South Africa is dominated by the great outdoors. Surreal natural landscapes set the scene for adventure, and wildlife always makes an excellent impression. On this handcrafted vacation, you will come face to face with lions, wander a beach that is filled with penguins, cycle and hike great mountains, and be immersed in the atmosphere of the African wilderness. Customizable to most fitness levels, these ten days provide an immersion in a nature that is as old as Africa itself.
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Kruger National Park – Into the Great Outdoors
Through the plane window, you will be able to see an elephant trail, which is just a line of trees that lie in ruin from the pachyderms. Once on the ground, you can see the culprits who are an exuberant herd that is full of flapping ears and roving trunks. Your safari has just started, and soon you will be able to see other members of the Big Five. Buffalo may huff and puff loudly as they stare in your direction, lions may bask on a dusty savannah, watching you pass with one eye open, and you will probably spot rhinos on your first day. Most of South Africa is untouched, and in the Kruger, you will see an untouched land that is populated by many thousands of wild animals.
After landing in the Kruger, you will spend a day in the south of the park. This area is the most visited by tourists, and there can be a fair number of other vehicles, but it is also home to the highest animal populations. The herds are large whether buffalo, elephant, zebra, springbok or kudu. It will be an excellent place to become accustomed to different animals and how they behave, especially when you hang out at watering holes. After a game drive, you will settle into a small and comfortable camp, where there will be time to nap and to watch antelope as they walk past before an afternoon drive in the Kruger.
What's Included:
Day 2 - 3
Kruger National Park – Enchanting African Safari All Around the Kruger
Day 4
Cape Town – Penguins and the Cape Peninsula
Day 5
Cape Town – Cycling and Exploring the Wild West Coast
Day 6
Cape Town – Hiking on Table Mountain
Day 7
Knysna – Wilderness Canoeing and the Knysna Heads
Day 8 - 9
Garden Route National Park – Customizable Outdoor Adventure in the Tsitsikamma Forest
Day 10
Port Elizabeth – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Experience an authentic African safari with three days in the Greater Kruger National Park
- Canoe to a waterfall in Wilderness and cycle mountain trails on the West Coast
- Marvel face to face at jackass penguins on Boulders Beach
- Immerse yourself in a 2-day hiking exploration of the Tsitsikamma forest, which is one of South Africa’s oldest and most mysterious landscapes
- Delight in the beauty of Table Mountain during a customizable day of hiking
- Track elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards, and other wonderous wildlife in the Kruger
- Venture to the tip of Africa and gaze across the endless oceans
- Discover West Coast National Park, which is one of Africa’s most sublime secrets
Detailed Description
Dramatic landscapes always set the scene on a visit to South Africa. Table Mountain looms over Cape Town, the Kruger savannah unfurls beyond the horizon, and forests hide rivers and wandering wildlife. There are beaches, deserts, and a peninsula that evokes a mystery on the continent’s tip. Nature and wildlife are an integral part of almost every South Africa vacation, and even when sticking to the cities, you can always feel the outdoors. You will travel beyond the cities and the country, which will reveal a plethora of outdoor charms from enormous elephants herds to spotted cats that move stealthily through the grass.
Handcrafted to celebrate South Africa’s surreal nature, this ten-day vacation focuses on Kruger, the Cape, and the Garden Route. You will discover landscapes that have remained unchanged by human hands. There will be dramatic vistas and a sense of being on the edge of the world. From mysterious forests to arid escarpments and towering mountains, you will discover ancient landscapes that are home to spectacular vistas and wildlife. This is not just a safari, but a journey into an outdoor world that makes South Africa so unique from everywhere else in the world.
You will fly to Kruger and spend the first three days on an adventurous African safari. With a private guide, you will explore vast wilderness areas and stay in comfortable safari camps. The Big Five are an initial highlight, but there are so many animals here that you can quickly lose track of how many different species you have seen. From springbok to wildebeest, and from hyenas to cheetahs, Kruger offers a quintessential and comprehensive African safari. Wildlife sightings are always a highlight, but the premier experience is a chance to be fully immersed in the sounds and smells of an ancient land.
You will fly to Cape Town on day four, where you will use the city as a base to explore the Cape. Penguins are a wildlife highlight on route to the tip of Africa, and on day five, you can cycle and hike on the West Coast, which is a mostly untouched landscape that glimpses what hides elsewhere upon the continent. Table Mountain has dozens of trails, and these will be your focus on day six with options for all fitness levels. These three Cape Town days can bring many hours of tramping on trails to untouched places, but they can also be more sedate as you do not need to be hiking to see nature in South Africa.
After a short flight to George, you will complete your African excursion on the Garden Route, which is where an indigenous forest is draped above golden beaches and quiet bays. Your adventure is fully customizable here as canoeing, hiking, and mountain biking are all part of your potential program. It is remarkable how different this area is from the Kruger and Cape, especially the Tsitsikamma forest. From Garden Route National Park, it will be a short drive to Port Elizabeth International Airport, which is where your journey ends. All ten days will feature private guides and flexible itineraries, so you can always explore the features of the outdoors that mostly excite your imagination.
Interested in learning more by seeing some of our travelers’ South Africa vacation tour reviews? Click here for more.
Starting Price
$6,500 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service
4.95 stars based on 1188 reviews.
Our trip was amazing and Zicasso's travel company and our agent could not have been more helpful in planning the trip and making sure it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. She listened to our desires and planned a trip that met all our requirements. She was very patient in making little modifications until we were completely satisfied.
When we encountered some delays during the trip, she was very responsive in helping notify people on the ground and rescheduling our activities so we didn't miss a thing.
She was very knowledgeable about Southern Africa and selected exceptional lodging facilities for us. The accommodations were not only beautiful, but the staff were extremely professional, friendly, and attentive.
I would highly recommend this travel company if planning an African adventure!
Reviewed By David B.
Zicasso's tour agents planned an amazing trip; everything was perfect and every detail was covered! Their recommendations on when to go, where to go, and what to see were spot on.
Reviewed By diane B.
This was a trip of a lifetime. We are not sure we will ever be able to top it! I have never cried leaving a place before because I was so sad it was over, but I did... three times! From the incredible food and views in Cape Town to the unforgettable adventure at the buffalo camp to the amazing views of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, we cannot say enough good things about our experience.
We've used Zicasso several times and have always had a great experience. That's why we keep coming back! But our experience with this travel agency was above and beyond all our expectations. The way our travel agent crafted our trip to meet our desires; stayed in constant contact via text, phone and email; provided us a departure call to walk us through every step of the trip before we left; and stayed connected throughout our trip to ensure we were having a good time and help us tweak some things along the way was customer service like we have never received. We would work with this agency and our agent again in a heartbeat and recommend them to friends and family.
Reviewed By Allison B.
Zicasso's travel agents were excellent at providing a luxury trip. I also sincerely appreciated that they respected my budget. Every detail was expertly planned and completely stress-free.
Reviewed By Amanda G.
Zicasso's travel agent was a blessing. Her organizational skills were excellent. The trip plan app was used daily during our trip. What a wonderful tool. Our agent had all the pertinent information in the app and at our fingertips. The trip exceeded our expectations. I would definitely recommend using our travel agent and Zicasso to all my friends.
Reviewed By Tom O.
First, the booking experience with Zicasso's trip coordinator was seamless. She was always very attentive, responsive, and prompt with her replies. She listened to our wants and delivered beyond our expectations. Even our guides commented that she chose well for us. I would highly recommend booking with her.
Our itinerary in South Africa was pure perfection. Everything from the accommodations to the timing was perfect. We cannot say enough great things about the safari in Sabi Sands and the lodge. The lodge in Franschhoek was exceptional and the one in Gansbaai was the ideal ending to our trip.
This was truly a trip of a lifetime for our family. I’m not sure how we will ever top this experience. Thank you to Zicasso for connecting us with our agent.
Reviewed By Idalia F.