Fair Travel Through South Africa

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Fair Travel Through South Africa

This nine-day self-drive adventure will take you to some of the best parts of South Africa, while enjoying Fair Trade Tourism certified properties and excursions. Your journey begins in Cape Town where you will be guided through the culture and heritage of South Africa before moving on to Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and Gansbaai, where you will brave the cage for great white sharking diving. Your travels continue to Plettenberg Bay with an exciting treetop canopy tour of the Tsitsikamma Forest along the celebrated Garden Route. The adventure ends at Shamwari Game Reserve, where an authentic and luxurious safari experience awaits in prime African Big 5 wilderness.

Spend two nights at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town and enjoy a cultural tour, garnering fascinating insights into South African culture and heritage. You then drive to Grootbos Private Nature Reserve for two nights and enjoy a thrilling shark cage diving excursion. The next two nights will be spent at Hog Hollow Country Lodge in Plettenberg Bay where you will take part in a treetop canopy tour of the Tsitsikamma Forest. You end off at Shamwari Game Reserve, offering a spectacular African safari adventure. All of these properties and excursions are proudly Fair Trade Tourism certified.

Package Highlights

Exclusive Fair Trade Tourism certified properties and excursions
Range of exciting activities such as Shark Cage Diving and a treetop canopy tour
End with a spectacular African safari adventure

Best time to go

9 days / 8 nights

> Click for inclusions & exclusions

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Inclusions

2 nights’ accommodation at the Vineyard Hotel in a Courtyard Deluxe Room on a bed & breakfast basis
2 nights’ accommodation at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve Garden Lodge in a One Bedroom Luxury Suite on a full board basis, with welcome drink upon arrival. Includes water, soft drinks, tea, coffee, mini-bar, fresh fruit daily in suite, breakfast buffet with full English breakfast menu, light lunch, 5-course dinner. Horse riding for non and experienced riders through the reserve (please note the weight limit is 90kg/198lbs per person / children under the age of 12 are only allowed on guided pony rides). Guided Walks including fynbos nature tours and Milkwood walks. Nature, marine & coastal drives and walks including the Walker Bay Nature Reserve, De Kelders cliff walk, Klipgat Cave combined with seasonal land-based whale watching (whale watching especially during July – December). Bird-watching. Various maps of the reserve and the area for self-guided walks, transfers to/from all activities and conservation levy
2 nights’ accommodation at Hog Hollow Country Lodge in a Suite on a bed & breakfast basis
2 nights’ accommodation at Shamwari Sarili Lodge in a Luxury River Room on a full board basis including 2 activities – breakfast, lunch, dinner, high tea, game drives, guided walks (for all walking activities guests aged 60 and over will require a medical certificate from their doctor prior to arrival stating that they are fit / physically able to partake in a guided walk; if a certificate is provided the walks are not based at the discretion of the ranger/management), tea, coffee, water and game drive beverages
Scheduled Half Day Uthando Tour
Marine Dynamics Shark cage diving excursion
Stormsriver Adventures Treetop canopy tour
Entrance fees to sightseeing venues as stated in the itinerary above
Porterage at airports and hotels (1 x standard piece of luggage per person)
Bidvest Group G car hire for 9 days including Super insurance cover

Exclusions

All other airfares, air reservations and airport taxes
All other accommodation
All other meals
All other transport
All other sightseeing
Gratuities for meals, tourist guides and drivers
Personal expenses such as alcoholic and other beverages, telephone calls and laundry
Any other services not mentioned above

Terms & Conditions

This quotation is based on a minimum of 2 guests sharing
Rates are RACK and commissionable to international agents. Please contact us for your NETT rates
Rates and services are strictly subject to availability at the time of booking
Comprehensive travel insurance is recommended

Day 1: Cape Town

On arrival at Cape Town International Airport, you will be met and escorted to your rental vehicle with a full handover and explanation of your travel documentation. You then make your way to the Fair Trade Tourism certified Vineyard Hotel. The popular Vineyard Hotel, set along scenic river banks in Cape Town’s Newlands suburb, offers stylish and elegant accommodation. Close to one of the city’s most prestigious shopping destinations, Cavendish Square, the hotel is also within short driving distance of the city centre, the V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. An award-winning destination, the historic building is decorated with local artworks. You will be spoilt with breakfast and dinner offered on site at the Square and will be able to dine at a sushi bar, the Splash Cafe or the Myoga Restaurant, open for lunch and dinner. Hotel facilities include an indoor and outdoor heated swimming pool, beauty and health treatments at the on-site Angsana Spa, and a health and fitness center. Overnight at the Vineyard Hotel.

Day 2: Cape Town

After breakfast, you enjoy a half day guided tour with Uthando. Uthando is a non-profit and Fair Trade in Tourism certified tour company that offers authentic and inspirational tour experiences to visitors wanting to interact with community development projects in South Africa. Depending on your interests, tours can be orientated towards urban agriculture, animal welfare, youth development, the environment, arts & crafts, township theatre and various other forms of cultural tours. The unique selling point of these tours is the remarkable insight that they offer into the cultural life of a variety of South African groups. Overnight at the Vineyard Hotel. [B]

Day 3: Grootbos Private Nature Reserve

After breakfast, you make your way to Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, also certified by Fair Trade Tourism. One word aptly describes Grootbos Private Nature Reserve: breathtaking. On the reserve are two exquisite luxury lodges, Forest Lodge and Garden Lodge – you will be staying at Garden Lodge. Both lodges have been constructed within rare milkwood and fynbos forests on a scenic mountain slope, with striking views over Walker Bay, the famous whale-watching region. What sets this area apart is that it is home to distinct and unique animal, bird and plant species, some of which can be found nowhere else in the world. With all the trimmings of 5-star indulgences, you will savor the finest cuisine and lodgings and experience tours on foot, horseback or on a 4×4. Overnight at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. [B, L, D]

Day 4: Gansbaai

After breakfast, you head off to Gansbaai for your great white shark cage diving experience with Fair Trade Tourism certified Marine Dynamics Shark Tours. There is nothing more terrifying and thrilling than coming in close proximity to one of nature’s apex predators: the great white shark. On this bucket-list adventure, you will meet at the Great White House in Kleinbaai and receive breakfast and a wetsuit. There will be a pre-trip safety briefing and a biological background about these majestic creatures. Boarding the boat, you will be taken to Dyer Island, where the boat will anchor and you enter the cage for your once-in-a-lifetime experience, as great whites brush up against the cage curiously. If the weather permits, there will be a quick trip to Shark Alley and then back to the Great White House for a debriefing and some delicious soup. Overnight at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. [B, L, D]

Day 5: Plettenberg Bay

After breakfast, you continue your self-drive along the Garden Route to Plettenberg Bay. Spend the next two nights at Hog Hollow Country Lodge, certified by Fair Trade Tourism. Set overlooking the Matjies River Gorge, Hog Hollow Country Lodge is in a stunning natural setting with plenty of outdoor activities to appeal to all ages and inclinations. You might find it difficult to leave the hotel with its surrounding lush gardens, three spacious lounge areas, a swimming pool and expansive verandas. Breakfasts are served at a communal dining room table and at night, delectable meals are enjoyed indoors or outdoors in the fire-lit boma, accompanied by fine South African wines. Private meals can be arranged for those seeking privacy and romance. You will be offered easy access to hiking and biking trails, nature reserves and animal sanctuaries as well as a range of adrenaline-inducing activities, such as bungy jumping and water-based sports. Overnight at Hog Hollow Country Lodge. [B]

Day 6: Tsitsikamma

After breakfast, you will set out on a Treetop Canopy Tour in the Tsitsikamma Forest, with Fair Trade Tourism certified Stormsriver Adventures: Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours. The Treetop Canopy Tour is where you will enjoy the unrivalled beauty of the indigenous forest high up on the treetop platforms. Glide gently along in a harness, on steel bales approximately 30 meters above the forest floor. Birdlife is in abundance and you will have the chance to spot the Knysna Loerie and the elusive Narina Trojan. Your guides will explain the ecology of the primeval forest, with safety being of utmost importance. The system has been built to the highest civil engineering standards. Overnight at Hog Hollow Country Lodge. [B]

Day 7 - 9: Shamwari Private Game Reserve

After breakfast, continue to the Eastern Cape of South Africa and settle in at Shamwari Sarili Lodge in the beautiful Shamwari Game Reserve, certified by Fair Trade Tourism. Sarili Lodge is an African lodge that has been designed to inspire and rejuvenate mind, body and soul on a true African adventure. Shamwari Private Game Reserve is a celebrated reserve in the Eastern Cape and is home to the renowned Big 5 – lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and buffalo. The lodge is contemporary in style and has a heated swimming pool and a lounge area. It also features locally crafted decorations to give it an authentic feel. Sarili Lodge is family-friendly and has both indoor and outdoor dining facilities. The lodge overlooks the Bushman’s River and grassy plains and showcases magnificent sunsets and ensures an unforgettable wildlife experience. After breakfast on your last day, you will continue on to Port Elizabeth to return your rental car and continue with your onward travel arrangements. Overnight at Shamwari Game Reserve. [B, L, D]