Sunshine South Africa |
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The Sunshine SA tour showcases the very best South Africa has to offer. From its vast natural spaces and diverse, traditional African cultures to the vibrant “city of gold,” the Sunshine SA tour will leave you feeling inspired and rejuvenated. |
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Day 1
Johannesburg
Touch down at Johannesburg International Airport where you'll be met and transferred to your hotel. Once settled in we will get right into your South African experience by escorting you on tour of Soweto, (South Western Township). This is South Africa largest township with an extraordinary political history. We eat a traditional African meal at a local restaurant and visit a local shebeen (pub). Chat to the amenable and friendly locals who will give you first hand insight into this vibrant way of life.
Overnight at a local guest house or Johannesburg city hotel. |
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Day 2
Johannesburg to Mpumalanga
Just after sunrise and a hearty South Africa style breakfast we set off for the Apartheid Museum to which reflects on the cleverly engineered Apartheid system and its eventual demise.
We then depart Johannesburg and the Gauteng province and head east to a place of beauty and tranquility, the province of Mpumalanga, landscape characterized by mountains, panoramic views, valleys, waterfalls and forests. Explore the impressive Mac Mac falls, a waterfall 65m high and named after the large amount of Scottish who came here in search of gold. We visit God's window, a viewpoint where the land falls away from the great escarpment into the vast forested Lowveld.
Discover a quaint little town which was declared a national monument and is now a living museum to preserve a fascinating part of South Africa’s cultural heritage called Pilgrims Rest. |
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Day 3
The Lowveld & The Kruger National Park
As another exciting day of our SA Sunshine tour begins we greet the dawn with the locals of the Shangana cultural village, a traditional, rural African village where guests will have personal encounters with the locals. Guests are encouraged to touch, feel and participate in what is happening in the village, and the guide will explain the necessary etiquette to ensure the privacy of the family is not disturbed. After a scrumptious, traditional meal of roasted meat and stewed vegetables we say goodbye to the Shangaan people and make our way toward the world famous Kruger National Park. En-route we visit the curious rock formations of the Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the spectacular gorges and boundless view of the Blyde River Canyon, one of the natural wonders of Africa.
We arrive at our accommodation at the Kruger National Park in time for a welcome sundowner in the African bushveld.
We then anxiously depart for a night game drive with our experienced safari guide in search of big cats and other nocturnal predators. |
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Day 4
The Kruger National Park
We rise to greet the African sun and set off in search of lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard, and all manner of wondrous wildlife, bird and plant species. Our guide makes this a fascinating adventure by imparting valuable knowledge on the flora, social behaviour of animals and the like. Over-indulge in a rich display of nature’s most fascinating creatures. |
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Day 5
The Kingdom of Swaziland –The smallest country in the Southern hemisphere.
Enjoy an enchanting drive to the tiny land-locked kingdom of Swaziland, a former British Protection Territory, now ruled by King MsWati III. Witness a Swazi cultural experience before visiting the famous Ngwenya Glass Works to see master craftsmen fashion collectable figures and functional art out of molten glass. Our next stop is the capital city Mbabane, known for its vibrant markets packed with woven baskets, beadwork and carvings. The pride of the Swazi people and the Swazi way of life is depicted through traditional tribal dancing, story telling, crafts and artifacts. We spend the night in the beautiful Ezulwini Valley (the Valley of Heaven) which has superb views as you drop from the highveld into the middleveld. At the end of the long valley lies Lobamba, the Royal Village of the King. |
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Day 6
The Kingdom of the Zulu's
Visit the Swazi Candle Factory, teeming with exquisite wax artworks in every shape and colour imaginable. Then it’s on into Zululand, passing round, traditional huts which dot the endless vistas. Arrive mid afternoon at the St Lucia Wetlands, a National treasure and World Heritage Site which is home to among others, hippo, crocodile and a staggering 420 recorded bird species. We then go on an exciting, open vehicle game drive into Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, one of the best reserves in KwaZulu-Natal for seeing wildlife and where the hilly terrain provide excellent vantage points . |
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Day 7
Durban
We awake to the sun rising over the estuaries horizon, and after breakfast embark on a tranquil guided lake cruise of St Lucia. We then depart the reserve for the steamy Durban. En-route we follow the Midlands Meander, one of SA’s most exciting craft trading route. Visitors are welcome to pop in at their leisure and watch artists at work, from woodwork to earthenware and clothing.
Other interesting sites along the way include vast, tall sugarcane farms and the famous Valley of a Thousand Hills Valley. Check into your accommodation just before a lunch of famous “Durban-style curry”. Explore the beachfront and its many attractions at leisure, or take an optional afternoon Durban City Tour. |
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Day 8
Port Elizabeth / Knysna
After an early rise you are transferred to Durban International Airport for your onward journey to Port Elizabeth. On arrival you will be transferred to the famous Garden Route town of Knysna. En-route a detour is made at the Tsitsikamma National Park where a reserve guide will take us on an informative forest walk to the suspension bridge over the Storms River Mouth. This is an ecologically sensitive area and one of SA’s most scenically rich. We then stop for lunch at the seaside resort of Plettenberg Bay after which we are launched into an Ocean safari, in search of whales and dolphins. |
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Day 9
Knysna
This mornings journey begins by embarking on a cruise along the crisp sparkling waters of the Knysna Lagoon to the imposing sandstone head of the Featherbed Nature Resrve. Here you will witness the worlds smallest and now endangered Blue Duiker. Stand in awe of the amazing view of the guardians the sea entrance to Knysna huge tidal lagoon, and the forests, marshes and pristine beaches beyond. After lunch we head off for a unique cultural experience with the largest Rasta community in Africa, Judah Square.
We have the option of spending the night here where your experience will further unfold. This community works closely with the local South African National Parks Board, and have established a lovely forest walk that meanders along the Kayalethu River basin (adjacent to the community) which we will also experience. |
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Day 10
Cango Caves & Oudtshoorn
This morning we embark on a nostalgic steam train journey aboard the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe, and by far the most scenic way, if not the fastest, to get from Knysna to the Wilderness, aptly named for its untouched natural beauty. We then enjoy the wonderful views and admirable engineering of the spectacular Outeniqua Pass, en-route to Oudtshoorn. Once in Oudtshoorn we encounter a curious creature, the meerkat. This is a fascinating experience as one of the locals inter-act with them on level not before thought possible. Meerkat are often accused of eating ostrich chicks or other farm animals and are sometimes hunted off by angry farmers.
After a Karoo style farm lunch we then head underground for an absolutely fascinating tour of the magnificent Cango Caves, one of South Africans most incredible natural wonders, and a national heritage site. The more adventurous are welcome to take extended cave trail which entails contorting your body along the caves narrow caverns. Overnight in the ostrich farming capital of Oudtshoorn. |
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Day 11
Cape Town
A day of magnificent vistas. Enjoy the ever-changing passing canvas as we travel to Cape Town. On our way we stop off at the Ochre trail where we will go on an informative walk which will unvail the fascinating world of the ancient San and their rock-art sites depicting the details of this ancient culture.Our guide will provide in-depth information on the geology, flora, fauna and their specific uses to San people as well as myths and legends of this captivating culture. We then continue along the narrow mounatin passages of the Langeberge and on to the quaint little town of Barrydale where we follow the spectacular Tradouw pass. Take a detour into SA’s third oldest town, Swellendam, with its famous Cape Dutch architecture. We arrive in Cape Town in the early evening, which leaves you time to explore SA’s most visited attraction, the V&A Waterfront. |
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Day 12
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula’s 170 km's of pristine beaches and rugged coastline is a nature lover’s paradise. There are numerous activities along this route but the main attractions include:
The False Bay which boasts historic fishing villages, SA's first naval base of
The highlight of today’s tour is the famous Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve “where the two oceans meet.” Forming part of the Cape Floral Kingdom Simons Town and the Boulders Penguin Colony. (now a world heritage site) this reserve is home to an array of bird and plant species. Antelope, other smaller mammals and reptile also inhabit the 7000ha Park. Its rugged coastline with scattered shipwrecks is a testimony to its previous name the “Cape of storms” Here our knowledgeable reserve warden will take us on a specially arranged guided walk to tell us more about this unique biome.
The tour then continues along the undeniably spectacular, Chapman’s peak drive into Hout Bay where a short scenic boat trip can be taken to Seal Island, a colony of 5000 Cape Fur Seals and hunting ground for the Cape’s great white shark. Following a quick coffee we drive along the scenic and exclusive coastline of the Atlantic Seaboard via Camps Bay and Llandudno into the city. |
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Day 13
Table Mountain, City Centre, Culture and Victoria Mxenge Project
Today we scale the magnificent Table Mountain via the rotating cable-car for an informative 45 min circular walk. We then travel to Bo-Kaap, also referred to as the old slave quarters or Cape Malay area. We then head off to District 6 the area where forced removals took place during apartheid before stopping off for lunch in a township. After lunch we visit an inspirational community project started by women who humbly learnt how to build houses. They’ve managed to build 146 houses thus far and there system has been used as a pilot project for the rest of Africa. These women initiated a savings scheme as a means of providing finance for the project and obtained skills in all aspects of house building. They also built their homes themselves, many ignoring ridicule by men, who were skeptical and even antagonistic of their efforts. |
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Day 14
Cape Town
Day of leisure to soak up the sun, shop at the local flea market or take a stroll through the internationally acclaimed Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Alternatively indulge in any of the other ‘must see’ attractions of Cape Town. You will be transferred to the airport for your homeward bound journey. |
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