Why South Africa - South Africa Tour Packages

Firstly, a more naturally beautiful country would be difficult to find: from theserrated peaks of the Drakensberg mountains, to the contorted and timeless semi-desert landscapes of the Karoo. The forested sea-shores and mirror-like lakes of theGarden Route, the enchanting temperate valleys of the Winelands, the rare proximityto nature found in the national parks and the instantly recognizable symbol of thecountry, Table Mountain - all under an endless azure-blue sky. And going theWanderers way - it is all about discovering the magic of the Zulu land in an offbeatway.

Welcome to South Africa...welcome to the world where beauty and magic transformsthe Wanderer into a devout.

The rainbow nation promises a great holiday. Its remarkable natural beauty andmulticultural society provides a delight at every step. In the boundaries of SouthAfrica are some of the world's most breathtaking landscapes; canyons, wildernessesshowcasing game and cliffs dropping to the ocean. Sun City has some exciting themeparks, night clubs, restaurants and casinos, where you could party till the wee hoursof dawn.

Highlights: Be spoiled for choices in South Africa, drive a jeep through the KrugerNational Park, take a dip in the Valley of the Waves, taste some of the finest winesin the Garden Route, romance on some beautiful bays, ride on a ostrich inOudtshoorn, go abseiling in Knysna, and enjoy at the trendy restaurants, night clubsand casinos at Cape Town.

Best Time to Visit: South Africa is a fabulous year-round destination, so your visitdepends on what you would like to do. The best time for game watching, forinstance, is early spring (August to October). The southern right whales can be seenoff our coasts from about mid-June to the end of October and the humpback whalesfrom Aug-Dec. The diving is generally best from April to September, and so is thesurfing, but these activities is by no means limited to these periods. Flowers are attheir best in August and September. River rafting better at the end of winter in thecape.

Seasons:

Summer: Northern region: Johannesburg, Mpumalanga - October to March hot days,afternoon thunderstorms Averare temp. 26-35 degrees (79-95F)

Winter: Northern region: Johannesburg, Mpumalanga - May to September warm tocool days with no rain. Average temp. 8-20 degrees(46-69F).

Summer: Southern region: Cape Town and the Garden Route - October to MarchAverage temp. 25-32 degresss (77-89F)

Winter: Southern region: Cape Town and the Garden Route - May to Septemberwarm to cool days with rain. Average temp.15-22 degrees(59-72F)

Cape Town : South Africa Tourism

South Africa”s legislative capital is situated at the foot of Table Mountain, thefamous flat-topped mountain with views out across the peninsula to the Atlantic andIndian Oceans. There is a cable car, which takes you to the top of Table Mountain.The main hub of the city is the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the beautifully restoredold Victorian harbor, from where boat trips leave for the notorious Robben Island,where Nelson Mandela and many other nationalist leaders were imprisoned. Therelics of early colonial government are centered on Government Avenue, with manyfine old buildings and museums, including the Parliament Buildings; Groote Kerk; theCultural History Museum; National Museum; National Gallery; Bertram House; andCompany”s Garden, planted in 1652 to provide food for passing sailors.

Main Attractions around Cape Town:

Chapman's Peak Drive

Chapman's Peak Drive is one of the most spectacular coastal roads in South Africa. Itstarts at the picturesque fishing harbor of Hout Bay and then winds up to Chapman'sPoint, revealing breathtaking views of the sandy bays down below, until the roadreaches sea level again at Noordhoek. Built between 1915 and 1922, this stretch wasblasted into the partially vertical rock and is a masterpiece of road construction.There are numerous parking bays and picnic spots along the road and on the slopes.

Cape Point and its Nature Reserve

Cape Point is one of the greatest landmarks in the world: a wild and scenicallyspectacular area at the tip of the Cape Peninsula and African continent. It was herethat the fearless Portuguese navigator Bartholomew Dias first rounded the Cape in1488, and the large stone cross seen in the reserve, commemorates his achievement.Cape Point is situated in the Cape Peninsula National Park and brown and whitebontebok antelopes, dawdling tortoises and dashing ostriches can be seen on a drivethrough the pristine nature reserve. The flora too deserves your attention with 2200species of plants including giant headed protea bushes flowering in winter and prettylittle ericas which you will not see anywhere else on earth.

Penguin Colony

Boulder”s Beach is famous for its penguin colony. Newly constructed boardwalks takevisitors really close to the birds. Visitors can even swim in the sea with them. In theevening the penguins come back from their fishing expeditions and waddle up to thebeaches to go to their nests. If you visit this place between Aug-Dec, you may belucky enough to spot the Southern Right and Bryde Whale.

Simon's Town

This is a quintessentially English seaside town with intricate Victorian wrought ironbalustrades and the flag flying British Hotel dominating the main street. Enticingalley ways lead up to the whitewashed houses on the hillside and they overlook acharming waterfront complex and the False Bay Yacht Club alongside extensive Navybuildings.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Founded in 1913, Kirstenbosch lies on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. Itconsists of landscaped gardens of indigenous plants and trees, watered by theLiesbeek River, as well as natural forest that extend up the lower slopes. Kirstenboschcovers an area of 828Ha, 60 ha of which are cultivated; the remainder is a natural

flora reserve. It is a living display featuring 4 700 of the estimated 20 000 species ofindigenous South African flora, and close to 50 per cent of the Peninsula's floralwealth.

Table Mountain

The exhilarating ascent of Cape Town's Table Mountain is a must for any visitor andprovides breathtaking views over the city and its beaches. The panorama stretchesfrom Table Bay to False Bay and around the mountain to the Hout Bay Valley andKommetjie. On a clear day one has a magnificent view across the Cape Flats to theHottentots Holland Mountains. The mountain is sculpted from sandstone and it rises1086 meters above the bay. Its flat summit measures nearly 3km from end to end.The mountain is home to approximately 1470 species of plants. Many of these areendemic, i.e. appearing nowhere else on earth. Included are the rare Silver Tree andthe wild orchid Disa Uniflora.

Garden Route : South Africa Tourism

Situated on the Southern Cape Coast almost midway between Cape Town and PortElizabeth, the area offers some of the most beautiful scenery and the widest varietyof nature's gems to be found anywhere in the world The Garden Route stretches fortwo hundred miles from Heidelberg in the west to the Storms River mouth in theeast.

Heavily promoted and heavily scented, the Garden Route runs along a beautiful bitof coastline in southern Western Cape, from Still Bay in the west to just beyondPlettenberg Bay in the east. The narrow coastal plain is well forested and is mostlybordered by extensive lagoons which run behind a barrier of sand dunes and superbwhite beaches. The Garden Route has some of the most significant tracts ofindigenous forest in the country including giant yellowwood trees and manywildflowers as well as commercial plantations of eucalypt and pine. The weather iskind year-round and noticeably wetter than elsewhere; the highest chance of rainfalland grey days is from August to October. The area is a favorite for all water sportsand. A wide range of activities is offered, from diving and sailing to bungee jumpingand quad biking.

Main Attractions:

Cango Wildlife Ranch

Animals roam around freely in this beautiful conservation area. It is one of those rareplaces where you can touch a cheetah or cuddle a lion cub. The ranch is one of thelargest breeders of cheetah in the world. Besides the cheetah, its cousins the lion andjaguar are also present. Beware! A 4 m boa constrictor and copperhead viper alsolurks around. About 400 crocodiles and alligators lounge around and Zindago, thebiggest one is quite a character. Other inmates include a camel, warthog, pygmyhippos, otters, flamingos and peacocks.

Oudtshoorn

Oudtshoorn is situated in the Klein Karoo 55 kilometres from the large coastal townof George. This town with its wide open spaces and broad streets is the capital ofthe Klein Karoo. The town is spread along both banks of the Grobbelaars River, atributary of the Oliphant's River, and its fertile valleys are encompassed by theSwartberg Mountains to the north and the Outeniqua Mountains to the south. Warm,dry summers and sunny winter days make it the ideal breeding ground for the mostmajestic of flightless birds - synonymous with Oudtshoorn - the ostrich.

Du Toit Kloof Mountain Pass

It was built by the Italian prisoners of war in World War 2 and has many orchards.Stud Farms can also be seen.

Worcester

At Worcester there is a museum of the history of SA agriculture which is partlyinside and partly outside - old farm buildings, and some live re-creations of earlyfarming practices. It is called 'Klein Plas (Little Farm). It also has a little restaurantserving traditional South African cuisine.

Ostrich Farm

The ostrich farm near Cango is a family concern and you can do a lot of things likeseeing the eggs, chicks and incubators. You could shake hands, kiss, feed or ride onan ostrich.

Featherbed Nature Reserve

The Featherbed Nature Reserve, a unique 150 ha private Nature Reserve,encompasses the whole of the Western Head of Knysna and is one of the premierNatural Heritage Sites. The world famous landmark, the spectacular Knysna headsare two giant sandstone cliffs which mark the Knysna River's entrance. It is home totwo of the Garden Route's icons, namely the Knysna Loerie and the Blue Duiker, oneof Africa's smallest antelope species. Other wildlife found on the Reserve includesCape Mountain Tortoises, Blue Cranes (South Africa's national bird), rare BlackAfrican Oyster Catchers, White breasted cormorant, Bushbuck and more. Rap Jumpingand Abseiling are done on Beachcomber Caves, Needlepoint and Thy Kingdom ComeTrip.

Knysna Lagoon

Knysna Lagoon is actually an estuary, providing valuable nutrients to the ecology ofthe coastline. The lagoon is a water sport haven. Fishing, both estuarine and deepsea is perhaps the most popular activity. Sailing is another popular activity - fromsailboards to large ocean going yachts. Knysna has some of the oldest Yacht clubs inSA. There are a number of ferries taking visitors around the lagoon. Various charteroptions are available for deep sea fishing or whale and dolphin watching. The besttime for watching whales is from August to October. Swimming is best at Leisure Isleand scuba diving at the Heads.

Riches of Constantia

The beautiful Constantia Valley is named after Constanza, the daughter ofCommissioner van Rheede who gave it to Governor van der Stel as a gift. Today,Constantia is still seen as a benchmark of South African wine, identified in top-of-mind awareness as one of the fine wine regions outside Europe. The breathtakingbeauty of a valley where vineyard rows stretch up the mountainside - within minutesof a capital city - is unique in today's overcrowded world. While sweet whites gavethe area its legendary appeal, Constantia is also renowned for dry whites and reds oftop international standard. Wines like Chardonnay, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon,Merlot, Shiraz, Pinotage. Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir now thrive in the valley.

Sun City : South Africa Tourism

Sun City is internationally renowned as South Africa's premier holiday resort offeringa multitude of attractions and activities to keep everyone occupied. It has four bighotels each of which offer a unique holiday experience from romance to family fun.It is surrounded by the magnificent mountains of South Africa's Pilanesberg NationalPark, which offers superb game viewing opportunities. It has two 18-hole golf coursesdesigned by golf guru Gary Player. Adventure activities like archery, quad biking,elephant safari and clay pigeon shooting are available.

Valley of the Waves is freely available to any overnight visitor in Sun City. This isthe most advanced water park in Africa. This water park has five exhilarating flumerides. From the aptly named Temple of Courage, swimmers drop a heart stopping 17meters down a chute and under a bridge before splashing into a small pool at thefoot of the slide.

Kruger National Park :South Africa Tourism

In the heart of the Lowveld, stretching for 352 kilometres from north to south alongthe Mozambique border, one of the world”s foremost national parks can be found.The Kruger National Park is a wildlife sanctuary larger in area than Israel. KrugerNational Park is the primary destination in SA and attracts more than half a millionvisitors per year. It was opened in 1898 at the instigation of the then-president PaulKruger. Covering an area of 2 million hectares it has the greatest variety of wildlifeincluding Africa's Big Five- the lion, buffalo, elephant, rhino and leopard. TheWildlife includes 507 birds, 336 trees, 147 mammals, 114 reptiles, 49 fish and 34amphibians. It is mainly a self-drive destination with waterholes, camps, hides andlodges available easily.

The best time for observing the animals is the dry winter season. Then the grass islow and bushes and trees don”t have leaves, so that one can have an unobstructedview. Because it virtually doesn”t rain in winter, the animals come to the waterholesto drink in the mornings and evenings and can be easily watched from the car.

The Wanderers Flavour : South Africa Tourism

The striking Table Mountain, excellent surfing beaches and charming vineyards alongthe pristine coastline, exploring Mother Nature in her element during the safaris,South Africa is a must do on our travel beat.

Because where else can you sail beside a whale, go eye-to-eye with wild Tigersharks, cage-dive with Great Whites, be charmed by urban penguins, snorkel besidewhale sharks and be entranced on a moonlit beach as new-born turtle hatchlingsmake their bid for life in the ocean?

Where else can you feel the urban rhythm of Cape town mesmerize you like noneever felt before?

Where else can set yourself up for a date along the vineyards trails?

Where else can you watch the penguins come back from their fishing expeditions andwaddle up to the beaches to go to their nests?

Where else can you find the famous games in their natural element?

Where else can you go on a luxury journey on rail and come back pampered, relaxedand rejuvenated?

Where else can discover the gourmet delights a la braai, an open-air barbecue standfeaturing grilled meat (including delicacies like peri-peri chicken and boerewors –spicy sausages) and vegetables?

Simply put, the land has so much to offer - from a jeep safari through the KrugerNational Park to taking a dip in the Valley of the Waves, romancing on somebeautiful bays, ride on a ostrich in Oudtshoorn, go abseiling in Knysna...and our listjust goes on!

Must experience:

Shark Diving

If you’d like to see a great white shark up close and personal without getting yourarm bitten off, you’ll love the new adventure sport known as shark cage diving.

The mesmeric Table Mountain where you can enjoy the stunning view of the cityand Atlantic Ocean from the Table Mountain. One hears a lot about the GardenRoute, when in South Africa.

This stretch of 800-odd km from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth is a huge contrast tothe otherwise staple arid landscape of South Africa. Set out on a game drive to spotthe Big 5 in the Kruger National Park. It is just 500-odd kilometres fromJohannesburg, but a million miles away from urbanization. Spend three days hereand you’ll come back with a sense of the great wild. Kruger is big, and you have toearn your right to see the wildlife.

Whale watching: From June and throughout the winter months, migrating whalesmake their way along the South African coast. Go kayaking in Vetchies beach whichis one of Durban's most popular – easily accessible from the city and a great spot forpooling through the waves in a kayak.

Abseiling off the Table Mountain

This is a 112-meter jump and the view of the Atlantic below is fantastic. There is asurprise element here, which will make the experience worth it. With the wineregions stretching from the western to the far northern Cape and the edge of theKaroo you can almost taste your way around South Africa.

Ride an ostrich...if you are up for the challenge in Oudtshoorn, often referred to asthe Ostrich Capital of South Africa. If you find yourself getting the hang of ostrichriding pretty quickly, feel free to join one of the regular races that are held in thearea.

Riding the luxury train if you feel like pampering yourself. The Rovos Rail, whichclaims to be, “the most luxurious train in the world,” boasts dining, lounge, andobservation cars that are complete with traditional furnishings and décor, remindingyou of a bygone era. The Blue Train serves world-class cuisine and features five-staraccommodations.

Best season to travel

The summer months (Nov-Feb) tend to attract the majority of visitors (particularlyfrom Europe). Fortunately, the country is big enough to absorb these increasednumbers without causing the discomfort most people associate with busy seasons.

Spring (Sept-Oct) and autumn (Mar-Apr) are when temperatures are not quite sohigh. Winter (June-Aug) brings substantial benefits, too: July to November are themonths when the southern right whales migrate to the Cape's southern coast,providing guaranteed sightings. May to August are considered the best months forsighting big game.

Map : South Africa Tourism

Overland Adventure tours in South Africa

If you dream of having an authentic African adventure, our selection of overlandtours is one of the best ways to achieve it. We organise and plan everything for you,leaving you free to relax and really enjoy your African experience. Our overland adventures in Africa are ‘off the beaten track’ and the emphasis is onthe journey, as well as the destination. Unexpected events are part of the packageand often add to your real-Africa experience.

Who should, and does, go on an Overland adventure Tour? Overland adventure Tours are for people who have a zest for life and a lust foradventure. If you have an interest in people, places, animals and adventure, thenthese tours are for you. Our groups come from all walks of life, and of various nationalities. Although thereare often couples and groups of friends together, most travellers are single and themale-female mix generally works out about equal.

All tours, besides guaranteed departures, have a minimum of 4 people. Our campinggroups average around 18 people, with a maximum of 24. Our accommodated toursaverage around 14 people with a maximum of 18. Small group tours are maximum12. Single Supplements are limited to 4 per tour on all tours. Experience has shown us that our adventure trips are suitable for the majority oftravellers from ages 16 to 65. However, we do accept people older than 65 yearsbecause we believe age is a state of mind. What to expect Each day in Africa is new and exciting. A portion of the day is spent travelling fromone place to another. The tours can cover large distances and include plenty ofhighlights. A typical day with us starts at sunrise, making the most of every minute.Lunches are normally informal affairs on the side of the road or a local picnic spot.Evenings are spent socialising and relaxing at camp.

Our guides do most of the work, and on a Camping tour your participation in campchores is limited to taking turns to assist with washing-up duties, putting up andtaking down your tent and loading your bags. We include a camp assistant on mosttours. Vegetarians are easily catered for and are always impressed by our varied menu. Ourguides can produce miracles on a camp stove. Special dietary requirements can bemet by special request. But please note that no matter how hard these guides try, anIndian meal on such a tour is as easy to come by as a rhino that nudges up to youfor a tickle.

These tours are designed to be as flexible as possible so you can experience Africa inyour own way. You can customise your itinerary by mixing and matching theadventures we offer. Tell us what you want and we can make it happen for you. How to decide which tour? Often people who are not experienced with Africa and/or Adventure tours find theamount of information and choices confusing. To simplify matters we suggest thefollowing:

Decide on whether you want to visit East or Southern Africa. Simply put, the Southis ideal for first time visitors to Africa as it is generally an easier journey with betterinfrastructure. Check our highlights pages to help make your decision. Then decidebetween camping or accommodated options and finally, the duration of your trip.One week, two weeks, three weeks or longer. Although we offer over 100 differentadventure tours by following these steps your choices will be reduced to around 6 or7 options.

WHATS INCLUDED, WHAT’S NOT, AND WHY?

Let’s face it, there is no such thing as an ‘all-inclusive tour’. There are always extraactivities that you can do but there are no hidden costs and you remain in control ofyour choices and finances. WHAT’S INCLUDED? Transport in the specialised vehicles, the services of two qualified guides, meals,accommodation, specified activities and most National Park fees. WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED? Airfares, Visas, vaccinations, items of a personal nature, alcohol, snacks, activitypackage items, pre and post tour accomodation and optional activities.

WHAT IS THE ACTIVITY PACKAGE (AP) FOR? This is an optional additional payment that covers what we consider to be essentialactivities on the tours. Ideally, we would include all of these but not everyone canafford this. This payment is 100% transparent and is listed with the itinerary of thetour. If you cannot afford it, or do not want to do the AP, rest assured that yourtour will remain uninterrupted and meals and the services of the guides willcontinue. All the itineraries in this brochure are written with the Activity Packagesincluded.

A la carte Africa

The Wanderers trips to Africa are done in luxury, comfort and style. We offer 3kinds of interest categories viz Luxury wildlife, overland adventures and Africa a lacarte.

Southern Africa: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi,MadagascarEastern Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and RwandaNorth Africa: Egypt, Morocco

So, if you are planning to visit any of the above countries in Africa soon, just shootoff an email to our experienced vacation planners at guj@thewanderers.co.in

Luxury wildlife trips

The Wanderers trips to Africa are done in luxury, comfort and style. We offer 3kinds of interest categories viz Luxury wildlife, overland adventures and Africa a lacarte.

Luxury wildlife safaris are for those who want to experience the unspoilt wildernessof Africa while basking in a luxury lodge, hotel or camp. These trips are generallyfly in and fly out safaris with pilot guides with stay in some of the best-knownluxury lodges and tented accommodation that Africa has to offer. Some of the tripsare also conducted overland and usually entail drives in chauffeur driven vehicleswith an extremely knowledgeable guide. A few of them are on fixed dates ofdeparture. We offer Luxury wildlife safaris in the following countries in Africa:

Southern Africa: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, MalawiEastern Africa: Kenya, Tanzania So, if you are planning a wildlife experience with the best of accommodation in anyof the above countries in Africa soon, just shoot off an email to our experiencedvacation planners at guj@thewanderers.co.in

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www.thewanderers.travel