Victoria Falls, Cape Town and the Garden Route

To South Africa and the Garden Route

Our incredible southern African adventure begins at London Heathrow as we board an overnight flight to Port Elizabeth via Johannesburg, arriving on Day 2 for an overnight stay.

Knysna Lagoon and oyster tasting

This morning we take a wonderful journey by on the famous and extremely scenic 'Garden Route', which runs between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, almost at the very southernmost tip of the entire African landmass. We pause at Plettenberg Bay before continuing to Knysna, set on the beautiful and rugged Paradise Coast, for an overnight stay. Knysna has built up around a vast lagoon of the same name, and is known for its annual oyster festival, a local delicacy. We enjoy a scenic boat trip on Knysna Lagoon today, cruising the calm azure waters to the infamous Knysna Heads which flank the narrow channel between the lagoon and the ocean beyond. We reach the Featherbed Nature Reserve and disembark. During our visit here we enjoy a tasting of the famed local oysters, freshly caught from Knysna Lagoon.

Ostriches, Cango Caves and Hermanus

Today we continue our westward journey along the Garden Route. Our first stop is delightful George, where your time is at leisure to explore the town centre with its artisan shops full of rare antiques and curious. We then head to Oudsthoorn. Famed for its abundant ostrich population, we encounter some of these fascinating birds on a guided tour of an ostrich show farm. We then pay a visit to Cango Caves and take a tour of the eerie caverns, adorned with otherworldly and beguiling formations that will take your breath away. We then continue to Hermanus for a two-night stay.

Whale watching in Walker Bay

This morning we enjoy a wonderful cruise around majestic Walker Bay, taking in the region's superb wildlife, stunning coastal scenery and famed whales. Known as the "Whale Watching Capital of the World" Hermanus is no stranger to the mysterious creatures, which we hope to spot on our cruise. The elusive star is the southern right whale which migrates from Antarctica annually. Our afternoon is free. You could relax on one of the heavenly beaches, or join a tour along the cliffs with the world's only "whale-crier".

Wine-tasting and to Cape Town

We depart Hermanus and continue along the final stretch of the Garden Route. We visit South Africa's stunning wine heartlands in beautiful Stellenbosch Valley. Here we enjoy a tasting of the new world wines, ahead of a delicious lunch. Following our visit, we continue to Cape Town for three nights at the Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel.

Discovering Cape Town

Cape Town has become known as a cultural hotspot and there is no better way to take in all this fabulous city has to offer than from the top of its most iconic landmark, Table Mountain. We travel to the summit (weather permitting) via cable car for outstanding views. Later, we make our way by ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated during the height of apartheid. Here we take a guided tour of the prison. On Day 8 we head to South Africa's southwestern most promontory, Cape Point. We enjoy a journey on the Flying Dutchman Funicular Railway for unimpeded views over the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. The peninsula was nicknamed 'Cape of Storms' by sailors due to its treacherous weather conditions and jagged rocks. Later, we head to Boulders Beach, home to a colony of African penguins.

The Pride of Africa to Pretoria

This morning we embark on a two night adventure aboard the sumptuous Pride of Africa to Pretoria. This 1000-mile journey takes us through some of South Africa's most diverse landscapes. Later we arrive in to the historic village of Matjiesfontein, whose station and town centre are National Monuments. Here there is time to explore. On Day 10, we spend the morning relaxing in our spacious compartments and enjoy the views. This afternoon we arrive in Kimberley. The city has a rich diamond mining heritage, which we discover on a visit to its famed 'Big Hole' mining museum, a recreated town-scape which houses a fascinating collection of artefacts from the diamond rush that led to the creation of this enormous excavation. We rejoin the train, and we may catch a glimpse of the resident flamingos as we pass by Kimberley Lake.

Day 11 begins with a leisurely morning as we enjoy the passing scenery of Krugersdorp, the goldfields of Witwatersrand and Johannesburg before arriving into Pretoria, the seat of South Africa's government. From the grand Rovos railway station, we visit the famous Voortrekker Monument. This enormous cenotaph is situated in a nature reserve, and was erected in honour of South Africa's pioneers. We spend tonight at the Lombardy Hotel.

Chobe National Park

This morning we transfer to Johannesburg airport and fly to Livingstone, Zambia. On arrival, we are met by a coach for our onwards journey across the border into Botswana, to Chobe National Park, which is teeming with fascinating and rare creatures. Here we stay overnight in either Chobe Bush Lodge or Safari Lodge, and enjoy a game drive on our first evening. On Day 13 we take one game drive in the morning to try and spot some of the outstanding wildlife here. The Park is home to the 'Big Five' Lodge, including an impressive Kalahari elephant population - up to 50,000 of these magnificent animals roam the floodplains, swamps and woodland. Along the Chobe River, there is also a wide variety of birds and water dwelling animals to spot including fish eagles, herons, the rare African skimmer, hippos and crocodiles. This evening we enjoy a sunset cruise.

Please Note: For departure RSG1802  you will stay at the Cresta Mowana Safari and Resort in Chobe

Victoria Falls

Today we drive back into Zambia and here we experience one of the highlights of our holiday as we continue to one of the world's most breathtaking natural wonders: Victoria Falls. Known as "the smoke that thunders", these impressive waterfalls span the Zambia- Zimbabwe border, plunging dramatically into a chasm and down a series of basalt gorges, and creating an iridescent mist rising eerily from its cauldron that can be spotted from more than 10 miles away. We enjoy a close views of the falls on a magical cruise this evening, admiring the gleaming sunset with cocktails on board. We spend two nights in the vicinity of Victoria Falls, and Day 15 is free for you to soak up the splendour of this incredible attraction as you wish. If you're feeling adventurous, you can admire this stunning sight from a helicopter.

Return to London

Today we transfer back to Livingstone Airport for our flight via Johannesburg to London, arriving on Day 17.

Please note

Please note that while every departure of this tour features the same excursions, they may not necessarily be in the order listed above.

Departure Times

Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We write to all booked customers approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advise the exact departure and return time for their particular group.