15-Day South Africa Parks Safari with Victoria Falls and Chobe

• Welcome to South Africa! When you arrive at Cape Town airport, you will be welcomed by our guide and transferred to Cape Town.
• After check-in at your guesthouse, we invite you to discover the city of Cape Town and its famous attractions, such as Table Mountain, the only terrestrial object to have given its name to a constellation. Discovered in 1503, it is one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. A visit to the Malay district of Bo-Kaap is also included.

• After breakfast, your guide will pick you up for the peninsula day tour, which includes activities such as the Cape of Good Hope Reserve, Cape Point (funicular fee not included), and the Boulders Beach penguins.
• You will also visit the Cape Ostrich Farm, which is located 600 metres from the entrance to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.

• 8:00 - Half day on the Wine Route: many varieties of grapes are grown in the region, and they are used to produce wines such as Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Pinotage, and local champagne. There are many activities there, such as wine cellar visits and tastings. You will have the opportunity to purchase wines directly from the producer to take home and enjoy the region's wonderful vintages after your visit. The Huguenot Museum in Franschhoek remains one of its most popular attractions.
• 14:00 - Return to Cape Town and cruise to Robben Island: Robben Island is best known for being the place where Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first democratically elected president, was imprisoned for 18 of his 27 years in prison. The island has since become a symbol of the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression.
• 17:30 - Return from Robben Island and enjoy free time at the Waterfront.

Note: Between June and November, the visit to Robben Island is replaced by a whale-watching cruise in Hermanus.

• Early in the morning, you will be transferred to Cape Town airport for your flight to Durban. Once you land in Durban, your guide will take you on a short tour of the city before heading north towards Saint Lucia.
• After checking in at your hotel, we suggest you join the group on a drive to Cape Vidal, located in iSimangaliso Park. This is a protected bay where you will have time to dive and enjoy the many species of fish that frequent the region. A dream beach, like the end of the world, here the Indian Ocean presents itself to you in all its majesty. The beach is safe and suitable for swimming.

• 5:00 - Half-day game drive in Hluhluwe: Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Reserve is the oldest national park and one of the largest in South Africa. Less touristy than Kruger National Park, it is the meeting point of two reserves, Hluhluwe and Umfolozi, named after the two rivers that cross it. Proclaimed a national reserve in the 1950s for the conservation of the rhino, the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Reserve is now home to nearly 90% of the world's rhino population. (Breakfast included in the reserve.)
• 13:00 - 13:30 - Return transfer to Saint Lucia and lunch.
• 15:30 - Boat trip on the Saint Lucia estuary. The park in which the estuary is located is a World Heritage natural site. The cruise is a treat for bird watchers, with over 500 species to see, as well as coastal dune forests and marshes. With over 800 hippos and 1,500 crocodiles in the St Lucia ecosystem, you are sure to come face-to-face with one of these creatures during your cruise.

• After breakfast, you depart for Eswatini (the new name for the Kingdom of Swaziland), where you will meet your local guide. Eswatini is a state located in southern Africa and landlocked between South Africa and Mozambique. This magnificent little country offers kilometres of parks and large natural spaces particularly suitable for hiking or safaris. In addition to its unique and spectacular landscapes, Swaziland is home to many animal species that will delight lovers of African wildlife.

Two accommodation options are available for the night:

• A night in town in a guesthouse
• A night in an authentic Swati village where you will sleep in a traditional beehive hut

• After breakfast, you will drive to the Ngwenya Glass factory. Ngwenya Glass' charming complex is set in large indigenous gardens and is considered one of Swaziland's/Eswatini's major tourist attractions. Here, a small group of Swazi craftsmen and women - with age-old artistry - breathe life into enchanting interpretations of the animals and birds of Africa, imbuing each with its own irresistible personality. Witness first-hand the magical art of glassblowing from an overhead balcony. Each item is handmade from 100% recycled glass. Browse around the adjoining showroom, which is well stocked, and purchase your little memento of a truly African visit to the Kingdom.
• Before crossing the border, you will stop at Matsamo Cultural Village. Matsamo offers age-old folk songs, rhythmic dance performances, including the famous Rain Dance, and music with authentic African instruments, as well as traditional Swazi cuisine. Visitors can also wander through the village with its many huts and spaces, interacting with the villagers as they go about their daily activities, cultivating their crops, preparing traditional food, and fashioning beautiful craft works.
• In the afternoon, cross the northern border of Eswatini and head towards Hazyview, a small subtropical town whose name alludes to the shimmering heat mist that sometimes envelops it in the middle of summer. Hazyview is a pleasant town located in an agricultural region specialising in bananas and macadamia nuts, and its main attraction is the panoramic road and access to the southern section of Kruger National Park.

• Today, you will go north to visit the famous Bourkes' Potholes and the Blyde Canyon. Between 600 and 800 metres deep, it extends over 26 km, making it the third-largest canyon in the world. Several viewpoints are worth a stop, particularly in the north, including the

• Full-day 4x4 safari in Kruger Park (lunch included): Kruger National Park is the size of Wales or Israel and full of roaring treasures. It is one of the largest national parks in the world. Lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinoceroses live freely there, to the delight of park visitors wishing to admire these majestic animals in their natural environment. Here, the speed is limited to 50 km/h on paved roads and 40 km/h on tracks to avoid putting animals in danger.

Note: Clients looking for a more exclusive experience can book a transfer to a private game reserve in the greater Kruger National Park. Please ask your consultant for lodges available and the supplement for a night in your lodge of choice.

• After breakfast, leave with your guide for the Timbavati Game Reserve, where you will spend the night. The Timbavati Reserve was established in 1956 by the landowners at the time. Today, Timbavati, along with the adjacent Kruger National Park, is one of the largest reserves in the world. One of the specificities of Timbavati is the low density of lodges present on the reserve. They all have one thing in common: preserving the ecosystem and the wildlife found there. Here, all your meals and two guided safaris with a ranger are included and, depending on availability, a complimentary guided walk in the bush can be arranged.

Note: Availability and the number/age of participants will determine the game reserve we select for your group.

• After a morning game drive and breakfast, you will be transferred to the nearest airport for your flight to Johannesburg. Once in Johannesburg, settle into your hotel before dinner.

• After breakfast, leave for a guided tour of Johannesburg and Soweto. The township of Soweto, once marked by segregation during apartheid, represents the heart of South Africa's fight against injustice. This guided tour will allow you to discover Soweto, the house of Nelson Mandela, and the museum of the young Hector Pieterson, who was shot during a peaceful march in Soweto.
• The excursion also includes a guided tour of the Apartheid Museum (or Constitution Hill, if the Apartheid Museum is closed). After the tour and lunch, you will be dropped off at your hotel to relax before dinner.

• After breakfast, you will get a transfer to Johannesburg airport for your flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. After checking in at your hotel, lunch will be served before you depart for a guided walking tour of the falls.

• Early in the morning, you will be transferred to the Kazungula border, where you will meet your guide. From there, you will go directly to the Chobe River, where you will spend the morning observing the fauna along the river on a cruise. Tea, coffee, and cookies will be served on board. The cruise will end around 12:30 p.m., at which time you will be taken to a hotel on the shore for lunch (included).
• In the afternoon, you will board a 4x4 safari vehicle to discover the abundant wildlife of the famous Chobe National Park. Covering an area of 10,566 km2, Chobe Park is the second largest in the country and probably has the largest concentration of elephants on the African continent.

• After breakfast, go for an autonomous stroll around the streets of Victoria Falls. Explore the art markets, go for a helicopter flip above the falls, or try some bungee jumping or rafting.
• At around noon, a return transfer to Victoria Falls airport is scheduled before your flight to Johannesburg. Once in Johannesburg, you'll check in and embark on your international flight.