Grand Tour of South Africa: Cape to Kruger

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. 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, from its penguins to the dramatic meeting of two oceans at Cape Point.

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. Rest well, for tomorrow holds the moving story of Robben Island and time to savour the city.

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. The history and humanity are profound. As the day ends, you relax in the city. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey into the beautiful Cape Winelands to taste among the gabled estates of Stellenbosch.

Today you leave the coast for the beautiful Cape Winelands. 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 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 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 before you head east along the coast.

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. Rest well, for tomorrow you begin the beautiful drive east along part of the Garden Route to lagoon-set Knysna.

Today you travel east onto the glorious Garden Route to Knysna, its jewel. You follow the coast and countryside, the scenery softening into forest, lagoon and green hills, perhaps pausing at pretty towns and farm stalls for local cheese and coffee. You arrive in Knysna, set on a tranquil, forest-fringed lagoon that opens to the sea between the dramatic sandstone Heads, and settle in. You explore the lively waterfront, perhaps savouring the town's famous oysters, and enjoy the beautiful setting of water and forest. The scenery and flavours are captivating. As the day ends, you relax by the lagoon, the water glowing at sunset. Rest well in beautiful Knysna, for tomorrow you explore its lagoon and forests before flying north to Johannesburg and the powerful history of Soweto.

Today you explore beautiful Knysna at leisure. You take a cruise across the tranquil lagoon to the dramatic Knysna Heads, the towering sandstone cliffs that guard the narrow channel to the sea, learning about the town's history and marine life. You might explore the indigenous forests nearby, walking among giant yellowwood trees, ferns and birdlife on shaded trails, or visit the Featherbed Nature Reserve. Back in town you feast on famous Knysna oysters, browse craft shops and galleries, and drink in the views over water and forest. The tranquillity and beauty are captivating. As the day ends, you relax on the waterfront with sundowners over the lagoon. Rest well in Knysna, for tomorrow you fly north to Johannesburg, the crucible of South Africa's modern history, to explore Soweto and the powerful Apartheid Museum.

Today you leave the coast and fly to Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city and the crucible of its modern history. On arrival you transfer for a guided visit to Soweto, the vast, storied township that was the heart of the anti-apartheid struggle. You drive its lively streets, see the modest house on Vilakazi Street where Mandela once lived, and pause at the moving Hector Pieterson Memorial to the 1976 student uprising. You visit the powerful Apartheid Museum, whose galleries tell with unflinching honesty the story of segregation and the long road to freedom and reconciliation. The history is sobering and inspiring. As the day ends, you settle into your Johannesburg hotel. Rest well, for tomorrow you climb the spectacular Panorama Route into the Mpumalanga highlands, towards the immense Blyde River Canyon.

Today you leave the city and climb northeast into the cool, green Mpumalanga highlands to begin the spectacular Panorama Route. The scenic drive brings you to the escarpment, where you visit the beautifully preserved gold-rush town of Pilgrim's Rest, a living museum of the 1870s, wandering its single street of corrugated-iron buildings and museums, perhaps panning for gold in the river. You take in your first waterfalls and dramatic viewpoints as the landscape opens around you. The heritage and scenery are captivating. As the day ends, you settle into your lodge on the escarpment, the air cool and fresh. Rest well in the highlands, for tomorrow you drive the breathtaking heart of the Panorama Route, gazing into the immense Blyde River Canyon and out from God's Window over the endless lowveld.

Today you drive the spectacular heart of the Panorama Route, one of the most scenic routes in Africa. You gaze into the immense Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest green canyons on earth, from cliff-edge viewpoints across to the iconic Three Rondavels, three huge rounded peaks resembling traditional huts. You marvel at Bourke's Luck Potholes, bizarre rock formations carved by swirling water, and at God's Window, where the lowveld stretches endlessly two thousand metres below. You take in tumbling waterfalls threading down the cliffs, and perhaps a boat cruise on the Blyde Dam beneath the towering walls. The scale and beauty are breathtaking. As the day ends, you return to your escarpment lodge, full of dramatic panoramas. Rest well in the highlands, for tomorrow you descend into the wild lowveld and the leopard-rich Sabi Sand for the safari climax of your grand tour.

Today the journey reaches its wild climax as you descend from the cool escarpment into the hot lowveld and the leopard-rich Sabi Sand. You transfer to your safari lodge in this private reserve sharing an unfenced boundary with Kruger and famed for its leopards. You 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 Big Five 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 bringing you thrillingly close 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.

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, a lion pride, elephants bathing or a cheetah on 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 grand tour 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 African evening.

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 departure. You leave having experienced the full, glorious portrait of South Africa: beautiful Cape Town beneath Table Mountain, the wine estates of the Winelands, the lagoons and forests of the Garden Route, the powerful history of Soweto and the Apartheid Museum, the dramatic Panorama Route and Blyde River Canyon, and world-class Big Five safari in the leopard-rich Sabi Sand. The images stay vivid long after you land, the view from the summit, the great green canyon, and a leopard in the golden light. South Africa offers beauty, history, scenery and wildlife in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the Rainbow Nation.