Cape & Safari: Cape Town, the Winelands & the Sabi Sand

Today you explore the Mother City. Weather permitting, you ride the revolving cableway to the summit of Table Mountain for breathtaking panoramas over the city bowl, Table Bay, Robben Island and the Atlantic coast, walking the summit paths among fynbos and dassies. Back below, a city tour takes in the historic Company's Garden, the pastel-painted, cobbled Bo-Kaap with its Cape Malay heritage, the buzzing Greenmarket Square, and the City Hall from whose balcony Mandela spoke on his release. You take in the harbour and the story of the city from Dutch settlement to today. The beauty and history are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your hotel, perhaps savouring the sunset from the waterfront. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore the wild Cape Peninsula and its penguins.

Today you follow the spectacular Cape Peninsula south from the city. You drive the coast past Camps Bay and along the cliff-hugging Chapman's Peak, pausing at pretty Hout Bay harbour. At Boulders Beach near Simon's Town you walk boardwalks among a delightful colony of African penguins, then continue into the Cape of Good Hope, where the land narrows to the wild headland of Cape Point, riding the funicular to the old lighthouse for dizzying views over the meeting of the oceans. You watch for ostriches, baboons and antelope in the fynbos, and perhaps enjoy a seafood lunch by the sea. The drama and beauty are unforgettable. As the day ends, you return to Cape Town along the False Bay coast, the light golden over the water. Rest well, for tomorrow holds Robben Island and the waterfront.

Today brings a moving encounter with South Africa's recent history. From the V&A Waterfront you take the ferry across Table Bay to Robben Island, the UNESCO-listed prison island where Nelson Mandela and many other freedom fighters were held during the apartheid years. Often guided by former political prisoners, you see the limestone quarry and stand in the small cell where Mandela spent eighteen years, an experience both sobering and uplifting. Back on the mainland you explore the lively V&A Waterfront, with its harbour, markets, museums and restaurants, perhaps visiting the striking Zeitz MOCAA museum of contemporary African art, or simply enjoying lunch with a mountain view. The history and humanity are profound. As the day ends, you relax in the city. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey into the beautiful Winelands.

Today you leave the coast for the beautiful Cape Winelands, one of the world's loveliest wine regions. A short scenic drive inland brings you to Stellenbosch, a graceful university town of oak-lined streets and whitewashed Cape Dutch gables beneath jagged mountains. You settle into your estate or guesthouse amid the vineyards, then tour celebrated wine estates, tasting award-winning wines, from crisp chenin blanc and chardonnay to bold cabernet and the uniquely South African pinotage, often paired with cheese or chocolate, and enjoy a long, sunny estate lunch among the vines. You stroll the historic town, admiring its architecture, galleries and cafes. The beauty, flavours and hospitality are wonderful. As the day ends, you relax amid the vineyards, the mountains glowing at sunset. Rest well in the heart of the Winelands, ready to taste more tomorrow in gourmet Franschhoek.

Today you explore more of the beautiful Winelands, centred on the exquisite Franschhoek valley. A short, scenic drive over a mountain pass brings you to this gourmet capital, founded by French Huguenots and ringed by dramatic peaks. You might ride the hop-on Franschhoek wine tram between historic estates to taste award-winning wines among the vines, wander the pretty village with its galleries and boutiques, and savour a long lunch at one of the valley's celebrated restaurants beneath the mountains. You drink in the beauty, flavours and gracious hospitality of the Cape wine country. The scenery and cuisine are a delight. As the day ends, you return to your Winelands retreat, reflecting on days of superb wine and lovely scenery. This evening, savour a final Winelands dinner. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly north to the Big Five wilderness of the Sabi Sand.

Today the journey turns wild as you fly to the lowveld and one of Africa's finest reserves. You transfer to the airport and fly north to the Sabi Sand, a private reserve sharing an unfenced boundary with Kruger National Park and famed for its leopards. On arrival you are welcomed to your superb bush lodge, settle in, and enjoy lunch as game comes to drink nearby. In the golden late afternoon you set out on your first open 4x4 game drive with an expert ranger and Shangaan tracker, thrilling to your first sightings, perhaps elephant, giraffe, buffalo, lion or leopard, and pausing for sundowner drinks as the sky flames. After a spotlit drive back, dinner awaits beneath the stars. The thrill of the wild is intoxicating. Rest well in the bush, the African night alive around you, ready for full days of safari ahead.

Today is devoted to the extraordinary wildlife of the Sabi Sand. You rise before dawn for a morning game drive as the bush stirs and cools, your ranger and tracker reading tracks and signs to find the Big Five, lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, along with cheetah, wild dog and a wealth of plains game and birds. The reserve's off-road driving brings you thrillingly close, especially to its famous relaxed leopards. You pause for coffee in the wilderness, then return for brunch and a restful midday. In the golden afternoon you head out again, tracking predators, and toast the sunset with drinks in the bush. After dark, a spotlight reveals nocturnal creatures. As the day ends, you dine under the stars. Rest well amid the sounds of the African night, immersed in the wild.

Another exhilarating day in the leopard-rich Sabi Sand unfolds at the rhythm of the wild. A dawn drive may bring a leopard draped in a marula tree, a lion pride feeding, a herd of elephants at a waterhole or a pack of endangered wild dogs on the hunt, while your tracker's skill turns the bush into an open book. Back at the lodge you enjoy brunch and time to relax by the pool, watching game come to drink, or perhaps take a guided bush walk to learn the smaller wonders on foot with an armed ranger. The afternoon drive again seeks predators and sundowners in the wilderness, followed by a spotlit return. The immersion in nature is complete. As the day ends, you share stories over dinner around the fire. Rest well, for you have one more magical day of safari to come.

Today you savour a final, full day in the wildlife-rich Sabi Sand. A dawn drive seeks whatever the bush offers, perhaps a leopard and cubs, lions at a kill, elephants bathing or a cheetah scanning the plains, your ranger sharing deep knowledge of the animals, birds and ecosystem. After brunch and a restful midday by the pool, watching game at the waterhole, an afternoon drive brings more encounters and a farewell sundowner toast to the wild as the sky flames. You reflect on the extraordinary journey you have made, from the summit of Table Mountain to the golden light of the lowveld. The beauty and wonder are profound. As the day ends, you gather for a farewell dinner in the bush, perhaps in a lantern-lit boma beneath the stars. Rest well amid the sounds of the African night, savouring your final evening on safari.

After a final dawn game drive and breakfast in the bush, you bid farewell to the wilderness and transfer by light aircraft, via Johannesburg, to connect with your onward international departure. You leave having experienced the full, glorious range of South Africa: beautiful Cape Town beneath Table Mountain, the penguins and drama of the Cape Peninsula, the moving story of Robben Island, the superb wines and cuisine of the Winelands, and four exhilarating days of Big Five safari in the leopard-rich Sabi Sand. The images stay vivid long after you land, the view from the summit, sunset over the vineyards, and a leopard in the golden light of the lowveld. South Africa offers beauty, culture, cuisine and raw wildlife in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the Cape and the bush.