Riviera Travel Wild South Africa

• Enjoy a full day game drive in Addo Elephant National Park
• Cruise on Lake St Lucia
• Take an ostrich tractor safari and meet the birds up close
• Explore the Winelands, getting the chance to taste some wines and see scenic estates

• Return flights and transfers
• 15nts in 4/5* accommodation
• Selected meals: Daily breakfast, 5 lunches and 4 dinners
• Welcome drink
• 16 Included experiences
• Services of an Expert Tour Manager
• Checked luggage

Day 1: Departure
Head to the airport for your overnight flight to Cape Town

Day 2: Arrive in Cape Town
On arrival in Cape Town, transfer to your hotel before having the rest of the day free to spend as you wish. Regroup in the evening for a welcome drink

Day 3: Kirstenbosch Gardens and Cape of Good Hope
This morning, join a local guided to explore the magnificent Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, home to a diverse range of plants, including many orchid species. From here, drive along the coastline towards the village of Hout Bay. From here, you’ll continue along Chapman’s Peak Drive, a scenic route that brings you to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. While here, you can witness the meeting of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

Day 4: Winelands
Spend the day exploring the picturesque Winelands, home to numerous vineyards and Cape-Dutch style wineries. Begin your exploration in the town of Stellenbosch, home to elegant architecture and South Africa’s esteemed university. Enjoy some time to wander before visiting the Blaauwklippen Wine Estate, where you’ll take a tour of the cellar before a tasting session.

Day 5: Free Day in Cape Town
Enjoy a full day to explore the city at your own pace, perhaps heading to the top of Table Mountain or, if weather permits, taking the ferry to Robben Island.

Day 6: Betty’s Bay
Leave Cape Town behind today as you travel follow the coastal round along False Bay. Stop at Betty’s Bay, where you’ll visit the Stony Point Nature Reserve, where you can observe the colony of African penguins up close. From here, continue to your accommodation near Hermanus. On arrival, the rest of the day is free.

Day 7: Hermanus
This morning, visit Hermanus, a town renowned as the world’s best destination for on-shore whale watching between June and October. If available, you can opt for an optional whale-watching cruise. If you’re visiting outside of whale season, you’ll take a cruise to learn about the region’s marine life including dolphins and seals. Afterwards, you’ve got free time to explore the town itself or take a short coastal walk before returning to the hotel in the early afternoon.

Day 8: Oudtshoorn
Carry on along the coast this morning, passing through Swellendam and Barrydale. Here you’ll stop at a local distillery to try Cape Brandy and learn about its history. Continue along Route 62 to reach a working ostrich farm. Here you’ll hop on a tractor for South Africa’s only ostrich tractor safari to meet the various ostriches. While here, you’ll also visit the hatchery and learn about the many uses of ostrich products. After the tour, enjoy lunch at the farm’s on-site restaurant.

Day 9: Little Karoo
Following breakfast, journey through the Little Karoo, passing towns like Knysna and Jeffreys Bay before reaching Tsitsikamma National Park on the coast. Here, visit the Big Tree, a 800-year old Yellowwood. Continue on, pausing at Storms River to admire the views of the dramatic cliffs and waves where the river meets the sea. In the evening, you’ll arrive in Port Elizabeth (recently renamed Gqeberha) where you’ll stay for the night.

Day 10: Addo Elephant National Park
Head inland to Addo Elephant National Park, checking into your lodge on arrival. Once settled in, head out on an evening safari for the chance to spot the elephants, as well as the other members of the Big Five (lions, leopards, buffalo and rhinos). As sun begins to dip below the horizon, enjoy sunset drinks while taking in the view.

Day 11: Addo Elephant National Park
Enjoy both a morning and afternoon game drive, giving you plenty of chances to encounter the elephants and other animals that call the plains here home

Day 12: Fly from Port Elizabeth to Durban
This morning, enjoy one final game drive before transferring to Port Elizabeth. From here, fly to Durban and on arrival, journey to your hotel in nearby Umhlanga.

Day 13: St Lucia and Hluhluwe
Depart your hotel and set off on a scenic drive through KwaZulu-Natal to St Lucia, home to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The park is centred around Lake St Lucia and supports a wide variety of wildlife, from flamingos and African fish eagles to hippos and crocodiles. Take a guided boat tour across the lake, getting the unique opportunity to observe hippos up close.

Day 14: Hluhluwe National Park
Embark on a full day game drive through Hluhluwe National Park, the oldest game reserve in Africa and renowned for its conservation efforts, particularly that of the White Rhino, making it one of the best places to see them in the wild. Throughout the day you’ll be accompanied by expert rangers who will share insights into the animals you might encounter, including the Big Five as well as cheetahs, hyenas and giraffes.

Day 15: Depart South Africa
Enjoy breakfast before transferring to Durban for your flight home.

Day 16: Arrive Home
Arrive back in the UK.

Fact File

• Currency: South African Rand
• Flight time: Approx.  11 hrs 30 mins
• Languages: English, Afrikaans
• Time zone: GMT+2
• Country: South Africa

*All transfer times listed here are approximate and dependent on traffic.