Rhythms of South Africa

Sunday 7th March 2027

Overnight flight to Cape Town, ready to begin our South African adventure.

Overnight in flight.

Monday 8th March 2027

Arrive in Cape Town around lunchtime, where we’ll meet our local guide and transfer to our hotel near the V&A Waterfront. The rest of the day is free to settle in, relax after the overnight journey and begin getting acquainted with our surroundings.

Overnight in City Lodge Hotel V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.

Tuesday 9th March 2027

Today we’ll explore Cape Town on a guided city tour, discovering the varied architecture, neighbourhoods and stories that have shaped the Mother City. Weather permitting, we’ll then take the fast-track cableway up Table Mountain. As the cabin climbs and slowly rotates, we’ll feel the city fall away beneath us and gain a real sense of the mountain’s scale, before stepping out into the fresh mountain air of the platau.

Later, we’ll visit Woodstock for a guided street art walk through colourful murals and hidden messages, hearing how local artists have used the neighbourhood’s walls to tell their stories. This evening, we’ll enjoy a Cape Malay celebration dinner, with fragrant spices, traditional flavours and live jazz creating a memorable introduction to Cape Town’s cultural mix.

Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight in City Lodge Hotel V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.

Wednesday 10th March 2027

Today we’ll travel along Chapman’s Peak Drive, a spectacular nine-kilometre road carved into the mountainside between Hout Bay and Noordhoek. Its 114 bends follow the Atlantic coastline, with rugged rock rising on one side and the ocean below on the other. We’ll continue to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, where we’ll ride the Flying Dutchman Funicular towards the historic lighthouse.

Later, we’ll visit the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach. From the raised boardwalks, we’ll learn about these endangered birds and listen for their unmistakable calls — a loud, rasping call that sounds remarkably like a donkey.

Breakfast included. Overnight in City Lodge Hotel V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.

Thursday 11th March 2027

This morning, we’ll travel to Robben Island, one of South Africa’s most important historic sites. Guided by a former political prisoner, we’ll hear first-hand accounts of life on the island and visit the prison where Nelson Mandela was held, including his former cell and the lime quarry where prisoners were forced to work.

After a picnic lunch, we’ll visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, set against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. We’ll explore gardens devoted to fragrant, medicinal and indigenous plants, experiencing the remarkable variety of species found within South Africa’s Cape Floral Region.

Breakfast and lunch included. Overnight in City Lodge Hotel V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.

Friday 12th March 2027

After breakfast, we’ll leave Cape Town and travel east, exchanging the buzz of the city for the vast and tranquil African bush, home to elephants, giraffes, rhinos, lions and other plains game. For the next three nights, we’ll be guests in their world at Garden Route Game Lodge, a family-owned private reserve. Established as the first private reserve in the Western Cape and Garden Route region, the lodge grew from an ambitious project to restore degraded farmland and reintroduce wildlife to the area.

After lunch on arrival, the afternoon is free to settle into our accommodation and take in our natural surroundings. There’ll be time to relax at the lodge and enjoy the anticipation of the safari adventure that awaits. This evening, we’ll come together for dinner at the lodge.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Garden Route Game Lodge.

Saturday 13th March 2027

We’ll begin the day with a morning safari drive through the reserve in an open-air 4×4 vehicle. With an experienced ranger leading the way, we’ll look out for elephants, rhinos, lions, giraffes and other plains game, while listening for calls and movement in the landscape around us.

After returning to the lodge for breakfast, there’ll be time to relax by the pool before lunch. Later, as the heat fades and the wildlife becomes more active, we’ll head back into the reserve for another game drive. We’ll pause for a sundowner as the setting sun casts a golden-orange light across the landscape, the surroundings alive with bird calls, chirping insects and, with luck, the distant rumble of an elephant.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Garden Route Game Lodge.

Sunday 14th March 2027

This morning, we’ll explore the reserve on foot during a guided bush walk, following the river through fynbos, thicket and open countryside. This part of the reserve is free from dangerous big game, allowing us to experience the African bush at a gentler pace while looking and listening for giraffes, antelope and the many birds found here.

After breakfast and lunch at the lodge, we’ll return to the reserve for another afternoon game drive, giving us a final opportunity to encounter its wildlife from our open-air 4×4.

This evening, beneath the vast starlit sky, we’ll gather around the fire in the lodge’s African boma for a special South African braai. Surrounded by the warmth and crackle of the flames and the sounds of the African night, we’ll share a memorable final meal in the bush and reflect on our safari experiences.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Garden Route Game Lodge, near Albertinia.

Monday 15th March 2027

Today we hit the road and journey inland to Oudtshoorn. Here, we’ll visit the Cango Caves, an extraordinary underground network carved into the Swartberg Mountains over millions of years. As we enter the vast chambers, we’ll experience the warm, humid air and unusual acoustics of the caves, surrounded by towering stalagmites and delicate formations shaped slowly by dripping water.

We’ll then continue into the Cape Winelands, arriving in the historic town of Franschhoek in the late afternoon. After checking into our hotel, there’ll be time to relax and enjoy the hotel facilities following the journey.

Breakfast included. Overnight in Franschhoek.

Tuesday 16th March 2027

This morning, we’ll travel to Stellenbosch, where oak-lined streets and historic Cape Dutch buildings reflect the town’s long history. We’ll visit the Stellenbosch Village Museum, a collection of four carefully preserved period houses illustrating how local homes, furnishings and daily life changed between the early 18th and mid-19th centuries.

We’ll also visit the historic Moederkerk, meaning “Mother Church”, before continuing to Webersburg Wine Estate. Here, we’ll enjoy lunch followed by a signature tasting of six wines, each thoughtfully paired with artisanal crostini and cheese to complement its aromas and flavours.

After returning to Franschhoek, there’ll be time to relax before we gather for a final set-menu dinner. From the colour, energy and layered history of Cape Town to the tranquillity of the African bush and the heritage and culture of the Cape Winelands, we’ll share stories and reflect on the experiences that have brought us together as our South African adventure draws to a close.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Franschhoek.

Wednesday 17th March 2027

After breakfast, the morning is free to enjoy a final few hours in Franschhoek at your own pace. Later, we’ll check out and transfer to Cape Town International Airport for our late-afternoon flight home.

Breakfast included. Overnight in flight.

Thursday 18th March 2027

Arrive home and put the kettle on.

Visa Information: British citizens travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport can visit South Africa without a visa for up to 90 days for tourism.

If you are a South African–British dual national aged 18 or over, you must use a South African passport to enter and leave South Africa.

If you hold a passport from outside of the UK, check with the South African embassy or consulate responsible for your country of citizenship for the most up-to-date visa requirements before travelling.

Further information can be found online here – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-africa/entry-requirements

Online traveller declaration: All travellers entering or leaving South Africa are required to submit an online traveller declaration before travelling. This is a customs declaration rather than a visa application and must be completed for both arrival and departure.

The declaration can be completed online here – https://tools.sars.gov.za/sarsonlinequery/traveller

Passport Validity: Your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 30 days after the date you leave South Africa and have at least 2 blank pages.