South Africa Safari Tour

South Africa Safari

Tours Starts: Cape Town, South Africa

Tours Ends: Johannesburg, South Africa

Days 1-2

Depart for Cape Town

Your journey begins on an overnight flight.

Day 3

Arrive in Cape Town

Welcome to Africa! If you purchased airline tickets from YMT Vacations, you will be transferred from the airport to your hotel to enjoy the afternoon at your leisure. This evening, meet your fellow travelers and Tour Director at an informative welcome briefing and included welcome dinner at the hotel. (D)

Protea Hotel Fire & Ice Cape Town or similar

Day 4

Cape Town, Table Mountain and Bo-Kaap

Your first full day in Africa is packed with excitement. After breakfast, take a guided city tour of Cape Town, South Africa’s second largest city. Bordered by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Cape Town’s scenery places it in one of the most breathtaking settings in the world. Ride a cable car to the flat top of Table Mountain. Drive through the colorful Bo-Kaap, the “Malay Quarter” of Cape Town with a rich history as a historic home for the local Muslim community. Finally, head to Gold Restaurant for an authentic pan-African dinner and a djembe drum lesson. A vital part of African culture, the djembe has been used in ceremonies and celebrations since the 12th century. (B, D)

Protea Hotel Fire & Ice Cape Town or similar

Day 5

Cape Town, Cape Point Nature Reserve and Boulders Beach Penguin Colony

Rich with diverse plant and animal life, your day at Cape Point Nature Reserve promises to be especially memorable for animal and nature lovers. Ride the Flying Dutchman Funicular to the top of Cape Point’s lighthouse for panoramic views of the rocky landscape, pounding waves, wildlife and rare plants. Spend time at the Boulders Beach Penguin Colony, where you can see endangered African Penguins teetering across the white sand. (B, L)

Protea Hotel Fire & Ice Cape Town or similar

Day 6

Oudtshoorn via Swellendam & Mossel Bay

En route to Oudtshoorn, enjoy a stop in Swellendam for lunch on your own in this Dutch town overlooking the Breede River. Visit an aloe factory, then take a stroll through the Bartolomeu Dias Museum in Mossel Bay. This evening's dinner will be included. (B, D)

El Dorado Oudtshoorn or similar

Day 7

Knysna & Cango Caves

Full of prehistoric cave paintings and artifacts, the Cango Caves are a must-see for visitors to the Western Cape. Back above ground, stop by an ostrich farm! The ostrich is the world's largest bird, learn all about them on an included tour. Enjoy an included lunch. (B, L)

Protea by Marriott Knysna Quays or similar

OPTION: SUNSET DINNER CRUISE IN PADDLE CRUISER:

Join your fellow travelers for dinner on board The Paddle Cruiser. Take in this unforgettable experience on the Knysna Lagoon. Starts at $79 p/p. Please add this option at time of booking.

Day 8

Knysna Leisure Day

Today is yours to enjoy as you wish. Join an optional tour or spend the day in Knysna, the jewel of South Africa’s picturesque Garden Route. (B)

Protea by Marriott Knysna Quays or similar

Day 9

Port Elizabeth via Tsitsikamma National Park, Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary & Birds of Eden Flight Aviary

Start the day at Tsitsikamma National Park, famous for its rocky coastline, remote mountainous region, and forests with deep river gorges leading down to the sea. Walk across the Storms River Suspension Bridge. Look out for bungee jumpers while your coach carries you 709 feet above the water on the Bloukrans Bridge. Next, look but don’t touch the leopards, jaguars, lions, tigers, honey badgers, zorillas (African skunks), and more at the Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary. Learn about the individual animals you will see during a guided tour. Finally, go under a five-acre dome of pristine indigenous forest occupied by thousands of bright, loud, and fascinating birds at Birds of Eden Free Flight Aviary. (B)

Courtyard Hotel Port Elizabeth or similar

Day 10

Johannesburg & Mandela House

After a short flight to Johannesburg, spend the day learning about apartheid and the man who dismantled it. The Mandela House is a museum found in the humble home where Nelson Mandela, the antiapartheid revolutionary, president, and national hero lived before his arrest in 1962. It provides moving insight into Mandela as a man, a leader, and champion of freedom and human rights in South Africa and across the world. This evening’s dinner will be included. (B, D)

Protea by Marriott Johannesburg Wanderers or similar

Day 11

Panorama Route & Kruger National Park

Enjoy a lovely scenic drive on the Panorama route, which will take you past Blyde River Canyon, God's Window, Three Rondawels, and Bourke's Luck Potholes. This evening, enjoy a delicious dinner at your hotel just outside of Kruger National Park. (B, D)

Kruger Gate Hotel or similar

Day 12

Kruger National Park Game Drive

Spend the whole day on safari in Kruger National Park. During your full-day game drive, you will have ample opportunity to see the iconic wildlife that makes South Africa a dream destination for animal lovers. This reserve is home to grasslands, thorny woodlands, and savannas speckled with hardy trees. Loping giraffes, speedy cheetahs, laughing hyenas, elegant antelope, hefty hippopotamus, and Nile crocodiles all await you during your full day at the park. Enjoy talking about your adventures with your fellow travelers at an included dinner this evening. (B, D)

Kruger Gate Hotel or similar

Day 13

Johannesburg

Greet the sun and the animals on an early morning game drive at Kruger. Then, it is off to Johannesburg! Enjoy a drive through the farmlands, forests, and scenery of South Africa en route to Johannesburg. This region is known for its banana, avocado, and macadamia nut farming industry. This evening, enjoy a delicious Farewell Dinner. (B, D)

Protea by Marriott Johannesburg Wanderers or similar

Day 14

Depart for Home

Please note that this is a proposed itinerary; the actual itinerary may vary due to season, special events, or weather. Hotels may differ depending on date. Because our tour arrangements are often made a year or more in advance, YMT Vacations reserves the right to alter the itinerary. Itinerary changes are made to improve your vacation experience, as well as respond to any unforeseen circumstances that mandate alterations. By their nature, all tour vacations involve a certain level of physical activity. While YMT tours have been designed with our guests in mind and are not physically demanding, this tour does include walking and periods of standing during the sightseeing visits. You will also encounter steps and some uneven ground along the way, particularly at older, historical sights. Please ask your Travel Consultant for more information.