South Africa

South Africa: From Cape Town to Kruger through Zulu Country

The ideal tour for a first visit: Cape Town, St Lucia, Eswatini, Kruger and Soweto

South Africa

South Africa: From Cape Town to Kruger through Zulu Country

The whole country in thirteen days: four nights in Cape Town with Robben Island and the peninsula, a flight to Durban, St Lucia lagoon and its hippos, a Zulu village, the kingdom of Eswatini, a day's safari in Kruger Park, the Blyde River Canyon, an Ndebele village and Soweto. Two optional packs complete the programme: discovery (Table Mountain cable car, Winelands, African dinner, €265) and wildlife (4x4 safaris in Hluhluwe and Kruger, €255). Extensions to Victoria Falls (16 days, from €4,089 per person) and Chobe Park (17 days, from €4,919).

When

May to Oct

Price

From 2 429€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

10 nights

Ideal length

Cape Town

Days 1-5

Four nights in Cape Town, between Table Mountain, Robben Island and the peninsula's coast road.

Day 1

Flight to Cape Town

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

Day 2

Cape Town and Signal Hill

Welcome by your French-speaking guide and a city tour: the City Bowl, the Company's Garden, the Malay quarter of Bo-Kaap and its colourful houses, the Castle of Good Hope and the Waterfront. Up Signal Hill for the view over the bay.

Day 3

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.

Day 4

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 5

Cape Town at your own pace

A free day in Cape Town. Optional, payable locally (about €145): the Winelands from Stellenbosch to Franschhoek, with a tasting, lunch on an estate and the Huguenot museum.

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Zulu country and Eswatini

Days 6-8

A flight to the Indian Ocean coast: St Lucia lagoon, Zulu culture, then the kingdom of Eswatini.

Day 6

Flight to Durban – St Lucia – Hluhluwe

Fly to Durban (1 hr 30) and drive to St Lucia, whose lagoon is lined with tall wooded dunes and swamp forest. A boat safari to watch hippos and crocodiles. Drive to Hluhluwe and a boma dinner.

Day 7

Zulu village – Eswatini

Visit a Zulu village and a show of traditional dances, then drive to Eswatini and Manzini. Optional, payable locally (about €115): an early 4x4 safari in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi park.

Day 8

Mlilwane and Matsamo village

A morning walking safari in Mlilwane reserve, a visit to an Eswati market, then lunch and dancing in Matsamo village, meeting the villagers. Drive to the Kruger area.

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Kruger and the Panorama Route

Days 9-10

A day's safari in Kruger Park, then the cliffs of the Blyde River.

Day 9

A day in Kruger Park

Leave at sunrise for a safari by coach in Kruger National Park, created in 1898 and twice the size of Corsica. Lunch in a rest camp and more game viewing. Optional, payable locally (about €150): the safari by 4x4.

Day 10

The Blyde River Canyon

A day on the Panorama Route along the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest green canyons in the world: the Bourke's Luck potholes, carved by water in the ochre rock, then the viewpoints over the cliffs and the valley.

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Pretoria, Soweto and home

Days 11-13

The last stops: an Ndebele village, Pretoria, then an education project in Soweto.

Day 11

Ndebele village and Pretoria

Drive to Gauteng and visit an Ndebele village, known for its houses painted with geometric patterns. Lunch on a farm, a panoramic tour of Pretoria, then Johannesburg and a dinner of bush meats.

Day 12

Soweto – flight home

Visit a community education centre in Soweto, run by residents who grew up there and help the children of the area. Transfer to the airport and flight home.