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itinerary
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B
= breakfast included; L = lunch included; D = dinner included
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Day
1 - arrival & Johannesburg city tour
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| Arrive
at Johannesburg
International Airport* (morning flight). Your guide will
meet you at the airport. Board you luxury coach for your transfer
to your hotel in Sandton*.
(The rest of the day's programme will depend on the time of
arrival of your flight.) You'll do a short drive-through tour
of Johannesburg*
before heading to Gold
Reef City*. This interesting theme park helps you to relive
the days of the gold rush when Johannesburg*
was founded. Go undergournd in a gold mine (not in operation
any more) and see gold smelting and pouring and possibly a
demonstration of gum boot dancing by mine workers.
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| Overnight:
Holiday Inn Garden Court Sandton City, 2 nights (DB)
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Day
2 - Pretoria
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|
 Today
you travel to the nearby city of Pretoria. Visit the Union
Buildings where the office of the President is, the Voortrekker
Monument commemorating the first white settlers to venture
into the interior, Kruger House, Church square and Fort Klapperkop
from where you get a lovely view of the whole city.
In the afternoon
you'll pay a visit to the small village of Cullinan, just
outside Pretoria, and do a guided tour of the Premier diamond
mines where the largest diamond in the world was discovered
at the turn of the 19th centuary.
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| Overnight:
Holiday Inn Garden Court Sandton City, 2nd night (DB)
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Day
3 - Johannesburg to Pilgrim's Rest
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| Today,
you travel to the Eastern
Lowveld* where the famous Kruger
National Park* is situated. The route takes you through
the Highveld*
which features wide-open spaces. Travel via Witbank*,
Belfast, Dullstroom*
and Lydenburg*.
From Lydenburg*
you cross the Long
Tom Pass* to reach Sabie*
and ultimately the historic town of Pilgrim’s Rest where the
richest gold deposits, at the time, in South
Africa* were discovered in 1873. This little town was
declared a museum in its entirety and is beautifully restored.
Your hotel is a quaint restored mining hotel of those years
which today offers you the comforts of a modern hotel, without
losing its Victorian era charm.
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| Overnight:
The Royal Hotel, 1 night (DB)
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Day
4 - Panorama Route to the Kruger National Park
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 Do
a walking tour of Pilgrim’s Rest. It is fascinating to get
the feel of the days of the gold rush and what expired at
this remote spot in Africa.
From here you
travel to Graskop where the Panorama
Route* starts. This route hugs the crest of the escarpment
with breathtaking viewpoints where you look down on the Lowveld*
in the direction of the Kruger
Park*. Visit God’s Window, Bourke’s Luck, the Lisbon
Falls and the Blyde River Canyon (the largest green Canyon
in the world). Return to Graskop where you can lunch at Harry’s
Pancake Palace (not included) before you continue to the Kruger
National Park*.
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| Overnight:
Protea Kruger Gate Lodge, 2nights (DB)
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Day
5 - Kruger National Park
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|  Your
Lodge is situated at the main entrance to the Kruger
National Park*. Established in 1898, this national
park* of nearly 2 million hectares is unrivalled in the
diversity of its animal life. Animals which may be seen include
lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, buffalo, giraffe and many
species of antelope as well as prolific plant and bird life.
As these animals
roam freely in the wild, luck plays a role when you go looking
for them. Do an early morning game
drive* in an open safari vehicle with a specialist guide
who will spot the animals and introduce you to the peculiarities
of each. In the afternoon, you will do a second game
drive* in your luxury coach.
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| Overnight:
Protea Kruger Gate Lodge, 2nd night (DB)
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Day
6 - Kruger National Park to Swaziland
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| Enter
the Park and do a South bound game
drive* to the Malelane Gate. After some 3 hours more game
viewing, you leave the Kruger
National Park* on your way to the mountain Kingdom of
Swaziland*.
The route takes you through the beautiful eastern regions
of Swaziland*.
Visit a Ngwenya Glass Works and continue to the Ezulwini Valley
and check into your hotel, The Lugogo Sun. This is one of
three sister hotels. The complete development includes golf
courses, swimming pools, a health spa, a casino, horse rides,
etc.
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| Overnight:
Lugogo Sun Hotel, 1 night (DB)
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Day
7 - Swaziland to Hluhluwe Game Reserve
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 After
a leisurely breakfast you visit Swazi Candles, this small
candle factory create unique and colourful candles that they
export across the world. There are also resident artists on
site creating beautiful wooden sculptures. From there you
head east trhough the town of Manzini and on to Big Bend where
the road turns southwards. Lunch is enjoyed in the open on
a private game farm (included).
After lunch you
cross the southern border of Swaziland*
back into South
Africa*. The tour now takes you into the KwaZulu-Natal*
province of South
Africa*, home to the very proud Zulu*
nation. You head for the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi
Game Reserve*, well known for the role it played in saving
the White Rhino. Overnight accommodation is in the Reserve's
main rest camp.
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| Overnight:
Hilltop Rest Camp, 1 night (LDB)
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Day
7, Friday - Durban
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| Hluhluwe-Umfolozi
Game Reserve*, South
Africa's* oldest game
reserve* and renowned for its success in saving the endangered
white rhino. A south bound game
drive* will show you much of the natural beauty of this
sub-tropical game
reserve*. Along the way you'll see various wildlife species,
there's a good chance of seeing some of the rhino's that Hluhluwe's*
famous for.
Today you will
have the day free to relax on the beach or you may join an
optional
tour*.
Should you decide
on an optional
tour*
we recommend one which will introduce you to greater Durban*
and also includes a visit to a cultural village where you
will have the opportunity to have a first hand introduction
to traditional Zulu*
culture. On the tour of greater Durban*
you will drive along the Marine Parade where you may see Rickshaws
as well. You'll see the Harbour, the Vasco da Gama Clock,
the Sugar Terminal, University of Natal and the Botanical
Gardens. Spend some time bargaining at the colourful Indian
Market. After lunch (not included) continue to the magnificent
Valley of 1000 Hills, passing Pinetown and the wealthy Kloof
area on your way there.
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| Overnight:
Protea Hotel Umhlanga, 2nd night (B)
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Day
8, Saturday - Durban to Port Elizabeth
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|  You
have the morning at leisure to enjoy more of the beach and
surroundings. You should experience typical humid and sunny
Durban*
weather, although we don't control the weather...
Later in the
day, probably late morning, you will be transferred*
to Durban
International Airport* for a one hour flight to Port
Elizabeth* (included in your tour price). On arrival in
Port
Elizabeth*, you will be transferred*
to your hotel on the beachfront. You have the rest of the
afternoon at leisure to enjoy the beach or to relax at one
of the nearby restaurants or other beachfront attractions.
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| Overnight:
Holiday Inn Garden Court King's Beach, 1 night (B)
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Day
9, Sunday - Garden Route & Knysna
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| You
leave Port
Elizabeth* in the direction of Cape
Town*. Enroute to Cape
Town* you will pass through a most interesting and beautiful
variety of scenery. The first will be the Garden
Route* where you will visit the rainforests of
the Tsitsikamma*
Mountains and travel along the Victorian passes of Bloukranz*
and Groot
Rivier*. Pay a short visit to Plettenberg
Bay*, the "millionaires playground". Ultimately you reach
the quaint little town of Knysna*
in the heart of the Garden
Route*. You will have ample time to explore the
village.
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| Overnight:
Protea Hotel Knysna Quays, 1 night (DB)
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Day
10, Monday - Knysna to Oudtshoorn
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|  Today,
you explore the Garden
Route* from Knysna*
to Mossel
Bay*. Enroute you pass through the beautiful Wilderness*.
After a short visit to Mossel
Bay*, you turn inland and cross the Outeniqua Mountains
via the scenic Robinson Pass to enter the semi-desert Klein
Karoo, renowned for ostrich
farming*, fruit and vineyards.
First you pay
a visit to an ostrich
farm* for a close up encounter with the largest birds
on earth. Afterwards you visit the Cango
Caves* for an underground tour of these magnificent caverns.
Time permitting an optional
tour*
of the Crocodile
and Cheetah Park* is available.
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| Overnight:
Protea Hotel Riempie Estate, 1 night (DB)
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Day
11, Tuesday - Oudtshoorn to Cape Town
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| Your
route to Cape
Town* will enable you to appreciate the true diversity
of landscapes, highlighted through the magnificence of the
ever-changing semi-desert areas, folded sandstone mountains
of the Huis River and Tradouw Passes, the charming town of
Swellendam*,
and the mountain plateau of expansive apple orchards in and
around Grabouw. Your day ends with your first glimpse of Table
Mountain* from the top of the famous Sir Lowry's Pass.
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| Overnight:
Holiday Inn Cape Town Waterfront, 2 nights (B)
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Day
12, Wednesday - Cape Peninsula & Winelands
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|  Today,
you will do a combination of two of the most popular tours
in the Cape
Town* area. First will be a tour of the Cape
Peninsula*. Travel via Camps
Bay*, and Hout
Bay* to the Cape
of Good Hope Nature Reserve*. Enjoy stunning views from
Cape
Point* before you continue towards Simonstown*
and Muizenberg.
After lunch (not
included), you  come
to the second tour of the day, a visit to the Cape
Winelands*. You will be introduced to South
African wines* at a local wine estate (most probably Spier*).
This includes a short talk on wines and wine production. There
after you will enjoy a wine
tasting* of a couple of wines under the guidance of someone
familiar with the finer aspects of wines. Afterwards you drive
through the University town of Stellenbosch*
before returning to your hotel.
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| Overnight:
Holiday Inn Cape Town Waterfront, 2nd night (B)
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Day
13, Thursday - Return home
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| You
have the day at leisure until such time as your flight (own
arrangements) departs for home. You may head for the Table
Mountain Cable Way*, visit the nearby Victoria
& Alfred Waterfront* or indulge in any of the many
other attractions that the city has to offer (for your own
account).
All good things
have to come to an end sooner or later... You will be transferred*
to Cape
Town International Airport*
in time for your flight back home.
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Overnight
flight home, you may also request us to book extra days for
you in Cape Town.
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