Johannesburg to Cape Town

We gather at Johannesburg Airport and head to our first hotel in Graskop (Mpumalamga), with views over the Graskop Gorge. En route, we travel through Belfast, the highest town in South Africa at 6,465ft (1,970m), and the scenic Robbers Pass. Our driving time today is approximately five to six hours (250mi/400km) with limited sightseeing.



Accommodation: Mogodi Lodge (or similar)

Today we explore the aptly named Panorama Route. We drive through spectacular countryside and stop at scenic places such as the Bourke’s Luck Potholes and Blyde River Canyon, the third largest of its type in the southern hemisphere. From here, we continue to this evening’s camp for our first game drive of the trip in a private concession of Kruger National Park . Our driving time today is approximately three to four hours (155mi/250km).



Accommodation: Nkambeni Tented Camp (or similar)

This morning, we look for wildlife on foot as we enjoy a game walk through the concession. From here, we continue to Kruger National Park, justifiably one of the most famous wildlife parks in the world. It is also one of the oldest, established by the president Paul Kruger in 1898. It has, arguably, the greatest variety of animals of any park in Africa, with lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, black and white rhinos, plus cheetahs, giraffes, hippos and many species of antelope and smaller plains game. The total census includes 147 mammals, 507 birds and 114 reptiles plus 336 different trees. The camps are also excellent and the general infrastructure good. We game drive through the park to the camp, where there is a chance for a swim and hot showers. Our driving time today is approximately three to four hours (155mi/250km).



Accommodation: National park huts or permanent tented camp

We spend all of today inside Kruger National Park and go on game drives in both the morning and the afternoon to maximise our wildlife-viewing chances.



Accommodation: National park huts or permanent tented camp

We enter Eswatini (Swaziland) and overnight in the old royal hunting grounds, now the beautiful Hlane Royal National Park. In the afternoon, we can leave the vehicle and enjoy an optional nature walk. Seeing animals and tracks outside the confine of a vehicle is a thrilling experience and gives us the chance to see and hear the variety of smaller animals and birds that are often passed by on game drives. Our driving time today is approximately four to five hours (155mi/250km).



Accommodation: Hlane Lodge (or similar)

This morning, we drive south towards the town of Big Bend on our way to the border and back into South Africa. We continue towards the small town of St Lucia between the Indian Ocean and Lake St Lucia. It is not uncommon to come across stray hippos in the town centre and the nearby lagoon is a haven for crocs, hippos, birds and even sharks! Our driving time today is approximately four to five hours (220mi/350km).



Accommodation: Shonalanga Lodge (or similar)

This morning, we spend two hours exploring Lake St Lucia by boat, with an excellent chance of seeing some of the many resident hippos, crocodiles and fish eagles. From here, it’s a short drive to Cape Vidal, a long stretch of beach along the Indian Ocean. We spend the afternoon relaxing on the beach or walking to Mission Rocks (the walk to Mission Rocks can only be done at low tide and takes around four hours there and back). Alternatively, there are several optional activities available, including whale watching (June-November) or sunset and night game drives on the western shores of the lake. Our driving time today is approximately two to three hours (45mi/75km).



Accommodation: Shonalanga Lodge (or similar)

We leave St Lucia today and drive through the Natal midlands and onto Dundee. En route, we stop at Rorke’s Drift and have a chance to learn about the famous battle at the local museum. Immortalised by Hollywood in the film Zulu (1964), the events that took place here are well known and the small cluster of buildings isolated in the enormity of the African Bush are a moving reminder of this troubled time. Our driving time today is approximately five to six hours (220mi/350km).



Accommodation: Battlefields Country Lodge (or similar)

We continue to the Northern Drakensberg, our base for the next two nights. The Drakensberg is a basalt escarpment forming the border between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho and continuing into the Free State. It means Dragon Mountains, but the Zulu people named it Ukhahlamba (barrier of spears). This is a more accurate description of the sheer, forbidding, jagged escarpment. A walk takes us through the lowland areas with magnificent views. Our driving time today is approximately two to three hours (125mi/200km).



Accommodation: Alpine Heath Resort (or similar)

We spend a full day in the mountains where our route has us walking into a natural amphitheatre, following the Tugela River past protea trees. The protea is the national flower of South Africa and the name of their cricket team. Our driving time today is approximately one hour (31mi/50km).



Accommodation: Alpine Heath Resort (or similar)

We have a long day’s drive as we travel through Golden Gate National Park and the eastern farmlands of the Free State and enter Lesotho at the Maseru border post. This mountainous kingdom has been shielded from outside influence over the generations and the Basotho people historically used this strategic location as a defence against events on the plains below. The lodge in this rugged mountainous region provides us with an ideal opportunity to experience the Lesotho culture. Our driving time today is approximately five to six hours (250mi/400km).



Accommodation: Malealea Lodge (or similar)

The day is free to relax and experience the unique culture of Lesotho. Mountain ridges protrude into the town and there’s the option a day’s pony trekking to a local village. Alternatively, the craft shops and markets can be an enjoyable way to pick up some African souvenirs.



Accommodation: Malealea Lodge (or similar)

We’re on the road today as we drive south to Graaff-Reinet, the oldest town on the Eastern Cape, founded in 1786. Our driving time is approximately eight hours passing through the desert landscape of the Great Karoo.



Accommodation: Obesa Lodge (or similar)

We drive down to the coast and over the Baviaanskloof and Kouga mountains before arriving at Tsitsikamma National Park at the mouth of the Storms River. This national park protects the indigenous forests as well as the marine life 31mi (50km) out to sea. We stay at a beautifully positioned camp with the waves breaking a stone’s throw away. Our driving time today is approximately five to six hours (250mi/400km).



Accommodation: Tsitsikamma Storms River Huts (or similar)

Our second day in Tsitsikamma National Park is free to enjoy the beautiful setting. There are a range of optional activities including walks to the Storms River gorge and along the rocky coast, snorkelling, sea and river cruises, and a tree canopy tour through the forests. In season, approximately August to October, the marine park is home to migratory whales.



Accommodation: Tsitsikamma Storms River Huts (or similar)

We drive along the beautiful Garden Route coastline via George and the rolling cultivated fields of the Boland to Hermanus. The route is stunning and follows the ragged coast passing through small fishing villages and seaside resorts. Hermanus is an interesting little town, known for delicious seafood. A visit to one of the great restaurants in the evening is highly recommended. It is also widely regarded as the best place in the world for land-based whale watching from August to November. Our driving time today is approximately six to seven hours (310mi/500km).



Accommodation: Windsor Hotel (or similar)

In the morning, we leave Hermanus and, hugging the coastline (there is always a good chance to see whales in season), we drive along this scenic route to Gordon’s Bay and then onto Stellenbosch. The afternoon is spent visiting a few of the vineyards that make this area world famous (optional wine tasting available). We then take a short drive to Cape Town. Our driving time today is approximately three to four hours (125mi/200km).



Accommodation: InnsCape on Castle Hotel (or similar)

After an early morning breakfast, we drive via the coastal suburbs of Clifton, Camps Bay and Hout Bay, then over Chapman’s Peak Drive to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.



Here, elands, bontebok, grysbok, springbok, wildebeest, baboons and ostriches, live on a landscape of rugged cliffs, unspoiled beaches, shipwrecks and beautiful flora. We also visit the Cape Point lighthouse. In the afternoon, we take a one-hour walk almost entirely downhill. Our destination is the Cape of Good Hope with a detour to Diaz Beach.We then return to Cape Town passing through the former Royal Navy base of Simon’s Town and a visit to the resident penguin colony. Our driving time today is approximately three to four hours (125mi/200km).



Accommodation: InnsCape on Castle Hotel (or similar)

The day is free. An optional trip to Robben Island, site of Nelson Mandela’s incarceration, is highly recommended, as is a cable-car ride to the Table Mountain summit if the weather is good. Alternatively, relax and unwind on the Cape Town beaches.



Accommodation: InnsCape on Castle Hotel (or similar)

The adventure ends in Cape Town after breakfast. If you’d like more time to explore South Africa, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.