Experience two of South Africa's greatest highlights on this seamless journey, travelling in comfort with private transfers and regional flights throughout. Begin in Cape Town, one of the world's most beautiful cities, with Table Mountain, the dramatic Cape Peninsula and the elegant vineyards of the Cape Winelands. Then fly to the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, bordering Kruger National Park, for four nights at a luxury lodge in one of Africa's finest private reserves, renowned for exceptional leopard sightings and thrilling Big Five encounters. From ocean vistas to golden savanna, this is South Africa at its most unforgettable.
Itinerary
Day 1
Day 1
Day 1: Arrival in Cape Town
Arrive at Cape Town International Airport, where your private driver greets you for the transfer to your luxury hotel. Nestled between mountain and ocean, Cape Town is one of the world's most breathtaking cities. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, perhaps strolling the V&A Waterfront with its harbor views, boutiques and restaurants, before enjoying dinner as the sun sets behind Table Mountain.
Day 2
Day 2
Day 2: Table Mountain and the City
Begin with a ride on the rotating cableway to the summit of Table Mountain for sweeping views over the city, Table Bay and Robben Island. Afterwards, explore the colorful streets of the Bo-Kaap, the historic Company's Garden and the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, housed in a dramatically converted grain silo. In the afternoon, wander through Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden beneath the mountain's slopes, followed by an evening at one of the city's acclaimed restaurants.
Day 3
Day 3
Day 3: The Cape Peninsula
Join your private guide for a full-day tour of the Cape Peninsula. Drive the spectacular Chapman's Peak, one of the world's most scenic coastal roads, and continue to Cape Point, where dramatic cliffs plunge into the Atlantic. Stop at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town to watch the endearing African penguin colony, and enjoy a seafood lunch overlooking False Bay before returning to Cape Town.
Day 4
Day 4
Day 4: The Cape Winelands
Spend the day in the Cape Winelands with your private guide, exploring a landscape of rugged mountains, historic Cape Dutch estates and vine-covered valleys. Begin in Stellenbosch, South Africa's wine capital, for tastings at acclaimed estates such as Delaire Graff and Tokara, then continue to Franschhoek, the valley's gourmet heart, for lunch and a stroll through its charming village of galleries and chocolatiers. Return to Cape Town in the late afternoon.
Day 5
Day 5
Day 5: Cape Town at Leisure
Enjoy a day to explore Cape Town at your own pace. Take the ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, relax on the beaches of Camps Bay or Clifton, or shop for local art and design in the city's galleries and markets. In season (roughly June to November), you might opt for a day trip to Hermanus for some of the world's best land-based whale watching (additional cost). This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner in the Mother City.
Day 6
Day 6
Day 6: Fly to the Sabi Sand
After breakfast, your private driver transfers you to Cape Town International Airport for your direct flight to Skukuza. On arrival, you're met for the private transfer to your luxury lodge in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, which shares unfenced borders with Kruger National Park. After settling in and enjoying a welcome drink, head out on your first afternoon game drive in search of lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo, returning to the lodge for dinner under the stars.
Day 7
Day 7
Day 7: Dawn to Dusk in the Sabi Sand
Start your first full day with an early morning game drive, timed to the hours when the reserve's animals are most active and the light is softest for viewing and photography. Your expert ranger and tracker share insight into the ecology of this remarkable wilderness as you search for the Big Five. Return to the lodge for a hearty breakfast, then set out on a guided bush walk, reading tracks and discovering details a vehicle would pass by. After lunch and a relaxing afternoon by the pool, head out for your afternoon drive, pausing for sundowners as the bush comes alive in the cooling air.
Day 8
Day 8
Day 8: On the Trail of the Leopard
The Sabi Sand is renowned for some of the best leopard viewing in Africa, and today's drives focus on these elusive, beautiful cats, often seen resting in the branches of a marula tree or stalking silently through the grass. After your morning drive, enjoy a private bush breakfast in a scenic spot within the reserve (lodge dependent), then spend the middle of the day at leisure or indulge in a spa treatment (additional cost). As darkness falls on your afternoon drive, spotlights reveal the reserve's nocturnal residents, from hyena and genet to owls and hunting cats.
Day 9
Day 9
Day 9: A Final Day in the Bush
Make the most of your last full day on safari with morning and afternoon game drives, seeking out any species still missing from your sightings list or revisiting a favorite pride or herd. Between drives, relax on the deck overlooking the waterhole as elephants come to drink, or learn about the lodge's conservation and community projects (lodge dependent). This evening, celebrate your time in the bush with a traditional boma dinner beneath the stars, a fitting farewell to the Sabi Sand.
Day 10
Day 10
Day 10: Departure
Enjoy one last early morning game drive before breakfast, then transfer to Skukuza Airport for your flight to Johannesburg, connecting with your international flight home. You'll take with you memories of Table Mountain sunsets, Winelands afternoons and unforgettable encounters with Africa's greatest wildlife.