A fabulous first trip to South Africa, from Cape Town and the Winelands before a luxury safari

Personalised journeys from start to finish

Every trip helps support Conservation

Every detail taken care of

  • Personalised journeys from start to finish

  • Every trip helps support Conservation

  • Every detail taken care of

Itinerary highlights

  • A relaxing three days getting to know Cape Town
  • Discover South Africa's incredible food and wine scene
  • Wine tasting in the world-famous Winelands
  • Search for the Big Five on safari in Sabi Sands

What's included

  • Private tours of Cape Town and the Winelands
  • Luxury hotels and safari lodges throughout
  • Meet and greet airport service
  • Full support from your Travel Concierge before, during and after your trip
Use this itinerary to inspire your bespoke journey

At a glance

A perfect trip for the first time visitor to South Africa, experience some of the Rainbow Nation’s most popular highlights on this 10-day luxury journey with handpicked luxury hotels, private transfers and support from our Cape Town-based concierge team throughout.

Begin with three nights in scenic Cape Town. Here, be shown around on private tours of the city and the coastline beyond, enjoying gourmet cuisine, its vibrant cosmopolitan culture and rich history. Then head inland to the rolling hills and raked vineyards of South Africa’s world-famous Winelands, enjoying expertly guided visits to some of our favourite vineyards. End with a fabulous safari in the exclusive Sabi Sands, a private game reserve adjoining the Kruger National Park. Offering some of the best wildlife watching in the country, especially so for the iconic ‘Big Five’ – lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalos – it is also home to a collection of South Africa‘s most sumptuous safari lodges.

 

Example trip itinerary

Days 1-4

Cape Town

Flights & transfers

Transfer

Meet and greet at Cape Town airport

Transfer

Private transfer to your hotel in Cape Town

Accommodation in Cape Town

Three nights in Cape Town

One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town is a city that can really take your breath away. The horizon dominated by the iconic table-top mountain rising up in the background, whilst in the foreground are the crisp waters of the cape, the laid-back bustle of the city’s waterfront skirted by sandy beaches and picturesque suburbs.

This is the oldest city in South Africa, steeped in history and full of beautiful buildings from its colonial past. The tall mountains and green hills that surround the city have an immensely calming effect helping this to be one of the most relaxing big city visits that you are likely to have.

Half Day Private City Tour of Cape Town

This morning you will be met by your guide and coach for a morning exploration of Cape Town, known affectionately as the Mother City. Your tour will take you to the Houses of Parliament, the Castle (built between 1666 and 1679, this is South Africa’s oldest building), the lively Green Market Square with its daily market, the Company Gardens and of course Table Mountain which will give you spectacular views over the city and Peninsula (cable car fee is not included as it is weather dependent). On the descent, you stop at the Bo Kaap, home to the Cape Malay community, with its cobbled streets and brightly coloured houses. You will have the choice to end your tour by being dropped off at your hotel, or at the Waterfront to experience this vibrant location and it's many shops and restaurants on offer.

Table Mountain

Enjoy absolutely spectacular views towards Robben Island, over Camps Bay and the beach and along the Twelve Apostles in the direction of Hout Bay from Cape Town's most iconic landmark.

Full Day Cape Point & Peninsula Tour

Take one of the most scenic journeys in the world in this wonderful, full day private tour. Your guide will collect you from your hotel in the morning and bring you out through the coastal suburbs. The trip is entirely private, so you can take things at your own pace though typically you'll make stops to see the highlights shown below:

Hout Bay and Chapman Peak Drive

Leaving the suburbs of Cape Town the road winds through Hout Bay and up over Chapmans peak for truly stunning views of the coastline. If we're lucky we may even see Southern Right Whales in the waters off-shore from June-November.

Cape of Good Hope

Explore the rocky coastline and unique Cape Fynbos vegetation which is home to unique bird-life such as African Black Oystercatchers and Cape Sugarbirds amongst others. Climb to the famous Cape Point Lighthouse to capture the magical vistas of False Bay, and stop at the south western most point of Africa - the fabled Cape of Good Hope.

Simon's Town & Boulders Beach

We will visit Boulders Beach for a visit to see African Penguins in their natural habitat. Next drive through the historical naval village of Simonstown and over yet another spectacular mountain pass; Boyes Drive, where you will take in views of the quaint fishing harbour at Kalk Bay as well as the seaside villages of St James and Muizenberg.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

As we return to the city (time allowing) you have the opportunity to visit these magnificent gardens set on the slopes of Table Mountain before returning to your hotel in the city.

Days 4-6

The Winelands

Flights & transfers

Transfer

Private transfer from Cape Town to the Winelands

Accommodation in The Winelands

Two nights in South Africa's Winelands

Just a short drive from Cape Town one enters the verdant, rolling hills of South Africa’s wine country. Home to fantastic wine and some of Africa’s best restaurants.

This is one of the most historic areas of South Africa as it’s where many of the original Dutch settlers first made their homes. Pretty towns and villages adorn the countryside, their white washed Dutch colonial buildings contrasting against the lush greens of vineyards, fields and forests.

Full day privately guided tour of the Winelands

Today you have a full day in the Winelands with one of our expert wine guides. We will communicate your wine preferences before the tour, so that your guide has time to set up any special appointments. That way, you will have the best experience possible. Typically the regions explored are Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl, but this depends on your wine tastes. On a usual tour, the first stop is Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in South Africa, with canal-lined avenues, and magnificent examples of Cape Dutch architecture. Next head over the scenic Helshoogte Pass to Franschhoek, founded by French Huguenots over 350 years ago. It's lovely setting and café lined streets will charm you and afford the opportunity to do some shopping too.

Flights & transfers

Transfer

Private transfer from hotel in Winelands to Cape Town airport

Flight

Flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg

Days 6-10

Sabi Sands

Flights & transfers

Flight

Light aircraft flight from Johannesburg to Sabi Sands

Lodges and Camps in Sabi Sands

Four nights in the Sabi Sands

A great finale for any first trip to South Africa, enjoy your final days on safari in the Sabi Sands. Widely regarded as Africa’s premier game reserve, the Sabi Sands is world renowned for the abundance of game (particularly leopard), and is the best place to see all of the ‘Big Five’ in South Africa. Sharing an unfenced boundary with the enormous Kruger Park, its allows for an authentic game-rich experience where animals roam free but in a much more exclusive way.

The landscape is Savanna Bushveld, the iconic safari landscape of scrub, small trees and grass land, punctuated by the Sabi and Sand Rivers. The oldest of all the private reserves, the game here has become very accustomed to the vehicles, allowing for fantastic, up close viewings. One can even track leopard or wild-dog as they hunt, a thrilling and unique experience.

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Every trip helps support Conservation.

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