Superb South Africa Group Tour

Arrive Johannesburg – Welcome! You will be met by a Goway representative who will assist you with your private transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure, until your welcome dinner tonight at the hotel.

Johannesburg, or Jo'burg as it is known to locals, is located on the eastern plateau of South Africa known as the Highveld. Despite not being one of the country’s three capital cities, Johannesburg remains one of the most modern and prosperous cities in the country.

After the discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand in 1886, a settlement was established. When the public heard about the discovery, thousands of people headed to Johannesburg looking for fortunes. Within a century the city has been rebuilt four times, from humble beginnings as a tented camp to tin shanties, from Edwardian-style buildings to its current, modern state.

After breakfast you will have a photo stop at Mandela House, visit Hector Pieterson Museum, and Regina Mundi Church, which is the largest Roman-Catholic church in South Africa. Hector Pieterson Museum commemorates the role of the country’s students in the struggle against apartheid. The site is just blocks away from where 12-year old Hector Pieterson was shot in 1976. Enjoy lunch at Sakhumzi’s Restaurant.

After a lunch visit, the Apartheid Museum, the first of its kind, illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid. The museum is a superb example of design, space and landscape offering the international community a unique South African experience. The exhibits have been assembled and organised by a multi-disciplinary team of curators, filmmakers, historians and designers. They include provocative film footage, photographs, text panels and artefacts illustrating the events and human stories that are part of the epic saga, known as apartheid. A series of 22 individual exhibition areas takes the visitor through a dramatic emotional journey that tells a story of a state-sanctioned system based on racial discrimination and the struggle of the majority to overthrow this tyranny. For anyone wanting to understand and experience what apartheid South Africa was really like, a visit to the Apartheid Museum is fundamental. The museum is a beacon of hope showing the world how South Africa is coming to terms with its oppressive past and working towards a future that all South Africans can call their own. Return to your hotel overnight.

The Cullinan Diamond Mine is the site of the World’s oldest and South Africa’s third-richest diamond mine. Premier mine opened in 1902 and together with it founded the pretty Victorian village of Cullinan. The Cullinan Mine produced the world’s largest gem-quality diamond – a massive 3106 carats uncut! This diamond was chiseled into 98 individual diamonds including the Great and Lesser Stars of Africa, the 2nd and 3rd largest polished diamonds in the World which are now set in the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

The tour starts with a 15-minute video before we are led into the high-security premises of the mine where we are shown the workings and machinery of the mine. We then visit the enormous open cast mine, excavated from Kimberlite rock which is now four times larger than the famous ‘Big Hole’ in Kimberley. Continue to Cullinan Diamonds where we view diamond cutting and polishing before we are invited to browse the loose diamonds and exquisite jewellery and perhaps make that special purchase

After lunch (on our own), we continue with our cultural journey of exploration through our capital, Jacaranda City, so-called for its breathtaking purple-lined streets when the jacaranda trees are in full bloom. We’re ready and set to trace South Africa’s extraordinary history via a range of imposing, intriguing museums and monuments, beginning with the legendary Voortrekker Monument, a memorial to the early settlers. We travel on to the Kruger Museum, the private residence of President Paul Kruger of the old Transvaal Republic. We’ve chosen to end this City Tour with the Union Buildings, not only an architectural icon but the site of the emotionally charged scene which played out at Nelson Mandela’s joyful inauguration as president in 1994. You’ll be standing precisely where South African history turned the corner. We then return to Johannesburg and our hotel.

Today depart to Pilanesberg Game Reserve, the Bakubung Bush Lodge is concealed within the rich expanses of the malaria-free Pilanesberg National Park and offers you everything you need to get in touch with the bush. These Pilanesberg lodges are set in an area where the Big 5 roam, a mere 2-hour drive from the hectic lifestyle of Johannesburg. Bakubung, or “People of the Hippo”, offers you everything you need in regard to comfortable and luxurious accommodation. With the bush just outside your window, you will be able to relax and take in everything about the bush and the animals living around you.

This afternoon, our first game drive as we start our search to see the “Big 5” plus so many more animals.

Today you enjoy the activities including a morning and afternoon game drive.

After an early morning game drive, we transfer back to Johannesburg airport and fly to Cape Tow (flight not included). Upon arrival, we are met and transferred to our hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Cape Town is located in the southwest corner of South Africa near the Cape of Good Hope. With its unrivalled natural beauty, Cape Town is certainly a highlight of Southern Africa. Originally intended as a supply station for Dutch ships en route to Eastern Africa, India and the Far East, by 1652, Cape Town had become the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. As time passed other settlements were created, yet the Cape Colony looked to Cape Town as its economic and cultural hub.

Since the depth of history as you drive past Parliament Buildings, City Hall and the Slave Lodge before stopping for a short visit to the Castle of Good Hope (optional), originally built as a maritime replenishment station and now the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa!  We hear of the brief history of District Six en route to a visit to the Company Gardens where we walk through the landscaped gardens. Learn more about the history of the Bo-Kaap and its people as we move up the cobblestoned hills to the Malay Quarter, and marvel at the ice-cream colours of the quaint Bo-Kaap homes. Trace the moves of a professional diamond cutter as he creates every girl’s dream stone with a visit to a diamond-cutting factory. After learning more about the history of diamonds and gold in South Africa, we drive past the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town Stadium, Sea Point, Clifton and Camps Bay as we make our way to Table Mountain and a visit to the summit via cableway (weather permitting)

Our day continues with an afternoon visit to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Kirstenbosch lives up to its reputation as the most beautiful garden in Africa and one of the great botanic gardens of the world. Few gardens can match the sheer grandeur of the setting of Kirstenbosch, against the eastern slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain.

Kirstenbosch was established in 1913 to promote, conserve and display the extraordinarily rich and diverse flora of southern Africa, and was the first botanic garden in the world to be devoted to a country's indigenous flora. Kirstenbosch displays a wide variety of the unique plant life of the Cape Flora, also known as fynbos, including sugar bushes (Protea spp.), pincushions (Leucospermum spp.) and heaths (Erica spp.). Plants from all the diverse regions and biomes of southern Africa are also grown at Kirstenbosch, including a near-complete collection of cycads (Encephalartos spp.).

The Botanical Society Conservatory is a custom-built glasshouse to grow and display plants from arid regions that cannot survive outdoors. There are over 7 000 species in cultivation at Kirstenbosch, including many rare and threatened species.

Breakfast at the hotel and head out for a full-day Peninsula tour. Embark on a spectacular journey around the Cape Peninsula taking in all the highlights and breath-taking beauty of this world-renowned Cape. Travel through historic suburbs, charming fishing villages and awesome viewpoints on your way to Cape Point, where the mighty Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. The tour begins with a scenic drive along the Atlantic coast which is home to some of the most expensive real estate in the country. Pass through the fishing village of Hout Bay. Here you will take a cruise to Seal Island to see the large colonies of Cape Fur Seals sunning themselves on the island’s rocky outcrops. A Seal Island Cruise is included (weather permitting).

The tour then heads along Chapman's Peak Drive. With a towering mountain above it and a sheer drop below, this part of the road is renowned for its spectacular 180° views of the Cape Peninsula making it a favoured spot for photographers. Our journey now reaches the tip of the Cape Peninsula, a dramatic viewpoint located in a 17,750-hectare nature reserve. Looking out over the shining sea from the Cape Point Lighthouse truly makes you feel like you are standing at the edge of the world. A funicular ticket is included.

After a stop for lunch at Seaforth Restaurant., you will head to Boulders Beach where you can sit among a colony of African penguins. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon and spend the evening at leisure.

Today is at leisure to enjoy Cape Town at your own pace or do some last-minute shopping.

Tonight, our farewell dinner is at the Gold Restaurant, a unique African restaurant in the heart of Cape Town. An evening here begins with a djembe drumming session, followed by a hand-washing ceremony and afterwards, you will tuck into the set 3-course meal consisting of 14 ‘taster dishes. This dining experience can best be described as a taste safari that will transport you from Table Mountain to Timbuktu. This culinary experience is accompanied by unique interactive traditional entertainment.

Optional Winelands Tour (Minimum 10 Passengers)

A superb day dedicated to celebrating the glorious grape, the exceptional Winelands region, and the heavenly scenery! The area’s rich with history, and we can’t help but feel it as we move through the region to experience a wine cellar tour and tasting, where you’ll learn all about the process of winemaking, from grape to goblet. We visit the exquisite little town of Franschhoek, pass by the impressive Huguenot Monument, and in a town with a reputation for gourmet fare. We experience a Cellar Tour and wine tasting at a local estate. Then wind our way to the heady heights of the Helshoogte Mountain Pass to meet the charming university town of Stellenbosch on the other side. An orientation tour of this little town, absorbing the quaintness, and sneaking into the odd shop or two (on Sundays not all galleries and shops are open) is included!  Enjoy a wine tasting at Middlevlei Wine Estate, together with a traditional Boerebraai lunch, before returning to Cape Town.

After breakfast at the hotel, the day is free until we transfer to Cape Town airport for your flight home.