Classic South Africa self drive holiday
| country: | South Africa |
| departures: | Our trips are tailor made and departures can be arranged all year round. This itinerary is simply a suggestion which can be modified entirely to your personal wishes including departure date, duration accommodation used and how long you spend in each destination. |
| price: | From £2225 (15 days) including flights from the UK. The price includes 12 nights accommodation, private transfers, car hire and all flights which are overnight |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This itinerary is a great showcase for South Africa, and ideally suited to the first-time visitor. It starts in Cape Town, one of the great cities of the world; where you can enjoy the spectacular view from the top of the iconic Table Mountain and it is also a great base to explore everything this region has to offer.
No visit is complete without a trip to Robben Island, being guided around by a former inmate of the prison there. A day can be spent touring the Cape Peninsula, which takes in dramatic coastal scenery, Cape Point and the famous Boulder’s Beach Penguin colony. You can explore Kirstenbosch Gardens with a gourmet picnic or our advice would be to take a half day field trip with Uthando tours to visit the grass roots projects within the townships that really give you a sense of hope for the future of this country of contrasts.
You then move onto The Winelands where you can sample some of the best wines South Africa has to offer. This area is also known as the gourmet capital of South Africa so you can also enjoy some of the best food on the continent!
After you have enjoyed the warm hospitality of The Winelands you can make your way to the heart of the Garden Route, also described as Africa’s playground. Beautiful coastal scenery, dominated by lagoons, forested hillsides and long beaches are at the heart of the region’s attractions and can be explored by car, boat, foot or air all in your own time with activities to suit everyone of all ages.
The trip concludes with a few days on safari, tracking Africa’s big game and listening to your ranger tell you about the bush, the animals and the unique and fragile eco system.
The trip is a self-drive itinerary allowing flexibility and time to explore the regions you visit at your own pace. The selected accommodation has all been visited by our South Africa specialists and the excursions, which are not included in the cost of the trip, with the exception of Uthando, have also been personally recommended by the team. The properties have been selected for many reasons including location, award winning service and excellent food and the knowledge of the staff who all share a passion for their local area and will pass on information that no guide book will tell you about.
No visit is complete without a trip to Robben Island, being guided around by a former inmate of the prison there. A day can be spent touring the Cape Peninsula, which takes in dramatic coastal scenery, Cape Point and the famous Boulder’s Beach Penguin colony. You can explore Kirstenbosch Gardens with a gourmet picnic or our advice would be to take a half day field trip with Uthando tours to visit the grass roots projects within the townships that really give you a sense of hope for the future of this country of contrasts.
You then move onto The Winelands where you can sample some of the best wines South Africa has to offer. This area is also known as the gourmet capital of South Africa so you can also enjoy some of the best food on the continent!
After you have enjoyed the warm hospitality of The Winelands you can make your way to the heart of the Garden Route, also described as Africa’s playground. Beautiful coastal scenery, dominated by lagoons, forested hillsides and long beaches are at the heart of the region’s attractions and can be explored by car, boat, foot or air all in your own time with activities to suit everyone of all ages.
The trip concludes with a few days on safari, tracking Africa’s big game and listening to your ranger tell you about the bush, the animals and the unique and fragile eco system.
The trip is a self-drive itinerary allowing flexibility and time to explore the regions you visit at your own pace. The selected accommodation has all been visited by our South Africa specialists and the excursions, which are not included in the cost of the trip, with the exception of Uthando, have also been personally recommended by the team. The properties have been selected for many reasons including location, award winning service and excellent food and the knowledge of the staff who all share a passion for their local area and will pass on information that no guide book will tell you about.
best time to go
This itinerary can be under taken all year round but the best months for weather and animal sightings are considered to be September to February. The Eastern Cape offers excellent game viewing all year round with a great chance of seeing the big game everyone associates with Africa. day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly overnight from London to Cape Town. |
| Day 2: | Abbey Manor. Met on arrival and transferred to Abbey Manor for your 4 night stay. This afternoon can be spent at leisure. |
| Day 3: | Robben Island. A trip to Robben Island to help understand the modern history of this fascinating country and an afternoon open top bus tour to acquaint yourself with Cape Town. |
| Day 4: | Table Mountain. In the morning you can meet with your Uthando guide for your field trip to meet the people who are really making a difference at grass root level. This insight will hopefully provide you with a true understanding of how the social divides are being overcome within South Africa. After a spot of lunch you can take the cable car up Table Mountain for a breathtaking view. |
| Day 5: | Self-drive. Your hire car will be delivered to your hotel and you can spend the day self-driving along the peninsula at your own speed. |
| Day 6: | The Winelands. Drive to the The Winelands for lunch before checking into La Fontaine, your delightful guest house for the next two nights. |
| Day 7: | Vineyards. Spend the day touring the vineyards and restaurants sampling the locally made produce. |
| Day 8: | Garden Route. Spend the day making your way along the coast to the Garden Route to your base at Periwinkle Guest House for the next three nights. |
| Day 9: | Storms River Mouth. Take a day trip into Tsitsikamma Forest to visit Storms River Mouth (a dramatic canyon emptying into the ocean), and the Monkeyland Primate Rescue Centre. |
| Day 10: | Perhaps spend the day on the water – either a boat trip into the Plettenburg Bay on an Ocean Safari, or perhaps across the Knysna lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve. |
| Day 11: | Amakhala Game Reserve. Depart for Amakhala Game Reserve on the Eastern Cape for the next two nights on your safari. |
| Day 12-13: | On safari. |
| Day 14: | Port Elizabeth. Depart to Port Elizabeth airport dropping your car hire before boarding your flight home via Johannesburg. |
| Day 15: | Arrive back into the UK. |
tailor made holidays
This trip can be tailor made to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more individual trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments, with the flexibility to plan a trip at your own pace. Quality and value are the hallmark of these trips, with most services being provided on a private basis.how this holiday makes a difference
|
Environment:
There is an opportunity to visit a large number of national parks and reserves: Table Mountain National Reserve Park, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Wilderness National Park, Tsitsikamma National park, The Featherbed Nature Reserve and Amakhala Private Game Reserve. The majority of the parks and reserves in South Africa run environmental educational programmes, support research projects and many have developed their own environmental projects. For example, The De Hoop Nature Reserve is an associate of the CapeNature organisation, which aims to transform biodiversity conservation into a key component of local economic development through eco-tourism. Your visit to this park will actively support this project. The Amakhala Private Game Reserve funds its Amakhala Conservation Centre through bed levies from commercial lodges in the park so guests staying in the reserve will directly contribute to this project, while the Conservation Centre concentrates on educational programmes, research projects and the re-introduction of species to the park. The companies we recommend to use for whale watching and the Ocean Safari are also FTTSA-certified for their Responsible Travel work practices. The FTTSA-credited company that we recommend for whale watching is extensively involved in marine conservation, assisting scientific research and supporting several conservation organisations, such as CapeNature. They are also actively involved in the rescue and care of injured birds and seals and the clearing of marine litter in the area. In addition, the company runs educational tours for local school children to expose them to the marine environment and also initiated the Nolwandle Project which takes into consideration the social, economic and environmental impact of the cruises that they operate. Monkey Land is a rescue centre where primates from zoos and private hands are allowed to return to their natural habitat after time spend in captivity. There are guides to take you on walks through the forested enclosure and introduce you to the monkeys and gibbons now living there. Community: The property you will stay at for safari is one that has been accredited by Fair Trade and Tourism South Africa (FTTSA). FTTSA awards this status to qualifying guest houses as a way of signifying their commitment to Fair Trade criteria including fair wages and working conditions, fair purchasing, fair operations, equitable distribution of benefits and respect for human rights, culture and environment. By electing to stay at an FTTSA-certified establishment, tourists are assured that their travel benefits local communities and economies, and that the business is operated ethically and in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. All the other recommended accommodation are all locally owned and employ local staff who are learning the hospitality industry providing them with qualifications for the future. Because they are owner-run the passion, knowledge and enthusiasm for the local area is vast and the staff will sit with you helping you plan your days so you get the most out of this amazing country. The locals rely on tourism to sustain their economy so a visit to a township on an Uthando Tour in Cape Town, as well as Robben Island is a must. Uthando is a registered Non-profit Organisation based in Cape Town. Founded in 2007, the organisation raises funds for a broad range of community based projects which support the most vulnerable sectors of society in some of the most destitute areas of the city. |
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. |