A tour exclusively for Kuoni clients in small groups showcasing the best South Africa has to offer, including the famous Kruger National Park, dramatic and poignant Kwa Zulu Natal battlefields and the stunning natural scenery of the Garden Route and Cape Town.
MEAL PLAN → Breakfast throughout, plus dinner Days 2, 3, 4, 8 and 14; breakfast and dinner in Mauritius.
ACCOMMODATION → Is in three and four star hotels or lodges. Alternatives to those listed may be used on occasion according to local availability.
GRATUITIES → Small amounts are often are recommended for services such as porterage. We recommend tipping your guide at the end of the tour.
TRAVEL TIPS → Sun cream, a wide brimmed hat and a camera are essential. Don’t wear bright colours or white on safari, muted greens and browns are best.
MINIMUM NUMBERS → This tour is subject to a minimum number of passengers.
NB → Minimum age 12 years. If arriving on different flights to those shown, arrival must be by 10am local time. There may be a short wait at the airport before the tour departs.
ESCORTED SMALL GROUP TOUR
Best of South Africa tour is escorted by an English speaking local guide from arrival in Johannesburg right through to departure from Cape Town. Groups will be a maximum of 13 passengers. Extensions are not escorted but assistance is provided by our local representatives.
Your itinerary
DAY 1 → South African Airways overnight flight from Heathrow to Johannesburg.
DAY 2 → On arrival you are met by a Kuoni representative and depart for the capital, Pretoria, for a city tour en route to your hotel. Pass the government buildings and visit the Voortrekker Monument before a welcome dinner in the Premier Pretoria Hotel where you stay overnight (approx. 125 miles, 1 hour).
DAY 3 → Journey through Mpumulanga province today to the incredibly scenic Panorama Route including stops at Bourke's Luck Potholes and God’s Window. Arrive at the Protea Hotel Winkler near Hazyview where you will stay for the next two nights, located approx. 20 minutes from the world famous Kruger Park (approx. 250 miles, 9 hours).
DAY 4 → A full day safari in an open safari vehicle today exploring the Kruger Park (breakfast pack included). English speaking rangers will guide you in search of the ‘Big Five’. Lunch (own expense) is taken at a rest camp (approx. 125 miles, 9 hours).
DAY 5 → Today enjoy an enchanting drive to the Kingdom of Swaziland where you visit a cultural village, a Glass Works, capital Mbabane and its vibrant markets. Tonight stay in Manzini at the Tum's George Hotel (approx. 190 miles, 6 hours).
DAY 6 → Visit the Swazi Candle Factory en route south to Zululand. A relatively unexplored area of the country with magnificent scenery and wildlife and home to South Africa’s oldest National Park, the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi. Arrive in Hluhluwe in the afternoon with the rest of the day at leisure. Spend the next two nights at Emdoneni Lodge in a Standard room (approx. 260 miles, 4 hours).
DAY 7 → Morning game drive in an open safari vehicle in the National Park, known for Rhino spotting. Return to the hotel before embarking on a boat safari on Lake St Lucia, a World Heritage Site where you might spot hippos and plentiful bird life (approx. 145 miles, 4 hours).
DAY 8 → Travel inland towards the majestic and historic Drakensberg Mountains. En route take a battlefield tour including two of the most famous – Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, where the feats of British Soldiers were immortalised in the film ‘Zulu’. Overnight in the town of Dundee at the Royal Country Inn in a Standard room (approx. 220 miles, 4½ hours).
DAY 9 → Drive approx. four hours south to the beach city of Durban for a city tour stopping at the Botanical Gardens and Indian Market before arriving at the pleasant suburb of Umhlanga and the Protea Hotel in a Standard room for one night (approx. 220 miles, 5 hours).
DAY 10 → After an early breakfast fly from Durban to Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. From here head west to Tsitsikamma, a mountainous region with secluded valleys and deep gorges, continuing to Plettenberg Bay, stopping at Monkeyland – the world’s first free roaming multi-species primate sanctuary. Continue to the famous oyster town of Knysna, nestled along the shores of the stunning lagoon. Time permitting, take an optional sunset cruise. Overnight at Protea Hotel Knysna Quays in a Standard room (approx. 230 miles, 4 hours).
DAY 11 → After breakfast visit Oudtshoorn for a tour of an ostrich farm and visit the Cango Caves for a tour of their vast interior. Overnight at Hlangana Lodge in a Standard room (approx. 80 miles, 2 hours).
DAY 12 → The ‘alternative’ Garden Route today, the route 62 towards Cape Town. More interesting and scenic than the motorway, you pass through the Breede River Valley and Klein Karoo, two of South Africa’s most diverse regions. On arrival in Cape Town the rest of the day is at leisure to explore the shopping, food and nightlife. Spend three nights at the Protea Hotel President in a Standard room, a five minute taxi from the V&A waterfront (approx. 270 miles, 5 hours).
DAY 13 → Explore the famed Cape Peninsula today on a full day tour, visiting Table Mountain (including cable car to the top – weather permitting) and Hout Bay, where you can take an optional 40 minute cruise to Seal Island (weather permitting). Continue to the Cape Point Nature Reserve and the Boulders Beach penguin colony before returning (approx. 160 miles, 7 hours).
DAY 14 → Enjoy a full day tour of the beautiful winelands region today, including the Huguenot museum in Franschhoek, some fine vineyards for tasting, then onto Stellenbosch to explore the historic university town. A second tasting and cellar tour follows before returning to Cape Town for a Farewell Dinner (approx. 140 miles, 8 hours).
DAY 15 → Day at leisure, before your South African Airways overnight flight to Heathrow.
EXTENSION
MAURITIUS
DAY 15 → South African Airways flight via Johannesburg to Mauritius for four nights at Le Meridien Ile Maurice in a Deluxe room, a great base from which to enjoy this beautiful tropical island.
DAY 19 → Air Mauritius overnight flight to Heathrow, arriving the next day.
Best of South Africa 13 Nights From Pretoria to Cape Town
→ Pretoria: 1 night
→ Mpumalanga/Kruger Park: 2 nights
→ Swaziland: 1 night
→ Hluhluwe: 2 nights
→ Battlefields: 1 night
→ Durban: 1 night
→ Knysna: 1 night
→ Oudtshoorn: 1 night
→ Cape Town: 3 nights
