Cape Town, the Garden Route & Big Five Safari
Cape Town, the Garden Route & Big Five Safari
Cape Town, the Garden Route & Big Five Safari
12 Days Starting and ending in UK
Visiting: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Hermanus, Garden Route Game Lodge, Little Karoo, Cango Caves, Knysna, Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, United Kingdom
Tour operator:
Tour code:
98954
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
21 - 45
Age range:
21-99
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
Tour Overview
Experience one of Africa's most spectacular cities, some startling scenery, and the giants of the animal kingdom.
Join us for a perfect introduction to South Africa, one of the world’s most beautiful countries, on an extraordinary-value tour crammed with unforgettable highlights. Relax in the sun-kissed surroundings of some of South Africa’s finest vineyards, cross the arid plain of the Little Karoo, go in search of the Big Five in a private game reserve, then discover spectacular Cape Town in its glorious setting beneath Table Mountain and gaze out at rugged Indian Ocean-washed shores.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Fly To Cape Town
Location: Johannesburg, Cape Town
Meals Included: No Meals
Fly from the UK, via Johannesburg, to Cape Town.
Day 2 : Transfer To Hermanus
Location: Hermanus
Meals Included: No Meals
Upon arrival at Cape Town, meet your guide and journey east to Hermanus, a famous whale-watching centre from July to November and a year-round seaside resort. En route to Hermanus, you’ll call at Stony Point, home to a unique colony of African penguins.
Departures between September and November will include a whale-watching cruise. Tonight, enjoy an included dinner at La Pentola, close to your hotel
Day 3 : Included Game Drive At The Garden Route Game Lodge
Location: Garden Route Game Lodge
Meals Included: No Meals
This morning you’ll journey to the Garden Route Game Lodge, in the heart of a privately operated reserve where you'll spend the next two nights. During your stay here, in the shadow of the Langeberg mountains, you’ll enjoy all the wonders of safari game drives to see the Big Five (lions, rhino, elephants, leopards and buffalo) while staying in comfortable lodges and enjoying typical African dinners looking out over the reserve.
This afternoon, enjoy your first game drive, then perhaps enjoy a sun-downer beside the authentic Boma (camp fire) before dinner.
Day 4 : Two Included Game Drives
Location: Garden Route Game Lodge
Meals Included: No Meals, No Meals
A second day at the lodge begins with a pre-breakfast game drive. Enjoy some free time for a siesta - perhaps by the pool - before setting off on a second evening game drive and enjoying another memorable dinner under the stars.
Day 5 : Included Visit To The Cango Caves And The Little Karo
Location: Little Karoo, Cango Caves
Meals Included: No Meals
Travel on to Oudtshoorn, the Ostrich Capital of the World, in the heart of the Little Karoo plain. The world’s strangest, largest and often most-valuable bird has been farmed here for 130 years – first for its plumage, and more recently for its high-protein, low-cholesterol meat. Enjoy a taste at your barbecue lunch, before visiting the world-renowned Cango Caves, with their caverns of stalactites and stalagmites.
Day 6 : Knysna Lagoon And The Garden Of Eden
Location: Knysna
Meals Included: No Meals
This morning, you'll travel to coastal Knysna for a cruise on the beautiful lagoon, which hugs the edge of the fascinating Featherbed Nature Reserve. After the cruise, you’ll travel in a 4x4 up to the headland for some spectacular views, listening as your expert guide tells you about the local history, flora and fauna. A buffet lunch will be served at an outdoor restaurant under a picturesque canopy of milkwood trees.
After some free time to explore Knysna’s charming waterfront, enjoy a guided walk around the Garden of Eden in the Harkerville Forest, before transferring to Mossel Bay for a two-night stay. Tonight, you’ll enjoy a traditional South African barbecue.
Day 7 : Included Winelands Tour And Visit To Franschhoek
Location: Franschhoek
Meals Included: No Meals, No Meals
Head west into the verdant Cape Winelands region and to wine-producing Franschhoek for lunch (own account) and a wine tasting in the fabled Franschhoek Wine Valley, before continuing to Stellenbosch, deep in the heart of this scenic landscape.
With its oak trees and picturesque, European-style Cape Dutch houses, Stellenbosch is a delightful place to spend a night.
Day 8 : Included Stellenbosch And Wineries Tour
Location: Stellenbosch
Meals Included: No Meals
Enjoy a guided introduction of historic Stellenbosch, followed by a glass of bubbly and some local nougat. Lunch will be included in a wine estate.
This afternoon, you’ll journey to Cape Town where you will spend the next three nights. The remainder of the afternoon and evening is at leisure to perhaps explore the Mother City, with its renowned Waterfront and cultural landmarks such as the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa or vibrant Bo Kaap.
Day 9 : Included Cape Town City Tour And Table Mountain
Location: Cape Town
Meals Included: No Meals
Meet your tour manager for an orientation tour of the city. You'll see historical landmarks like the Castle of Good Hope, the House of Parliament, and the leafy Company’s Gardens. You’ll also enjoy a stroll past the colourful Bo Kaap colonial district and, weather permitting, ascend Table Mountain in a rotating cable car that offers a 360-degree panorama as it climbs to the 1000-metre high summit. You will return to the hotel on time for lunch.
After the tour, you're free to relax in one of the world’s most stunningly located cities. Why not take a stroll along the redeveloped Victoria and Alfred waterfront or catch a boat to infamous Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned?
Day 10 : Cape Peninsula Tour And Kirstenbosch Gardens
Location: Cape Town
Meals Included: No Meals
Enjoy a fascinating full-day tour on which you'll visit treacherous Cape Point, where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean, Kirstenbosch, famous for its Botanical Gardens and Hout Bay, and – weather-permitting – breathtakingly scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive.
Day 11 : Free Time And Return Flight
Location: Johannesburg
Meals Included: No Meals
Spend the morning at leisure before transferring to the airport for your overnight flight home via Johannesburg.
Day 12 : Arrive In The Uk
Location: United Kingdom
Meals Included: No Meals
You'll land back home this morning, at the end of a wonderful holiday in South Africa.
What's Included
-
Nine nights' bed and breakfast accommodation at hotels in Hermanus (1), Albertinia (2), Mossel Bay (2), Stellenbosch (1) and Cape Town (3 nights), plus two nights on the aircraft
-
Return flights to Cape Town via Johannesburg
-
Three lunches and four dinners
-
Comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfers throughout
-
Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager
What's Not Included
Itinerary changes
Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.
Hotel transfer times
The transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approximately one hour.
Passports and visas
A visa is not required for UK citizens travelling to South Africa, but your passport must be valid for six months beyond the date of entry to the country and have two adjacent blank pages. Special entry rules apply for children under 18 years.
Foreign Office Travel Advice
Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.
Luggage allowance
You are permitted to take one suitcase per person on the aircraft, which should not exceed 23kg.
Special requirements
If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.
Disabled access
The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made. In many developing countries access is sometimes not as easy as at home. Should you have walking difficulties, getting around monuments and attractions may be harder and, in some cases, impossible. Should you have any concerns whatsoever please do contact us prior to travel.
Changes to your hotels
Should circumstances require, we reserve the right to accommodate you in alternative hotels, of a similar standard, nearby. Full details of your hotels will be sent with your Final Travel Documents.
Road Conditions
In developing countries road networks are continually being improved and expanded, which can mean that, from time to time, roadworks and rough road surfaces can extend journey times. Some journeys are made on winding mountain roads and passes, which may also make for slow travelling - although the scenery is usually worth it! Many roads do not have separate pavements or safety barriers, and great care should be taken when crossing or walking alongside roads.
Check out our Q&As
-
Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
Yes
-
What is the fitness level required to do this tour?
The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made. In many developing countries access is sometimes not as easy as at home.
-
How long has the tour company been trading?
Since 1983
-
Vaccination Requirements
Your health and safety are pivotal to our operations, and every customer travelling on a tour with us must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Fully vaccinated means that you have had the full course of an approved vaccine a minimum of 14 days prior to your holiday. We also recommend that you travel with proof that you’ve been fully vaccinated.
-
What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Our company’s mission is to enrich lives and improve wellbeing through travel. A big part of that is ‘Travel for Good’. Our ‘Travel for Good’ hub is our first step in a long journey to reduce carbon, offset anything we produce as a company and travel without harming the planet or the people of the destinations we go to.
-
What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest Covid-19 policies
-
Fitness to Travel
We strive to give all our customers full care and attention, but we do need to know at the time of booking if there are any special needs or requirements. It is particularly important that we are advised of any disabilities and also if you intend to bring any specialist equipment such as a wheelchair with you. Please make sure that you make us aware of any requirements.
Reviews of this operator
1 Select your preferred date
2024 Feb
2025 Mar
2025 Apr
2025 May
2025 Jun
2025 Nov
2025 Jan
2026 Feb
2026 Mar
2026 Apr
2026 May
2026 Jun
2026 Sep
2026 Oct
2026 Nov
2026
Friday - Tuesday
Sep 20, 2024 - Oct 01, 2024Friday - Tuesday
Feb 14, 2025 - Feb 25, 2025Friday - Tuesday
Feb 21, 2025 - Mar 04, 2025Friday - Tuesday
Mar 07, 2025 - Mar 18, 2025Friday - Tuesday
Apr 11, 2025 - Apr 22, 2025Friday - Tuesday
May 02, 2025 - May 13, 2025Friday - Tuesday
May 16, 2025 - May 27, 2025Friday - Tuesday
May 30, 2025 - Jun 10, 2025Friday - Tuesday
Jun 13, 2025 - Jun 24, 2025Friday - Tuesday
Nov 21, 2025 - Dec 02, 2025Friday - Tuesday
Jan 23, 2026 - Feb 03, 2026Friday - Tuesday
Feb 13, 2026 - Feb 24, 2026Friday - Tuesday
Mar 06, 2026 - Mar 17, 2026Friday - Tuesday
Apr 10, 2026 - Apr 21, 2026Friday - Tuesday
May 01, 2026 - May 12, 2026Friday - Tuesday
May 29, 2026 - Jun 09, 2026Friday - Tuesday
Jun 12, 2026 - Jun 23, 2026Friday - Tuesday
Sep 11, 2026 - Sep 22, 2026Friday - Tuesday
Sep 18, 2026 - Sep 29, 2026Friday - Tuesday
Oct 09, 2026 - Oct 20, 2026Friday - Tuesday
Nov 20, 2026 - Dec 01, 2026Book with Confidence
-
Low Deposit
Newmarket Holidays requires a minimum deposit of 35% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 60 days before departure.
-
Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of newmarket holidays charges.
Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 48 days before tour starts: Forfeit 75% of booking price.
At 34 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.
At 15 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
-
Vaccination Requirements
Your health and safety are pivotal to our operations, and every customer travelling on a tour with us must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Fully vaccinated means that you have had the full course of an approved vaccine a minimum of 14 days prior to your holiday. You can find the travel restrictions for different countries on www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. We also recommend that you travel with proof that you’ve been fully vaccinated.
Enquire for huge savings
Rated 5* on Trust Pilot & ABTA Protected.