This is a great way to get an introduction to “the Mother City”, Cape Town. Go for a tour in the city and surrounding area, including the city centre, Company’s Gardens, Cape Town Castle, the Bo Kaap, Signal Hill and the V&A Waterfront. A big part of this tour is walking around the city with your guide getting to know the city, its different cultures, history and geography. A highlight of the day is riding to the top of the famous Table Mountain in a cable car, for magnificent views over Table Bay, Robben Island, The Cape Peninsula and Lions Head.

Day 1 highlights

The Western Cape of South Africa is home to more than 500 wineries, and today we will visit a few of our favourites. The winelands offer more than just wine though – there is also beautiful scenery and interesting history to enjoy along the way. We typically visit the following three wineries, but we like to consult with our clients on the day to tailor the stops to their tastes.

• Villiera is a family-run winery in the Stellenbosch region and is well known for their excellent Cap Classique (sparkling wine), as well as their environmental initiatives.
• Babylonstoren is one of the oldest Cape Dutch Farms, with a fruit and vegetable farm of great diversity, inspired by the famous Company’s Garden of the Cape.
• Delaire Graff Estate is the ultimate in luxury and a world-class destination for wine in a stunning setting.

Day 2 highlights

Join us on a spectacular journey to the Cape of Good Hope. We will start by driving to the beautiful Atlantic seaside suburbs of Clifton and Camps Bay to see the Twelve Apostles Mountains. We will then take the coastal road to the Hout Bay harbour, for a visit to the resident Cape Fur Seals. After Hout Bay, onto a scenic drive up Chapman’s Peak, for one of the best views in the region. We will then travel into the Cape Point National Park to see the Cape of Good Hope, the furthest southwestern point in Africa. In the afternoon, we will stop to see the endangered African Penguin colony at Boulders Beach, before finishing our afternoon with a wine tasting in Constantia.

Day 3 highlights

We depart from Cape Town in the morning for Hermanus. We follow the scenic coastal road, stopping at Betties Bay to view a colony of endangered African penguins. You can spend the afternoon in the seaside resort town of Hermanus, famous for hundreds of Southern Right Whales during the whale season (July to November) and many shops, restaurants and markets. In the afternoon, we will drive on to Cape Agulhas, the most southern tip of Africa, where we visit a viewpoint known as the “real” place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.

Day 4 highlights

We travel to Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo, known as the Ostrich Capital of the World, via the scenic and spectacular Route 62, which is South Africa’s longest wine route. You will be able to experience the subterranean beauty of the Cango Caves on a guided tour, followed by a sampling of the local wine.

Day 5 highlights

After breakfast, we head over the spectacular Outeniqua Mountain pass where we will explore Wilderness National Park with some canoes. Alternatively, if guests aren’t keen to canoe, we can travel through to the famous town of Knysna, where we can go on a Knysna Lagoon cruise. In the afternoon, we can explore the up-market little town of Knysna, filled with curios, restaurants and a waterfront, as well as visit the Knysna Heads viewpoint for some spectacular views over Knysna River estuary and the Indian Ocean.

Day 6 highlights

After breakfast, off to Tsitsikamma National Park. En route we will stop at Bloukrans Bridge to view the world’s highest bungee jump bridge (216 meters). The afternoon will be spent in Tsitsikamma National Park with its unique combination of indigenous forest and beautiful Indian Ocean coastline. The park has a wide choice of activities for all, including hiking, crossing a suspension bridge and swimming. Late afternoon we will leave the Garden Route for Big 5 country, Addo.

Day 7 highlights

We will spend the morning exploring Addo Elephant National Park. We will spend up to 3-4 hours exploring the 28,000-hectare National reserve with over 600 elephant and some Cape buffalo, lion, black rhino, warthog, zebra, eland, kudu, hartebeest and many more animals. After an exciting morning of game viewing, we will drive back to the heart of the Garden Route where we will overnight and have sundowners overlooking the spectacular Wilderness Beach.

Day 8 highlights

After breakfast at the popular George Farmers’ Market, we will stop in Mossel Bay to spend some time on the spectacular beaches, hike the Cape St. Blaize trail along the cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean, and visit the famous Diaz Museum complex, commemorating the first known European exploration around the tip of Africa. The more adventurous can try a 10,000-foot tandem skydive or sand boarding on the longest dune in South Africa. We will arrive back to Cape Town in the early evening.

Cape Town Garden Route Tours – Day 9 highlights