Garden Route, Safari & Winelands

This morning you will be met at your hotel by your representative and depart for the ‘Little Karoo’, travelling via Montagu, a picturesque spa town. Enjoy tea and scones at the only original Art Deco Hotel in South Africa. Stop off in the town of Barrydale, where we will have the opportunity to visit a local farm school, interact with the children and teachers, spending time with them in the classroom, learning more about this rural community. A portion of the trip monies go towards our Barrydale Farm School Development Fund, that support local education of underprivileged children in rural communities. (The school visit is subject to the school being open). Sample top quality port style wines in Calitzdorp, before continuing to Oudtshoorn, the ‘ostrich feather capital’ and centre of the world’s Ostrich farming industry. Overnight in Oudtshoorn. Enjoy dinner at an Ostrich Farm, dining on local specialities. [Included Meals: Dinner]

After breakfast take a tour of the spectacular limestone caverns of the Cango Caves, one of the world’s great natural wonders, sculpted by nature through the ages. Return to Oudtshoorn for a fun filled interactive tractor tour and light lunch at an Ostrich Farm, including local specialities such as Ostrich Steak. Our journey continues over the scenic Outeniqua Pass to George, where we’ll visit the Outeniqua Transport Museum. This museum offers a unique experience of the Garden Route’s railway history, showcasing a vast collection of vintage vehicles, locomotives and other transport related artifacts. Afterwards, continue to Knysna, known as the oyster box of South Africa, nestling on the banks of a beautiful lagoon in the heart of the Garden Route. Along the way, visit the ‘Map of Africa’, an extraordinary viewpoint in Wilderness. Overnight in Knysna. [Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch]

After a leisurely breakfast, drive through the Tsitsikamma Forests. Explore this breathtaking stretch of the Garden Route, where mountains, indigenous forests, deep gorges, and lush vegetation hug the rugged coastline of cliffs and sandy beaches. Visit the spectacular Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River Mouth (weather permitting). In the afternoon you’ll return to Knysna, with a stop in Plettenberg Bay, originally christened "Bahia Formosa" (beautiful bay) by early Portuguese explorers.

Our next stop is Mungo, a family owned and managed textile mill in Plettenberg Bay, producing fine quality textiles, using antique looms alongside modern weaving technology. There is also an option (for own account and subject to availability) to visit Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary, where you will be able to see a variety of primates, roaming free in the forest. A portion of the trip price of this TRAVEL WITH A PURPOSE Activity, goes towards ensuring that these already endangered species can survive and reproduce for a future reintroduction into the wild. There is also an option, (for own account and subject to availability) to visit the Birds of Eden Sanctuary, the biggest single free flight aviary in the world. A portion of the trip price of this TRAVEL WITH A PURPOSE Activity goes towards protecting genetically pure species of various Taxa in a semi-wild state and to hold the seeds of these Taxa for future reintroduction into the wild. Lunch will be enjoyed en route.

Overnight in Knysna. [Included Meals: Breakfast & Lunch]

After a leisurely breakfast, travel via George and Mossel Bay to Albertinia, a town set against the backdrop of the majestic Langeberg Mountain Range. En route, enjoy a leisurely walk or swim at Victoria Bay, one of the smallest and most beautiful bays along the Garden Route. Join an afternoon open vehicle game drive, at a malaria free private game reserve, that is home to an abundance of animal and birdlife, including the Big Five. Enjoy a relaxed dinner of safari cuisine, discussing the day’s game viewing. Overnight in the region of Albertinia. [Included Meals: Breakfast & Dinner]

Our safari adventure continues with an early morning open vehicle game drive. Our expert guide will endeavour to spoil us with sightings of the ‘Big Five’, general game and prolific bird life. Leaving the bush behind, our journey will take us to the picturesque Cape Dutch town of Swellendam. This charming town was founded in 1745 and is famous for its youngberries, eclectic architecture, and National Parks, as well as outdoor activities. Our journey further continues to the seaside resort of Hermanus, known as the heart of the whale route, offering the best land-based whale watching (August to November) in the world. Dinner at the Heritage Restaurant, one of the oldest fisherman’s cottages in Hermanus, where delectable dishes are created using seasonal, local produce. Overnight in Hermanus. [Included Meals: Breakfast & Dinner]

After a leisurely breakfast depart Hermanus and travel to historic Stellenbosch with its Cape Dutch architecture, absorb the quaintness of this lovely university town before continuing to Cape Town, the oldest city in South Africa, spectacularly set at the foot of Table Mountain where the tour ends on arrival. [Included Meals: Breakfast]