South Africa for solo travellers

Location: Johannesburg

Take your overnight flight to Johannesburg.

Accommodation: Overnight Flight

Location: Johannesburg

Arrive in Johannesburg, where you will be met and transferred to the four-star Indaba Hotel in a prosperous suburb north of the city. On the way to our hotel we take the opportunity to visit the Apartheid Museum, a truly fascinating exhibition charting the apartheid years and the struggle against it, culminating in the first democratic elections. It is a superbly presented walk through contemporary history using original material, riveting eyewitness accounts, photographs and film. The rest the afternoon is at leisure. This evening we will enjoy a lovely welcome dinner that includes some local specialities, where you have the chance of meeting and getting to know your dedicated tour manager, as well as the like-minded solo travellers of the group.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Indaba Hotel

Meals: Dinner

Location: Blyde River Canyon, Kruger National Park

After breakfast this morning, we follow the wonderfully scenic Panorama Route to Kruger National Park. One of the most stunning drives in the world, we follow the rim of Blyde River Canyon – a gorge over 600 metres deep, where intricate rock formations created by centuries of erosion separate temperate grasslands from dusty savannahs. We continue to our three-star superior hotel, Hippo Hollow Country Estate, set in a lush forest on the edge of the park, where we will stay for the next three nights.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Hippo Hollow Country Estate

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Kruger National Park

Our early morning venture into the Kruger National Park will be rewarded with a most spectacular safari experience. Expert rangers will take us around in specially adapted four-wheel-drive vehicles to the best spots for catching a glimpse of the amazing wildlife that call this place home – elephants, cheetahs, leopards, warthogs, zebras, and numerous more species. Make sure you have your camera on hand to seize the very moment when these magnificent creatures make their wonderful appearance.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: 3* Superior Hippo Hollow Country Estate - Hazyview

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Kruger National Park

This is a day at leisure for anyone who just wants to take it easy by one of the pools at the hotel or do some hippo-spotting from the lovely lawn overlooking the river. Alternatively, you could try some elephant encounters, exciting microlight flights or even river rafting (all subject to weather conditions), as well as sunset safaris or night safaris where you can experience the unique thrill of an open 4x4 vehicle game drive by spotlight.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: 3* Superior Hippo Hollow Country Estate - Hazyview

Meals: Breakfast

Location: KwaZulu-Natal

Eswatini & Kwazulu Natal - Today we leave Kruger and embark on a long coach journey to the historic battlefields in Kwa Zulu Natal – a journey that takes us through the small but scenically beautiful country of Eswatini. As the road climbs past the interestingly named Piggs Peak we descend through lush green fields and rolling hills interspersed with small farms and drive through the country’s small capital Mbabane, passing the parliament house and Royal Palace en route.We cross back into South Africa in the afternoon entering Kwazulu Natal. This area is more remote and less populated, and as a result the accommodation here is more modest than what you will experience in other towns and cities on this tour. It is the history of this area that will truly enhance your visit to South Africa.

Accommodation: Lodge

Accommodation Name: Battlefields Lodge

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift

After breakfast we visit the battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. Brilliantly dramatised in the films Zulu Dawn and Zulu, these two battles, just a day apart, became a defining moment for the British Empire. In 1879 at Isandlwana, a depleted force of 1,300 were surprised and outmanoeuvred by a 20,000-strong Zulu army armed with cowhide shields and spears. Only a handful survived. The next day just 9 miles away, about 140 British soldiers, some wounded, held off 4,000 Zulus for over 10 hours at Rorke’s Drift, an action earning 11 Victoria Crosses, the largest number ever awarded in a single engagement. Isandlwana, particularly, remains a haunting and lonely place, with mass graves marked by simple white stones. Our specialist Zulu guide will really make those desperate encounters come alive.<br/><br/>After an included lunch we return to our hotel.

Accommodation: Lodge

Accommodation Name: Battlefields Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Location: Johannesburg, George, Mossel Bay

Knysna - After breakfast we'll return to Johannesburg airport, flying to George in the Western Cape and at the heart of the gorgeous Garden Route, before the short drive to the Jewel of the Garden Route, Knysna.  Knysna sits within the unmatched beauty of the indigenous forests, miles of sandy beaches, rivers and lakes that border the town. There's also a picturesque lagoon which opens between two massive cliffs called The Heads. Standing on either head offers panoramic views over the lagoon to the mountains and out towards the ocean. The small but spirited town has a lovely harbour front lined with galleries, shops, restaurants and cafés - the perfect place to explore for dinner this evening overlooking the lagoon.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Diaz Hotel & Resort

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Location: Ruitersbos Nature Reserve, Cango Caves, Oudtshoorn, Mossel Bay

Featherbed Nature Reserve - Leaving our hotel this morning, we'll drive to Knysna where we'll take a ferry across the lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve - a privately-owned reserve in the middle of a scenic lagoon. We'll board 4x4 vehicles to explore the area. Stopping at some magnificent viewpoints, our guide will describe the area’s fauna, flora, history and shipwrecks before an easy downhill guided walk and delicious buffet lunch under the canopy of the milkwood trees. (Note: Due to weather conditions over the winter period, departures between May and Aug will have lunch at a restaurant in Knysna). After taking the ferry back to Knysna, you will have some free time to explore this small town, with its numerous art galleries, craft shops and the Knysna Quays marina shopping complex.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Diaz Hotel & Resort

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Location: Hermanus, Winelands

This morning we take the long scenic drive to the Cape’s beautiful Winelands. We drive via Hermanus – during July to November is the best time for on-shore whale-watching. These gentle giants move in seemingly permanent slow motion and are a truly amazing sight as they playfully cavort in the water.<br/><br/>We arrive in the Winelands by late afternoon, staying two nights on bed-and-breakfast at the excellent four-star Pearl Valley Hotel, which is a real find.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Pearl Valley Hotel

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek

Today we tour the awesomely beautiful Winelands. Set in a valley backed by majestic mountains, rows of manicured vines and orchards stretch into a distance studded by lime-washed, often thatched, 300-year-old wineries built in the unique Cape Dutch style, seemingly mirroring the undulations of the surrounding countryside. Our first stop is elegant Stellenbosch, established 300 years ago and home of South Africa’s most prestigious university. Period buildings and historic streets reinforce the town’s dignified atmosphere. We have time to explore this delightful town before enjoying a fascinating cellar tour and tasting at the Neethlingshof Wine Estate. After that, we visit the small town of Franschoek, set at the head of a valley. Tonight we’ll enjoy an included typical South African BBQ or Cape Malay buffet dinner at our hotel.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Pearl Valley Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Location: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town

This morning we visit the amazing Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, located just outside Cape Town and set against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. These incredible gardens are some of the best in South Africa, with numerous and fascinating endemic flora and orchid varieties. We soon arrive in Cape Town and our hotel, the four-star Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel, staying three nights on bed-and-breakfast. It is located right in the centre of this bustling city within walking distance of the V&A waterfront. The afternoon is spent at leisure when you can start to explore this beautiful city.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Cape Point

This morning, we visit Cape Point and the legendary Cape of Good Hope, firstly driving past pristine beaches to the picturesque fishing harbour of Hout Bay. We continue along the breathtakingly scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive, full of rugged seascapes, to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, then on to Cape Point itself. We see the confluence of the Indian and Atlantic Ocean currents and the treacherous promontory of rocks and swells, the scourge of mariners for centuries. After lunch at a local restaurant, we visit Boulders Beach and its penguin colony before returning to the city.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: 4* Southern Sun Waterfront

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Location: Cape Town

Cape Town, featuring British, Dutch and Cape Malay influences, is simply one of the world’s most naturally beautiful cities with so much to offer the visitor! You could do some bargain shopping at the Waterfront, followed by a sumptuous seafood lunch. Or maybe go people-watching at fashionable Camps Bay? Obviously no visit to Cape Town is complete without taking a revolving cable car ride to the top of iconic Table Mountain which has announced the city to generations of sea-farers. The views are fabulous. You should also visit Robben Island (weather permitting and based on availability), where Nelson Mandela spent most of his 27-year incarceration, and whose visitors since its opening have included Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Gates and even Nelson Mandela himself. Perhaps though, simply wander where your feet take you, or relax a little, taking afternoon tea in beautiful colonial splendour at the Mount Nelson hotel – the choice is yours.

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: 4* Southern Sun Waterfront

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Cape Town, Johannesburg

Our final day in Cape Town is at leisure before a transfer to the airport, at the appropriate time, for our return flight via Johannesburg to the UK.

Accommodation: Overnight flight

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Cape Town

We arrive back in the UK after a truly unique tour.