Get a feel of what Cape Town is all about on your half day tour that includes a cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain, the signature of this city, easily one of the most recognizable mountains. This tour is very dependent on the wind factor, as well as the clouds. Many a times a cloud covers this flat-topped mountain, which rises to 3,563 feet above sea level and the locals affectionately say it’s a white tablecloth. Legend has it that a retired pirate, on climbing the mountain met up with the devil. To preserve his soul, the pirate challenged the devil in a smoking contest. So, they stoked up their pipes and have been smoking ever since. For centuries Table Mountain, has been a guiding beacon to mariners rounding the Cape of Southern Africa. Sir Francis Drake described it as “the most stately thing and the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.” Despite its formidable appearance, it is possible to hike up Table Mountain. The first recorded ascent was in 1503 by the Portuguese navigator Antonio da Saldanha who, confused by the Cape Peninsula geography, climbed to the summit via the frontal cleft, now known as Platteklip Gorge. For nature lovers, the birding is awesome, and this world heritage site features some 1,470 plant species. The wild flowers include agapanthus, watsonias and red nerines which poke out from rock crevices amid a scrub of ericas and gnarled proteas. More than 1400 species of flowering plants have been recorded on the mountain which makes it a spectacular sight in the spring. Cute guinea pig-like creatures known as rock dassies, or hyraxes, (genetically, the closest living relatives to elephants) scuttle everywhere. They are not afraid and scamper among the tourists seeking to be fed.

Afterwards depart on a Cape Town city tour where time permitting you visit The Castle of Good Hope, South’s Africa oldest surviving colonial building, which elicits two contrary impressions – the hardship of the early days, setting up a life in the unknown, and later years of grace and elegance. The first stone was laid on January 2, 1666 and it was completed by April 1679. The materials used to build the Castle were local and included rock cut from the granite outcrop on Signal Hill, and blue slate and shells transported from Robben Island. The Castle was built by soldiers, volunteers, slaves and Khoi undergoing punishment. Yellow paint was originally chosen for the walls because it reduced the effects of the hot African sun. The building housed everything from a church, bakery and living quarters, to various workshops, shops and prison cells, among other facilities. In 1936 the Castle of Good Hope was declared a national monument.

From here continue to the South African Museum; it houses more than one and a half million specimens of scientific importance. The collections now range from fossils almost 700-million years old to insects and fish caught last week. There are also stone tools made by people 120,000 years ago, traditional clothes from the last century, and T-shirts printed yesterday. Other notable stops include the Malay Quarter, city centre, Company Gardens and more!

Your afternoon is at leisure to enjoy Cape Town on your own. Overnight at the SOUTHERN SUN WATERFRONT CAPE TOWN.

Today you take a breathtaking coastal drive to the Cape of Good Hope. You are surrounded by spectacular mountains, rugged shorelines, and the blue sea below. See Devil’s Peak, Lion’s Head, Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles. Pass quaint seaside towns as you continue to Cape Point where the stormy waters of the Atlantic meet up with the calm waters of the Indian Ocean. At Cape Point, climb the steps or ride a funicular to the top where you can explore a lighthouse, enjoy the views or even indulge in a bit of shopping. Take a close look at the ocean where you may see southern right whales in the spring and early summer as well as dolphins and a variety of seabirds. You will also have the chance to explore the Cape Point Nature Reserve which is host to approximately half of the 2,700 species of indigenous plants contained in the Cape Peninsula.

Look for the distinctive orange found in leucospermums, one of the rarest types of proteas – the mimites, marvel at the helicrysums and pelarganium calcullums, and enjoy the ericas, phenacomas and fine bush which the Dutch called “fynbos.” There are 250 species of birds in the reserve, ranging from ostriches to minuscule sunbirds. Caracal, chacma baboon, a wide variety of buck and various other mammal species may be seen, including Cape Mountain zebra and the bontebok which is endemic to this part of the world. The baboons feed occasionally on marine foods which they garner at low tide. At Olifants Bay, look for Oystercatchers, and enjoy some superb birding.

Continue to Boulders Beach where the African (Jackass) Penguins can be seen – also known as the Black-footed Penguins. These flightless seabirds are found only on the coast of Southern Africa and the only penguins found on this continent. Enjoy a delightful walk on a specially-built platform onto the little sheltered beach where they nest among the rocks, and “waddle” up and down into and out of the sea. Since the penguins are accustomed to human presence you can safely get within a few feet of them as you stand on the platform, and it is sometimes possible to view them nesting behind rocks and bushes.

Next, take a tour of Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, arguably one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. Founded in 1913, Kirstenbosch lies on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and consists of landscaped gardens of indigenous plants and trees, watered by the Liesbeek River, as well as natural forest that extends up to the lower slopes. Kirstenbosch covers an area of 1,383 acres, 148 of which are cultivated; the remainder is a natural flora reserve. It is a living display featuring 9,000 of the estimated 20,000 species of indigenous South African flora, and close to 50% of the peninsula’s floral wealth. In the cultivated area, related plants are grouped together and radiate from the central lawns like the spokes of a wheel. Among the interesting sections here are the Cycad Amphitheatre, which hosts most species of these “living fossils” found in southern Africa; the famed Protea Garden on the higher slopes, with its profuse growth of silver trees (Leucadendron argenteum); the JV Mathews Rock Garden (named after the first curator) containing succulents of the genera Crassula, Aloe, Lampranthus and Euphorbia; the Erica Garden and the Pelargonium Koppie. Two streams cut through Kirstenbosch, both laced with besembos, red alder and hard fern. Of historical interest is an avenue of camphor trees and fig trees planted by Cecil Rhodes in 1898, and a small section of wild almond (Brabejum stellatifolium) hedge planted by Dutch settler Jan van Riebeeck in 1660. Birds of all sorts can be seen here as well – Dusky and Paradise Flycatchers, sunbirds, Klaas’s Cuckoos, bulbuls, pigeons, brilliant green and red Cape Sugarbirds (which pollinate the flowers), guinea fowls, and the Cape Batis.

Return to your hotel in the late afternoon, where the rest of your day is at leisure. Tonight, you might want to discover one of Cape Town’s excellent restaurants. Overnight at the SOUTHERN SUN WATERFRONT CAPE TOWN.

Today you spend an exciting day in the wine lands region situated below the spectacular Boland Mountains only 50 minutes from the city. This tour travels through the premier wine-producing regions of Paarl, Franschhoek with its lovely antique shops and gardens, nestled in the “Valley of the Huguenots” where the French first settled in 1688, and Stellenbosch, the oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town, undoubtedly the most scenic and historicallypreserved town in Southern Africa. In addition to the wines, you can expect breathtaking scenery. Each region is characterized by rugged mountain ranges and picturesque valleys with vineyards dotted along the route. Enjoy a cellar tour, and wine tastings at three top wine estates before embarking on a tour through the historic town of Stellenbosch where much of the original Cape-Dutch architecture has been preserved. Oak-lined streets next to water furrows compliment the many fine examples of elegant Cape Dutch, Victorian and Georgian architecture – all part of this unique “Town of Oaks”. Overnight at the SOUTHERN SUN WATERFRONT CAPE TOWN.

Leave Cape Town behind as you fly to Nelspruit Airport and Kruger National Park, one of the world’s great national parks. It is home to an unparalleled diversity of wildlife and is maintained by one of the world’s most sophisticated management systems. Five rivers cross the park from west to east. There are 300 different types of trees, 49 species of fish, 34 types of amphibian, 116 different reptilian species, 505 species of birds and 147 species of mammals in the park. Your ranger will interpret the ecosystems and animal behavior, and help you to identify the strands in the web of life. The park is frequented by browsers and grazers such as giraffe, kudu, impala, zebra, wildebeest and buffalo, elephant and white rhino. Predators include lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and side-striped jackal, as well as wild dog.

Mjejane River Lodge is perched on the banks of one of the Kruger National Park’s greatest rivers – the Crocodile River – and is surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of raw African wilderness. This particular area of the Kruger National Park is renowned for its great game viewing, but the select area of the Lodge has been a best-kept secret in honor of its remarkable beauty. This Lodge features a total of ten rooms, consisting of twin beds, double beds, and one suite. It is here that the paths of predators and prey cross. It is here that life and death are close companions. It is here that you are assured of a breathtaking wildlife experience. Overnights at MJEJANE RIVER LODGE.

Savor one last wildlife drive before transferring to Mpumalanga airport for your flight to Johannesburg. Here, connect with your overnight flight back home.

This morning you land in the USA bringing with you the memories of all the wonderful sights of Southern Africa.