South Africa Wine & Safari
9 nights from $8,372pp
Discover the very best of South Africa on this nine-night classic journey – the perfect combination of the Cape Winelands and a Big Five bush adventure. Explore Cape Town, taste wines across Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl, then fly north for two nights at a luxury game lodge in a Greater Kruger private reserve.
From the cable car summit of Table Mountain to leopard sightings at dusk in the Sabi Sand, this is South Africa’s most iconic pairing.
Highlights of our Wine & Safari Tour
- Private Cape Town city tour including Table Mountain cable car, Bo-Kaap and Kirstenbosch
- See the Cape of Good Hope, Chapman’s Peak Drive and Boulders Beach penguins
- Visit Groot Constantia, South Africa’s oldest wine estate
- Private estate wine drive and four-course lunch in Stellenbosch
- Wine tastings in Franschhoek and Paarl
- A full day on the Franschhoek Wine Tram
- Three nights at a luxury private game lodge in Greater Kruger – all meals and drives included
- Boutique accommodation throughout
- Internal flights, private transfers and tours as described (international flights not included)
Day 1 – Welcome to Cape Town
On arrival at Cape Town International Airport, meet your private driver for the transfer to your hotel in the heart of the V&A Waterfront. The Waterfront sits directly beneath Table Mountain, with views across the working harbour and the historic Clock Tower.
The rest of today is yours. Ask our team to suggest a restaurant for tonight – there are plenty of excellent choices within an easy walk of the Waterfront.
Day 2 – Private Cape Town City Tour
After breakfast, meet your guide for a private Cape Town tour. Table Mountain first, where skip-the-queue cable car tickets take you to the summit, for one of the best views in Africa. On a clear day, the Twelve Apostles mountain range stretches out behind you and Cape Point is visible forty kilometres ahead.
From the mountain, you’ll drive through Bo-Kaap, the city’s historic Cape Malay Quarter, with its brightly painted houses and a food culture shaped by the early spice-trading history. A stop at Signal Hill gives a completely different bird’s-eye view of the city before the afternoon continues to Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. Finish the day with a tour and tasting at Groot Constantia: South Africa’s oldest wine estate, in continuous production since 1685.
Day 3 – Exploring the Cape Peninsula
Today is a full-day tour of the Cape Peninsula, one of the world’s most dramatic coastlines.
Start in Hout Bay before the exhilarating Chapman’s Peak Drive. Next is the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, with 77 square kilometres of ancient fynbos, Cape Baboons and cliff walks. More nature awaits on a boat cruise to the aptly named ‘Seal Island’. After lunch, a short funicular ride carries you to the lighthouse at the summit of Cape Point.
On the return, Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town is home to a colony of African Penguins that have been nesting in the granite boulders since a single pair arrived in 1982 and decided the beach suited them.
Day 4 – Full Day Stellenbosch Tour
After breakfast, join your guide for the first of three full Winelands days. Begin with a private wine tour in Stellenbosch – home to 106 cellars.
Your first estate visit starts with a safari-style drive through 120 hectares of vines. The estate is also known for its conservation of the UNESCO-listed Cape Floral Kingdom, giving you the opportunity to experience South Africa’s unique biodiversity firsthand.
The afternoon brings further tastings at three Stellenbosch estates before your driver carries you over the Helshoogte Pass to Franschhoek. Check in to your five-star vineyard hotel in the valley, where you’ll be based for the next three nights.
Day 5 – Franschhoek & Paarl
Your Franschhoek wine experience starts at one of the most highly regarded producers in the Cape, known for its complex Chardonnays, Cape red blends and Cinsault. Here you’ll taste five wines from their Franschhoek vines. From here, head to Babylonstoren: a beautifully restored 300-year-old farm estate where you’ll try six wines from their range.
The afternoon crosses to picturesque Paarl, with its iconic granite cliffs framing every shot. Your next visit takes you to an estate with a 100-year legacy and a range of award-winning Chenin Blanc, Pinotage and Shiraz. Upgrade your tasting experience here with a brandy tasting paired with local artisan chocolates or macarons before returning to your hotel for an evening at leisure.
Day 6 – Franschhoek Wine Tram
No trip to the Winelands would be complete without a day spent estate-hopping on the Franschhoek Wine Tram. Originally built in 1904, the tram initially served as an alternative to ox carts for local farmers. Around the 1980s it fell out of commission and was revived in 2012 to the locally-loved icon that it is now. These days, the vintage-style double decker tram makes a circuit of the valley, stopping at a rotating selection of estates throughout the day.
Hop on and off wherever the wine earns a longer stay. Ask our team to arrange a lunch reservation at one of the estate restaurants along the route.
Day 7 – Fly to Greater Kruger
This morning you’ll be taken the short distance to Cape Town Airport for a domestic flight to one of the Greater Kruger region’s private reserves. Meet your driver for the transfer to your luxury safari lodge. All meals and game drives are included from the moment you arrive.
Your first taste of a safari begins after lunch with an afternoon game drive. Keep your binoculars ready as your expert guide and tracker use their decades of experience to spot leopards, elephants, impala and more.
You’ll then pull up to a scenic spot for sundowner drinks. As the sun sets on your drive back to the lodge for dinner, keep an eye and ear out for nocturnal wildlife like genets and bat-eared foxes as they emerge for the night.
Day 8 – Full Safari Day
Morning comes early on safari with a 5:30am wake up call, so you can spot wildlife at its most active. Wildlife in Kruger’s private reserves is abundant and with the exclusivity of a private reserve, you’ll enjoy each sighting with just those in your vehicle. Depending on what you spotted the night before, you may complete your Big Five list (elephant, leopard, lion, rhino and buffalo) before returning for breakfast.
Enjoy the rest of the morning relaxing at the lodge, perhaps adding a spa treatment before lunch. As the sun reaches its peak, have a dip in the pool, listening and watching for jewel-toned birds before your afternoon game drive.
Day 9 Day 8 – Full Safari Day
Enjoy another full day on safari, starting with your morning game drive. Some guests wonder if they can skip a game drive, but we don’t recommend this, as you never know what you might see, from predators in action to some of the world’s most endangered species!
On your afternoon drive, challenge your guide to find the “Secret Seven” – another list of seven smaller and more elusive species: aardvark, pangolin, serval, civet, honey badger, porcupine, and African wild cat. Return to the lodge for a final farewell dinner and story-swapping around the fire.
Day 10 – Morning Drive & Departure
One last early morning is made easier with tea and coffee before your morning game drive. Sit back and soak up the ambience of the bush, marvelling at the incredible wonders of nature.
Return to the lodge and enjoy one last scrumptious breakfast before the transfer to the airport for your onward connection home. Or if you’re not quite ready to return home, take a short flight up to the Zambia/Zimbabwe border to experience the sheer power of Victoria Falls.
We craft each itinerary just for you. Contact our Travel Designers to plan your own unforgettable adventure through Cape Town, the Winelands and Garden Route.
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