African Safaris and holidays from King and King Land and Ocean Safari specialists.
Example South African Holiday Itinerary
Option Two
DRAFT ITINERARY OPTION No 2a: 20 DAYS - illustrated details shown below.
Arrive Cape Town from Bristol and Amsterdam or London.
2 Feb to 5 Feb [4 days] Cape Town. Bed and breakfast accommodation at Abbey Manor.
3 Feb Private City and full day Cape Tour.
5 Feb Hire car delivered to Abbey Manor on fourth day to tour Western and Eastern Capes. Self drive to Franschhoek - 45 / 60 minutes.
6 Feb to 8 Feb [3 days] Franschhoek. Deluxe bed and breakfast accommodation at Rusthof Country Guesthouse in the centre of Franschhoek for visits to wineries, spectacular scenery and possibly to private friends and short tour with them. Self drive to Die Gat Guesthouse, near De Rust in the far east of the Western Cape - 4 hours.
9 Feb to 10 Feb [2 days] Die Gat Guesthouse near De Rust. Bed and breakfast accommodation at Die Gat Guesthouse for two days' touring in this historic area. Self drive south east to Lairds Lodge near Plettenberg Bay - about 2 hours.
11 Feb to 13 Feb [3 days] Lairds Lodge near Plettenberg Bay. Luxury bed and breakfast accommodation at Lairds Lodge for places of interest on the Indian Ocean and hinterland. Drive to Andries Stockenstrom Guesthouse, Graaff Reinet - 3 hours
14 Feb to 15 Feb [2 days] Andries Stockenstrom Guesthouse, Graaff Reinet
Bed and breakfast accommodation. The town was founded in 1786 and has many historical treasures of which more than 200 are national monuments. Self drive to 7 Worcester Street, Grahamstown. - 1.75 hours.
16 Feb to 18 Feb [3 days] 7 Worcester Street, Grahamstown. Bed and breakfast accommodation. Includes dinner the first night, one half day history tour and one full day history tour [including lunch] of Frontier District with historian Alan Weyer about famous battle sites spread over 100 years*.
19 Feb. Self drive to East London airport [about 2 hours], drop off hire car, fly to Durban, collect hire car at Durban airport. Drive to Mulberry Hill Guesthouse, near Pietermaritzburg - 1.5 hours.
19 Feb [1 night]. Mulberry Hill Guesthouse, near Pietermaritzburg. Bed and breakfast accommodation. The Midlands Meander area offers homecrafts, African beading, locally made linen, winemakers, batik and, possibly, the Sani Pass. Self drive to Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse - 1.75 hours.
20 Feb - 21 Feb [2 days] Cleopatra Mountain Guesthouse, Drakensberg. Luxury dinner, bed and breakfast accommodation. Restful recreation in the mountains.
22 Feb drive back to Durban airport to catch a late afternoon or evening flight to Johannesburg and on to London or Bristol.
Price including accommodation, meals and car hire as indicated above: per person sharing for 20 nights: £1780.50
*Per person sharing for 20 nights without Alan Weyer's lectures: £1719.67
Current per person price of internal flights bought in South Africa: £162.83
PRICES AND AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO CONFIRMATION WHEN BOOKING
PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE SCHEDULED INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL AIRFARES EXCEPT WHERE STATED |
Please note this is only an example safari itinerary for South Africa and was calculated and based on prices in 2007.
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Full, in depth description of the itinerary
can be seen below.
Wed 14 Feb From Lairds drive inland to Andries Stockenstrom Guesthouse in historic Graaff-Reinet, the centre of the Karoo Midlands. Several routes are possible. Most people will want to see more of the coast. |
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For that you drive east 190km/118m from Lairds [mostly on N2 - see page details from option one, click]
as far as the R334 turn off to Uitenage, thence north on R75 to Graaff-Reinet, another 249km/155m. Owner and chef, Beatrice Barnard, invites you to experience this Karoo hospitality.
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The floors in the old house are all original yellow wood. The streets are filled with architectural treasures.
Thu 15 Feb. Picnic sites and walking trails get you among the cliffs and columns of dolerite 120 metres high in the Valley of Desolation [14km from the town] formed by volcanic upheaval and erosion over 100 million years. More than 200 bird, 336 plant and 43 mammal species are found here, including the black eagle, kori bustard, kudu, buffalo and endangered Cape mountain zebra
Picturesquely situated in the Sneeuberg foothills Graaff-Reinet was established in 1786 and named after Gov. van der Graaff and wife Reinet.
It was the fourth district in the Cape colony granted a 'Drostdy' or seat of local government and as a pioneering outpost of white development in barren country, it became the most important trading centre with the interior and has retained much of its 19th century character. |
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About 70km north lies the village of Nieu-Bethesda, dominated by the Compassberg (2502m), where traffic was once so infrequent they grew potatoes and lucerne in the streets. Its isolation has preserved its historical integrity. In her Owl House eccentric Helen Martins devoted her life to owl statues, "the search for light and brightness", living a hermit's existence and retaining an abiding interest in Eastern philosophy. Walls, ceilings and doors are decorated with finely-ground glass of various colours. The "Camel Yard" at the back of the house depicts hundreds of camels and sphinxes, made of cement and glass, all paying homage to the East.
Sat 17 Feb. 7 Worcester Street, Grahamstown.
Sun 18 Feb. 7 Worcester Street, Grahamstown.
Mon 19 Feb. Drive to East London airport, fly to Durban, collect hire car at Durban airport. Drive north west on N3 to Mulberry Hill, near Curry's Post, passing through Pietermaritzburg. [Full directions will be supplied.]. Mulberry Hill Guest House is in the Natal Midlands, and part of what is called the Midlands Meander. It is on an 80-acre estate with two trout dams, good walks and superb views of the Karkloof and Southern Drakensberg Mountains. Edward and Rosie Cunningham are relaxed young people who dedicate themselves to making their guests feel at ease to come and go as they please but are always on call. |
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The Bistro restaurant is only a short walk from the main guest house with a lit pathway at night. Each room has been individually decorated with quality tasteful furnishings and include tea and coffee facilities, heater and electric blankets. |
Activities and facilities include trout fishing, bird watching, hiking, walking, croquet, picnics on the estate, in-house massages (Swedish, aromatherapy,
reflexology). Nearby [all within 15mins.] riding, golf, quad bike trails, clay pigeon shooting, Karkloof tour,mountain bike tails with guide, Sani Pass Adventures, Midlands Meander Tours. The latter include homecrafts, African beadwork, wine-makers, cheesemakers, locally made linen and batiks.
Tue 20 Feb. Drive to Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse - under two hours.
Wed 21 Feb. Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse. Cleopatra details within option one apply for this option, click here to view details.
Thu 22 Feb. Return drive to Durban for flights to Johannesburg and London.
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