South Africa

South Africa: Drakensberg, Lesotho, Kruger and Cape Town

KwaZulu-Natal and the Sani Pass before the safaris and the Cape region

South Africa

South Africa: Drakensberg, Lesotho, Kruger and Cape Town

A tour that starts in the east, in Durban, for the Drakensberg mountains and a day by 4x4 in Lesotho over the Sani Pass (2,873 m), meeting a Sotho village. Then come St Lucia lagoon, a private reserve in Zulu country, the kingdom of Eswatini and its rhinos, a full day's 4x4 safari in Kruger, the Blyde River and Pilgrim's Rest, Soweto and Nelson Mandela's house, then three days in Cape Town with the Winelands, the peninsula and Robben Island. Groups of 10 to 25 travellers.

When

May to Oct

Price

From 3 619€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

12 nights

Ideal length

Durban, the Drakensberg and Lesotho

Days 1-4

KwaZulu-Natal, a province that classic tours fly over: Durban and its Indian community, then the mountains and the highlands of Lesotho.

Day 1

Flight to Durban

Flight with stopover(s) to Durban. Dinner and night on board.

Day 2

Arrival in Durban

Arrive in Durban, via Johannesburg on some departures. Welcome by your French-speaking guide, check in at the hotel and dinner in a restaurant in the centre.

Day 3

Durban – the Drakensberg

A panoramic tour of Durban, former capital of KwaZulu-Natal, home to the largest Indian community in the world outside India. Drive to the Drakensberg and its views, across Natal towards Lesotho.

Day 4

Sani Pass and Lesotho by 4x4

Set off by 4x4 for the kingdom of Lesotho over the Sani Pass, at 2,873 m, between mountains, rivers and waterfalls, on highlands that recall Tibet. A stop in a village to meet the Sotho and taste the local beer, then lunch at the Sani Top Chalet. Drive to Umhlanga.

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Zulu country, Eswatini and Kruger

Days 5-8

Four days of wildlife: St Lucia lagoon, a private reserve, Hlane and a full day in Kruger.

Day 5

St Lucia – Hluhluwe

Drive to St Lucia reserve and a boat safari to watch crocodiles and hippos, with a light lunch on board. Check in at the lodge, a boma dinner and a dance show.

Day 6

Zulu Nyala reserve – Zulu village – Eswatini

A very early 4x4 safari of about three hours in the private Zulu Nyala reserve: antelope, giraffe, zebra, elephant, buffalo, cheetah. Visit a Zulu village and its kraals, then drive to Eswatini.

Day 7

Hlane – Kruger area

A 4x4 safari in Hlane, known for its black rhinos. Lunch in the reserve and a visit to an Eswati market, then back into South Africa towards the Kruger area.

Day 8

A full day in Kruger Park

A whole day's 4x4 safari in Kruger National Park, 20,000 km², looking for the Big Five as well as cheetahs, giraffes and hippos.

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Blyde River, Pretoria and Soweto

Days 9-10

The canyon and the mining village of Pilgrim's Rest, then Soweto and Nelson Mandela's house before the flight to Cape Town.

Day 9

Blyde River and Pilgrim's Rest – Pretoria

Discover the 26-km Blyde River Canyon and the Bourke's Luck potholes. Visit Pilgrim's Rest, a mining village from the 1873 gold rush, now a listed heritage site. Drive to Pretoria.

Day 10

Soweto – flight to Cape Town

Visit Soweto, symbol of the resistance to apartheid: Nobel Street and Nelson Mandela's house, now a museum. Lunch in a shebeen, then fly from Johannesburg to Cape Town.

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Cape Town

Days 11-15

Three days to finish: the Winelands, the Cape Peninsula and Robben Island.

Day 11

The Winelands

A day in the Winelands: Franschhoek, the 'French corner', and its Huguenot museum, the Mandela statue outside Groot Drakenstein prison, then Stellenbosch, founded in 1679. A tasting and a traditional Afrikaner lunch.

Day 12

The Cape Peninsula

A day on the peninsula: the beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay, a boat trip to the seal colony on Duiker Island, Chapman's Peak drive cut into the cliff, the penguins of Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, a fish lunch facing the ocean, then the Cape of Good Hope reserve.

Day 13

Robben Island and the Waterfront

A guided visit to Robben Island, weather permitting: the quarry, the bunkers and the high-security prison where Nelson Mandela spent eighteen years, including his cell. Lunch on the Waterfront and free time on the old docks.