Take a meander that begins in Cape Town and its surrounds with wine farms, whale watching and excellent seafood, continuing over Cederberg mountain passes with ancient rock art, through Namaqualand, meeting with contemporary Khoisan and culminating in a game-viewing safari among the red dunes and gnarled camelthorn trees of the Kalahari desert. The Kgalagadi National Park is a vast wilderness and home to lion, hyena, gemsbok, springbok, bat-eared foxes, pangolins and many other unusual and beautiful animals.
DURATION
Duration can vary from 8 to 12 or 16 days, depending
on preferences.
NOTE: This safari could take place in reverse, beginning in Upington and ending
in Cape Town.
BEST TIME
Autumn, Winter and Spring. The Cape has a mediterranean
climate which has patches of warm, sunny and cold, rainy weather in winter (May
- August), and hot, dry summers (November - March). In late August and September,
Namaqualand bursts into vast seas of yellow, orange, pink, white and blue wild
flowers and between August and December hundreds of whales return to the Cape
coastal waters to breed and calve. The Kalahari is very hot in summer.
DAY 1 FRANSCHHOEK
We meet at Cape Town International Airport, from
where we will take a short scenic drive over Sir Lowry's pass through pristine
mountain fynbos (Cape vegetation - 'fine bush'). We overnight at one
of the charming wine farms in the picturesque village of Franschhoek. Franschhoek
('French corner') was settled by the French Huguenots in the 1688. If there
is time you may choose to visit a couple of the wine farms and explore the village
which is known as the gourmet capital of South Africa.
DAY 2 DE HOOP
After breakfast we head to the coast for some whale
watching. More than a hundred southern right whales return to the Cape coastal
waters every year to calve and mate. You may choose to stay at a large comfortable
thatched house within the De Hoop Nature Reserve, with nine kilometers of private
beach on each side and a superb whale watching deck. This is also a good place
to see African black oyster catchers (coastal birds) and Cape vultures. A home-cooked
three-course dinner will be prepared for you. Other options include hotels and
guest houses in or around Hermanus, a bustling seaside village.
DAY 3 SIMONS TOWN
After a tranquil morning we head west towards Cape
Town. We have lunch at a seaside village or country stall restaurant, travel
along sea cliffs, skirting False Bay and stop at a lodge outside of the famous
naval port of Simons Town. Here we check in at a lovely guesthouse with Boulders
beach and its lively population of endangered African penguins on your doorstep.
Simons Town has a fascinating history, a maritime museum and interesting antique
and African-interest shops. You could enjoy a cup of tea over-looking the attractive
harbour and later, a seafood dinner. Massage and aromatherapy can be arranged.
DAY 4 CAPE PENINSULA
After breakfast we tour the Cape peninsula, visiting
the Cape of Good Hope, which is part of the Cape Peninsula National Park and
the most southwesterly point on the African continent.
In South Africa, about 1.6 million years ago, the temperate climate that prevailed in the south caused a rich flora to develop, while in the north, the Arctic icefields spread over great areas and many plant and animal species perished. Now the Cape floral kingdom, the smallest biome in the world, has 8 580 species of flowering plants, 70 per cent of which are found exclusively in this region. With this diversity it is recognized as having the richest known flora.
Situated at the junction of two of earth's most contrasting water masses - the cold Benguela current on the West Coast and the warm waters of False Bay on the East Coast, the Cape of Good Hope is an integral part of the Cape Floristic Kingdom.
The Cape Peninsula National Park comprises a treasure trove of 1 100 species of indigenous plants, of which a number are endemic (occur nowhere else on earth). Characteristic fynbos ("fine bush") plants include proteas, ericas (heath) and restios (reeds). Some of the protea species in the park include King Protea, Sugarbush, Tree Pincushion and Golden Cone Bush. Many popular horticultural plants like pelargoniums, freesias, daisies, lilies and irises also have their origins in fynbos.
On the way around the mountainous peninsula, beautiful beaches alternate with rugged cliffs. We drive through Constantia, Hout Bay and Camps Bay on the way around Table Mountain to Cape Town, the Mother city. Lunch en-route.
'This Cape is the most stately thing
and the fairest Cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.'
-Sir Francis Drake, 1580
Stay at your choice of one of Cape Town's elegant and comfortable guesthouses or hotels, where you can enjoy personalized hospitality and charming accommodation. After checking in, you have a couple of hours to relax and in summer may be possible to do a short excursion before dinner, such as a beach walk, a walk on Lion's Head, or a cable car trip up Table Mountain. In winter we can opt for some live entertainment, such as jazz, other music or a play. Dinner in Cape Town.
DAY 3 & 4 CAPE TOWN
These days are flexible, and activities depend
on the weather, length of daylight and day of the week.
ADVENTURE BLEND ACCOMMODATION
VICKY'S B & B
Spend a night at Vicky's World Famous B & B
in Khayelitsha, and be entertained by lots of friendly neighbours. Khayelitsha
is an 'informal settlement' in the Cape flats, where thousands of people live
in shacks. The government has provided electricity and water. Vicky's B &
B is actually her charming home and her guests are well looked after by her
community. This can be done on DAY 4, as Khayelitsha is very close to the airport.
OPTIONAL EXTRA DAY: AURORA
We leave Cape Town, OR Vicky's B & B
after breakfast and drive north. Visit
the tranquil village of Aurora where my Mom lives, half way between Cape Town
and the Cederberg, in the Swartland. En-route we could visit a fossil park,
have a seafood braai (barbeque) on the beach at the Strandloper restaurant,
and visit Rocher pan to see flamingos and other water birds. At Aurora we can
go for a walk on one of the kopjies (hills) and see the unique vegetation
and perhaps the black eagles and many other birds of prey. Being on the border
of Namaqualand, this whole area is covered in wild flowers in late winter and
spring.
Stay at a quaint cottage in the hills or Helmut's B & B in Aurora which is also the village pub and restaurant and meet some of the locals over a glass of Swartland wine.
On the way to the Cederberg, the next day, it is possible to see thousands of sea birds such as Cape gannets and Cape commorants on Bird Island at Lambert's Bay.
DAY 8 CEDERBERG
We leave Cape Town, or Vicky's B & B, or Aurora
after breakfast and drive north.
If the season is right, we will see the famed spring flowers (especially August - September). We visit an area that lies between two vegetation biomes - dry mountain fynbos and succulent Karoo in the rugged Cederberg mountains. Spend time admiring the beautiful rock formations, rock art, wild flowers, other plants and wildlife. The rock art in this area dates back thousands of years and there are many unique and well-preserved paintings. Go on a mountain hike that will provide you with an insight into an ancient culture that has been lost forever.
We spend the night either at a charming mountain guesthouse, or a luxury lodge with Chateau and Relais status, situated within a private game reserve. At the game reserve, wildlife and an immense diversity of plant life intermingle. Animals that you could see here include: the rare Cape Mountain Zebra, Bontebok, Eland, Gemsbok, Black Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Springbok, Grey Rhebok, Ostrich, Cape Mountain Leopard, Bat-eared Fox, African Wild Cat, Cape Fox, Caracal, Cape Clawless Otter, Baboon, Klipspringer, Aardwolf and Aardvark. There are also more than 150 resident species of birds in the area, including numerous types of eagle and water bird.
DAYS 9 & 10 NAMAQUALAND
After breakfast we head off through the Namaqualand
regions of Botterkloof, Nieuwoudtville, Vanrhynsdorp and Garies. The next two
nights are spent at guest farms or hotels near Kamieskroon, Springbok or a Khoisan
village called Pella and depending on the season, the days are spent in fields
of flowers. Day 8 can be spent visiting the Goegab Nature reserve with its picturesque
valleys encircled by rocky outcrops. Goegap has hiking trails and a living museum
of the fascinating flora of the succulent Karoo and other surrounding desert
environments.
ADVENTURE BLEND ACCOMMODATION
PELLA KULTUUR-EN-KOFFIEKROEG
Pella (north of Pofadder) was founded by
the London Missionary Society in 1814 as a sanctuary for Khoisan people who
were driven out of bordering Namibia. The people of this little settlement still
live the way they have for many centuries. Stay over in old matjieshutte, Khoisan shelters traditionally made with
skins stretched over a wooden frame, these days the skins are replaced by hesian(burlap). Enjoy moerkoffie (hand ground coffee) and
traditional meals prepared by Elizabeth, the matriarch of this family-run guesthouse.
DAY 11 KALAHARI
We leave early for a long trek across the Kalahari.
We will be traveling quite close to the Namibian border where the semi-desert
terrain and vegetation is unique. The little dorp (village) of Pofadder
(puffadder) is South Africa's version of Timbuktu. Around here we can see quiver
trees and camelthorn acacias. Long before we get to the lodge just outside of
the Kgalagadi Park, we will see the characteristic red Kalahari sanddunes. After
settling in, relax and enjoy a sundowner on the large veranda at the Molopo
Lodge.
ADVENTURE BLEND ACCOMMODATION
KALAHARI
Spend two nights (one extra) with San families.
During the day visitors are taken for a walk out in the desert, led by San trackers
and shown their hunting and gathering lifestyle. At night there is a chance
to share campfire conversation.
DAYS 12 & 13 KGALAGADI
These days are spent game-viewing in the Kgalagadi
Transfrontier Park. The sight of a tawny pride of lions walking through the
red river bed, or cubs playing on the dunes, the striking gemsbok with their
long straight horns and black and white faces, dainty springbuck, jackals and
bat-eared foxes, interacting in this beautiful wilderness are memories you will
keep forever.
We spend two nights at the camps within the park. South African braai (barbecue) and potjiekos (traditional stew prepared in three-legged pots) dinners will be prepared for you over a camp fire.
DAY 14 CAPE TOWN
Fly back to Cape Town from Upington and return to
the lodge you stayed at in Cape Town.