9D8N LUXURY SOUTH AFRICA WITH SAFARI EXPERIENCE
Explore Cape Town, the wine regions, and get out on a safari at Kruger National Park. Be on the lookout for the Big Five—elephants, buffalo, rhino, lion, and leopard and other creatures during open-vehicle game drives. At the same time, contribute to good causes and volunteer on your luxury South Africa safari holiday. Stay at the Mala Mala Game Reserve, which consistently produces the most exciting wildlife experience on this side of the equator! The Safari Industry's blueprint to the luxury photographic safari, MalaMala has been custodian of this massive thriving tract of land since 1927. MalaMala Game Reserve is one of the largest private Big Five game reserve in South Africa. Comprising 13 300 ha (33 000 acres), MalaMala shares a 19 km (12 mile) unfenced border with the world-renowned Kruger National Park, and lies strategically sandwiched between the National Park and the Sabi Sand Reserve.
Itinerary:
DAY 1 CAPE TOWN
(Full Day Table Mountain & Cape Town City Tour)
Upon arrival at the Cape Town Airport, meet & greet by our friendly English Speaking Driver-guide. Continue on a private Cape Town City Tour. The tour commences with a tour of Table Mountain (weather permitting - cable car fee not included). Enjoy panoramic views over the Mother City and the Atlantic Seaboard with Robben Island in the distance lying sleepily in Table Bay harbor. Next up you will pass one of the country’s oldest colonial buildings, The Cape Castle and the Company Gardens. Then you’ll be driven past Parliament Buildings, City Hall which is where Nelson Mandela made his first public speech after his release from prison and the Slave Lodge, then through the cobblestoned hills to the beautifully colourful homes of the Bo-Kaap in the Malay Quarter. Transfer back to hotel in the evening & rest.
Overnight at 5* Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront
DAY 2 CAPE TOWN
(Breakfast)
Depart on a Full day Cape Point Tour. We travel along the Atlantic Seaboard via Sea Point, Clifton and Camps Bay, stopping at a Llandudno look-out point before continuing to Hout Bay, a quaint village and fishing harbour with magnificent mountain views and beach. Take a Seal Island boat trip (seasonal and weather permitting). We then travel on through Chapman’s Peak, one of the world’s most breath-taking coastal drives, to Cape Point and the Good Hope Nature Reserve, which has magnificent fynbos vegetation, birdlife, endemic antelope species and zebra, historic lighthouses and shipwrecks.
After lunch at a nearby restaurant, we go on to historic Simon’s Town, a village with charming Victorian architecture, a naval base and a large penguin colony at the beautiful Boulders Beach. Boulders Penguin Colony is home to a growing colony of the vulnerable African Penguin. Wooden walkways allow visitors to view the magnificent penguins in their natural habitat. Return to Cape Town hotel in the evening & rest.
Overnight at 5* Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront
DAY 3 CAPE TOWN WINELANDS
(Breakfast,Lunch)
Breakfast at hotel. Continue on a Cape Winelands tour including Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl
Winery Tour Activities:
Chocolate and Wine Pairing Tasting
Lunch at a local Wine Farm
MCC and Nougat Pairing Tasting
After the tour, return to Cape Town hotel. Evening at leisure
Overnight at 5* Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront
DAY 4 CAPE TOWN
(Breakfast)
Breakfast at hotel. Today depart to Hermanus for a Whale Watching Cruise by Southern Right Charter (weather permitting). After the cruise, continue to explore Hermanus town. Highlights of a Hermanus Day Trip include the scenic coastal drive along the eastern shore of False Bay, the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens and the popular beach resort of Hermanus, where hopefully the whales will awe you. Return to Cape Town in the evening.
**SOUTHERN RIGHT CHARTERS is a leading boat based whale watching operator. The company is environmentally sensitive and as a licensed permit holder operates under the motto OBSERVING NOT DISTURBING. The company has been in operation since 1999 and is located in Hermanus, regarded as one of the best whale watching areas in the world. This up, close and personal encounter with the gentle giants of the ocean promises to be an ‘experience to be treasured.’
WHAT YOU CAN ENCOUNTER
Encounter Southern Right, Humpback & Bryde’s whales.
Dolphins, Seals, and a large variety of marine birds including the African penguin.
JUNE-DECEMBER | Southern Right whales
Overnight at 5* Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront
DAY 5 MALA MALA GAME RESERVE (SAFARI EXPERIENCE)
(3N Full Board Plus – Include Dinner, Bed, Breakfast, Lunch and Activities)
Today, private transfer to Cape Town International Airport for your scheduled domestic flight to Skukuza SZK Airport Airlink 4Z651 ETD 1035hrs. On arrival at Skukuza Airport ETA 1305hrs. Meet your lodge representative who will transfer you to the Mala Mala Rattrays Camp for your 3 night stay.
MalaMala Game Reserve is one of the largest private Big Five game reserve in South Africa. Comprising 13 300 ha (33 000 acres), MalaMala shares a 19 km (12 mile) unfenced border with the world-renowned Kruger National Park, and lies strategically sandwiched between the National Park and the Sabi Sand Reserve. Every aspect of MalaMala Camp and Sable Camp is designed to appreciate and enjoy the view of the surrounding wilds. Pathways wind their way along the perimeter of the camp to reveal individual ochre colored units tucked into the greenery which flanks the Sand River. Massive trees and rolling green lawns are filled with birdsong, with the occasional antelope or elephant which seeks the succulence of greenery.
Special Interests: Big 5, Birding, Flora, Leisure, Nature, Relaxation, Star Gazing, Wildlife, Wine
A Typical Day at Mala Mala
05h30 Wake-up call by your ranger heralds the dawn.
06h00 Meet your ranger and safari companions on the safari deck as the sun rises over the bushveld. Hot and cold beverages and a light snack are available. The early-morning game drive follows.
09h30 Return to camp where a hearty brunch awaits you in the air-conditioned dining room or on the expansive safari deck. For the more energetic, join the bush walk after brunch. Alternatively, relax around the pool, browse through the safari boutique, work out in the small gym or perhaps take a siesta to make up for that early-morning wake-up call. Feel free to explore the camp but please do not walk beyond the camp perimeters unless accompanied by a ranger.
15h00 Meet on the expansive safari deck for hot and cold beverages and a light snack before departing on another unforgettable safari. A cooler box with the veritable sundowners are carried on the Land Rover, and a consensus among your fellow safari-ites will determine whether a G & T is worth more than a leopard sighting! As darkness approaches, your ranger will scan the bush with a powerful spotlight and will point out elusive nocturnal wildlife – a highlight of the day’s safari. As darkness settles over the bush, look out for the Milky Way and try to find the Southern Cross.
20h00 Return to camp, allowing time for you to freshen up before meeting your friends and rangers for pre-dinner drinks in the cosy Safari Bar.
20h30 Dinner is served in the reed-enclosed boma under an ancient jackalberry tree. Alternatively, when the weather is suitable, a candlelit dinner is served on the safari deck overlooking the Sand River. While seated around a log fire under the starry African sky, enjoy the superb food and excellent wines – yet another highlight of the MalaMala experience.
*Game drives are conducted twice a day (early morning, and late afternoon/ evening) in open 4-wheel drive safari vehicles. The rangers are in constant radio communication with one another to keep each other informed about the location of wildlife. Headsets are used for this purpose so as not to interrupt the sounds of the African bush. The 4-wheel drive safari vehicles enable the rangers to leave the road and provide guests with close up game viewing and fantastic photographic opportunities. Night drives, with the aid of powerful spotlights, bring the bush to life at night.
*Bush Walks - Visitors may head out on foot with their armed ranger. The perspective of the bush is entirely different to that of a vehicle, and guests will learn to read the signs of the wild, and perhaps come into close contact with the different animal species on the reserve.
*The Boma - Dinners are served under the stars inside a reed "Boma" and around a fire.
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DAY 8 MALA MALA CAMP – JOHANNESBURG CITY TOUR
After breakfast, morning check out from camp. Transfer to Nelspruit Airport MQP 4Z824 ETD 0820hrs for your scheduled flight to Johannesburg. On arrival at OR Tambo International Airport Johannesburg ETA 0915hrs, meet and greet by representative and local English-speaking driver-guide. Transfer to a Johannesburg City Tour. Johannesburg Southern Africa's economic powerhouse and although it is the city of gold there are many attractions aside from mining. Much of the big business has moved from the old town but the fascinating stories and historical buildings remain. Major sites include the Carlton Centre (Africa’s tallest building), the iconic Brixton Tower, Newtown, the Constitutional Court, the Nelson Mandela Bridge and the Origins Centre. Transfer back to hotel in the evening.
Overnight at 5* Johannesburg Marriot Melrose Arch
DAY 9 JOHANNESBURG – SINGAPORE
This morning, after check out hotel, you will be transfer to Johannesburg Airport for your flight to Singapore.
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Please note: This itinerary is designed to give you an idea of what to expect on the tour but is not set in stone. What we actually do on a given day is flexible and can be tailored based on the interests of the group.
This itinerary and its package inclusions might be changed later in time, subject to availability.