Epic 15 Day Best Of South Africa Tour

Drakensberg, St.Lucia, Sodwana and Cape Town

Join us on this epic 15 day, fully comprehensive guided tour of South Africa. The tour includes some of the best locations, adventure activities and scenery in South Africa!!! Experience our rainbow nation like a local would. The tour is a mixture of jammed packed activities from scuba diving, hiking, wildlife safari, whale watching, sea kayaking and boat cruises combined with chilled out sightseeing and cultural tours along the way. No better way to experience the soul, scenery and diverse culture of this fantastic country.

The Journey

Our journey starts in Johannesburg and ends in the beautiful Mother City of Cape Town. The tour covers over 3000km in distance and includes a journey through 5 of the 9 Provinces in South Africa.

Which locations do we visit?

• City of Johannesburg in Gauteng
• Drakensberg Mountains in KwaZulu Natal
• Golden Gate National Park and the town of Clarens in the Free State
• Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga
• Lucia, Isimangaliso Wetlands and Sodwana in KwaZulu Natal
• Cape Town, Hermanus and Stellenbosch in the Western Cape.

What activities are included in the tour?

• 3 day hiking experience in the Drakensberg Mountains. The hike is situated in the Cathedral Peak area and covers about 26km over the 3 days. This is an authentic South African Hiking experience. We camp in the mountains making use of caves or tents. A truly incredible hiking experience.
• 1 day in the Golden Gate National Park which includes a night at the quaint town of Clarens. We spend a few hours hiking among the incredible sandstone formations that has made this park famous among South Africans. We spend the night in the arty town of Clarens where we enjoy good country food and wine while we take in the vibe and soul of this small Free State town.
• 3 day safari in the world famous Kruger National Park. Need we say more? A vacation in South Africa is not complete without a proper safari. We have included over 15 hours of wild life viewing with our ranger in the reserve. The Kruger is home to an abundance of wild animals that include the Big 5 ( lion, elephant, Buffalo, Rhino and Leopard) as well as wildebeest, antelope, hippo, warthog, zebra, giraffe and a wild ping pong ball. And of course, the highlight of day is a roaring fire under the African stars with an ice cold beer.

• 2 day SCUBA diving adventure in Sodwana- A sub tropical paradise that is a haven to divers the world round. Sodwana is South Africa’s SCUBA diving capitol. We have included 4 incredible dives on the unspoiled tropical reefs that are home to an abundance of marine life including turtles, dolphins and whale sharks. The late afternoons include a ‘sundowner’ stroll on some of the best beaches in South Africa.
• 2 day tour of St. Lucia situated in the Isimangaliso Wetlands. Enjoy boat cruises into the estuary that’s home to hundreds of hippo, crocodile and Fish Eagles. An eco-tourists dream!!
• 2 day whale watching tour in Hermanus. The tour includes some incredible sea and land based tours. We have also included a beach hike, snorkeling with small shark species and a sea kayak with the whales.
• 3 day Cape Town adventure. In this time we will cover a lot of the major tourist attractions from Cape Point, the Penguins at Boulders, Table Mountain, the wine farms of Stellenbosch and Franschoek as well as a comprehensive Cape Town city and Peninsula Tour.

Where the journey begins?

We start of this epic 15 day tour of South Africa in Johannesburg.

Starting days?

The tour starts on a Wednesday.

 What you need to know about each activity?

 Before deciding on this tour, please familiarise yourself  with the various activities and what they are all about. See below.

HIKING-IMPORTANT INFO

• You would need to have a moderate fitness level as you will be cover 26km over 3 days.
• The elevation gain is over 2200m.
• There are no paths in the Drakensberg. So a lot of single track hiking.
• The last 150m of the hike is pretty steep and exposed. We do set up safety ropes and a harness in case hikers feel the need for them. Nothing too hectic in hindsight.
• You would be required to hike with a backpack which would contain your clothing and sleeping bag.
• You would need the neccetay hiking equipment to survive in the mountains which includes a backpack, sleeping bag, hiking shoes, clothing and waterproof jacket.
• There are no toilets are showers on the hike. The Drakensberg is very remote. W set up camp in tents and caves. It s back to basics on this hiking adventure.
• If it rains we still continue with the hike. The only concern would be the last 150m of ascent to the summit. If we deem it too wet and slippery when we get to that point we may have to abort the last 150m.
• We have backpacks, sleeping bags, walking poles, gaiters and rain ponchos to hire.

SCUBA DIVING-IMPORTANT INFO

• You would need a recognised SCUBA diving qualification to participate in the diving activities. ( PADI, NAUI, SEAMASS)
• The diving depths vary from 12m to 24m.
• The dive sites are accessed through the surf and waves on a semi-inflatable boat. ( us South Africans like to call them ‘rubber ducks’). There is no shore access.
• Once at the dive sight, we kit-up on the boat and perform a backward roll of the boat into the sea.
• We have wetsuits, cylinders, masks and fins available to hire.

KRUGER PARK SAFARI-IMPORTANT INFO

• The Kruger is situated in a malaria area so the necessary precautions and medication will need to be taken
• The game drives are done in an open air game vehicle.

SEA KAYAKING-IMPORTANT INFO

• Sea Kayaking is a sea based activity that involves paddling in open water.
• The kayaks can take 2 people only
• Life jackets are compulsory
• We are not allowed within 150m of the whales
• We kayak for about 1.5 hours. Fitness and experience is not necessary. The guide will accompany you on the tour and ensure a safe passage through the ocean.

WHALE WATCHING-IMPORTANT INFO

• Whale watching is only done from July to lateNovember