PROGRAM
B = Breakfast L = Lunch D = Dinner
Please note the program is subject to changes
Day 1 Arrival Cape Town, South Africa, 7 Nov 2025 (M)
Arrival in Cape Town, South Africa, from your home destination, by your own arrangement. Check-in at Commodore Hotel, in Cape Town. We meet for a welcome drink in the hotel lobby, before we go out for dinner at the well known GOLD restaurant which is a vibrant pan-African experience offering a set Cape Malay and African menu, together with live entertainment and djembe drumming. GOLD is located in an old warehouse building and we will enjoy their award-winning 14-dish tasting menu inspired by ingredients and textures from all over the African continent.
Day 2 Cape Town 8 Nov 2025 (B, L)
After breakfast it is time to start exploring "The Mother City". This tour will give you a good overview of the city's historically and culturally important places and buildings. If the weather permits, there will be a trip up Table Mountain with the cable car, from where there is a fantastic view of the city and "the end of the world". There will be a visit to the city's oldest building, The Castle and The Company Gardens and various sights in the city, from colonial style to the colorful Malay Quaters and the houses in the Bo-Kaap area. Lunch will be in a local restaurant, and the rest of the day is at leisure, with time to explore The Waterfront and the lively area around the hotel.
Day 3 Cape Town 9 Nov 2025 (B, L)
Today we will visit Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens which is acclaimed as one of the great botanic gardens of the world. Few gardens can match the sheer grandeur of the setting of Kirstenbosch, against the eastern slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain. Spanning over 36 hectares, it showcases a stunning array of indigenous plants, including a vast collection of fynbos, cycads, and proteas. Highlights are the famous Boomslang canopy walkway, an enormous cycad collection, the protea gardens, and a collection of art works. Well-maintained pathways lead to various themed gardens, including a fragrance garden and a medicinal garden. After lunch together, the rest of the day is at leisure.
Day 4 The Winelands 10 Nov 2025 (B, L,D)
We head for the winelands and Franschhoek, about an hour from Cape Town, and will stop at the beautiful winery Babylonstoren where we will have a tour of their gardens, wine tasting and lunch, before continuing to Franschhoek. Babylonstoren is cherished for its magnificent formal garden, which boasts historic rose and fruit cultivars, a succulent collection, a kitchen garden, thousands of clivias, a healing garden, cycad collection and a Spice House where tropical plants thrive. We will have lunch here and taste their excellent wine, and visit the lovely farm shop where you will not leave empty handed!
The charming town of Franschhoek is a heritage town and a world-renowned food and wine destination. The many estates here attract wine experts from around the globe with their Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cap Classique sparkling wine. Five-star restaurants alongside the cellars are surrounded by the same jaw-dropping valley scenes that have brought artists and writers to the area for centuries. Our charming and well located hotel overlooks the mountains and vineyards of the historic village, and many art galleries, shops and restaurants are nearby. The town itself takes its name from the French Huguenots who settled in the area in the early 1680s after fleeing from their home country. Dinner together in a local restaurant.
Day 5 Franschhoek 11 Nov 2025 (B, L)
Today we will explore the winelands in the best possible way, by train! The Franschhoek Wine Tram hop-on hop-off tour is one of the best ways to discover the true essence of the Franschhoek Valleys' picturesque vineyards, breath-taking scenery, warm hospitality, world-class cuisine, fine wines, and a 300-year history. The tour takes us right into the heart of the Franschhoek Valley, with a narration focusing on the history of Franschhoek and wine cultivation in the valley, wine tastings and unparalleled views of the valley and vineyards. From the hop-on hop-off tour we will have a unique and leisurely way to see the Franschhoek Valley as we journey through rolling vineyards in an open-sided tram and open-air tram-bus, stopping at some of South Africa's oldest and most distinguished wine estates. During the stops there will be wine tasting, a cellar tour, lunch and a stroll through the vineyards. After lunch the transfer takes us back to the hotel, unless you want another round on the tram! Evening at leisure to enjoy all the delights of Franschhoek.
Day 6 Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge, KwaZulu Natal - 12 Nov 2025 (B, D)
After breakfast and check out, transfer to the airport for the flight to Durban. There is about three hours drive from the airport to the safari lodge, good time to catch up the knitting you have not had time for! Lunch at a rest stop along the way. We arrive at the lodge just in time for the evening game drive.
Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge - the only private lodge in the reserve - offers exceptional safari experiences in the heart of Big 5 territory. 18 well appointed, air-conditioned rooms nestle on a ridge, each with their own private deck giving expansive and uninterrupted views of the reserve. The lodge, built in 2015, is designed in a contemporary style with overtones of organic forms utilising natural finishes and materials.
Day 7 Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge, KwaZulu Natal 13 Nov 2025 (B, L, D)
A typical day on safari
Expect a wake-up call between 05h00 and 06h00. The day starts with early morning tea and coffee, followed by a game drive in an open vehicle. This is when wildlife is most active, so the best time to be out in the wild. Game drives are about 3 hours and there is usually a break to stretch your legs, have a cup of coffee or tea and something to snack on. You return to the lodge for brunch.
Then there is time to relax. You can enjoy a siesta in the room, make use of the gym, indulge in a spa treatment, browse the safari shop, find a board game in the main lodge area or enjoy the pool.
A light lunch is served around 1 PM. Tea is served in the afternoon, usually with a selection of sweet and savoury snacks to accompany your beverage. The afternoon drive departs between 15h30 and 16h30, again at a time when the animals are active. There is nothing quite like a sunset on safari, so you will stop for a sundowner drink before making your way back for dinner.
Day 8 The Oyster Box, Umhlanga 14 Nov 2025 (B, D)
After morningsafari and checkout we drive to Umhlanga, and underway we will vist the Ilala Weavers, where we will see how the traditional Zulu Baskets are made. Then we continue to Umhlanaga and the Oyster Box hotel.
Located on the eastern coast of South Africa, just outside of the port city of Durban is Umhlanga, a popular seaside resort town. The tropical weather and lush vegetation make this an enticing holiday destination attracting visitors from all over the world. Umhlanga and its surrounds feature golden-sand beaches stretching over 200 kilometres, endless sugarcane fields and the rolling verdant landscape of the Valley of 1000 Hills.
Standing proud on Umhlanga’s beachfront, overlooking the historical Umhlanga lighthouse, The Oyster Box has long been one of South Africa’s best-loved and most distinguished hotels. This 86-room hotel is renowned for its generous hospitality, attentive service and exceptional cuisine. The elegant rooms, decorated with antiques, feature private balconies with sea views, flat-screen TVs, free WiFi, tea and coffeemaking facilities, and fresh fruit and flowers. The breakfast buffet is amazing, and the hotel has a fine-dining restaurant and multiple eateries/bars. Other amenities include a spa with a hammam, an oceanfront outdoor pool and a fitness centre. Dinner at a local restaurant nearby the hotel.
Day 9 The Oyster Box, Umhlanga 15 Nov 2025 (B, L)
A day at leisure to enjoy the hotel and explore the resort town of Umhlanga. We meet in the evening for dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 10 The Oyster Box, Umhlanga 16 Nov 2025 (B, D)
Today is an arts and crafts day! After breakfast we travel to the Midlands, less than 2 hours from Durban, to visit Ardmore Ceramic Art. With their unique design, they are now a world-renowned luxury brand. Everything is made by local talented artists who have been given training, materials and a studio where they can be creative. Each item is handmade and has its own unique design. Founded in the late 1980s by fine artist Fee Halsted at Ardmore Farm in rural KwaZulu-Natal, Ardmore Ceramics & Design is an artistic community combining Western ceramics techniques with African art. Talented young artists produce tablecloths, wall-hangings, cushions covers, placemats, handbags and even stationery inspired by the natural environment, plants and animals of the farm’s surroundings, and local folkloric traditions.
Just up the street you will also find Shuttleworth Weaving, which is well worth a visit. We will also stop at Piggly Wiggly, a family-run business which makes mats, rugs and shawls from mohair yarn and other materials, and everything is done on site. There are lots of shops and eateries here, and a good place to buy some lunch.
In the evening we will enjoy our last dinner together at The Terrace in The Oyster Box.
Day 11 The Oyster Box - end of tour 17 Nov 2025 (B)
It is time to say good bye. After breakfast and check out, onwards travels by own arrangement. Jambo!
