Fly drive to Cape Town and the Winelands
| country: | South Africa |
| location: | Garden Route, Cape Town, Western Cape |
| departures: | This trip can be arranged at any time and can be tailored to fit your own unique requirements, interests and budget. |
| price: | From £1285 (10 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Self-drive is very common in South Africa with generally good quality roads and they drive on the left. It is easy to get around the Cape & Garden Route with reasonable distances between the different stops. Cape Town and the Winelands offer a range of places of interest and activities most definitely worth visiting. Some ideas include:
Table Mountain:The easiest way to reach the summit is via the Cableway, offering stunning views in all directions thanks to its rotating floor. For the more adventurous visitor there are several hiking routes, which range from gentle to challenging.
Robben Island: The famous prison on Robben Island has now been proclaimed a UN World Heritage Site. The standard guided tour is 2.5 hours long and is lead by one of the prison's former inmates.
Constantia Wine Route: A region of ancient vineyards and leafy forests claiming to be the birthplace of South Africa’s wine industry. No wine route experience is complete without a wine tasting event and we recommend Buitenverwachting, on Klein Constantia Road, a family run vineyard whose operations immediately benefit the local community and workforce.
Two Oceans Craft & Cultural Centre: Situated next to one of the region’s largest townships, offering township tours, which provide vital funds for e.g. clean water supplies and education for some of the country’s poorest residents. Two Oceans also has a vegetarian restaurant and offers traditional interactive drumming in its Kraal Theatre.
Simon’s Town: South Africa’s third oldest European settlement with a rich cultural heritage and a number of excellent museums.
The Boulders:Within walking distance of Simon’s Town you will find a sheltered cove named the Boulders, famous as one of only two mainland locations on the African continent to house an African penguin colony.
Cape Point: One of the regions most frequently visited sites is the southernmost tip of the Cape Peninsula, part of Cape Peninsula National Park. It offers dramatic viewpoints, a number of secluded beaches & picnic sites and a superb diversity of native fynbos species.
Today little remains of the indigenous forest that once covered the Garden Route. Knysna Forest has some excellent preserved original forests, but elsewhere quick growing pines have often been planted. Despite environmental pressures, the Garden Route retains its beauty and still offers a rewarding experience for the adventure and nature based tourist. The Garden Route's 200 km of coastal plains and mountains with a mild climate has allowed a diverse flora to develop, which in turn supports a wide range of bird and animal life. The climate in the Garden Route region is temperate rather than tropical. Approaching Mossel Bay it is sometimes possible to see snow on the mountain peaks in July (SA winter). Temperatures range from 25-30ºC in the summer and can drop to below 10ºC in the winter.
Table Mountain:The easiest way to reach the summit is via the Cableway, offering stunning views in all directions thanks to its rotating floor. For the more adventurous visitor there are several hiking routes, which range from gentle to challenging.
Robben Island: The famous prison on Robben Island has now been proclaimed a UN World Heritage Site. The standard guided tour is 2.5 hours long and is lead by one of the prison's former inmates.
Constantia Wine Route: A region of ancient vineyards and leafy forests claiming to be the birthplace of South Africa’s wine industry. No wine route experience is complete without a wine tasting event and we recommend Buitenverwachting, on Klein Constantia Road, a family run vineyard whose operations immediately benefit the local community and workforce.
Two Oceans Craft & Cultural Centre: Situated next to one of the region’s largest townships, offering township tours, which provide vital funds for e.g. clean water supplies and education for some of the country’s poorest residents. Two Oceans also has a vegetarian restaurant and offers traditional interactive drumming in its Kraal Theatre.
Simon’s Town: South Africa’s third oldest European settlement with a rich cultural heritage and a number of excellent museums.
The Boulders:Within walking distance of Simon’s Town you will find a sheltered cove named the Boulders, famous as one of only two mainland locations on the African continent to house an African penguin colony.
Cape Point: One of the regions most frequently visited sites is the southernmost tip of the Cape Peninsula, part of Cape Peninsula National Park. It offers dramatic viewpoints, a number of secluded beaches & picnic sites and a superb diversity of native fynbos species.
Today little remains of the indigenous forest that once covered the Garden Route. Knysna Forest has some excellent preserved original forests, but elsewhere quick growing pines have often been planted. Despite environmental pressures, the Garden Route retains its beauty and still offers a rewarding experience for the adventure and nature based tourist. The Garden Route's 200 km of coastal plains and mountains with a mild climate has allowed a diverse flora to develop, which in turn supports a wide range of bird and animal life. The climate in the Garden Route region is temperate rather than tropical. Approaching Mossel Bay it is sometimes possible to see snow on the mountain peaks in July (SA winter). Temperatures range from 25-30ºC in the summer and can drop to below 10ºC in the winter.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | On arrival in Cape Town you kick off with a guided orientation tour of the city and a traditional welcome lunch in the historical Bo-Kaap Malay Quarter. You can stretch your legs in the Company Gardens before being transferred to your accommodation for a good rest. Overnight An African Villa (B&B + lunch) | |
| Day 2-3: | The following 2 days are yours to fill from a wide selection of interesting sightseeing and historical guided tours: | |
| Day 4: | After breakfast your rental vehicle (car group B) will be delivered to your guesthouse and you will make your way towards Swellendam. Two hours north of Cape Town in the scenic Klein Karoo Winelands region is a working farm established in 1723 and your first overnight stop. The understated elegance and comfort of the farms original slave quarters adds to the authentic country ambience and history of the early pioneers and settlers, the ringing of the slave bell, a renegade Republic, the tradition and splendor of the early Cape Colony. Overnight Jan Harmsgat Country House 4* – FTTSA accredited (B&B) | |
| Day 5: | Travel to Oudtshoorn today. You should allow time in the afternoon to do some sightseeing as you will only be in the area for one night and there is quite a lot to see and do including the Cango Caves, the ostrich farms, museum and galleries. Overnight Swartberg Country Manor 4* (B&B) | |
| Day 6: | Leave Oudtshoorn at your leisure and travel down the spectacular Outeniqua Pass to George and then on to Knysna and then on to the Plettenberg Bay area. For the more adventurous Stormsriver Adventures offer a wide range of fun filled, professionally run adventures such hiking, bungee jumping, canopy tours, river cruises and many more. Or simply relax and enjoy the facilities of your 4-star lodge set on the edge of an indigenous forest in a private nature reserve with panoramic views of the surrounding forests, valleys and mountains. Overnight Hog Hollow Country Lodge 4* - FTTSA accredited (B&B) | |
| Day 7: | A close encounter boat whale watching tour is included for the months between July – September and a Qolweni Township Tour for the months between October – April. Overnight Hog Hollow Country Lodge 4* - FTTSA accredited (B&B) | |
| Day 8: | Leave Plettenberg Bay and travel out towards the Addo National Park area and to Amakhala Private Game Reserve. Plan to arrive at about 14.00 in order to check in and settle in before the afternoon’s activity starts. Amakhala Game Reserve is a successful conservation project, which has seen the reintroduction of elephant, white rhino, giraffe, cheetah, zebra, wildebeest and 16 antelope species. Overnight Amakhala Safari Lodge 4* (Full Board) | |
| Day 9: | Enjoy 2 safari excursions in Amakhala Game Reserve, offering a range of morning and evening safaris and other activities to enable you to experience the fascinating flora, fauna and bird life of the Eastern Cape. Go on a game drive, a night drive with sundowners, relax on a slow river cruise down the Bushman’s River, a guided walk with a qualified rangers or for the more active traveller take a canoe trip and leisurely paddle down the Bushman’s River. Overnight Amakhala Safari Lodge 4* (Full Board) | |
| Day 10: | After the morning activity and breakfast, leave the lodge and travel back to Port Elizabeth to drop off your car in time for your onward internal flight to Cape Town in time for your international flight home. | |
| Add-on between day 3 & 4: | In this unexplored region only an hour by car from Cape Town, you can feel part of the peaceful life of rural South Africa and its clean crisp air and star-filled night skies. Bartholomeus Klip's 10,000 acre fynbos nature reserve is part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the world's smallest, but the richest in species for its size. Bartholomeus offers amongst others daily game drives, mountain biking, canoeing, relaxing at the pool and very scrummy food. 2 nights in Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse – FTTSA accredited (Full Board). | |
| Wineland Add-on between day 3 & 4: | Leave Cape Town and travel out past the airport and into the Winelands region. Pass through Stellenbosch and make your way to Franschhoek. Have the day to explore this lovely small village and the beautiful Winelands and cellars in the area and maybe just try one or two of those fabulous Cape wines. 2 nights in Auberge Rozendal (B&B). |
don't leave it too late!
Please note that due to the nature of tailor-made trips to Sub-Saharan Africa we need at least 14 days between time of booking and departure. This time is essential for you to sort out passport, visa and health requirements and for us to make all the necessary holiday arrangements.how this holiday makes a difference
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This itinerary uses as many Fair Trade in Tourism in South Africa (FTTSA) accredited companies as possible. The FTTSA accreditation is based on fair share, democracy, respect, reliability, transparency and sustainability and is the first of its kind in tourism in the world.
Imvubu Nature Tours (FTTSA accredited) - Imvubu is a community based Tourism Company, established to develop employment and empowerment opportunities for surrounding communities through a variety of informative and exciting nature based activities at Rondevlei Nature Reserve home of the Western cape's only hippo. Local community own, manage and are employed by the company. Jan Harmsgat Country House (FTTSA accredited) is fully committed to employing & training staff from the local community of farm workers. They also develop an award-winning community project, turning part of the old jail into a coffee shop. Women from disadvantaged communities were trained and given a stake in the café. Hog Hollow Country Lodge (FTTSA accredited) is an excellent example of high quality accommodation managed by previously disadvantaged people from the local Plettenberg Bay area. To maintain international standards of service, all staff (cooks, waiters, cleaners & management team) are put through a rigorous training programme. Amakhala Game Reserve is a unique conservation initiative that has allowed the re-introduction of indigenous flora & fauna into an area that was previously used to ranch sheep and cattle, and hence making a contribution to the conservation of South Africa’s natural heritage. Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse (FTTSA accredited) was originally set up to provide employment for the women living on the farm. Their nature conservation officer has set up an Eco-Club at a local school and leadership camps have been held at the reserve for local high school children. Auberge Rozendal - Rozendal Farm successfully practices biodynamic farming methods, using none of the traditionally used pesticide and herbicidal sprays thereby ensuring clean air and pure water. Noise pollution and "electrosmog" is lessened by the absence of television sets and air-conditioning systems. Most fresh produce is homegrown or sourced direct from local producers and served fresh. Owners are committed to staff upliftment by way of share options and a housing scheme. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |