Take a time journey around the Cape: discover remnants of Gondwanaland; go for a hike in an unsurpassed natural outdoor 'gallery' in the Cederberg and view bushman paintings dating back thousands of years. Explore historical buildings; the castle; the first Dutch house; Cape Dutch estates; the colourful Bo-Kaap; District Six; Robben Island; meet people and hear how they were involved in the struggle against Apartheid. Witness life in the New South Africa; visit entrepreneurs and artist's studios in the townships and informal settlements of the 'Cape flats'; experience first hand the friendliness of South Africans; enjoy the fine food and live entertainment; the unique buzz of Cape Town; Long Street; Green Market Square; Camps Bay; Franschhoek and the winelands.

Spend tranquil days in timeless natural areas; watch whales; walk in the mountains; traverse wild beaches and enjoy the wilderness that is unique to the Cape region.

DURATION
10 Days, 9 nights.

BEST TIME
Year round, especially autumn and spring. The Cape is a mediterranean climate which has patches of warm, sunny and cold, rainy weather in winter, and hot, dry summers. Whale season is from August to December.

DAY 1 SIMONS TOWN
After meeting at the friendly Cape Town International airport, we take a scenic coastal road around False Bay, through old seaside villages to the famous naval port of Simons Town. Here we check in at a lovely guesthouse. Boulders beach is on your doorstep, and has a charming colony of endangered African penguins. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure, on the beach or exploring Simons Town and have refreshments at the teashop above the yacht harbour. During the whale season these massive mammals come right into the bay.

Dine at the Penguin Point Café, just a few steps from your room.

DAY 2 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. 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 smallest but richest of the world's six floral kingdoms.

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 it 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.

See Cape Town area activities

ADVENTURE BLEND ACCOMMODATION
VICKY'S B & B
Spend a night at Vicky's World Famous B & B in Khayelitsha, and be entertained and looked after by lots of friendly neighbours. Khayelitsha is an 'informal settlement' in the Cape flats, where thousands of people live in shacks, since there are not enough houses. 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. You could spend the night here on DAY 5 or DAY 9.

DAY 5 AURORA
Explore the west coast on the way to the tranquil village of Aurora where my Mom lives, half way between Cape Town and the Cederberg, in the Swartland. En-route we could view fossils from Gondwanaland, 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 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.

DAY 6 CEDERBERG
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. If the time is right, we will see the famed spring flowers.

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 is believed to date back thousands of years and there are many unique and well-preserved paintings. Go on a mountain hike that will provide you with insight into an ancient culture that has been lost forever.

OPTIONAL EXTRA DAY: HIKING/CLIMBING
This is such an exquisite area that you may consider spending more than one night in the Cederberg and have an extra day to go hiking, see more of the bushman paintings or go rock climbing or bouldering!

DAY 7 FRANSCHHOEK
After breakfast we drive south through the Western Cape winelands to the picturesque village of Franschhoek ('French corner'). Stay at at a small, elegant wine farm in this picturesque valley. Franschhoek was settled by the French Huguenots in the 1688 and is known as the gourmet capital of the Cape. Spend time at your leisure, in the village and wine tasting at a couple of Franschhoek's twenty-one wine farms.

OPTIONAL EXTRA DAYS: WINELANDS
You may chose to spend a few days on a more extensive tour of the Cape winelands, including Tulbagh, Paarl and Stellenbosch. Morning walks and mountain biking can be arranged, and afternoon visits to wine farms.

DAY 8 WHALE WATCHING
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. Other whales that visit these waters are the Humpback Whale and Bryde's Whale. Seals and dolphins may also be seen. You may choose to spend a night 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. The house is the only one on this stretch of coast and being rented to one group at a time, you can enjoy a couple days of complete tranquility. A home-cooked three-course dinner will be prepared for you.

Other options include hotels and guesthouses in or around Hermanus, an old seaside village holiday destination.

DAY 9 CAPE TOWN OR STELLENBOSCH
Round off the tour by returning to Cape Town, Khayalitsha or the wine region of Stellenbosch.

DAY 10 DEPARTURE
Breakfast. Tour ends with a transfer to the airport.