South Africa

Upon arrival in Cape Town, you’ll be transferred to our hotel near the lively V&A Waterfront — a perfect base for your first days in the country. After settling in, there’s time to rest, stretch your legs, or explore nearby shops and cafés.

In the evening, we come together for our welcome dinner - a relaxed first gathering where conversations begin easily and the tone for the journey is set. This is where the group starts to feel like a community.

Today offers a powerful introduction to Cape Town, its beauty, creativity, and complex history. We begin with a city orientation, including Parliament and District Six, where we learn about the forced removals that reshaped the city and the ongoing resilience of its communities.

From there, we head to Bo-Kaap, famous for its brightly painted houses and Cape Malay culture. A guided walk leads into a hands-on cooking class with a local host, where we prepare traditional dishes like bobotie and chakalaka together - a lively, joyful experience that blends storytelling and flavor.

In the afternoon, we take the cable car up Table Mountain. From the top, the views stretch across the city, ocean, and mountains for a breathtaking moment that often becomes one of the trip’s first “wow” experiences. After free time back at the hotel, we gather again for dinner.

Today we explore the wild beauty of the Cape Peninsula. Our private tour takes us along dramatic coastal roads into the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where cliffs drop into the sea and wildlife such as baboons, ostriches, and various marine birds can be observed.

We stop at Boulders Beach to see African penguins up close as they waddle across the sand, then continue to Cape Point for a guided walk to the historic lighthouse overlooking the meeting of two oceans. Lunch is fresh seafood along the False Bay coast before we return to Cape Town in the late afternoon - full of ocean air and expansive views.

This day brings meaningful connection and creativity. We begin with a visit to an NGO supporting underprivileged children through education and the arts, where we learn how community-based programs create lasting change. We also create handmade bookmarks with local artisans, a small, tangible connection to the people we meet.

Lunch is at a lively market filled with food stalls and handcrafted goods made from recycled materials. In the afternoon, we walk through Langa township with a local guide, learning about its past and present while visiting craft centers where traditions continue to thrive.

As the day winds down, we enjoy a sunset walk along the Sea Point Promenade before ending the evening with dinner at a unique restaurant featuring live music and performance, a celebratory close to a rich day.

We leave Cape Town for the rolling vineyards of the Cape Winelands. In Stellenbosch, only 1 hour away, we visit a winery for a guided tasting and insight into how South African wines are produced. We then have time to stroll the historic and quaint town center.

In Franschhoek, also in the Cape Winelands region, we take part in a private wine-making experience where you create your own blend and bottle. This fun, interactive highlight leads to a souvenir that certainly carries a story.

After checking into our hotel, the evening is free to relax and browse the dozens of unique artisan shops in town before dinner.

After breakfast, we head south and soon follow one of South Africa’s most scenic coastal routes to Pringle Bay, where ocean and mountain meet. Here, a local artisan guides us through a bead-making workshop, sharing the cultural meaning behind each design.

After lunch, we continue to Hermanus, a relaxed seaside town famous for whale sightings. After check-in, there’s time to unwind before an optional stroll through town and a sunset walk along the coast. Such a walk is often accompanied by ocean spray, sea air, and, if we’re lucky, whales offshore.

Hermanus offers many options for dinner, with restaurants proud of their fresh food made from local ingredients. You'll be free to choose a restaurant or the group might come together and spend their free evening dining together. Your tour leader will be there to assist.

Today we'll head out for a morning visit to the Hermanus Botanical Gardens, where we’ll have time to walk through the grounds and enjoy a calmer side of the town, with native plants, shaded paths, and plenty of spots to slow down and take it in. Afterwards we’ll meet at our workshop venue to take part in an interactive Botanical Gelli Print session, where a local instructor will guide us through the process of making prints using natural textures and plant shapes, creating a finished piece to take home. After the class, we'll enjoy lunch before having some free time to explore Hermanus.

You might choose to visit art galleries to see the work of regional artists, stop for a wine tasting, or simply wander the historic streets and stroll along the waterfront at your own pace.

As the day draws to a close, we'll head to a nearby viewpoint at sunset, where we’ll hopefully get the chance to watch majestic whales in their natural habitat. After the whale viewing experience, we'll return to Hermanus for dinner.

This is a travel day, but one that brings us into an entirely new landscape. We return to Cape Town with a 1.5 hour drive, take a short flight to Durban, then drive north to St. Lucia - a peaceful, off the beaten path town bordered by wetlands and wildlife reserves.

After settling into our lodge, we enjoy dinner at one of the town’s best restaurants. As night falls, keep an eye out - hippos often wander from the wetlands right into town, an unforgettable reminder that nature is very close here.

Today begins with our first game drive in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its remarkable biodiversity. Elephants, buffalo, girfaffes, zebras, and more inhabit this lush mix of landscapes, from clear lakes to open grasslands. Bird enthusiasts will be able to observe some of the 500 species in their natural surroundings.

After lunch, we board a two-hour boat cruise on Lake St. Lucia Estuary - Africa’s largest - where hippos surface beside the boat and massive crocodiles rest along the banks. This network of marshes and lagoons brings us up close and personal with the wildlife of the area.

The evening offers time to relax before dinner.

This morning we leave St. Lucia behind and begin with a visit to a cultural village to learn about deep-rooted traditions of the Zulu people, including storytelling, crafts, and spiritual and healing practices.

From there, we continue to Sungulwane Game Reserve, checking into our safari lodge set deep within the reserve.

In the afternoon, we set out on our first safari drive with a professional ranger in search of Africa's Big Five. Our goal is to spot lions, leopards, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo, among many other animals, as we explore the varied terrain. As the sun lowers, the landscape glows and animals become active - an exhilarating introduction to safari life in this fascinating corner of the country.

Dinner is followed by stargazing under vast African skies.

Today deepens the safari experience. We begin with a visit to a rhino orphanage, learning how calves are rescued, rehabilitated, and protected, offering a moving insight into conservation efforts.

The afternoon offers time to relax at the lodge before heading out on another safari drive, exploring new areas of the reserve and searching again for diverse wildlife. Our time in Sungulwane Game Reserve will be without the crowds found in other reserves. While it takes extra effort to reach this part of the country, our reward is an intimate, authentic safari experience that few visitors to South Africa enjoy.

In the evening, we'll gather for dinner and conversation among our quiet surroundings in the middle of peaceful nature.

An optional early morning safari gives us one last chance to experience the reserve as animals begin their day. Then, after breakfast at our lodge, we drive 3.5 hours to Durban and check into our hotel near the beach.

The afternoon is free to relax with a swim, a massage, or a stroll along the promenade.

In the evening, we gather for our farewell dinner and a final celebration of everything we’ve shared throughout our time in beautiful South Africa.

Private transfers are arranged to the airport according to your flight time.