+1 day  Depart USA

Day 1 In transit
Day 2 Arrival Cape Town
Day 3 Cape Town - Cape of Good Hope and Stellenbosch

The famous Table Mountain dominates the skyline of Cape Town. Often there is a “table cloth” on the mountain in the form of clouds or shreds of mist. An easy and comfortable way to reach the top is by cable car. A harder but much more rewarding way to reach the pinnacle is a magnificent walk. In the city itself you have a wide choice of interesting and historic places to visit. The Grand Parade, where the Dutch battalions held exercises in the seventeenth century, is now a lively market square where you can enjoy dishes from the Cape-Malayan cuisine. It is also the place where anti-apartheid demonstrations were held and where Nelson Mandela addressed a huge crowd after his release from prison. By taxi, public transportation or on foot you can visit the Company Gardens and Castle of Good Hope, remnants of the Dutch Period.

You may choose an outing to visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned from 1964 to 1990. The boat leaves from the old harbor in the Alfred and Victoria. The colorful old Victorian buildings on the water have been restored and now house restaurants, jazz cafes and other places of entertainment. Djoser organizes excursions to the Cape of Good Hope and Stellenbosch. On the way to the Cape, we drive on Chapman’s Peak Drive, widely accepted as one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the world, passing bays and rock formations and picturesque places like Houtbaai and Simon’s Town. The Cape of Good Hope is a nature reserve with many animals such as seals and penguins. The flora is typical of this area, the so-called “fynbos.” On the most southwestern point of the African continent you will see two oceans, on the right the Atlantic and on the left the Indian Ocean. It is wise to bring binoculars: in some seasons you can see whales off the coast here. Next we will drive a short distance to Stellenbosch. We are not in a hurry as we drive past the many vineyards. The farmers are glad to receive guests and will explain the wine making process. Of course there is ample opportunity to sample the products! In this town, founded in 1679 by Simon van der Stel of the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.), there are constant reminders of the Dutch colonial period such as the street names, and company names (such as the Braak Company ammunition house) and the many white Cape style houses. The town is like an open-air museum.

Day 4 Capetown – De Hoop Nature Reserve – Swellendam

On the way to Swellendam we first pay a visit to the not much visited Hoop Nature reserve. In the Hoop NR you find Zebra’s and colorful goats. The walking and hiking possibilities here are fantastic and during the months from June until October it is also one of the best places to view whales. As you travel you will notice the fertile landscape of the Cape Province turning quite suddenly into the small Karoo Desert.

Day 5 Swellendam - Oudtshoorn
Day 6 Oudtshoorn

Via a mountainous road and magnificent mountain passes we travel to Oudtshoorn. On the way you can clearly see how the mountains influence the climate, the high mountain ranges block all the rain clouds. You will see large ostrich farms that lend their fame to Oudtshoorn.  We usually take out time to visit a farm where you will get a detailed explanation about the animals and their habitat. The food and wine lovers can try the local wine in combination with an ostrich buffet. We spend the night near the Cangoo Caves. You can visit the famous caves with their impressive and surreal stalagmite and stalactite formations. A guide will lead you through the huge underground halls. In a restaurant nearby you can try an ostrich steak, but of course you can barbecue one yourself on the “braai” near the chalet where we are spending the night. Our chalet is located in a small valley nestled between the mountains on the outskirts of Oudtshoorn.

Day 7 Oudtshoorn - Plettenberg Bay
Day 8 Plettenberg Bay, Tsitsikamma National Park
Day 9 Plettenberg Bay – Addo Elephant National Park
Day 10 Addo Elephant National Park

From Oudtshoorn we follow a beautiful road through the mountains in the direction of the coast, we then follow a coastal road to Plettenberg Bay. This is a popular destination for South Africans because of the beautiful white beaches and the clear blue ocean surrounded by the mountains. The next day we will drive to Tsitsikamma National Park for an excursion in this wonderful nature reserve. The 62-mile coastal strip between Plettenberg Bay and Humansdorp is protected and hikers can walk a stretch of the magnificent Otter trail with terrific views of the steep cliffs and forest. The park offers a trail for almost any level of activity from easy to challenging. From June until October there is the possibility to go on a whale watching boat trip. We return to Plettenberg Bay to spend the night. Addo Elephant park is situated in the Zuurberg Range in the Sundays River Valley and is a small, gorgeous park. The elephants were practically eliminated by the farmers in years past until Addo was converted into a national park and the numbers grew from a sparse 11 to the 200 plus elephants existing today. The flowers here are spectacular as well, especially in the spring.

Day 11 Addo Elephant National park – Port Elizabeth, via Johannesburg – Kruger National Park
Day 12 Kruger National Park, Game Drive in Jeep

An internal flight takes us from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg. From here we drive to the world famous Kruger National Park. You will defenitely have the opportunity to view wild animals as we we slowly drive to our accomodations. The park is unique in size, set-up and the large veriety of of animals that make their habitat here. In Kruger Park we make a day-excursion that is included in the price. We go on a so called “game drive” where you can view girraffes, zebras, buffalos countless impallas and many colorfull birds and we try to locate elephants and lions. There are protected areas with observation posts whre you can get out of the jeep and observe the wild with out being rushed. It is interesting to wittness how the animals are rarely shy; they never got to know the car as a natural enemy. However, getting out of the jeep in the middle of the park is extremely dangerous and therefore not allowed. There are also organized night-time “game drives”  that are highly recommended since you will be able to view animals that hide during the day.

Day 13 Kruger Park – Blyde River Canyon – Pretoria

Day 14 Depart Pretoria – In transit

Day 16 Arrive US

The last destination of the trip is Pretoria. It will almost take an entire day to reach our last accomodation since we drive via the Panorama route. On the way there are so many beautiful palaces to make a quick stop and enjoy the surroundings. Driving through “Gods Windows” and a spectacular view over Blyde River are breath taking. In Pretoria you have the opportunity to take a look at the Voortrekker Monument where the history of the Boer is carved out of sandstone. A visit to the African goverment buildings and the house of Paul Kruger are also worth a visit. If you would like, you may also travel to Soweto, the intriguing township west of Johannesburg. It is completely safe if you vist accompanied by a guide. The tour leadfer is more than happy to inform you about all the possibilities, later that night you will depart back to the US.