Luxury South Africa: Cape Town, the Winelands, Sabi Sand & Phinda

Today you explore the Mother City with a private guide and every comfort. Weather permitting, you ride the revolving cableway to the summit of Table Mountain for breathtaking panoramas over the city, Table Bay and the Atlantic coast, walking the summit paths among fynbos and dassies. You take in the historic Company's Garden, the colourful Bo-Kaap, and the story of the city, perhaps enjoying a private tasting or a beautiful lunch with a view. As evening falls, you sip champagne at a stylish spot above the Atlantic as the sun sinks into the sea, then dine at one of the city's finest restaurants. The beauty and style are glorious. As the day ends, you relax in your luxurious suite. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore the wild Cape Peninsula and its penguins in comfort.

Today you follow the spectacular Cape Peninsula south with your private guide. You drive the coast past Camps Bay and along the cliff-hugging Chapman's Peak, pausing at pretty Hout Bay. At Boulders Beach you walk boardwalks among a delightful colony of African penguins, then continue into the Cape of Good Hope 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 and antelope in the fynbos and enjoy a superb seafood lunch by the sea, perhaps at a celebrated coastal restaurant. The drama and beauty are unforgettable. As the day ends, you return to Cape Town in comfort along the coast, the light golden over the water. Rest well in luxury, for tomorrow holds Robben Island and time to savour the city.

Today brings a moving encounter with history and time to enjoy the city. From the V&A Waterfront you take the ferry across Table Bay to Robben Island, the UNESCO-listed prison island where Nelson Mandela was held for eighteen years, often guided by former political prisoners in a sobering, uplifting experience. Back on the mainland, the rest of the day is yours to savour Cape Town in style, perhaps a private wine tasting, a helicopter flight over the peninsula, a spa afternoon, or lunch and shopping at the stylish waterfront. The history and glamour are captivating. As the day ends, you toast a final Cape Town sunset with Cape bubbly, then dine superbly. Rest well in luxury, for tomorrow you retreat to the gracious, gourmet Franschhoek valley, the heart of the beautiful Cape Winelands.

Today you leave the city for the exquisite Franschhoek valley, South Africa's gourmet capital, ringed by dramatic mountains. A short, scenic drive brings you to a gracious wine-estate hotel amid the vineyards, welcomed with more Cape bubbly. You settle into beautiful surroundings, then tour celebrated estates to taste award-winning wines among the vines, perhaps with a private cellar tour and pairing, and savour a long, superb estate lunch beneath the peaks. You drink in the beauty and gracious hospitality of the Cape wine country. The scenery, flavours and indulgence are wonderful. As the day ends, you relax at your estate, the mountains glowing at sunset, before a memorable dinner at one of the valley's world-class restaurants. Rest well in gourmet luxury, ready to savour more wine, food and beauty in the Winelands tomorrow.

Today you savour the beauty and flavours of the Franschhoek valley at a gracious, indulgent pace. You might visit more celebrated estates for private tastings and pairings, tour a historic cellar, or enjoy a hands-on food and wine experience, all amid glorious mountain scenery. You could indulge in a spa treatment, relax at your estate hotel, or explore the gracious estates and Cape Dutch architecture of nearby Stellenbosch. A long, superb gourmet lunch beneath the peaks is a highlight of the day. The beauty, cuisine and indulgence are wonderful. As the day ends, you toast a final Winelands sunset over the vines, then dine memorably at one of Franschhoek's finest tables. Rest well in gourmet luxury, for tomorrow you fly north to the leopard-rich Sabi Sand for the first of two exclusive Big Five safaris, in exquisite style.

Today the journey turns wild as you fly to the lowveld in style. You transfer to the airport and fly by light aircraft to the Sabi Sand, a private reserve famed for its relaxed, frequently seen leopards. On arrival you are welcomed to an acclaimed luxury lodge, settling into an exquisite suite with a private plunge pool and a deck over the bush, and enjoy a superb 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 and sharing champagne sundowners as the sky flames. After a spotlit drive back, a fine dinner awaits beneath the stars. The thrill and luxury of the wild are sublime. Rest well in exquisite comfort, the African night alive around you.

Today is devoted to the extraordinary wildlife of the Sabi Sand in exclusive style. You rise before dawn for a morning game drive as the bush stirs and cools, your ranger and tracker finding the Big Five, lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, along with cheetah, wild dog and plains game, 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 a leisurely brunch and a restful midday by your private plunge pool, perhaps with a spa treatment. In the golden afternoon you head out again, and toast the sunset with champagne in the bush. As the day ends, you dine superbly beneath the stars. Rest well in exquisite comfort amid the sounds of the African night.

Another sublime 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, a herd of elephants or a pack of wild dogs, while your tracker's skill turns the bush into an open book. Back at the lodge you enjoy a leisurely brunch, time by your private plunge pool, a spa treatment or a guided bush walk with an armed ranger. The afternoon drive again seeks predators and champagne sundowners in the wilderness, followed by a spotlit return and a fine dinner. The exclusivity and immersion are sublime. As the day ends, you share stories over dinner beneath the stars. Rest well in exquisite comfort, for tomorrow you fly to a very different, equally acclaimed reserve, diverse Phinda in beautiful KwaZulu-Natal.

Today you fly to a second great reserve for a different flavour of the wild. After a final morning drive and brunch, you fly by light aircraft to lush KwaZulu-Natal and the acclaimed Phinda Private Game Reserve, welcomed to a barefoot-luxury lodge amid its rare sand forest. Phinda protects seven distinct habitats, sheltering the Big Five plus cheetah, rare black rhino, the elegant nyala antelope and a wealth of birds. In the golden late afternoon you set out on a game drive through this beautiful, diverse landscape, warmed by the genuine hospitality of the Zulu people, and toast the sunset in the bush. The diversity, luxury and warmth are wonderful. As the day ends, you dine beneath the stars. Rest well in barefoot luxury, ready to explore the seven habitats of Phinda tomorrow.

Today you immerse yourself in the exceptional diversity of Phinda. A dawn game drive explores its seven habitats, from rare dry sand forest to wetland, grassland and bushveld, seeking the Big Five, cheetah, rare black rhino, nyala and a dazzling variety of birds, your expert guide and Zulu tracker sharing deep knowledge of this beautiful reserve. You might enjoy a guided bush walk, a boat or canoe safari on the wetlands, or a visit to a nearby Zulu community, immersing yourself in the culture and warmth of the province. After a restful midday in luxury, an afternoon drive brings more encounters and a farewell sundowner. The diversity and warmth are profound. As the day ends, you gather for a farewell dinner beneath the stars. Rest well in barefoot luxury, savouring your final African evening at acclaimed Phinda.

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 very finest of South Africa: beautiful Cape Town and the gourmet Winelands in sublime style, and two of Africa's greatest private reserves, the leopard-rich Sabi Sand and diverse, Zulu-warmed Phinda, all from the country's best hotels and lodges with impeccable service throughout. The images stay vivid long after you land, the summit of Table Mountain, a vineyard lunch beneath the peaks, a leopard in the golden light, and sundowners over the African bush. South Africa offers beauty, exclusivity and wonder in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the Rainbow Nation in style.