South Africa Highlights & Safari

Passengers who purchase flights will depart 1 day before the tour starts and return 1 day after the tour ends.

For flight details, see Before You Depart.

Welcome to Johannesburg, South Africa's largest and most vibrant city!

We’ll delve into South Africa’s turbulent past on a fascinating tour of Soweto, an urban settlement or “township” outside Johannesburg. Our tour takes us to Freedom Square, the home of Nelson Mandela, and the Apartheid Museum, which documents the rise and fall of apartheid and offers a beacon of hope for a future all South Africans can call their own. This afternoon, fly to Cape Town, South Africa's oldest city, set on a stunning harbor in the shadow of imposing Table Mountain. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Today’s all about exploring (and savoring!) this unique city. Join a local expert to see the highlights and charms of Cape Town. We’ll ascend via cable car to the top of Cape Town’s iconic landmark, Table Mountain, for incredible city and bay views. Then you’ll have a chance to view and photograph Table Mountain from a distance from the historic, colorful neighborhood known as Bo-Kaap (the Malay Quarter). The final stop is a guided Diamond Experience where you learn about the journey of a diamond direct from South African mines to a finger. Our tour ends at the vibrant V&A Waterfront, where you can enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure. Relax at a café, sip a glass of South Africa’s renowned wine or browse local art and craft shops.

Stunning seascapes, delicious seafood, spectacular gardens—and penguins? Our day on Cape Peninsula is truly extraordinary, as we pass steep mountains, secluded coves and sweeping beaches before a stop at a Hout Bay fishing village. Then it’s on to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, home to baboons, rheboks and Cape Mountain zebras. At Cape Point, soak up the majestic views at the confluence of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. After lunch at a famous seafood restaurant, we’ll head to the most remarkable of the mainland African penguin colonies, Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, with over 2,500 birds. But we’re not done yet! We’ll finish the day at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on the slopes of Table Mountain. Considered one of the world’s great botanic gardens, Kirstenbosch is a UNESCO World Heritage Site boasting over 7,000 indigenous plants.

So many options! Today is at leisure for independent exploration, shopping, or relaxing. Go to the beach, take an optional excursion to the scenic Winelands or take the plunge with a thrilling great white shark cage diving excursion. You may also use your free time to visit Robben Island and see where Nelson Mandela spent nearly two decades in captivity.

Say farewell to Cape Town and board a morning flight to King Shaka International Airport on the Kwazulu-Natal North Coast, just outside the bustling port city of Durban. Our first stop is Westbrooke, a pretty beachside village where you can stroll golden sands along the Indian Ocean. We’ll continue north through cane fields and timber plantations to Zululand, home to one of the most famous of African tribal peoples. Our hotel tonight is set near the Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in Africa and best known for saving the white rhinoceros from extinction.

You’ll fall under the spell of the Zulu people as we visit the Dumazulu Cultural Village. Here, the ancient arts are kept alive, and we’ll learn about traditional dress and the construction of “beehive” huts, as well as meet a Zulu healer and watch tribal dancing. Our visit includes a special lunch with both Zulu and Western dishes. The enchantment continues as we climb aboard open safari vehicles to explore Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, a haven for the second largest land mammal—the white rhino.

This morning, we cross the border into the independent Kingdom of Eswatini. (No visa required for USA and Canadian passport holders). You’ll have the chance to shop for unique African souvenirs and see basket weavers in action at the colorful local markets.

Our journey takes us through Eswatini’s beautiful countryside to the world-famous Kruger National Park, South Africa’s premier wildlife sanctuary. Enjoy views of the wild from the comfort of our own motor coach as we wind our way to our safari home base, an upscale lodge located near the park.

Your chances of viewing lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo (the “Big 5”) are very good on today’s safari, as Kruger National Park boasts an estimated 1,500 lions, 17,000 elephants, 48,000 buffalo and even 1,000 of the elusive leopard. You may also spot hippos, crocodiles, zebras and giraffes as we navigate the park in open vehicles. Have your camera ready!

Scenic vistas abound as we traverse the wild countryside of Mpumalanga along parts of the Panorama Route. We’ll be wowed by mountains, rivers, waterfalls and more in what is called “Paradise Country.” Highlights include the magnificent Blyde River Canyon, divine views from God’s Window and the bizarre and legend-inspiring Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Our final destination is Sandton, a flourishing suburb of Johannesburg, the commerce and diamond mining center. Tonight we’ll gather with our fellow travelers for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Our tour comes to an end after breakfast today. Travelers who purchased our air-inclusive package can take care of last-minute shopping or explore independently before transferring to the airport for our return flight.