South Africa 12 days

Day 2: This morning following breakfast, you will be transferred by road back to OR Tambo Airport to connect to your scheduled flight to Port Elizabeth Airport. On arrival at Port Elizabeth Airport, you will make your way to the car hire kiosk and collect your rental vehicle. You will then depart Port Elizabeth Airport for a 2 hour drive to Kuzuko Lodge. Situated in a private section of the malaria-free Addo Elephant National Park, Kuzuko Lodge is gloriously situated high upon a hill overlooking the vast expanse of the big five reserve below. Guests are accommodated in 24 luxurious chalets of which three are wheelchair accessible, featuring an en-suite bathroom with bath and walk in shower, mini-bar, tea/coffee making facilities, colour television, direct dialling telephones and free WiFi. Chalets can either be made up as double or twin rooms with a sleeper coach for children under the age of 12 On arrival at the lodge, you will enjoy a light lunch/high tea before embarking on your first 3 hour open vehicle safari. You will get the chance to spot the Big 5 as well as many other species before returning to the lodge to freshen up before dinner.

Day 3: This morning you will be woken up very early with tea, coffee and rusks before embarking on your first early morning safari. Early mornings and late afternoons are best for game viewing as animals are most active during the cooler hours of the day. The predators are also often commencing their hunt for the evening or winding down after a long night, so this is why game drives are done in the evening and early morning. As soon as the mid day sun gets too hot, the animals find shade and hide for the afternoon until the temperatures begin to drop again. On return to the lodge, a breakfast/brunch is served and thereafter guests have the afternoon at leisure to read a book at the pool, take a nap or just enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. In the afternoon a lunch/high tea is served again before afternoon game drive begins again returning after sunrise to enjoy your final dinner in Africa.

Overnight: Kuzuko Lodge, Addo Elephant Park
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

This morning following breakfast and a final morning Open Vehicle Safari, you will depart Kuzuko and continue to Knysna. The drive will take you approximately 4.5 hours, but it is a beautiful scenic drive.

Knysna is situated in the heart of the Garden Route and offers both a host of activities as well as a central position to explore the rest of the Garden Route. In Knysna itself, must see places to visit are The Knysna Heads, Knysna Lagoon, Leisure Isle, Knysna Elephant Park and Knysna Forest which still reportedly has 3 wild elephants that call it home. Featherbed Nature Reserve is also a wonderful place to visit and can be accessed by Ferry while other activities available in Knysna are visiting the many local curio shops on the main road as well as playing golf at 2 of South Africas top golf courses (Simola and Pezula). Slightly further afield just past Plettenberg Bay (which is about 30 minutes from Knysna), great places to visit are Monkeyland, Birds of Eden, Jukani Wildlife Centre and Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. There is also a Snake Park, an amazing Wine Farm called Bramon (amazing tapas, but needs to be booked far in advance) as well as beautiful long beaches to walk along in Plettenberg Bay. Last but not least, a highly recommended place to visit is Robberg Nature Reserve which offers the most beautiful views of Plettenberg Bay as well as a seal colony which can be viewed from the cliffs above. Elephant Hide of Knysna Guest Lodge offers luxury Knysna accommodation and is found on the beautiful Garden Route of South Africa…the hide to seek. Situated on top of the Welbedacht Cliff Tops, this exclusive Knysna accommodation is only 3 km from Knysna town centre. The Lodge overlooks the Knysna Lagoon, the Outeniqua Mountains and indigenous forests. The theme of the Guest Lodge is based on natural beauty, with stone and wood architecture combined to give that comfortable earth feel. The lounge and dining room, with cosy fire place, is superbly decorated and is the perfect atmosphere to enjoy a relaxed glass of wine after a long, happy day visiting the sites of the Garden Route. The rim flow pool has a spectacular view and makes the Elephant Hide Lodge one of the most popular Garden Route holiday accommodation destinations in South Africa.

Overnight: Elephant Hide
Meals: Breakfast

This morning following breakfast, you will depart Knysna and continue to Oudtshoorn. The drive is only about 1.5 hours, so you do not need to depart too early in the morning although it is recommended not to leave Knysna too late so that you can have time to visit any sites that you wish to visit as the following day you will have a long drive to Franschhoek and will need to leave early. Mooiplaas Guest House is a luxurious four-star guest house situated on a family-run working ostrich farm just south of Oudtshoorn, in the heart of the Klein Karoo. Here you can enjoy the open spaces of the ostrich farm and the spectacular views of the magnificent and ever-changing purple Swartberg mountains. If you want to relax – this is the place to get away from it all. If you are looking for sport and adventure- enjoy the large variety of attractions and activities in the Klein Karoo area.

Overnight: Mooiplaas Guest House
Meals: Breakfast

This morning following breakfast, you will depart Oudtshoorn early as you have about a 5 hour drive to Franschhoek along the popular Route 62. I suggest trying to leave by 9am at the latest so that you can be in Franschhoek by about 2pm. This will give you a chance to experience 1 or 2 of Franschhoeks beautiful wine farms.
Route 62 is the tourist route in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa, that meanders between Cape Town and Oudtshoorn, the Langkloof and Port Elizabeth, offering the shorter, scenic alternative to the N2 highway.

It’s an area of magnificent landscapes and towering cliffs, crystal clear streams and an abundance of trees and indigenous flora – all contribute to make Paarl, Wellington, the Breede River Valley, Klein Karoo and Langkloof some of South Africa’s most diverse regions.

The ever changing colours of the majestic mountains, scenic passes, rivers, vineyards and orchards, as well as the multitude of attractions, will offer you an unforgettable adventure – whether this is in the physical sense or simply a kaleidoscope of scenic tranquillity Experience gracious winelands-hospitality in the lovingly restored 1904 Victorian homestead in the heart of Franschhoek – South Africa’s Gourmet Capital. ’Le Ballon Rouge’ is one of the original traditional Western Cape homes. Completely renovated and extended into a charming small boutique guest house, it offers great hospitality and deluxe comfort. Ballon Rouge is within walking distance of some of the Winelands most famous restaurants, so we suggest just walking from the guest house.

Overnight: Ballon Rouge Guest House
Meals: Breakfast

This morning following breakfast, you can visit a few more wine farms (just be careful about drinking and driving in South Africa, so no more than a few tastings) before departing for Cape Town which is only about a 1 hour 20 minute drive. Rosedene guesthouse has twelve rooms with an afro-chic fusion of colonial splendour; offering renowned African hospitality; large enough to maintain anonymity yet small enough to care. Perched high above Table Bay, Rosedene offers views of the bustling city and harbour lights as well as picture perfect views of the mountain. Minutes away lie Camps Bay and Clifton and a few minutes stroll away from your front door is Kloof Street with over 30 cosmopolitan restaurants. Whether your aim is pleasure or business, the unique combination of a country home atmosphere and efficient personal service will suite your needs. The next 4 days will be spent enjoying all that Cape Town has to offer. We suggest a walk up Lions Head, a visit to the top of Table Mountain, a day spent one of our beautiful beaches, a walk around the Waterfront, a visit to Cape Point, Boulders and perhaps an ostrich farm. We also suggest a beautiful long walk along the Seapoint Promenade and then of course a drive along our beautiful coastline which covers Chapmans Peak Drive. For the adrenaline junkies, a shark cage dive is always very exciting.

Overnight: Rosedene Guest House
Meals: Breakfast

This morning following a final morning breakfast, you will depart Rosedene and drop your car off at Cape Town International Airport to connect to your scheduled flight to OR Tambo Airport for your onward arrangements.