Itinerary Tour for 2009/10 SeasonPreperation Day Because all International flights arrive before 12:00 your tour guide will fetch you at the airport and take the group straight to backpackers to freshen up before we embark on a tour through Cape Town.
Cape town is a special city, a place where dreamers find motivation and visitors are bound to return time and again.Warmed by the African sun, the city is tamed by a soaring, table-shaped mountain, set on a peninsula of towering, rocky heights and thriving valleys, where two oceans meet- Indian and Atlantic.
Boldly positioned on the international map, Cape Town offers a numerous things to do and places to see, no matter what your preference, or budget.
Here we will eat at a tradisional South African dinner.
Day 1/10
Let’s get going! After breakfast we will depart at 08:00. First we will collect the bikes and then set out through Paarl and the pictorial Wellington over the Bainsksloof pass, The views from the pass down into the Wellington valley are spectacular.
Here we will lunch with Willie at the very famous bush pub. Willie will treat us to something special. After lunch we will drive to Robertson that lies at the start of Route 62 and visit a wine farm for a personal tour. As Robertson is my place of residence so we will pull all the stops to make it memorable
Day 2/10Today is a very special day. We will be traveling through the most beautiful wine producing areas in South Africa and experience wine in the area surrounded by unparalleled beauty and majestic mountains, where friendly people always share their stories of friendship and laughter. We will travel through Barrydale. We will be having lunch in Barrydale with Derrek at the Country Pumpkin, this is a treat!
After lunch we will travel to Oudtshoorn via Ladysmith and Calitsdorp where we will spend the night.
Day 3/10Day three we will experience all that there is to offer in Oudtshoorn. We will set off on a very early drive to one off the oldest ostrich farms in the area. Here you can see ongoing activities such as flock movement, feeding, breeding and plucking as they occur. After the ostriches we will visit the famous Congo Caves,the spectacular underground wonder of the Klein Karoo.
Here we will see the finest dripstone caverns, with their vast halls and towering formations. One of the highlights is the opportunity to handle the tigers and dive with the crocodiles! We will end off the evening with a real South African braai.
Day 4/10After breakfast at 07:30 we will leave beautiful Oudtshoorn towards Uniondale stopping along the way for brunch to arrive in Steytlerville where we have something very special in store for you.
We are now in the heart of the Karoo and the place is truly magnificant.
Day 5/10 After breakfast at 07:30 we will leave beautiful Steytlerville towards Port Elizabeth stopping along the way for brunch to arrive in Port Elizabeth before 14:00.
Port Elizabeth is South Africa’s second oldest city and have great weather all year round and beautiful beaches. After we settled in we will take a scenic tour of the city and entertain ourselves at the local beer house or the Casino.
Day 6/10 The next day we will spend at the very famous Addo. The area is situated in a malaria free area just one hour's drive from Port Elizabeth, this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 450 elephants, Cape buffalo, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo.
Some of its unique features include:
Unrivalled natural diversity, with five of South Africa's seven major vegetation zones (biomes).
The Big 7 (Elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, whales and great white sharks) in their natural habitat.
Rich heritage of archaeological and historical sites. This park offers some of the most spectacular elephant viewing in the world. Antelope species abundant in the main game area of the park include red hartebeest, eland, kudu and bushbuck whilst Gemsbok, black wildebeest, springbok, buffalo and black rhino are found in the arid namakaroo area.
Here we will go on an elephant safari.
Day 7/10After the real South African bush breakfast we will set off on the garden route via the Titsikama. The area is covered in large tracts of indigenous forest, commercial plantation and Fynbos.
Deep river gorges cleft the plateau as they make their way down to the sea, creating spectacular waterfalls and deep kloofs.
We will pass over the highest bungee jumping bridge in the world and will stop for those who are brave enough to try and then we will move on to the beautiful town of Knysna. After we settled in we will explore this beautiful town and visit the waterfront.
The Knysna Waterfront has only been developed in the last couple of years. From there, you can get a complete Knysna experience by hiring ferries, paddle cruisers and boats that takes you to on the lagoon and to the Knysna Heads. The ferry can take you on a unique trip up the river as well. Is that not enough? At the waterfront, you can arrange special and educational trips, private parties and functions on a boat and much much more.
In addition to all the ferry and boat rides that can be hired, the waterfront encompasses marinas, shopping malls and residential complexes. There is exciting dining, something for the shopping addict, It's a busy complex full of life at all times. You can sit on the edge of the pier eating ice cream and have a wonderful time relaxing, looking at ferries and boats sailing in and out.
Day 8/10After breakfast we will take a boat trip to the Heads and have lunch at the very beautiful Oldes Pub. Read more about the heads at
www.turtlesa.com/ezine203.html Knysna and its natural wonders is one of the most scenic in the world and offers beaches, lakes and lush forests and has now received international recognition for the gem it is - it was named as one of the Top 100 Destinations in the World. After lunch we will drive a very scenic route via George to Mossel Bay.
Situated halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, beautiful Mossel Bay is a coastal village and harbour of the World Famous Garden Route. This popular holiday town is surrounded by a sunbathed peninsula and the refreshing waters of the Indian Ocean.
It is a busy summer destination as well as an ideal winter retreat. It is blessed with a mild climate all-year round but its most important feature is its status as the historical capital of the Garden Route.
9/10 DayThe trip may be reaching its end but the last two days are probably the most beautiful. We will travel from Mossel Bay to the most southern point of Africa, Cape Agulhas, where we will spend the night. It is the southernmost point in Africa. This landmark has become a holiday destination for those who want to get away from the city. Several tidal pools can be found along the coastline and the lighthouse, established in 1849 offers the tourist a place to have a cup of tee. One can also climb to the top of the lighthouse for a spectacular view.
Struisbaai, a few kilometers away, is also a holiday destination with many holiday homes, a caravan park and a spectacular beach.
The shallow bay with its clear water makes for good swimming in summer. The little harbor always sports a few small and colorful fishing boats. (Hopefully we will eat some fresh fish).
Day 10/10The last day! After breakfast we will go via Hermanus. Hermanus is built along the beautiful shores of Walker Bay. The official whale watching capital of the world and a popular holiday destination, Hermanus is surrounded by majestic mountains, indigenous fynbos and spectacular natural beauty. We will spend some time here and maybe grab a bite to eat before we ride the most spectacular road to Cape Town via the coastal road. Continue on to Walker Bay, a nursery of the great Southern right whale. Hermanus is favoured by Capetonians as their weekend getaway, as well as by vacationers and retired persons.
Visit the old harbour which served the fishing industry for over a century, and is now a museum and national monument. The new harbour, at Westcliff, houses the new fishing boats, and charter trips for deep sea fishing may be arranged.
Take a trip to Gansbaai (Goose Bay) where fresh fish are sold in the harbour.
Whale ViewingHermanus offers the best whale viewing from land in the world. A cliff path stretching from one side of the town to the other, hugs the coastline for about 12 km giving whale watchers unlimited opportunities to study the gentle giants in the coves below.
Back towards Kleinmond where the mouth of the Palmiet River is ideal for swimming. Further down the road, one finds Betty’s Bay and the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden. This beautiful, secluded garden is set between mountain and sea, in the heart of the Cape fynbos region and encompasses 5 hectares of cultivated fynbos garden and 195 hectares of pristine natural fynbos. The Garden is open 365 days a year from 08h00 – 17h00 and a nominal entrance fee is charged. The garden has a restaurant and indigenous plant nursery.
The coastal route into Cape Town for the most memorable drive of your life to arrive in Cape Town at 15:00/16:00.
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