to Cape Town.

Breakfast is followed by a drive of about forty minutes to the town of Stellenbosch, one of South Africa's oldest and most beautiful towns. The town boasts magnificent architecture and sits at the heart of one of the most important wine producing regions in South Africa . Some time is devoted to walking down the oak-lined Dorp Street, where your guide will provide some insight into the history of the region. A stop is made at "Oom Samie se Winkel", a general dealer which dates back to 1904. The tour then leaves town to explore two of the magnificent wine estates in the region. Here fine wines are produced on estates established as long ago as 1692. The winemaking process, from the planting and harvesting of grapes to the fermenting and bottling of the final product, is explained by a local expert. You will also have the opportunity to sample some of the fine wines before traveling to the overnight destination.

This day of your tour of the Cape focuses on the town of Franschhoek and the wine route surrounding the town . The name of the town translates to 'French Corner' in honor of the 200 French Huguenot families that settled in the region in 1688 and brought with them the fine winemaking skills for which France is revered. We devote some time to visiting the Huguenot Memorial Museum and the Huguenot Monument before embarking on a tour of two of the grandest wine estates in this beautiful valley. Here you will experience first-hand the process by which wine is produced in South Africa. The opportunity to sample a glass of some of the finest wine in the region is followed by a return journey to the hotel, where you should arrive in the early evening.

The morning is devoted to exploring Cape Town's famous V&A Waterfront , where a quick visit is made to the Two Oceans Aquarium. Guests have the opportunity to shop for souvenirs after which they are transferred to Cape Town International Airport after a most memorable tour of Cape Town and the Cape Winelands in the company of an experienced African Sky guide.