15 days

Day 1- Oct 2: Depart USA
Depart JFK by SA 204 to Johannesburg at 1135A.

Day 2 – Oct 3: Arrive South Africa
Arrive Johannesburg at 845A and connect onto SA 327 to Cape Town at 1100A 110P. Upon arrival, you are met and escorted to PROTEA HOTEL CAPE CASTLE for 3 nights. The remainder of the day is at leisure to relax and pursue independent activities. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 3 -Oct 4: Cape Peninsula
Experience some of the most spectacular views in the world. The tour begins with a scenic drive along the Atlantic coast past Camps Bay, Clifton and Llandudno to the fishing village of Hout Bay. Here there is an option of taking a short boat trip to Duiker Island to view the Cape Fur seals (own account). The tour then heads along Chapman's Peak Drive on to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. From there travel to False Bay and return to Cape Town by way of the Simon's Town naval base where we visit the Penguin colony at Boulders Beach. A lunch stop will be made along the way, at a local restaurant (own account). Travel via Fishhoek fishing village and Muizenberg to return to Cape Town in the late afternoon. PROTEA HOTEL CAPE CASTLE (B)

Day 4 – Oct 5: Walk to Freedom
Experience the raw energy of this 'Rainbow Nation' in one remarkable day. Begin with a visit to the District Six Museum, which works with the memories of those forcibly removed from the area by the Group Area’s Act of 1950. Stop by Desmond Tutu’s Church, The Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Proceed to Langa, the oldest apartheid housing scheme in the Cape Town, and the location of much resistance to apartheid. Witness the work in progress as hundreds of squatters, with the help of state grants, are setting about building their own brick homes. Visit Tsoga Environmental Resource Centre, a green oasis in the heart of the township, which contributes to the
community by facilitating youth programs revolving around life skills, training, job creation and environmental education. Mix with the locals at an informal spaza shop, a shebeen (pub) and a hostel. This afternoon, travel by ferry to Robben Island, formerly a political prison, place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here
that rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society. Experience the conditions of incarceration - view Nelson Mandela's maximum-security prison cell (Cell 5) and see the lime quarries. This well-preserved landmark, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a monument to the triumph of
freedom, dignity and determination over humiliation and oppression. PROTEA HOTEL CAPE CASTLE (B)

Day 5 – Oct 6: Cape Town / Kruger
Transfer to the airport for SA8663 to Kruger-Mpumalanga at 1000A1235P. Proceed to Chimpanzee Eden, for a unique opportunity to see chimpanzees in semi-wild surroundings. The world renowned Jane Goodall Institute has made this tranquil venue their South African sanctuary and has committed itself to the rescue and care take of
chimpanzees in need of refuge. Continue to GREENWAY WOODS for dinner and overnight. (BD)

Day 6 – Oct 7: Kruger National Park
Rise early for a full day game viewing in the Kruger National Park. Travel across the Lowveld in search of the Big Five, and use your binoculars to spot a variety of birds like vultures, hornbills and eagles, who call the reserve home. Return late afternoon in time to witness a typical African sunset. (BD)

Day 7 – Oct 8: Kruger – Maputo
Depart for Mozambique to immerse yourself in the historical, cultural and scenic, palm-lined beachfront sights of Maputo. We take a guided tour of Maputo town, with its wide tree-lined streets and tall buildings over-looking the Indian Ocean. View the Parliament, the Fortress and the Railway Station. Learn more about the Steel House and visit the Cathedral and the Polana Church. Pass through Polana, Sommerschield and other interesting areas of Maputo town and stop at the colorful markets and other interesting sights of Maputo town. This evening, head out for an evening of great food and a good time, soaking up the evening's Latin-American/Salsa/Cuban atmosphere
of Maputo's night life. Have dinner at a typical Maputo Restaurant, before dancing in one of Maputo's trendiest nightclubs. A guide will be with you to drive you safely around and ensure you have a good time! SOUTHERN SUN MAPUTO. (BD)

Day 8 – Oct 9: Mozambique
Today we visit Marracuene Village and cultural homestead, just outside Maputo. Transfer by boat across the Incomati River to spend the remainder of the day at Macaneta Beach, famous for its turquoise blue waters and white sands. Lunch is served at Marracuene Lodge. Return to SOUTHERN SUN MAPUTO for dinner and overnight. (BD)

Day 9 – Oct 10: Hluhluwe – St Lucia
Depart for South Africa and proceed to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park for an afternoon game drive. The park contains an immense diversity of fauna and flora and is particularly famous for its conservation of black and white rhino. Continue to the nearby town of St Lucia for the night. ELEPHANT LAKE HOTEL (BD)

Day 10 – Oct 11: St Lucia
This morning, experience the life of the modern Zulus as we visit Veyane Zulu Cultural Village. The location gives you the opportunity to study the customs and rites of traditional Zulu life, from the lobola (brides price) to the fortune tellings and magic of the Sangoma (witch doctor). This afternoon take a 2-hour boat cruise on the St Lucia
estuary. It provides one of the finest opportunities to view crocodiles basking in the sun, and hippo wallowing in the shallows. ELEPHANT LAKE HOTEL (BD)

Day 11 – Oct 12: St Lucia – Swaziland
Depart early for the second smallest country in Africa – Swaziland. Pass through scenic, mountainous countryside, before arriving at the Ngwenya Mine where a local Swazi guide will fascinate you with the history of one of the oldest mines in the world at 42,000 years old! Continue to our lodge near the Malalotja Mountain Reserve. HAWANE LODGE (BD)

Day 12 - Oct 13: Swaziland – Mpumalanga / Johannesburg / Depart
Visit the Nsangwini Rock Art created by the Khoisan people. Bushman paintings offer a unique glimpse into a mysterious way of life, shrouded in mystery that is between four hundred and four thousand years old - one of the oldest on earth. Cross back into South Africa, for a visit to the Thembalethu AIDS Orphanage where material and social care is provided to approximately 4,500 children, many of which have no family to look after them and receive no source of income. Transfer to the airport for our flight to Johannesburg on SA8842 at 135P 230P. On arrival you will be met and transferred to INDABA HOTEL. This evening enjoy a traditional African cuisine buffet including
game meats and hints of Afrikaaner cuisine, while listening to a live Marimba Band and enjoying the sights of our bird life roosting in our very own "watering hole". (BD)

Day 13 – Oct 14: Soweto Tour
Depart on a half day tour of Soweto for a new understanding of the culture and lifestyle in this township. Visit the Hector Peterson Museum which houses photographic and audio-visual displays of the struggle of the youth against the injustices of apartheid. See the monument of the children who died. Visit a school and drive by Baragwanath Hospital. Drive down the street where the 2 Nobel Peace Prize winners lived – Nelson Mandela Desmond Tutu. Visit the historical Regina Mondi Church, the largest Catholic Church in Soweto, which has played a pivitol role in the township’s history of resistance against apartheid. After lunch at Wandies, continue to the Apartheid Museum, on a journey you will be unlikely to forget in a hurry. The museum features an inspiring journey from the dark days of ‘whites only’ privilege, through to Nelson Mandela’s historic release, by means of documentary film snippets,
texts, sound clips, and live accounts recapturing life in the old South Africa. INDABA HOTEL (BL)

Day 14 – Oct 15: Depart Johannesburg
The morning is at leisure for independent activities, or the option to take a half day city tour of Pretoria (not included). Depart Johannesburg by SA 203 to New York at 745P. (B)

Day 15 – Oct 16: Arrive home
Arrive JFK at 740A.

ZIMBABWE, NAMIBIA, BOTSWANA, AND ZAMBIA EXTENSION - 5 DAYS

Oct 15: Johannesburg / Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Upon arrival, you are met and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon on a guided tour enjoy a tour of the spectacular phenomenon
that is Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. At 1 mile wide and 360 feet high, Victoria Falls is the largest sheet of falling water in the world. You will see 650 million liters of water from the Zambezi River crash into the chasm below and discover why the local name is 'Mosi-oa-Tunya', or the smoke that thunders. THE KINGDOM HOTEL

Day 14 – Oct 15: Depart Johannesburg
The morning is at leisure for independent activities, or the option to take a half day city tour of Pretoria (not included). Depart Johannesburg by SA 203 to New York at 745P. (B)

Oct 16: Victoria Falls
This morning we depart on a tour of Monde Village – a traditional African Village, home to the Ndebele and Tonga People. Their homesteads are scattered throughout the picturesque Monde Valley. Get a glimpse of how these people have lived for generations and to learn a little about their traditional customs and beliefs. The people who live
in the village will show you into their homes and explain how they are built and decorated. There may even be an opportunity to meet the Headman of the village. The afternoon is at leisure to pursue independent activities. Victoria Falls offers many adventure activities, game viewing activities or simply spend your time mixing with the locals at the market. This evening enjoy traditional delicacies at The Boma Restaurant. (BD)

Oct 17: Namibia & Botswana
Transfer by road to Chobe National Park in Botswana, overlooking the Chobe River and Caprivi floodplain. Embark boats and travel to Impalila Island in Namibia. Impalila Island is rich in history and the guided walks around the island offer a closer insight into the background of the area as well as the life of the local people. Our walk may also include a visit to a 2000 year-old baobab tree on the island. From its lofty heights all four surrounding countries (Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia) can be viewed as well as the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers. Our village visit provides a fascinating insight into the traditional medicinal uses of plants and trees in the area. Return to Mowana Safari Lodge for lunch and an afternoon game drive in the Chobe National Park, which is the second largest national park in Botswana covering 6,565 square miles, and has one of the greatest concentrations of game found on the African continent. Return to Victoria Falls and overnight at THE KINGDOM (BL)

Oct 18: Victoria Falls & Zambia
This morning we will visit Chinotimba. The Nambya and the Tonga people are the original people of the area. The population is made up of locals as well as people from Zambia, Kenya, Angola, Tanzania and Zaire. Drive through the township and see the houses that used to accommodate railway workers and game scouts who protected
the wildlife from poachers, and the tavern where the locals gather to socialize. At the market – where people sell live goats and chickens as well as traditional vegetables – our guide takes us on a walking tour to point out interesting items and to see tradesmen at work. We will see a local church, an Old age home, Community Halls, and possibly stop at Chinotimba Primary School (depending if school is in session on this day). Experience the true flavors of Victoria Falls as we are hosted by a local family in their residence and served a traditional African home made lunch. This afternoon we cross over into Livingstone, Zambia for a visit to Ebenezer Orphanage. It was started in 1998 by Family Worship Centre – a non-denominational church– in response to the needs of homeless children whose parents were affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The orphanage can only accommodate children who are not HIV positive because the home does not have the facilities or capacities to look after chronically sick
children. At present 16 beautiful children between the ages of 3 and 15 are living in the small four bedroom house. They live a very simple African life. Return to THE KINGDOM HOTEL for the night (BL)

Oct 19: Victoria Falls / Johannesburg / Depart
The morning is at leisure until you transfer to the airport for your flight to Johannesburg. (B)