June 2007 Tour
Itinerary June 2007 Tour
Day 0–1: Arrive at Chch airport by 08h30 to board flight SQ 298 at 10h50. Arrive in Singapore at 17h45 ( local time) after 10 hour 55 min flight. Stopover
in Singapore for 7 hours 45 minutes, then at 01h30 , terminal 2 ,board Singapore flight SQ 480 direct to Cape Town. 12h05 mins. Changi airport is a delight. As big as a small village, there is much to choose from with regard to meals, a shower, a sleep, shopping, shopping and more shopping! Sing dollars are about $1 to $1NZ so conversion is easy.
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
Day 0: Arrive in Cape Town at 07h35. We will be met by our local guide Peter Tully who will transport us to our bed and breakfast. Today is officially the day before the tour starts, so will be a good catch up after a very long journey. We have the option of going to the Victoria and Albert Waterfront for a stroll and lunch and to get the feel of south Africas’ Mother city. Cheryl our other guide will arrive at lunch time and the rest of the guests at 22h30 ** – then we are all together and ready to go. **All guests will be collected from the airport and transported to Le Petit Vignoble – our lovely bed and breakfast in the suburb of Constantia near to 300 year old wine farms..
Day 1: Cape Town:Breakfast at 07h30 and then off to Robben Island and a bit of political history, then the Castle ( more history), followed by a ride in the Table Mountain Cable Car to have lunch up top and take in the view.
Back to Le Petit Vignoble to freshen up before dinner at a local a la carte restaurant.
Day 2: Cape Town: Breakfast at 08h00 and spend the day driving around the Cape Point, lunch at one of the quaint sea side villages. Back to town to stroll around Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
Dinner: a la carte restaurant.
Day 3: Cape Town: Breakfast at 08h00. Today is the Cape Winelands. Led by our able local, Pete, we will sample wines and produce of the fairest Cape. Lunch at a winefarm. Dinner: a la carte.
Day 4: Cape Town to Johannesburg: Breakfast at 08h00 and off to the airport to get our flight JE 146 at 10h35. We need to be at the airport at the latest 0930 so will leave the b&b at 09h00.
Arrive in Johannesburg at 12h40. Lunch : by consensus – either a snack en route or we can stop in JHB or Pretoria for a quick bite.
Danie ( pronounced Dahnee), our driver, will meet us and we drive about 250 km (2 hours) to Potgietersrus, half way between Johannesburg and the Zimbabwe border.
We should arrive mid afternoon in time for a visit to the local museum.
Dinner at our lodge.
Day 5: Breakfast and another 250km long drive to the Zimbabwe border in the north of the country to spend the night at Pafuri River Lodge in charming tree houses. We will arrive in time for lunch at the lodge, relaxed walks in the bush around the lodge and a tour of real life Venda Tribal Village. Have sundowners around the pool and dinner in the open air dining room.
Day 6: Up early to get into the Kruger Park as the gates open at first light. Crooks corner at the triangle between SA, Zimbabwe and Mozambique is an area rich in game and history. Travel south while gameviewing and stop for brunch at one of the camp restaurants in the Park. Game, game and more game!
Night one in the park is at Shingwidzi and dinner in the camp restaurant.
Day 7: Early start for good gameviewing , Breakfast after a short while , stop for lunch at a restcamp and proceed to Phalaborwa gate gameviewing all the way.
Freshen up at the Loerie Lodge and get ready to go on a night drive and braai ( BBQ) in the bush.
Day 8: Early morning is best for gameviewing. Today we will get a chance to visit the Elephant Museum at Letaba camp and have an easy afternoon in the Olifants camp overlooking the river. Dinner and night at Olifants camp.
Day 9: A relaxed day today viewing slowly ad stopping as we like at hides and hunting the animals out. Lunch/Brunch at a camp and dinner in the restaurant at Satara camp.
Day 10: Sadly today we leave Kruger Park through the Orpen Gate. A bit of roadside shopping is available as we speed on to get to the wild animal rehab centre in time for the morning tour. After that the spectacular natural rock formations of the Eastern Transvaal afford some fantastic photo opportunities as we move on to stay in Nelspruit tonight and have a special traditional braai organised for us in true SA hospitality with our hosts Johan and Laurie
Day 11: Breakfast and drive South through sugar and tropical fruit farms of the lowveld to the west of Swaziland. After about a 500km drive, with lunch en route, arrive late in the afternoon at ‘The Horn and Thorn ‘ lodge near Hluhluwe in Zululand. Dinner at a local hotel and watch some Zulu dancing.
Day 12: A day in the Imfolosi/Hluhluwe Park – a quiet sit on the Sontuli Loop to see if we can get the animals to come to us .Lunch at the Centenary Centre and a chance to shop at the craft market there. Dinner at a local restaurant. .
Day 13: Hluhluwe – a chance to see a real African town, back into the Park or a visit to a large and wild cat rehabilitation centre. A host of choices awaits you -visit a Zulu village, go to St Lucia – a world heritage site, relax around the pool or take a walk on this private game, sisal and pineapple farm. Evening around the pool and a braai with our hosts Jill and James.
Day 14: We have 350 kms to do today to take us to the Midlands of Natal to Dougs’ home turf in the Karkloof valley. We travel past Durban to the Phezulu Zulu cultural centre in the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Lunch there and an easy drive to Howick via Pietermaritzburg to stay in the gentle farmland and indigenous mist forest of the Karkloof valley. Our very comfortable lodge, “Thistledown” is hosted by Norma, a magnificent chef who is sure to provide a wonderful dinner for us.
Day 15: View the Howick falls and farms in the region and visit any of the hundreds of establishments on the Midlands Arts Meander.Lunch at local establishment and drive 110 kms, up the Drakensberg escarpment to the village of Underberg nestling at a height of 6000feet. Dinner at “The Banks Bed and Breakfast on a working dairy farm. This is home to Bridgets parents and Cheryls home town.
Day 16: View the spectacular Southern Drakensberg , look over farms in the region , play golf , look at local arts and crafts etc. Ever seen a vulture restaurant? Do some trout fishing , hunt for San rock art in the mountains, horseride in the Private Game farm of Penwarn. Birdlife, walks, scenery – it’s all there.
Day 17: Today take a trip up Sani pass (9400 feet) into the Independent Kingdom of Lesotho. Lunch at the “highest pub in Africa” , look for Ice Rats in the Alpine climes and meet Basotho people.
Day 18: No hurry this morning. After one of Ediths famous breakfasts we travel back to the Indian Ocean ( about 3 hours) and a beachfront cottage on the Natal North Coast. Great local restaurants where you can try Natal curry, seafood, or a world renowned South African steak to keep the hunger pangs at bay tonight.
Day 19: Relax on the beach,stroll through the shops or cast a line right in front of the cottage from the rocks. Don’t take too long though as we commute into Durban to the Absa Stadium for the big match between the Springboks and the All Blacks. Bring your Kiwi gear!
Day 20: Breakfast at the cottage and make our way up the main N3 highway to Ladysmith and a working Holistic Resource Management and game Farm. A tour of the farm or a trip to the site of the Anglo Zulu battle at Isandlwana are our choices for today.
Day 21: And here we are on our last day.
Breakfast at 06h00 to give us plenty of time to get to Johannesburg by11h00 in time for our flights – SQ 479 Singapore Air to Singapore, at 13h15.
Farewell as you catch your plane bound for home