11 Days South Africa Highlights Safari

Arrive at OR Tambo International Airport. Transfer to the greater Kruger National Park region. Check in to your private game lodge in a concession bordering Kruger. Evening welcome dinner and bush briefing from your ranger.

Full day of sunrise and sunset game drives with a specialist ranger in an open 4×4 vehicle. Kruger's southern section is particularly rich in lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, and the full Big Five. Night drive with a spotlight for nocturnal species: civets, genets, porcupines, and perhaps a leopard on the prowl.

Another rewarding day in Kruger. Morning walk with an armed ranger to learn about tracking and the smaller creatures of the bush. Afternoon game drive toward the river systems where large herds of elephant and buffalo water in the late afternoon light. Sundowner drinks in the bush.

Early morning game drive, then check out and drive the dramatic Panorama Route: Bourke's Luck Potholes (spectacular geological formations carved by the Blyde River), God's Window (a viewpoint over the lowveld far below), and Three Rondavels. Transfer to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport for flight to George on the Garden Route.

Drive east along the Garden Route to Tsitsikamma National Park: ancient yellowwood forests stretching down to dramatic sea cliffs. Walk the Storms River suspension bridge trail through the forest canopy. Continue to Knysna: the famous lagoon, the Heads, and the Knysna Oyster Company for a tasting. Overnight in Knysna or Plettenberg Bay.

Drive west through Mossel Bay and the whale nursery town of Hermanus: the world's best land-based whale watching destination (southern right whales present June–December). Continue along the coastal route through the Overberg wine region. Arrive Cape Town in the late afternoon.

Full-day Cape Peninsula drive: Hout Bay, Chapman's Peak (one of the world's most scenic coastal drives), Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Cape Point lighthouse, and Boulders Beach penguin colony. Return via Simon's Town and Kalk Bay for a seafood dinner.

Morning cable car ascent of Table Mountain: Cape Town's iconic flat-topped peak, one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. Afternoon at the V&A Waterfront: the Zeitz MOCAA contemporary art museum, craft beer, artisan markets, and the iconic harbour views. Sunset at Signal Hill or a clifftop bar.

Day trip into the Winelands. Begin in historic Stellenbosch: oak-lined streets, galleries, and estate wine tasting: before continuing to the French-influenced Franschhoek Valley for a long lunch at one of South Africa's most celebrated wine estates. Return via Paarl and the Huguenot Memorial.

Morning ferry to Robben Island: guided by a former political prisoner who brings history powerfully to life. Return to the Waterfront for lunch. Afternoon walking tour of Bo-Kaap, the colourful Malay Quarter. Evening farewell dinner at a top Cape Town restaurant overlooking the city lights.

Morning at leisure for final shopping or a walk along Sea Point promenade. Transfer to Cape Town International Airport for your departure flight. End of Saringi services.