South Africa: Cape Escape

You are met at Cape Town Airport and transferred to our hotel in town. We meet as a group in the late afternoon and head out for sundowners overlooking Camps Bay Stay: City Lodge Hotel Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or similar).

Table Mountain keeps watch over Cape Town, and we explore this flat-topped mountain properly on the first full day. Shunning the cable car in favour of the more intrepid India Venster route (arguably the most scenic), we hike and scramble up, stopping to admire views over Camps Bay and Robben Island. At the summit, there's time to explore. Then we head down the Skeleton Gorge path to the Kirstenbosch Gardens. Stay: City Lodge Hotel Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or similar) (B).

We leave after breakfast (but with a promise to return to the city in a few days) and drive via Camps Bay, Hout Bay and Chapman's Peak to the Cape Point Nature Reserve. This ruggedly beautiful area is home to the likes of springbok, baboons and ostriches. Stretch your legs on a lighthouse walk and continue to the Cape of Good Hope where the Atlantic and Indian oceans collide. Next, we take to two wheels and cycle for two hours to Boulders Beach, home to South Africa's 3,000-strong penguin colony. Stay: Simon's Town Quayside Hotel (or similar) (B).

The adventure continues apace today, with an early walk to Simon's Town harbour. We kayak to Boulders Beach for another penguin encounter, this time on the water. Around lunchtime, we head to Stellenbosch, the heart of the wine country. The afternoon is yours. Stroll around the oak-lined streets in this buzzy university town. Or maybe enjoy some downtime – the pool at our accommodation could be just what's needed. Stay: San Gabriel Cottages (or similar) (B).

There's a full day of wine tasting today, touring three estates. At the Waterford Estate, we pair the local shiraz and cabernet sauvignon with chocolate. Then it's to Middelvlei to pair their wines with delicious boerebraai tapas. Finally, there's a cheese and wine pairing and cellar tour at the Jordan Estate. Stay: San Gabriel Cottages (or similar) (B).

Spend a day in the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, to the southeast of Stellenbosch. We follow a hiking trail through scenic mountains and fynbos, heathland plants unique to the Cape regions of South Africa. Bring swimwear as there may the opportunity for a dip. The reserve is home to leopards, honey badgers and baboons, although they're rather shy. Instead, you're more likely to spot kingfishers, eagles and agama lizards. If you're looking for an adrenaline rush, there's the option of going kloofing for the day instead. It's the South African version of canyoning, following the Steenbras River through a canyon, abseiling, rock jumping and swimming in clear pools.

This evening there's a traditional South African barbecue – the perfect opportunity to swap stories of the day's adventures. Stay: San Gabriel Cottages (or similar) (B/D).

We spend this morning cycling in West Coast National Park, discovering a beautiful, varied landscape.

After a picnic lunch on the beach and a walk, we return to Cape Town.

This evening, there's a trans-African food experience at Gold Restaurant complete with live entertainment. Stay: City Lodge Hotel Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or similar) (B/L).

On your final day, the choice is yours. A township tour? A visit to Robben Island to see where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated? Or perhaps just spending a little more time around the V&A Waterfront? There's no bad way to spend time in this city (B).