South Africa Singles Vacation and Safari

On arrival at the Cape Town Airport - airport code CPT (remember flying home from Johannesburg), you will be met and transferred to the group's hotel. To give everyone a chance to arrive, no activities are planned today. We will have a meet and greet and optional dinner at 7:00pm tonight.

After breakfast our tour of South Africa begins. Also known as the Mother City, Cape Town is a rare cultural gem, resulting from a combination of different nationalities and indigenous tribes. Our city tour takes us past famous landmarks such as the Castle of Good Hope, built in 1666 by the Dutch East India Company, City Hall, a baroque building and the Grand Parade on the way to Table Mountain.
Enjoy the aerial cableway to the top of Table Mountain, flanked by Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head, it provides a dramatic backdrop to the city. The cable cars rotate 360 degrees as they travel up 991 feet above sea level, giving us panoramic views over the city. Five minutes is all it takes to reach the summit and once there we can marvel at the views, see wild flowers and the famous silver tree or do a bit of shopping at the extensive curio shop. The cableway only operates when weather permits.
After time for lunch we will board a ferry to the famous Robben Island, whose prison was once home to the former South African president Nelson Mandela. Now a World Heritage site, a tour of the island with a former political prisoner as your guide, is an unforgettable experience and offers a glimpse into the life and times of the apartheid era.

Our welcome dinner will be a vibrant and eclectic Pan-African experience. A typical evening at Gold Restaurant starts off with the beat of the djembe drum. An interactive drum circle offers you the opportunity to join in and learn how to play the djembe. While we enjoy the vast variety of Cape Malay and African Cuisine dishes, you will be captivated by the live extravaganza taking place around us.

Today is our opportunity to take a breathtaking journey through the wine lands of the Cape. The route takes us through the imposing valley Monument in Paarl to Stellenbosch, the oldest University city in South Africa, with its picturesque Cape Dutch buildings. Wander through the oak-lined streets of Stellenbosch, internationally renowned for its award-winning wines, fantastic restaurants, trendy culture and historic buildings.
We will visit Nederburg Wine Estate for wine tasting. Nederburg, first established in the Paarl Valley in 1791, today is one of South Africa’s most trusted and awarded brands. In 1990 the stunning farm became the first in the country to be declared a conservation area and the stately and grandiose Manor house is now a national monument. The cellar tour gives insight into how wine is made as we are taken through the state-of-the-art facilities and the old Cellar Museum, while wine tasting takes place in the Visitor’s Centre under the guidance of a knowledgeable sommelier.

Next we visit South Africa’s ‘French Corner’ in the Cape Winelands, Franshhoek one of the most beautiful wine valleys in the world. Originally known as the Valley of the Huguenots, a community of French Huguenots were granted land in this valley by the Dutch government of the Cape, after fleeing their homeland when Protestantism was outlawed in France in 1685. Today, the town still very much feels like a little slice of the French countryside and most farms retained their original French names.

Experience some of the most spectacular views in the world. Our tour begins with a scenic drive along the Atlantic coast passing through the fishing village of Hout Bay, where we will take a short boat trip to Duiker Island. The island is a sanctuary for thousands of Cape Fur seals (actually sea lions originating from the Antarctic) as well as a variety of seabirds including gannets, cormorants and sea gulls. It is illegal to land on the island, but the boat will takes us within arm's reach of the seals who seem to know they're the center of attention and put up a fantastic performance, diving and twisting with amazing speed and agility. Drive along Cape Town's most scenic road: Hacked out of the face of the mountain, Chapman's Peak connects Hout Bay with Noordhoek and for five and a half miles hugs the coast of the Atlantic Seaboard.

Chapman's Peak Drive climbs steadily from the harbor, skirting 114 curves to follow the rocky coastline presenting some truly magnificent views of the sandy bays below. The combination of steep, almost thrilling rocky inclines, shimmering blue waters and expansive skies simply take the breath away.

We stop at Cape Point to visit the Cape of Good Hope Nature reserve, recognized for its extraordinary land formation, rich and diverse fauna and unique flora. The Hope is a scenic wonder, where soft white sandy beaches alternate with rugged stretches of rock and breathtaking cliffs.

Then we visit the jackass penguins at Boulder's Beach. This small piece of the coastline has become a haven for these birds and is one of the few remaining places where they are still able to roost without threat from human interference. View these birds up close whilst not interfering with their natural habitat.
Discover Cape flora of every variety at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. The gardens, established in 1913 to promote, conserve and display the extraordinarily rich and diverse flora of southern Africa, today has over 7 000 species in cultivation.
We return to Cape Town in the late afternoon.

After breakfast we will travel to the Cape Town airport for our flights to Hoedspruit. On arrival we will transfer to the Kapama River Lodge, the largest private game lodge in the Greater Kruger National Park region. Kapama Private Game Reserve occupies a vast area between the northern Drakensberg Mountains and the Greater Kruger National Park, the Klaserie River flows through the reserve and offers ideal prowling grounds for leopard. Kapama's 65 square miles has all the big game of Africa with 42 mammal species and approximately 350 bird species. This equates to huge natural diversity and includes the famed 'Big 5' - lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. Game drives and walks are conducted by skilled rangers and trackers through the rolling savannah grasslands and riverine forests that make up this appealing African reserve.

We arrive in time for our first late afternoon open vehicle game drive. At about 3.30pm everybody convenes for high tea, before departing with our ranger/tracker team for the late afternoon African bush safari.
Enjoy an optional sundowner drink along the way, as we get out of the vehicle to stretch our legs and watch the sun go down over the distant Drakensberg Mountains. As darkness descends it's time to return to the safety of the Landrover and let the tracker scan the landscape with a spotlight picking out the glinting eyes of nocturnal animals. Return to the lodge around 7pm, where there is time to freshen up before dinner.

We enjoy two daily game drives today and our skilled ranger and tracker will do their best to find the animals of Africa for us to admire. Expect a wake-up call between 5am and 5:30am and gather for tea or coffee and rusks, a hard, dry biscuit or a twice-baked bread before we head out at first light. If we are lucky, the big cats will still be around after their night of hunting. This is Big 5 country (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo) all of which are possible to see during our stay in the Kapama Game Reserve.

There are also many other species to be seen, large and small, as well as fascinating plants and colorful birds. We stop halfway through the morning game drive for hot drinks and rusks from the Landrover snack box and return at around 9am for breakfast.
During the rest of the day, you are likely to see wildlife like nyala antelope and vervet monkeys around the lodges.

Our next safari begins at 3:30pm so relax by the pool or take an optional tour till then.

Elephant Interaction ($160) - South Africa ElephantThe elephant interaction offers the visitor the unique opportunity to get amazingly close to animal which can usually only be viewed from a respectful distance. Your ranger will drive you to a pre-arranged location in the bush where you will get to see sixteen African Elephants, which range in age from less than eighteen months, to thirty years. These trained elephants take half an hour out of their day to act as ambassadors for their kind. After a brief introduction, some of the elephants are brought forward for you to meet and interact with. Here you can see, feel and even smell the elephant while both feeding and photographing them. It is and ideal forum to learn about elephants, both wild and trained. An experienced handler accompanies each elephant and is there to educate and inform the guests about the individual animals, the herd in general and of course to answer any questions. You will see the behavior of the babies playing together while under the watchful eyes of their mothers, while witnessing the more mature habit of the adults.

Hoedspruit Centre for Endangered Species ($85) - This is an ideal activity for the restless to fill up a morning after breakfast. A guide will take your to the Hoedspruit Centre for Endangered Species facility where cheetah and a number of other rehabilitated animals can be viewed at close range. An educational video is shown to explain the projects undertaken by this unique establishment. A guided tour will follow to view the cheetah and other animals.

Another early morning as we enjoy our final game drive or take an optional balloon ride ($485). Your one-hour hot air balloon flight will slowly and serenely pass over the Lowveld section of the Blyde River where farmland is dotted between private nature reserves and wildlife estates. As the early morning sun rises in the sky, marvel at the sparkling vistas and the awesome beauty of nature. We may spot early morning grazers such as giraffe and wildebeest and the fresh splendor of the Savannah plains will take your breath away.
After our morning activities we travel towards Mpumalanga, a province in eastern South Africa, bordering the nations of Swaziland and Mozambique.

Meander down a seemingly endless river canyon with a visit to the Blyde River Canyon and Bourke’s Luck Potholes. This awe-inspiring stretch of landscape is filled with some of the most beautifully scenic vistas in South Africa, where one breathtaking view follows the next. The Bourke's Luck Potholes mark the beginning of the canyon and comprise intriguing geological formations. Incorporating the third largest canyon in the world and impressive lush scenery, Blyde River Canyon Reserve consists mostly of red sandstone and has some of the deepest precipitous cliffs of any canyon on the planet.
Tonight relax, unwind and connect again to your spiritual self in a place of peace in the heart of the Southern African bushveld at the Mount Sheba Lodge.

After breakfast it is time to leave the reserves behind as we transfer from Orighstad to the big city of Johannesburg. Enjoy the scenic views on our 4 hour morning drive. Check-in and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

This morning is our last chance to get that perfect souvenir with a quick stop at Sandton City Shopping Mall, one of Africa’s most prestigious shopping centers with approximately 300 retailers and Nelson Mandela Square, dominated by an enormous statue of Nelson Mandela.
Then enjoy free time at the Bruma Flea Market, an arts and crafts market offering handcrafted goods from South Africa and other African countries. The market supports a large number of merchants selling everything from handcrafted bead work, wood crafts and wire art to stone sculptures, African clothing and leather souvenirs.

Get a taste of vibrant and gritty street life with our tour of Soweto, located south-west of Johannesburg and made famous for its role in the struggle against apartheid. As the ruling National Party tightened its hold on apartheid and forced black people out of white areas the township grew and today Soweto still supports close to 4-million people. We will honor those who lost their lives in the liberation struggle at the Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial. A short distance away from where police opened fire on students on 16 June 1976 we will find this moving museum, dedicated to those who lost their lives in protest. The museum displays photographs of the events of that day, together with extensive commentary and audio-visual presentations.

Soak up the jovial atmosphere at Sakhumzi Restaurant, enjoy a traditional African styled buffet, nestled in the heart of Soweto. The eatery was once an illegal bar or ‘shebeen’ during the apartheid era but is now specializes in African cuisine such as mogodu (tripe), mielie pap (corn flour) mutton stew, umleqwa (traditional-style steamed chicken) and much more.
Then we walk the path of racial segregation at the Apartheid Museum, dedicated to the history of the rise and fall of apartheid in the 20th century. The museum is filled with personal narratives and whispered conversations that show a glimpse of the characters of people that helped shape South Africa, while interactive multimedia displays recreate the experiences of racial segregation.
After a long day and a great vacation it is time for our Farewell Dinner together.

Time to say "Sala kahle" to all your new singles travel friends as we make our way to the Johannesburg airport (airport code - JNB). Some of us will be departing for home and others onto Victoria Falls.