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Garden Route; Magic of the Cape– 8˝ Day/8N Tour |
Our escorted tours are at a relaxed pace giving you time to savour each area. This tour starts in the Eastern Cape with a visit to Addo Elephant Park and Port Elizabeth. Next you travel along the verdant Garden Route and into the dry rugged landscape of the Little Karoo, known for its ostrich farming and limestone caves. It ends with three glorious days in Cape Town.Code CT
Relaxed touring pace
Guaranteed departures with only two people
Superior accommodation in small country house hotels and lodges.
Time for pursuing individual interests
Minimal Group Departure Two
Meals DBB on 5 days, B&B on 3 days and a Farewell dinner
Departure/End Saturdays - 14 June, 12 July, 9 August, 13 September , 11 October, 8 Nov. Transferred to Cape Town airport for flight home
Accommodation Country House Hotels and Lodges
Transport Luxury VW microbus or Mercedez Benz Sprinter Coach
Health Requirements Anti-malarial precautions for Greater Kruger Park and Swaziland
Day 1 – Afternoon transfer to Addo
On arrival in Port Elizabeth you are transferred to the Addo region to stay at the Woodall Farm, or La Provence, set amongst peaceful orchards on a beautiful citrus farm.
Day 2 – Addo Elephant Park and PE tour
Game-viewing in the Addo Elephant Park today, home to herds of elephants and black rhino, hippo, cape buffalo and antelope species. Afterwards head to Port Elizabeth for a cultural and historical tour of the city. 75% of the people of Port Elizabeth live in townships.
Day 3 – Tsitsikamma Forest
Today you travel to the Tsitsikamma region with a short optional walk in Coastal National Park. This is a wild, unspoilt and rugged belt of land, much of it blanketed in dense indigenous forest, and fragmented by winding river valleys. Continue to the coastal resort town of Plettenberg Bay for a visit to the Robberg Nature Reserve. Spend two nights at the Mallard River Lodge, overlooking a nature reserve and vlei. Accommodation is in five spacious chalets, each with hand-painted murals and wooden verandas.
Day 4 – Knysna
This morning you explore Knysna. You enjoy a lagoon cruise in the morning to the Featherbed Nature Reserve and the afternoon is at leisure to wander around the many interesting shops and art galleries.
Day 5 – Little Karoo
Continue to the semi-desert rugged region of the Little Karoo along the old Seven Passes road from Knysna to George - through forestry plantations and rolling pastures and descending down to old bridges crossing the seven rivers through the indigenous forest.
Cross the spectacular Outeniqua Mountain pass to reach Oudtshoorn. In the Victorian era, when ostrich feathers were the height of fashion in Europe, the ostrich boom centred on Oudtshoorn creating “feather barons’ who built grandiose mansions throughout the town. You visit an Ostrich Farm for a conducted tour. Spend the night at the La Plume Guest farm. The Victorian homestead has a peaceful view of the lovely Olifants River Valley.
Day 6 – Route 62 to Cape Town
After breakfast you leave Oudtshoorn on the scenic Route 62 towards Cape Town, visiting some wine estates en route. The first stop is at Calitzdorp for port wine tasting.This charming small country town has many pleasant houses built in the ‘Karoo-style”. You will also stop at the Zandvliet Wine estate. Continue to Cape Town for a three-night stay at the luxurious Radisson Hotel near the V&A Waterfront.
Day 7 – Winelands Tour
A short drive from Cape Town brings you to the heart of the Cape Winelands for your full day Winelands Tour.
A combination of the favourable effects of the two major ocean currents meeting off the Cape makes the climate in the area perfect for the acres of vineyards. The stunning backdrop of the Hottentots Holland Mountains, the tree-lined streets and the white gabled Cape Dutch homesteads all blend in tranquil harmony. Here you visit some of the wine estates, take a tour of the cellars and also explore the historic towns of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
Day 8 – Cape Peninsula tour
Travel along the coastal drive as it hugs the cold Atlantic Ocean to Hout Bay. As you make your way south, you reach Cape Point in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, said to be the romantic meeting point of two mighty oceans, the Atlantic and the Indian. Sir Francis Drake, the famous explorer, once called it "the fairest Cape that we saw in the whole circumference of the Globe."
Return along the Indian Ocean coastal road and stop to visit the unique Jackass penguin colonies at Boulders beach.
In the afternoon you visit Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens, which must surely be some of the finest gardens in Africa, nestling on the lower slopes of Table Mountain. This evening you enjoy a farewell dinner at one of Cape Town’s finest restaurants.
Day 9 – Cape Town City and Table Mountain
This morning you tour the historical sights of Cape Town. You begin with a journey up to the top of Table Mountain for a breathtaking view of the Mother City. Your guide will point out the highlights of the panoramic view. Later you visit the Company Gardeners, the Castle of Good Hope, the Malay Quarter and end with the Waterfront. The afternoon is at leisure for shopping or pursuing individual interests. In the late afternoon you will be collected from the hotel for your transfer to the airport.
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