This trip is designed to take advantage of the dry season in the north where game sighting is at its easiest, malaria at its lowest and to visit the world’s most reliable super bloom in the West Cape where the desert bursts into flower. The superbloom is August through October so this trip as outlined would be best mid to late August to early to mid September. 19 days allows a couple days on either end to get there and back – so it’s really a three week trip.
Mostly car based trip
Day 1 -2 fly to JNB
Day 3 – Arrival
- Fly into Johannesburg
- Fly to Capetown
- Pick up rental car
- Stay at Vineyard Hotel
Day 4 – Drive to Cederberg area
- Ramskop wildflower garden (2:21)
- Cederberg private cellar
- Visit Biedow valley (1:06 from lodge) (vs activities with lodge)
- Check in Cederberg Ridge Wilderness Lodge( 2:30 from cape town)(1/2)
Day 5 – Cederberg area
- Activities from lodge (Cederberg Wilderness)
- vs. tour on own:
- Lodging – same (2/2)
- Drive to Nieuwoudtville (1:52)
- Visit Hanna National Botanical Garden
- Nieuwoudtville Wild Flower Reserve
- Nieuwoudtville Waterfall Reserve
- Quiver Tree Forest
- Return drive to Cederberg !1:34)
Day 6 – West Coast NP to Stellenbosch
- West Coast NP (wildflowers (2:07)
- Postberg area of the park (only open during wildflower season) (45m)
- Tienie Versfeld Wildflower Reserve (52m)
- Capetown (1h)
- Lodging: Radisson Blu Caption Waterfront (1/3)
Day 7 – Cape Town
- Walking tour Cape Town and other neighborhood touring
- Lodging: same place (2/3)
Day 8 – Cape Town – Table Mountain and Robben Island
- Robben Island
- Table Mountain
- Lodging: same place (3/3)
Day 9 – Cape Town loop drive to Cape Vinelands
- Chapman Reef Drive
- Boulders Beach
- Cape Point
- Botanical Gardens
- Drivve to Franschhoek
- Stay Avondrood Guest House (1/3)
Day 10 – Franschhoek area
- Wine tasting / exploring
- Wine tram
- Do Laundry
- Lodging – same place (2/3)
Day 11 – Stellenbosch area
- Stellenbosch area wineries
- Stellenbosch walking tour
- Drive up pass
- Lodging – same place (3/3)
Day 12 – Hermanus, De Hoop?
- Harold Porter National Botanical Garden (1:07)
- Hermanus? Vs De Hoop?
- Drive to Swellendam
- Stay Scone Oort Country House (1/1)
Day 13 – Garden Route
- Drive to Mossel Bay (1:47)
- Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex
- Continue to Kynsa (1:19)
- Lodging : St. James of Knysna (1/3)
Day 14 – Kanga Caves and Ostriches
- Drive to Congo caves (2h 6m)
- Caves and Ostrich farms
- Drive back to Knysna – stop in Wilderness (2h 6m)
- Lodging: Kynsa (2/3)
Day 15 – Garden Route – Plettenburg Bay
- Plettenburg bay
- Garden of Eden
- etc
- Back to Kynsa (37m)
- Lodging Kynsa (3/3)
Day 16 – Garden route – Tsitkamma National Park
- Drive to Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha)
- Stay Hacklewood Hill (1/1)
Day 17 – Drive to Kwandwe
- Drive to Kwandwe
- Evening game drive
- Lodging: Great Fish River Lodge (1/2)
Day 18 – Kwandwe
- AM and PM game drive
- Laundry
- Lodging: same place
Day 19 – Fly to JBerg
- Drive from Kwandwe to Port Elizabeth airport and return rental car (2h)
- Flight to JBerg
- Pick up rental car and drive to Pretoria (41m)
- Stay at Protea Hotel Lotus Park (1/1)
Day 20 – Pretoria to Madikwe
- Drive to Jaci Tree Lodge (2:36)
- PM game drive
Day 21- Safari
- AM and PM game drive
Day 22 – Safari
- AM and PM game drives
Day 23 – Madwike to JNB
- Drive to Pretoria and see Jacarandas (if in bloom) (2:35)
- Drive to JNB and drop car (42m)
- Fly home
