South African Adventure

September 18 - October 1, 2012
14 Days and 12 Nights
$4,599 pp. Double Occupancy























The TE is pleased to offer this special trip to South Africa during September of 2012. This once in a lifetime experience includes several safari drives on four-wheel drive vehicles, admissions to game reserves, four star or superior tourist class hotels, r/t air from JFK, all taxes and fees at time of purchase, breakfasts, dinners, lunches, tours and admissions, as indicated in itinerary, and tips for drivers and guides. Also included is an excursion on the last day for whale watching. We have decided to visit only the game reserves in malaria free areas so there will be no need to get any shots or take any special medication.

DAY: 1 - September 18th
Direct flight from JFK to Johannesburg. Individual entertainment, meals, and drinks included in flight.

DAY: 2 - September 19th
Arrival in South Africa. Time to relax before included dinner this evening. (D)

DAY: 3 - September 20th
A local guide will take us on an Excursion to Soweto. We will have a chance to visit the original home of Nelson Mandela and will have a chance to visit the Nelson Mandela Museum and the Apartheid Museum. Dinner is included this evening. (B & D)

DAY: 4 - September 21st
Our local guide will show us Pretoria in the morning. Visits to Church Square and the Voortrekker Monument & Museum are included. In the late afternoon and evening we visit the Lesedi Cultural Village. Arrive to a vibrant traditional African welcome and a refreshing welcome drink. Browse in the Ndebele village and craft market where Ndebele murals decorate the walls & courtyard. Attend a multi-visual theatre presentation on the history and origin of our people. Guests are divided into smaller groups and taken on a guided tour of the five homesteads: Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho, Ndebele and Pedi. After a few drinks in the bar, guests and the families meet back in the Traditional Dance Boma for "The Giant Ingoma" - song and dance of all five villages. The dance culminates in communal dancing with the guests around the fire. A Pan African Feast is served in the Nyama Choma restaurant with delicacies from North, East, and South Africa. (B & D)

DAY: 5 - September 22nd
Fly to Port Elizabeth after breakfast, and upon arrival we have an included visit to the Addo Elephant National Park Now the third largest national park in South Africa, Addo Elephant National Park has expanded to conserve a wide diversity of biodiversity, landscapes, fauna, and flora. Stretching from the semi-arid karoo area in the north around Darlington Dam, over the rugged Zuurberg Mountains, through the Sundays River valley, and south to the coast between Sundays River mouth and Bushman's river mouth, Addo covers about 444,700 acres and includes the Bird and St Croix Island groups. The original elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only sixteen elephants remained in the area. Today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 550 elephants, lions, buffalo, black rhino, spotted hyena, leopard, a variety of antelope and zebra species, as well as the unique Addo flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo. (B & D)

DAY: 6 - September 23rd
Today we have two Safari game drives, situated in the heart of malaria free Eastern Cape on the Legendary Sidbury Plains. A Big 5 African Adventure begins where you can experience five star hospitality and enjoy the pure tranquility that the reserve has to offer. Home to five of the seven biomes, this untouched wilderness boasts a past as rich as its abundant wildlife population. From the comfort of our specially equipped open Land Rovers, you encounter the impressive Big 5 roaming freely on the Sidbury plains. Here the white rhino, monarchs of the African bush, roam the plains as freely as they did hundreds of years ago. Delight in the entertaining squabbles and games of the playful Vervet monkeys or Chacma baboons, the original comedians of the wild! Indulge your fascination as you stumble upon a family of warthog, digging for roots or speeding across the lanes with their trademark "tails held high". You'll be awestruck by the zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, and many of the common and rare antelope who have roamed these plains for centuries. From the delicate solitary Blue duiker, who melts out of the brush at the edge of a clearing, to the towering kudu bull, who fixes his gaze on you as he browses nearby. At night the porcupine, aardwolf, caracal, and other nocturnal explorers and predators patrol the silent, inky darkness. (B, L, D)

DAY: 7 - September 24th
Our Tour escort will take us to visit the Tsitsikamma National Park The Tsitsikamma National Park is situated at the heart of the picturesque tourist region known as the Garden Route, found in the Southern Cape of South Africa. Tsitsikamma is a Khoisan word meaning, "place of much water". The Park incorporates 80 km of rocky coastline with spectacular sea and landscapes, and is a remote mountainous region with secluded valleys covered in mountain Fynbos and temperate high forests with deep river gorges leading down to the sea. The Tsitsikamma's spectacular scenery includes the Indian Ocean breakers, pounding rocky shores beneath 180 m high cliffs, ever-green forests and fynbos (proteas and heath) rolling down to the sea in a lush carpet where ancient rivers have carved their path to the ocean through rocky ravines. All this conspires to attract large numbers of international and local tourist to the Park. Tsitsikamma National Park protects a wonderland of inter-tidal and marine life. This is one of the largest single unit 'no take' (including fishing) Marine Protected Areas in the world, conserving 11% of South Africa's Temperate South Coast rocky shoreline, and provides a 'laboratory' for fisheries baseline research on endangered fish species. In 1964 when it was proclaimed, it became the first Marine National Park to be proclaimed in Africa. In the afternoon, there will be an included visit to Plettenberg Bay, with entrance to Monkeyland and a guided one hour walking Monkey Safari. (B & D)

DAY: 8 - September 25th
We visit Knysna on the Garden Route. Entrance to the Featherbed Nature reserve including a boat ride from Knysna and lunch will be included. Featherbed is a privately owned, registered Nature Reserve and South African Heritage Site, No.59. It is a pristine piece of paradise situated on the Western Head of Knysna, and is accessible only by ferry. In order to protect the splendor of the natural beauty, access to the Reserve is controlled. Numbers are limited and visits are only permitted in the company of the Reserve's specialist guides. This 4 hour excursion departs daily and reservations are essential. It is a wonderful outing for all ages and fitness levels. Good walking shoes are recommended and remember to bring your camera, hats, and sunblock. In the afternoon we will drive past Mossel Bay on our way to Oudtshoorn. ( B L D)

DAY: 9 - September 26tb
Today on our sightseeing tour we visit the Cango Wildlife ranch and Ostrich farm. Cango Wildlife Ranch and Valley of Ancients is an endangered species breeding facility extraordinaire. The oldest and biggest cheetah contact centre worldwide offers visitors the rare opportunity of interacting with hand-reared cheetahs and getting actively involved in saving this species and others from extinction. Our next stop will be the Safari Ostrich Farm with guided tour and show. After the tours we will travel to Cape Town. (B & D)

DAY: 10 - September 27th
Our full day tour of Cape Town will take us to Robbens Island. From the 17th to the 20th centuries, Robbens Island served as a place of banishment, isolation, and imprisonment. Nelson Mandela was held in a cell we will visit on the island. Today it is a World Heritage Site and museum, a poignant reminder to the newly democratic South Africa. There will be free time at the Victoria & Albert Waterfront area where one can shop and get lunch at many restaurants. There will also be a visit to Table Mountain and we will take the Aerial Cableway to the top. There will be a great view of Cape Town if the weather is good. (B & D)

DAY: 11 - September 28th
An excursion to the Cape of Good Hope is included with a boat trip to Seal Island. Seal Island is a small island located about three miles off the northern beaches of False Bay. The island is home to the Cape Fur Seal. The island is approx 600 feet in length. Seal Island has not only become a popular tourist destination because of the large amounts of Cape Fur Seal found on the Island, but also because the waters surrounding the Island are infested with Great White Sharks. Great White sharks are the seals biggest predator and are most likely to be seen when visiting Seal Island. Admission to the Nature Reserve and entrance to Boulders Beach Penguin Colony home, to a growing colony of the vulnerable African Penguin. Wooden walkways allow visitors to view the penguins in their natural habitat. There will also be a visit to Kirtensbosch Botanical Gardens. The beautiful Kirstenbosch gardens cover an area of 1000 acres with 75 acres of cultivated garden. The gardens are a celebration of South African flora - showcasing only indigenous South African plants. Fynbos, proteas, cycads, and rolling lawns are intermingled with streams and ponds and well-laid out pathways for easy walking. A great variety of birds inhabit the gardens and the sweeping views from the upper slopes are spectacular. (B L D)

DAY: 12 - September 29th
Excursion to Paarl and Stellenbosch wine producing area is included. We include Lunch and a wine tasting. Free time in Paarl and Stellenbosch. Whether you're a wine connoisseur or a lover of natural beauty you'll be swept away on this wine tour to the famous Stellenbosch and Paarl Valley wineries. Combining historic villages, stunning scenery, and fabulous wines, this day trip will have your senses working overtime (B L D)

DAY: 13 - September 30th
There will be a full day excursion to the Hermanus coast. The Whale Watching Festival is usually held on the last weekend in September. (dates not available for 2012 yet.) If the festival is being held, the TE will provide time to explore and join in the fun. There will also be a stop at the whale watching viewpoint. More information on this day will be provided. (B D)

DAY: 14 - October 1st
Last minute shopping before we depart for the airport for the flight home with great pictures and memories that will last a lifetime.



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