Cape Town, The Blue Train & Kruger 2012 

We depart London on a flight to Cape Town, arriving on the morning of Day 2. We enjoy a guided tour of Cape Town, taking in the main sights, following this we transfer to the 5-star Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront for three nights, superbly overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. After time to freshen up, we head out again to make the cable ascent of Table Mountain to enjoy panoramic views of the city. Your evening is free to spend at leisure. Perhaps take a walk around the wonderful waterfront set against a backdrop of sea and mountain views.

Today we travel to Cape Point on the Cape of Good Hope, at the south-western tip of Africa. At Cape Point we take the Flying Dutchman funicular railway up to a vantage point, where we can admire the awe-inspiring views. After enjoying lunch together, we travel along False Bay via Simon's Town naval base to the wonderful Penguin colony at Boulders Beach, home to the only indigenous penguin in Africa, before making our way back to Cape Town.

Today we travel by coach around two of South Africa's finest wine producing areas: the Franschhoek and Stellenbosch valleys. As well as enjoying lunch on a wine estate, we sample some of the local wines during a tasting session. We return to the hotel for an evening at leisure.

We travel to the railway station this morning to begin our journey on the iconic Blue Train. A Blue Train butler will escort you to your cabin and provide an orientation of the train before inviting you for brunch as we begin our journey to Pretoria. The service on board The Blue Train is impeccable, as we enjoy meals and drinks including afternoon tea, aperitifs and after our lavish formal dinner of local cuisine accompanied by wine from the Cape winelands, a selection of post-dinner drinks. The Blue Train passes through the southern reaches of the Swartland and enters the first of the Boland Mountain passes, before climbing through the famous winelands to reach the Karoo plateau. Our first stop is at Matjiesfontein - an historic Karoo village dating back to the early 1900s. Returning to the train, we continue through the vast Great Karoo hinterland, through the towns of Beaufort West, Victoria West and De Aar before turning north to Kimberley and heading towards the Free State.

We enjoy breakfast on board the train as we travel towards the sprawling metropolis of Johannesburg. We reach Pretoria - the administrative capital of South Africa - late morning, where our journey on The Blue Train concludes. After alighting from the train we transfer by coach to the superb 5-star Sheraton Hotel Pretoria, located opposite the famous Parliament building. Your afternoon is free to explore Pretoria at leisure. The city has a long, involved and fascinating history. It was here that Winston Churchill was imprisoned during the Anglo- Boer War. Once a symbol of apartheid, the city now represents Mandela's movement towards unity and peace.

We transfer to Johannesburg Airport for an internal flight to Eastgate Airport (Hoedspruit) for a three-night safari in the Greater Kruger National Park. We transfer to our accommodation at the Kapama Southern Lodge, located in the Kapama Private Game Reserve - the largest single-owned reserve in the area. This afternoon we enjoy our first game drive in the park.

We enjoy early morning and afternoon game drives on both Day 8 and Day 9. In the morning we meet for tea or coffee and a snack before first light, heading out into the game park as day breaks. A local, skilled ranger accompanies each jeep as we track the big cats, still out from their night spent hunting. The park is home to the "Big Five" (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo), all of which it is possible to see during our game drives. There are also many other species to be seen, large and small, as well as fascinating plants and colourful birds. We pause halfway through the morning game drive for hot drinks and snacks from the jeep's snack box. We return at around 9am for breakfast. During the rest of the day, you are likely to see wildlife like nyala antelope and vervet monkeys around the lodges. Spend the day relaxing in the spa or by the swimming pool. You could even enjoy a hot-air balloon ride (payable locally) for a truly stunning park experience. Following an early tea, we head into the game park for the day's second safari adventure, returning in time to freshen up ahead of dinner.

We leave Kapama around lunchtime on Day 10, on an internal flight to Johannesburg, where we board an overnight flight this evening to London, arriving into Heathrow on Day 11.