Gourmet Tour
Day 1 - Cape Town to Grahamstown
You are met at Cape Town International Airport and assisted to the domestic terminal to catch your flight to Port Elizabeth. At Port Elizabeth airport you collect your Group B (Ford Ikon or similar) hire car from the car hire company. You drive to nearby Grahamstown, the principal town of Frontier country, the area where Khoi, Xhosa, English and Boer first met. You check in at 7 Worcester Street , a gracious stone mansion. An eclectic collection of artwork is found throughout the house ranging from the Ming Dynasty through to indigenous African and European contemporary art.
This afternoon you join Alan Weyer, a well-known local raconteur and historian, for a tour of the hills surrounding Grahamstown. Alan's knowledge of the past brings to life the events and legendary characters, the villains and heroes that made this region a melting pot of cultures and shaped the future of South Africa. The valuable insight you gain will enrich your experience of South Africa as a whole.
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7 Worcester Street
Day 2 – Grahamstown to Lalibela
This morning you may like to take a stroll through the streets of Grahamstown, stopping at the Cathedral of St Michael & St George, the Observatory Museum where a camera obscura offers a 360° view across the rooftops of Grahamstown, and the History Museum where displays focus on early settler life and the way of life and traditions of the amaXhosa people. You then drive to nearby Lalibela Game Reserve, a Big Five game reserve near Port Elizabeth. Upon check-in, you are transferred by landrover to your lodge.
The stone and thatch chalets and main lodge areas are decorated in a relaxed Pan-African style. Each comfortably furnished chalet has an en-suite bathroom and there is a ceiling fan for those warm summer nights. The chalets open up onto a private deck with views over the waterhole. At Lalibela food is true safari cuisine with an emphasis on local specialities, ranging from centuries-old recipes to exciting contemporary African dishes. After high tea, you are taken on your first game drive at Lalibela. This late afternoon/evening game drive is an opportunity to search for nocturnal animals, such as the elusive bat-eared fox, aardvark, black-backed jackal, aardwolf and the curious spring hare. You return to the lodge in time for a sumptuous safari cuisine dinner served in the open-air 'boma'.
Lalibela Game Reserve
Day 3 – Lalibela Game Reserve
This morning after a light breakfast you are taken on another game drive. Game drives at Lalibela bring you face to face with a multitude of game species, ranging from the mighty Big Five (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard) to tiny blue duiker and rock Hyrax. Lalibela is also home to cheetah, hyena, hippo, giraffe, zebra, warthog and numerous species of antelope. You return to the lodge for a grand brunch. There is time to relax around the sunny pool, do some bird-watching from the observation deck, or read a book in the privacy of your room's private deck. After tea you set off on another night drive, returning again in time for dinner.
Day 4 – Lalibela Game Reserve to Plettenberg Bay
Early this morning you are taken on your last game drive at Lalibela. After brunch you are transferred by landrover to reception, where your car will be waiting for you. You enjoy a scenic drive through the Tsitsikamma Forest, an indigenous primeval forest with towering ancient yellowwood trees, lush vegetation and deep gorges, reaching Plettenberg Bay, a stylish seaside town, in the mid afternoon.
You check into Periwinkle Lodge, which is right opposite the beach. This beautiful beach house boasts unrestricted views of the bay and mountains and serves as a viewing point for whale and dolphin watching. The stylishly decorated rooms lead onto the main dining area and reading room, as well as a beautiful patio outside where you can sit and read at the swimming pool. We recommend you enjoy dinner at one of the wonderful restaurants in town, or on the beach front.
Periwinkle Guest Lodge
Day 5 – Plettenberg Bay
You have today to unwind in Plettenberg Bay. You can relax on one of Plettenberg Bay's three beautiful beaches – Central, Robberg and Keurbooms. You can laze on the beach or, if you are feeling a bit more energetic, you can take a sedate "eco-stroll" around the Robberg Peninsula, a rocky headland which presents a fine example of how plants and animals adapt to the interacting influences of land and sea. Robberg affords excellent views of any whales or dolphins which may be visiting Plettenberg Bay.
Alternatively, you may wish to go on a boat trip out into the bay. There are several companies that are licensed boat-based whale and dolphin watching outfits. Plettenberg Bay has several stylish shops and is a good place to shop for presents to take back home. Tonight we recommend you enjoy dinner at the nearby Hunters Country House, where the romantic and beautifully appointed candle-lit dining room is the setting to enjoy superb cuisine prepared by their acclaimed team of chefs.
Day 6 – Plettenberg Bay to Knysna
After breakfast this morning, you check out of Periwinkle Lodge and drive to nearby Knysna. This quaint seaside village is full of arty-crafty shops to browse through. There are also some excellent roadside curio stalls. We suggest you take a ferry on the Knysna Lagoon, which will take you out to the Featherbed Nature Reserve. A 4x4 trailer takes you up to the top of the Western Head, one of the large sandstone cliffs guarding the narrow mouth to the lagoon. From here you can either enjoy a guided nature walk down through indigenous vegetation or you can ride the trailer again. Enjoy lunch under the milkwood trees on the edge of the lagoon before returning to Knysna.
Alternatively you could do a tour of an oyster farm, visit the beach at nearby Brenton-on-Sea, or take a walk in the Knysna Forest. You check into Belvidere Manor, which is set right on the shores of the Knysna Lagoon surrounded by lush gardens. This historic country hotel offers accommodation in charming cottages, each with its own comfortable lounge and a wide verandah with views of the lagoon. For several years in a row, Belvidere Manor has won the Automobile Association's prestigious accommodation award in its category and its wine list has won it a place in the Diners Club Top 100 restaurants.
Belvidere Manor
Day 7 – Knysna to Oudtshoorn
You leave Knysna this morning and enjoy a scenic drive via Wilderness and the scenic Lakes District to George and then over the protea-covered Outeniqua Mountains to Oudtshoorn, ostrich capital of the world. You drive to the Cango Caves, where you embark on a magical journey through massive caverns and fascinating limestone formations. The Adventure Tour is highly recommended as it takes you to parts of the caves little frequented by tourists. We also suggest you visit the Safari Ostrich Show Farm for a fascinating insight into the world's largest birds. You check in at De Opstal, a working ostrich farm, a mere 12 kilometres from the famous Cango Caves.
The lodge consists of a group of historical Karoo farm buildings, beautifully restored and fitted with modern conveniences and en-suite bathrooms. You can relax beside the swimming pool or in the lush, tranquil garden surroundings. Tonight we recommend you dine at the multi-award winning Jemima's Restaurant, which is rated by many food critics as one of the top 10 restaurants in South Africa. It is a welcome surprise to find a restaurant of this quality in a small country town. Chef and seasoned international traveller Annette le Roux offers generous portions of honest, traditional Little Karoo food with an exquisite contemporary twist while sister Celia personifies the warm and unpretentious atmosphere.
De Opstal Country Lodge
Day 8 – Oudtshoorn to the Winelands
You depart Oudtshoorn and journey through the unique landscape of the arid Little Karoo, passing through Calitzdorp and Barrydale. You enter the verdant Breede River Valley, the largest of the Western Cape's fruit and wine producing valleys. As you follow the "fruit route", you enjoy magnificent mountain views, vineyards, orchards and indigenous flora. Stops can be made at roadside farm stalls to purchase fruit. From Worcester, the spectacular Du Toit's Kloof Pass takes you over the mountains to the Cape Winelands, with its backdrop of majestic mountain ranges and lush valleys and vineyards. You check in at Auberge Clermont.
Auberge Clermont is built in an historic wine cellar amid Chardonnay vineyards on a working wine farm. It offers French flair, great style and attention to detail. 100 year old Oak trees shade the courtyard and thousands of rose, lavender and rosemary bushes perfume the air. In summer breakfast is served alfresco under oak trees. Auberge Clermont has a tennis court and a swimming pool.
Auberge Clermont
Day 9 – The Winelands
We suggest you spend the next day following the Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek Wine Routes. You can stop for tastings at wine estates along the way and you will have the chance to purchase some of the wines you have tasted. Other sights worth seeing in the Winelands are Stellenbosch, the "town of oaks" and South Africa's second oldest town. In Franschhoek itself you can visit the memorial to the French Huguenots, who sought refuge from religious persecution in Europe and settled here in the late seventeenth century.
Paarl, with its three imposing granite domes and monument to the Afrikaans language, is also an interesting stop. Franschhoek is known as South Africa's gourmet capital. For dinner you might like to try Le Quartier Français Restaurant, which has been rated by Restaurant Magazine in London as one of the world's 50 Best Restaurants. Another excellent Franschhoek Restaurant is Haute Cabrière. A combination of fine wine and food, the elegance of the cellar venue and the breath-taking views have put Haute Cabrière in all the top 10 listings in South Africa.
Day 10 – The Winelands to Cape Town
You leave the Winelands behind and drive to Cape Town. You check into the Radisson Waterfront Hotel at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. The Radisson Waterfront Hotel is spectacularly situated right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean overlooking its own private marina and famous Robben Island. So close to the ocean is the Radisson that a guest has described it as 'like a cruise liner without the motion'. This is a first class international hotel, combining high levels of luxury with friendly service and the warmth of true South African hospitality.
The rest of the day is at leisure. You may choose to laze around the hotel's swimming pool or you may prefer to soak up the sun on the white sands at fashionable Clifton Beach or Camps Bay. You may like to finish up the day with a ride up the Table Mountain Cable Car to enjoy the spectacular views over the Mother City and across Table Bay to Robben Island.
The Radisson Waterfront Hotel
Day 11 – Cape Point
Today we recommend you take a drive along the Atlantic seaboard via glamorous Clifton to the quaint seaside village of Hout Bay. Here you can take a boat ride from the fishing harbour out to the seal colony on Seal Island. Continue via the scenic Chapman's Peak Drive to Cape Point. Looking at this dramatic promontory jutting into the sea gives one an idea why early sailors nicknamed it the Cape of Storms. You can then follow the coastline northwards via Simonstown, where you can visit the penguin colony of Boulders Beach.
A leisurely drive through the leafy southern suburbs will bring you to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which is dedicated to the extraordinary variety of plants found in the Cape Floral Kingdom. This evening would be a good time to go up Table Mountain if the weather was inclement the day before.
Day 12 – At leisure
We suggest you spend this day at leisure exploring the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. You can take a ferry from the Waterfront across Table Bay to Robben Island. An ex-prisoner takes you on an extensive tour of the prison, which includes a visit to Nelson Mandela's cell, the limestone quarry and the old leper colony. You could also visit the Waterfront's Two Oceans Aquarium, which is highly recommended for the insight it gives into life in the two oceans off the southern tip of Africa – the cold Atlantic Ocean and the warm Indian Ocean.
Alternatively, you may wish to spend the day at the beach. Shopaholics can return to the shops at the Waterfront. The Waterfront is South Africa's trendiest shopping precinct and is a great place to look for gifts or that holiday souvenir. Museum lovers can wander through the South African Museum and the National Art Gallery.
Day 13 – At leisure
Today is the time to catch up on anything you missed out on at the beginning of the holiday.
Day 14 – Departure
It's an early start this morning. You drive to Cape Town airport, handing in your hire car and check in for your flight home.