Cape Town Tour - 8 days

Classic Tour

Privately Guided / Self drive

8 days / 7 nights discovering the beauty of Cape Town

This is an excellent opportunity friends, families, and groups to tour South Africa together. It also caters for couples or golfers who wish to enjoy a private holiday with the comfort of a personal guide or even choose a private self-drive vacation.

Highlights:

5 nights accommodation at the Leisure Bay Hotel
2 nights accommodation at the Klein Waterval Riverside Lodge in Franschhoek
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus day pass
Full day tour to Cape Point + the Boulder Penguin Colony
Safari drive + traditional barbeque
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens + Robben Island
Full day visit to the West Coast & Paternoster
Barnyard live musical festival
Tour of the Winelands
Full day visit to Hermanus

DAY 1 – Cape City Centre

You will be met by your Jewel of Africa Safaris guide who will transfer you to the world famous One & Only Resorts Hotel. Check into the Presidential suite. Today is free for independent sightseeing in Cape Town, but your guide will be on stand-by for your perusal.

You will be given a day pass for the red Cape Town Explorer Bus (also referred to as the “Hop-On Hop-Off Bus”)do a city tour of Cape Town. An guide onboard the bus will tell you about the interesting facts and history of Cape Town. The bus stops at all Cape Town’s key sights and beaches, including the cable car for Table Mountain.

Overnight: Leisure Bay Hotel Meals: Breakfast

DAY 2 – Cape Point and Boulders

Depart for Cape of Good Hope - the most Southwestern point of Africa where, in theory, the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. Enjoy lunch at the Black Marlin Restaurant. On our way back to the hotel, we pay a visit to a penguin colony at Boulder Bay.

Heading back for Cape Town, we stop over at Durbanville Hills Wine Estate for wine taste treat and then indulgein a late afternoon wildlife safari. Clara Anna Fontein is a private game reserve in the Durbanville wine valley and the wildlife reserve within the greater Cape Metropolitan area. The common word in Africa used for a “game” actually refers to wildlife, hosting wild animals similar to the Kruger National Park.

Ending our safari, we enjoy a traditional South African “braai” (barbeque) in the Boma at Clara Anna Fontein – the perfect ending of “just another fantastic day in paradise”.

Overnight: Leisure Bay Hotel Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

DAY 3 - Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens + Robben Island

Depart for Hout Bay after breakfast to do a 45-minute boat cruise to Duiker Island to observe thousand of seals playing and feeding. Visit the amazing Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens who only grows indigenous South African plants. The cultivated garden (36 hectares) displays collections of South African plants, particularly those from the winter rainfall region of the country.

Enjoy lunch at a restaurant of your choice, and the rest of the day is at leisure. You are free to explore the V&A Waterfront and even decide to visit the world heritage site of Robben Island, the infamous prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years - this is for your own account. Tonight you can dine and wine at leisure.

Overnight: Leisure Bay Hotel Meals: Breakfast

DAY 4 – Beach, Diamonds & Entertainment

Off to Camps Bay beach to enjoy a morning sunbathing. After lunch, we visit Jewel Africa for a fascinating diamond cutting tour. Jewel Africa is a world-class interactive shopping destination that offers exclusive, private tours where visitors can learn how gold chain is produced and a diamond cutter guides visitors through a diamond cutting and polishing tour unveiling the intricate skills of diamond polishing.

You will have some leisure time after the diamond excursion and at sunset, we depart to visit the popular Barnyard Theatre where an amazing evening of entertainment awaits us. Enjoy a picnic dinner and drinks during the show while listening to a live musical show.

Overnight: Leisure Bay Hotel Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 5 – West Cost & Paternoster

Travelling up the West Coast from Cape Town takes us to the town of Darling, best known for its Wild Flower and Orchid Show in September. We stop over at Yzerfontein, a small holiday and fishing village. There is a deserted beach ideal for sun tanning and surfing.

We continue our journey to the Langebaan Lagoon in the heart of the West Coast. Archaeological discoveries made are dating back as far as 10 million years ago. A pair of fossilized footprints by an early human female (called “Eve”), were also discovered, and estimated to be around 117 000 years old.

ALTERNATIVELY, for the more adventurous, you can choose to visit the West Coast in a sidecar motorcycle with a driver or on a self-drive basis – for your own account.

Our next stop is Paternoster adjacent to the Cape Columbine Nature reserve. Paternoster is one of the last traditional fishing villages on the West Coast and by far one of the most romantic spots around the South African coastline. Our journey back to our last evening in Cape Town, takes us through the beautiful “Swartland” area, the gateway to the West Coast where high quality wheat, wines, olives, art and culture as well as lots of outdoor activities are on offer.

Overnight: Leisure Bay Hotel Meals: Breakfast

DAY 6 – Winelands

Full day tour of the Cape’s wine lands. Our first stop is Fairview Wineries, known for its good wines and goat’s cheese. We also visit Delheim, situated high up on the southwestern slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain, named after Governor Simon van der Stel. It was originally home to a Dutch East India Company servant, whose job it was to fire a cannon from the peak directly above the property, appropriately named Kanonkop.

Spier Wine Estate is our next stop. Nowhere else in the Cape would you have access, within easy walking distance, to a Wine Centre, a seasonal open-air theatre, swimming pools, a spa, children’s activities, craft exhibitions, a Cheetah Outreach Program, a Raptor RehabilitationCentre, horse riding and a nearby a golf course – and yet still be in the heart of the Winelands.

After some wine tasting and lunch, we move on to Stellenbosch where we will do a wine making tour at Bergkelder. We also do a city tour of Stellenbosch, visiting “Uncle Samie’s” Shop, the oldest shop in town. We drive through Dorp street – one of the longest rows of old buildings in the world. Most of the buildings are declared as National Monuments.

Then we are off to Franschhoek where we will have lunch. We visit the Huguenot Monument, paying tribute to 200 French families settling in South Africa since 1677. We stop over at Graham Beck Wines for one last wine tasting visit before we check in at our overnight accommodation.

Overnight: Klein Waterval Riverside Lodge Meals: Breakfast

Day 7 – Hermanus Whale Route

We depart on a scenic route to Hermanus, which is regarded as the best whale-watching routes in the world. The World Wildlife Fund has recently recognized it as the best land-based whale-watching area in the world.

Each year between the middle of July and mid December, Hermanus comes alive with thousands of tourists witnessing hundreds of Southern Right Whales who migrate to the warm waters off the Hermanus coastline to give birth to their claves.

We spend some time on shore to spot the whales and enjoy lunch at Bientangs Cave before returning to Franschhoek.

Overnight: Klein Waterval Riverside Lodge Meals: Breakfast

DAY 8 – Canal Walk Shopping Centre

We spend the last day at leisure for some last minute shopping before your departure back home at Canal Walk, the largest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere.

Meals: Breakfast

This is where this tour ends.

Why not extend your stay in South Africa? We have a wide range of options available. The perfect extension for this tour is the Garden Route, the Kruger Park or even Victoria Falls. Enquire now on these extensions.

This is an open invitation to speak directly to me concerning this tour or any of our itineraries. If you email me your contact detail, I will phone you personally. Click HERE for my contact detail.

Alternatively, you can phone me free of charge on Skype if you are a registered Skype user. My Skype Name is: jewel.of.africa To register with Skype, click HERE.

Price per person sharing: Price available on request

Starting Point: Anywhere in Cape Town

Ending Point: Anywhere in Cape Town

Duration: 5 days / 4 nights

Minimum persons: 2 – Single supplement applies for single travelers

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

All airport and ground transfers in air-conditioned vehicles
Specified accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis
Safari & dinner at Clara Anna Fontein
Tour of the winelands
Lunches and dinners as per itinerary
Services of a registered cultural and nature guide
Activities specified in itinerary, including transfers and entrance charges
(For self-drive option) Car rental inclusive of super-cover and unlimited mileage

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:

International flights to and from South Africa. Book your own, or ask us for a quote
Domestic flights where applicable (unless specified)
Lunches & dinners (unless specified)
Drinks & refreshments
Tips for porters and restaurants
Telephone calls, laundry & other incidental personal expenditure
Additional activities not specified
Travel insurance
(For self-drive option) Fuel deposits and airport surcharges, additional driver/younger driver surcharges, fuel, oil, vehicle collection, etc.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

All activities are subject to prevailing weather conditions
Jewel of Africa Safaris is a registered tour operator with the necessary permits and insurance cover to transport International Tourists. All our driver/tour guides are Satour accredited, medically cleared, hold Professional Driving Permits and are accredited First Aid practitioners
Our standard terms & conditions apply. Here you can find more information on how to book, travel insurance, cancellation fees, baggage and other important issues.

Optional extensions are available - enquire now

Note: This is a suggested itinerary and it is based on our many years of experience and previous tailored tours for other clients. As the above tour will be conducted on a private or self-drive basis, the itinerary can be tailored to include any number of days, persons or accommodation required, depending on your personal requirements.