Captivating Cape Town Tour With Game Drive To Kruger National Park

Itinerary

• Day 1 - Cape Town

  Welcome to South Africa. This Independent Experience begins in Cape Town, where on arrival you’ll be met by a Peregrine representative and transferred to your hotel (approximately 45 minutes). After you settle in, the rest of the afternoon is free for you to explore your surroundings. Walk the laid-back streets of Tamboerskloof, with its Victorian style homes and great access to the nightlife found on the nearby Long and Kloof streets.

• Day 2 - Cape Town - Walking Tour & Cape Point Peninsula

  Retrace 350 years of Cape Town’s dramatic history on a three-hour morning walking tour with specially trained guides. Learn about the dark times of slavery, colonial life in The Cape, the tragedy of apartheid, and the triumph of the new 'Rainbow Nation'. Your tour will take in historical sights such as the Castle of Good Hope, Grand Parade, and significant historic slavery sites such as the Slave Lodge and Slave Tree. In Government Avenue near St George’s Cathedral, Footsteps to Freedom tour guides will tell you about Cape Town’s three Nobel Peace Prize-winners: Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and FW De Klerk. You’ll visit the building where the apartheid laws were passed and where they were later repealed after De Klerk’s dramatic speech at the opening of Parliament in February 1990. In Greenmarket Square and St George’s Mall, you can’t help but feel the energy of the new South Africa. This afternoon you'll travel down the spectacular coastline to Cape Point. Along the way some of the highlights include Clifton Beach view, Camps Bay, Cape of Good Hope and Boulders Beach Penguin Colony.

• Day 3 - Cape Town - Winelands

  Enjoy a tranquil escape to the Winelands on a full day tour. Make your way to the Stellenbosch area for a cellar door tour and wine tasting to gain an appreciation for the wines of the area. Afterwards head into the town for a city tour through its leafy cobbled lanes and elegant mix of 18th-century architecture. Next stop is Franschhoek for a lunch and perhaps a wine while enjoying stunning views over the valley. After lunch head to Paarl via a prison that held Nelson Mandela captive for the final 13 months of his sentence to learn about his life. Once in Paarl visit a final wine estate for a cheese and wine pairing before heading back to Cape Town for the evening.

• Day 4 - Blue Train

  Enjoy a free morning until your transfer to Cape Town train station at 2 pm for a 4 pm departure. You can hike or take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain for fantastic view. Board the luxurious Blue Train bound for Pretoria. Enjoy pre-departure drinks and bid farewell to Cape Town. Settle into your suite with the help of the butlers and later enjoy high-tea. Sit down to a formal dinner on board the train in the evening. Men are requested to wear a jacket, and ladies to dress in elegant evening wear.

• Day 5 - Blue Train

  Breakfast is served on board between 6 am and 9 pm, and the first lunch sitting is between 1.15 pm and 2.30 pm. In the afternoon, stop Kimberly Station and make a visit to the Kimberly Open Mine Museum. Return to the train and enjoy a glass of sherry before departure at 7.30 pm. Dinner this evening will be served between 9.15 pm and 11 pm.

• Day 6 - Johannesburg

  Breakfast is served between 6 am and 9 am on a first come first served basis. At 10.30 am, your luxury train ride comes to an end at Pretoria Station in Johannesburg. Upon arrival in Pretoria, you will transfer to your hotel. You’ll have the rest of the day to settle in and spend at your leisure. Perhaps visit the culturally rich areas of Newtown, Braamfontein or Maboneng. The eye-opening Apartheid Museum is well worth your time. It’s a good idea to get some rest tonight, as there’s an early start and a long day of travel tomorrow.

• Day 7 - Greater Kruger National Park

  Your Kruger adventure begins between 5:30am and 6:00am this morning. Leaving Johannesburg, ‘The City of Gold’, behind you will head for Greater Kruger National Park, arriving just in time for lunch. Your accommodation for the evening will be an intimate lodge with limited permanent safari tented rooms. Rooms are tastefully decorated and comfortably appointed with private ensuite and bath. The lodge also offers a comfortable lounge, perfect for chatting with the other guests over a drink or two. There is also a swimming pool, shaded deck area, dining tent and WiFi.

  In the afternoon you'll be taken to a neighbouring game reserve for your first open 4x4 vehicle game drive by spotlight. This is a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of the elusive animals that operate after dark.

• Day 8 - Greater Kruger National Park

  Wake early today and head into the park, where you’ll find yourself in prime game viewing territory, well-placed to catch a glimpse of the Big Five. Enjoy breakfast at one of the picnic spots within the park, fuelling for a full day of safari. Continue through the park, stopping off at various points of interest and waterholes to observe the incredible animals that call it home. One of the largest game reserves in Southern Africa, Kruger National Park is home to over 500 species of bird, 100 species of reptile and 150 species of mammal, including significant populations of all the Big Five – lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhino. The endangered African wild dog, herbivores like hippo, zebra, giraffe and numerous different types of antelope also enjoy the park’s rich mosaic of habitats, which include savanna, mixed acacia woodland, rocky hills and mopane woodland. You will return to the lodge in the late afternoon and enjoy an evening of relaxation.

• Day 9 - Greater Kruger National Park

  Today is your final day at the lodge, and there are no activities scheduled. If you’re interested in something other than soaking up the atmosphere then you may wish to return to the park on a day trip for more wildlife spotting. There is also an optional Panorama Route tour available. Travelling along the Panorama Route, you will experience some of the most glorious scenery in South Africa. The route in Mpumalanga province is one of the world’s great driving roads, home to mountain peaks, huge canyons and fertile valleys, rivers and massive caves. The views are spectacular throughout, with each corner bringing a new breath-taking vista, but a few of the sights stand out. God’s Window is an amazing viewpoint at the southern end of the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, with vistas of lushly verdant cliffs plunging hundreds of metres down into the valley. The canyon is the third largest in the world and also the greenest, with the bright-green subtropical plant life said to be reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, hence the viewpoint’s nickname. Bourke’s Luck Potholes are incredible natural sculptures shaped by water and time. The Treur River cascades down to join the Blyde River and, thanks to underwater obstacles that creates high-powered vortexes, stunning cylindrical potholes have been eroded in the beautifully coloured rock. Ask your travel agent for information. Tonight, enjoy an outdoor dinner on the deck, looking out at the small watering hole which often attracts giraffe and zebra.

• Day 10 - Johannesburg

  There is another early start today for a guided bush walk, during which you’ll learn some interesting details about the identification of trees, spoors (the tracks or scent of an animal) and birds of Kruger National Park. Transfer back to Johannesburg, stopping en route to take in amazing views at the viewpoint over the awesome Blyde River Canyon and see the pointed peaks of the Three Rondavels. Upon arrival in Johannesburg, you will be dropped at your nominated hotel or directly to the airport for any onward travel. If you are planning to depart Johannesburg today for an international destination, please ensure that your flight is later than 10 pm.