Highlights of South Africa

Arrive in Port Elizabeth and check into River Lodge in Kariega Game Reserve*. After lunch, join a late-afternoon safari drive within the reserve, rounded off with sundowners.

Board specialist safari vehicles for morning and late-afternoon safaris in a ‘Big Five' wildlife reserve. Cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests and an assortment of antelope species also roam these lands.

Morning and Afternoon safari drives.

After an early morning wildlife drive, head to the Tsitsikamma National Park. Here you can take a scenic walk and cross the suspension bridge that spans the gorge at the Storms River mouth. Then continue west to the coastal town of Knysna. Stay 3 nights at Knysna Hollow.

This morning, cruise across the stunning lagoon to the Knysna Heads, followed by a leisurely stroll through the Featherbed Nature Reserve. Your afternoon is at leisure.

Today is a day at leisure to relax or join an optional excursion.

Drive to Oudtshoorn, known as the 'ostrich capital of the world'. Take a guided tour of the Cango Caves, one of Africa's most spectacular natural rock formations. Its vast network of tunnels and chambers is adorned with delicate stalagmites and stalactites. After lunch, enjoy an informative excursion to a working ostrich farm, where you will come face to face with the world's largest birds. Overnight at De Zeekoe.

Head out on an early morning meerkat adventure, meeting habituated wild meerkats accompanied by an expert guide. Continue along the scenic Route 62. Stop at the quirky town of Barrydale for lunch (payable locally). Stay 2 nights in the Winelands at the Franschhoek Boutique Hotel.

Spend a full day touring the Cape Winelands. Drive through mountain ranges, vineyards and Cape Dutch homesteads between the golden triangle of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl. Join a 4x4 wine-tasting 'safari' at Warwick Wine Estate, sampling ‘Big Five' grape varieties.

Take a guided morning walk around Stellenbosch, including a visit to the village museum charting the history of the region. Transfer to Cape Town for an afternoon to explore the bustling V&A waterfront, followed by dinner at a local home in the Bo-Kaap neighbourhood, tasting authentic Cape Malay cuisine. Stay 2 nights at The Commodore Hotel (Deluxe Room), near the Waterfront.

Full-day tour of the Cape Peninsula, including an Atlantic seaboard drive past fishing villages and the seaside suburbs of Camps Bay and Hout Bay, finishing at Cape Point. Return via the penguin colony at Boulders Beach, and Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner at a stylish local restaurant.

Begin your final morning in spectacular fashion: ascending Table Mountain via cable car (weather permitting; excursion may take place on Day 10). Tour ends in Cape Town. Alternatively, extend your journey: spend a few extra days in Cape Town or visit Hermanus for whale-watching. Alternatively, fly to Victoria Falls or take a beach stay in Mauritius.