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SPLENDID SOUTH AFRICA August 14-September 4, 2009
FRI, AUG 14 - DEPART U.S. Your dream trip to South Africa begins today as you board a Delta Airlines jet bound for Johannesburg. SAT, AUG 15 - ARRIVE JOHANNESBURG We arrive in Johannesburg early this evening and transfer to our hotel in nearby Pretoria. Southern Sun Pretoria SUN, AUG 16 - PRETORIA The entire day is at leisure to rest up from our long flight or explore on your own. Southern Sun Pretoria (B) MON, AUG 17 – DE WILDT / BOTSHABELO The De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust has received worldwide acclaim for the success of its cheetah and wild dog captive-breeding programs. Unique management techniques developed over the years have resulted in the birth of over 750 cheetah cubs and more than 500 wild dogs, as well as numbers of other rare species such as brown hyena, suni antelope, red and blue duiker, and riverine rabbit. Our private tour this morning will introduce us to the work being done there and offer excellent opportunities for photographing the animals. This afternoon we visit the Historical Village of Botshabelo to experience the lifestyle of a mission station from a bygone era, as well as an Ndebele village designed to preserve the tribal culture. The women wear heavy brass rings around their necks, legs, and arms, and paint their houses with brightly colored geometric patterns. Southern Sun Pretoria (B) TUE, AUG 18 - PRETORIA-MKUZE Today we drive overland to Mkuze, northern KwaZulu/Natal, for a taste of South African safari. The area offers an unforgettable opportunity to retrace the paths of past traders, explorers, and tribesmen, to view traditional homesteads among tribal communities, and to revel in areas of unspoiled beauty. Ghost Mountain Inn provides an ideal base to explore all the area has to offer. This evening we enjoy Zulu dancing along with our dinner. Ghost Mountain Inn (BLD) WED, AUG 19 - TEMBE NATIONAL ELEPHANT PARK Within the unique sand forest and grassland ecosystem of the Tembe National Elephant Park roam over 220 of the largest elephants in the world, the last remaining indigenous herd in KwaZulu/Natal. This pristine wilderness, a proclaimed reserve on the old Ivory Route between Mozambique and the Zulu territory, also boasts the other members of the Big Five (lion, leopard, black and white rhino, and Cape buffalo) as well as over 340 bird species and abundant other mammal species right down to the tiny suni, one of the smallest antelope in the world. Tembe is part of the greater Lebombo Transfrontier Conservation Area incorporating conservation areas in Swaziland, Mozambique, and South Africa. We spend a full day on safari here to allow plenty of time for photography. Ghost Mountain Inn (BLD) THU, AUG 20 - HLUHLUWE GAME RESERVE Another full day of wildlife-viewing. Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, established in 1895, is the oldest game park in Africa and covers nearly 400 square miles. Hluhluwe, the northern section of the park, is characterized by hilly topography and noted for its wide variety of both bird and animal life, including Nile crocodile, hippo, white and black rhino, leopard, lion, cheetah, hyena, elephant, Cape buffalo, blue wildebeest, jackal, giraffe, zebra, waterbuck, nyala, eland, kudu, impala, duiker, suni, reedbuck, warthog, bush pig, mongoose, baboons, monkeys, and a variety of tortoises, terrapins, snakes, and lizards. The variety of habitats within the area makes it one of the prime birding destinations in South Africa, with over 300 species of birds recorded. Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is world renowned for its rhino conservation program. Ghost Mountain Inn (BLD) FRI, AUG 21 - MKUZE-SHAKALAND Today we depart Mkuze for Shakaland, situated in the heart of KwaZulu/Natal. Shakaland Zulu Cultural Village is the oldest village of this type in Zululand, and was designed to give visitors insight into the former traditions and way of life of the Zulu people. Feel the pulsating rhythm of mysterious and magical Africa as we relive the excitement and romance of the days of Shaka, King of the Zulus, in this authentic re-creation of the Great Kraal overlooking Phobane Lake. Experience the sight of assegaai-wielding warriors, share the fascinating secrets of the sangomas, and witness traditional customs such as tribal dancing, spear-making, and the beer-drinking ceremonies. The highlight of the evening is tribal dancing and dinner in the village before retiring to our traditional beehive huts (with all the modern conveniences). Hotel Protea Shakaland (BD) SAT, AUG 22 - SHAKALAND-DURBAN More Zulu culture this morning before driving to the bustling port city of Durban. Our hotel is situated on North Beach with breathtaking views of Durban’s Golden Mile and the warm Indian Ocean. The remainder of the day is at leisure for independent exploration. You may want to stroll along the beachfront promenade containing amusement parks, shops, and restaurants, or visit one of the city’s many museums. Perhaps you’ll prefer to explore Durban’s colorful, vibrant, exotic Indian community, with its mosque and Hindu temples, Indian Market and crowded alleyways. Southern Sun Elangeni (B) SUN, AUG 23 - DURBAN-HERMANUS This morning we fly to Cape Town, then drive to the elegant 19th-century resort town of Hermanus, where the remainder of the day is at leisure. For over a century, Hermanus, recognized by the World Wildlife Federation as one of the world’s top 12 whale-viewing locations, served as the center of a thriving fishing and whaling industry. The old harbor on Walker Bay has been preserved as a museum and national monument, and between July and December each year whales swim close to shore. A hiking trail runs along Hermanus Cliffs west of town, giving spectacular views out over the Indian Ocean. Misty Waves Hotel (B) MON, AUG 24 - CAPE AGULHAS / ARNISTON At Point Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the African continent, more than 250 ships have fallen victim to the tragic coastline and strong currents where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Huge waves pound the rocky coast while an 18-million-candlepower lighthouse built in 1848 guides shipping past the treacherous shores. The enchanting little fishing village of Arniston, with its unspoiled coastline, white dunes, and turquoise waters, is best known for its 200-year-old fishermen’s village, Kassiesbaai. The village is a national monument, its whitewashed, thatched cottages a favorite of artists and photographers. Misty Waves Hotel (BD) TUE, AUG 25 - HERMANUS-OUDTSHOORN Today we drive to Oudtshoorn, set along the banks of the Grobbelaars River. The town is popularly known as the world’s “feather capital,” a reference to its preeminent position as the center of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ostrich-feather industry. Some of the local farmers and businessmen made fabulous fortunes, building themselves marble-floored farmhouses or constructing mansions that came to be known as “feather palaces.” Ostrich farms are still very much a feature of the area; in fact, Oudtshoorn is the only place in the world where feathers are still sold at regular auctions. Show farms are open to the public; we’ll visit one to meet these gigantic birds and learn about this dynamic industry. Queens Hotel (BLD) WED, AUG 26 - OUDTSHOORN-STELLENBOSCH An even greater area attraction than ostriches is the Cango Caves, a series of vast underground dripstone caverns with cathedral-like halls and unique formations that have chiseled away the faces of limestone parallel to the Swartberg Mountains. What can be seen at Cango is spectacularly impressive, though only a minute section of an extensive cave system extending under the mountains. Afterward, we drive Route 62, the longest wine route in the Western Cape, a drive marked by magnificent landscapes, towering cliffs, and sparkling streams, to the picturesque vineyards of Stellenbosch, South Africa’s second oldest town and the center of the wine region. A walk along Dorp Street reveals an unbroken record of this well-preserved town’s various period styles, where many of the buildings are monuments and museums. Protea Hotel Dorpshuis (B) THU, AUG 27 - CAPE WINELANDS We spend an unhurried day discovering the beauty of the Cape Winelands, a region filled with breathtaking vistas and majestic mountain backdrops, vineyards and fruit farms interspersed with stands of pines. Among the patchwork of farms in the valley are some of South Africa’s oldest and most famous wine estates, the grand old Cape Dutch farmhouses and wine stores still producing some of the country’s top wines. Protea Hotel Dorpshuis (B) FRI, AUG 28 - STELLENBOSCH-PATERNOSTER Today we depart the Winelands and drive to Paternoster, one of the last traditional fishing villages on South Africa’s West Coast; the charming décor and laidback lifestyle bring time to a standstill. Paternoster is almost untouched, a period piece from the 19th century. “Colored” fishermen and their families peer from the open doors of square, whitewashed cottages, living in much the same conditions as their forefathers did. On around the coast, the road passes the last manned lighthouse to be built on the South African coast and enters Cape Columbine Nature Preserve, where the ocean crashes against weird volcanic rocks and seals play offshore. If the rains have been kind, mid-August bears witness to the blooming of hundreds of different varieties of flowers, splotching the landscape with the most divine colors. Paternoster Hotel (BD) SAT, AUG 29 - PATERNOSTER-CLANWILLIAM The springtime glory of wildflowers is by no means confined to Namaqualand proper. Farther south, patchwork profusions of daisies and vygies mingle with the proteas, ericas, and pincushions of the Cape Floral Kingdom’s fynbos vegetation, gracing a region that also has other, very distinctive attractions. Clanwilliam, situated at the foot of the mighty Cederberg mountain range, has a lot to offer - mountains, rock art, birdwatching, historical buildings, and especially the scenic beauty of “Flower Season.” Each year during August and September, depending on the preceding winter’s rainfall, the area is transformed into a floral showcase. Ramskop Nature Reserve boasts 250 indigenous species of wildflowers. Clanwilliam Hotel (BD) SUN, AUG 30 - NIEWOUDTVILLE Niewoudtville, reached via the grand Vanrhyns Pass, lies within a major sheep-rearing region, silent and lonely. The village has some attractive and unusual sandstone buildings. At the eastern end of town, the Niewoudtville Flower Reserve grassland explodes with color in the spring. A few miles distant, the Kokerboom Forest is the southernmost large collection of these giant aloes (also called quiver trees) in South Africa. Clanwilliam Hotel (BD) MON, AUG 31 - CLANWILLIAM-CAPE TOWN The main highway from Clanwilliam to Cape Town is the N7, a wide, straight road that leads through Citrusdal, Piketberg, and Malmesbury. Citrusdal is set among orange groves which, collectively, comprise the third largest of South Africa’s citrus-growing areas. Once over the Piekenaar Pass south of Citrusdale, the mountains fall abruptly to the great wheat-growing plain of the Swartland, known as the breadbasket of the Cape; in springtime the fields are bright green with the splendid harvests. We proceed on to Cape Town and our hotel within walking distance of the famed Albert & Victoria Waterfront. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Southern Sun Cullinan (B) TUE, SEP 1 - CAPE TOWN Today we explore Cape Town and the surrounding area. We’ll take a cablecar to the top of Table Mountain (weather permitting); visit Bo-Kaap, the colorful Malay Quarter; stroll through the Company Gardens; and drive out to Blouberg for that classic Cape Town/Table Mountain photo op across the bay. Southern Sun Cullinan (B) WED, SEP 2 - CAPE TOWN We enjoy a full day of sightseeing on the Cape Peninsula, traveling along spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive to Hout Bay and along the scenic coastal road to Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point. We’ll see the penguin colony at Boulder Beach and return to Cape Town via the quaint seaside towns of Simon’s Town, Fishoek, and Muizenburg with its colorful bathing houses. Southern Sun Cullinan (BD) THU, SEP 3 - CAPE TOWN-U.S. The day is at leisure for last-minute packing, shopping, or sightseeing before our mid-afternoon transfer to the airport for our flight to the U.S. (B) FRI, SEP 4 - ARRIVE U.S. We arrive back in the United States today, ending our lovely sojourn in splendid South Africa.
Note: Included meals are indicated by B, L, and D for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
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