13-Day Jewels of South Africa Safari Holiday
13 Days Jewels of South Africa Safari : This two weeks journey to South Africa takes you on an adventure to the country’s gems, from the sparkly Cape Town and its Winelands, Phinda Private Game Reserve with its seven marvelously varied ecosystems, and the classic safari landscapes of the Thornybush Private Game Reserve and the private Sabi Sand Game Reserve, both private reserves on the unfenced border of the iconic and far more visited Kruger National Park.
To add on to the Jewels of South Africa’s luster: Our Cape Town hotel, the historic, lushly gardened Mount Nelson, the Phinda Reserve’s Forest Lodge and its hilltop Mountain Lodge, the Sabi Sands’s quietly but emphatically luxurious Tengile Rsoiver Lodge, and the equally luxe and serene Saseka Tented Camp, just like Tengile, set on a serene river bend.
Highlights of 13 Days Jewels of South Africa Safari
Day 1: Arrival
Days 2 to 4: Cape Town and its magnificent vicinities
Days 5 & 6: Safari in Phinda Private Game Reserve
Days 7 & 8: Big 5 and border-free at Thornybush Game Reserve
Days 9 to 11: Safari in the private Sabi Sand Reserve
Day 12: Fly to Johannesburg
Day 13: Arrive home
Detailed Itinerary of 13 Days Jewels of South Africa Safari
Day 1: Arrival
On arrival in Johannesburg at Cape Town International Airport you will be met by our guide and transfer you to your hotel in Cape Town. Spend the rest of the day at rest get ready for the adventure awaiting.
Overnight at Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel
Meal Plan: Dinner
Days 2 to 4: Cape Town and its magnificent vicinities
Explore the “Mother City” – Cape Town, one of the world’s jazziest, most fascinating multicultural and downright beautiful cities in the world. This vibrant city is attracts discerning goers and comers from all over the world.
Our base is the iconic Pink Lady the Mount Nelson, from which we gaze up at Table Mountain, which we will summit via the famed Aerial Cableway, a spectacular bit of engineering in service to an even more spectacular view.
We will drive down the grand and wild Cape Peninsula to the Cape of Good Hope, around which much of the world’s history once turned. And well motor in the Cape Winelands for wine tasting and leisurely lunch –taking, and view imbibing in one of the most salubrious spots in the region rich with human and natural splendour
Overnight at Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Days 5 & 6: Safari in Phinda Private Game Reserve
We fly northeast across South Africa’s gargantuan geographies to the private Phinda Reserve’s seven distinct habitats; woodlands, grasslands, wetlands, rolling hills, rivers, seasonal marshes and pans, and a hauntingly beautiful sand forest – the last sand forest in Africa, home to a superb wildlife including the Big Five and over 432 bird species.
Depending on the season, we will settle into one of two outstanding camps at Phinda Private Game Reserve, either at Phinda Forest Lodge, set in the marvelous sand forest, with “glass bubble” suites that bring us into cozy contact with the sweetly eveloping sand forest, or the Phinda Mountain Lodge, set on a hilltop with wraparound views of the verdurous Lebombo foothills.
Each of these beautiful lodges features beguiling infinity pools, festive outdoor dining under South Africa’s intense yet friendly stars, birdsong and the twittering of bush babies, and deep tranquility as we rest up from our game driving expeditions into Phinda’s remarkable microregions.
Days 7 & 8: Big 5 and border-free at Thornybush Game Reserve
Enjoy safari in the Thornybush Game Reserve, home to more than 34,000 sweeping acress on a private nature reserve sharing a fenceless boarder with famous Kruger National Park. Big 5 encounters are both the standard and the standout experience here including sightings of the endangered, marvelous – looking pangolin.
Set on a beautiful curve of the meandering Monwana River, the Saseka Tented Camp has just nine luxurious, stylishly decorated tents, each with glass doors opening onto a river-view deck complete with a pool and outdoor shower.
Days 9 to 11: Safari in the private Sabi Sand Reserve
Explore the very private and very beautiful Sabi Sand Game Reserve, one of our favorite African places situated adjacent to the iconic Kruger National Park. The 240 square mile Sabi Sand is home to all of the Kruger’s famously rich roaster of animals including the Big Five wondering freely between Sabi Sand and the much more humanly thronged national park.
Game viewing in Sabi Sands Game Reserve offer exceptional wildlife viewing opportunities, particularly for the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. The reserve also boasts mazing views of cheetahs, wild dogs, and spotted hyenas, along with diverse birdlife and other mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
You will be staying at Tengile River Lodge, set in a riverside forest, with only nine soothingly secluded, thoughtfully luxurious suites, each with a private plunge pool.
Day 12: Fly to Johannesburg
Today we fly to Johannesburg where you will spend the night at the Intercontinental with full-service, meals- included day rooms. During your stay, make use of the spa and indoor pool.
Overnight at InterContinental Johannesburg
Meal Plan: Full Board.
Day 13: Arrive home
Your South Africa comes to an end today, bid farewell to Johannesburg and connect with your flights home.
End of 13 Days Jewels of South Africa Safari
