Essential South Africa

Upon arrival in Cape Town, we will be met by Goway’s local representative and transferred to our hotel. Cape Town, the Mother City of Africa, is built on a history that is reflected in the architecture, cuisine, music and dance and is a rare cultural gem resulting from the amalgamation of Indonesian, French, Dutch, British, German settlers, the local Bushman, Hottentot and the Bantu tribes. The remainder of the day is free. Tonight we enjoy a ‘Welcome to South Africa” dinner at our hotel. 

After breakfast, we set out on our morning orientation tour of Cape Town including a ride on the cable car to the summit of legendary Table Mountain (weather permitting) for a view of the city and the surrounding landscapes of the southernmost tip of Africa. From here, we proceed to the country’s oldest building, the Castle, and the Company Gardens. Our journey continues as we drive past Parliament Buildings, the City Hall, and the Slave Lodge and sense the depth of history via the distinctive architecture. As we move up the cobblestoned hills to the Malay Quarter, we marvel at the ice-cream colours of the quaint Bo-kaap homes. Our afternoon is at leisure to explore the city at our own pace.

Today we join our guide for our full-day Cape Point and Peninsula coach tour. Sit back and relax . We are going to journey along the exquisite stretch of coastline known as the Millionaire’s Paradise – from Camps Bay and Clifton and then cross over to Hout Bay before continuing along legendary Champman’s Peak Drive to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where we will board a funicular for a magnificent view over False Bay, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. Later we head to the historic naval port of Simon’s Town and visit the African Penguin breeding colony at Boulders Beach before arriving back at our hotel for the evening.

After breakfast this morning we transfer to the airport for our flight north to Hoedspruit where we will be met and transferred to our lodge for our 2-day safari experience. (BD)

Kapama Private Game Reserve occupies a vast area between the northern Drakensberg mountains and the Greater Kruger National Park and is the largest single-owner game reserve in the region. The reserve is in Limpopo Province, an area renowned for superb safari vacations. Kapama's 13000 hectares have all the big game of Africa with 42 mammal species and approximately 350 bird species. This equates to huge natural diversity and includes the famed 'Big 5' - lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino.

A typical day on safari starts at sunrise for an early morning game drive, the best time to spot animals searching for their first meal of the day. We return to our lodge for brunch and then spend the rest of the day at leisure until mid-afternoon. We will then head out on another game drive which will last until sunset.

A full day of game drives if you choose or you may want to relax at the lodge for the whole or part of the day – the choice is yours!

After a leisurely morning, we transfer to the airport for our short flight to South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg. On arrival, we will be met and transferred to our hotel for a free evening.

Johannesburg, (pop. 3,225,810), Founded in 1886, Johannesburg, also known as Jo’burg, is the largest city in South Africa. It is also the most important industrial, financial, and commercial center in Africa south of the Sahara. Situated in the northeastern part of South Africa, Johannesburg is the capital of the province of Gauteng. Since 1995, the city of Johannesburg has included the formerly separate black African township of Soweto.

After a delicious buffet breakfast at our hotel, we set off for a sightseeing day full of contrasts.
This morning we tour Soweto, a place steeped in Apartheid history, and today, a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit. We will see the family homes of Winnie Mandela and Bishop Tutu and the former home of Nelson Mandela.

This afternoon we tour into the heart of Johannesburg starting with a visit to Constitution Hill, home of South Africa’s architectural marvel, the Constitutional Court and the site of Johannesburg’s Old Fort Prison. We drive through the quaint and quirky suburb of Melville with its trendy shops and restaurants and stop at the Newtown Market, home of Johannesburg Market Theatre.

Our last stop will be at the Museum Africa, Johannesburg’s premier cultural history museum, reminiscent of a 1950’s shebeen or pub, where we will sense the soul of the inner city. Return to our hotel at the end of the tour via the flipside of the coin, the lush, up-market suburb of the lower Houghton. Tonight we end our tour with a sumptuous farewell dinner at our hotel.

We transfer to the airport today to connect with our flights home or to Victoria Falls if you have chosen to extend your touring.