6 Day Cape Kaleidoscope






Starting in Cape Town, Route 62 takes you through the heart of South Africa’s wine country, where lush vineyards and majestic mountain scenery set the stage. We continue to Oudtshoorn, home to the famous Cango Caves and ostrich farms, before heading to Tsitsikamma, where lush forests meet the rugged coastline. On our return journey, we visit Knysna’s scenic lagoon and experience Mossel Bay’s historic charm, before enjoying a ‘Big 5’ game experience. The tour then continues to the peaceful coastal beauty of Arniston, before we make our way back to Cape Town. This unforgettable route offers a perfect blend of wine, nature, adventure, and coastal beauty.
Our adventure starts in Cape Town, South Africa’s most beautiful city. Leaving your hotel, we travel towards Oudtshoorn through the Cape Winelands along Route 62, the longest wine route in the country. You will be treated to breathtaking scenery and stunning vistas of lush valleys and vineyards, and through character-filled farming towns.
We lunch in Barrydale (at your own expense), a quaint town nestled between the Langeberg Mountains and the semi-arid Klein Karoo. Take in the slow pace of life and the breathtaking views as you sample the local cuisine. After lunch, it’s a scenic drive to Calitzdorp, South Africa’s port wine capital where you can treat your palate at a wine tasting (at your own expense). Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world, is a short drive from Calitzdorp with over 400 hundred ostrich farms and the so-called Feather Mansions.
Learn about different species of ostrich on a tractor tour through the farm’s breeder bird camps. The ostrich feather trade boomed during the Victorian era but collapsed during World War I. Modern farmers have successfully adapted and now farm mainly for meat, leather, and eggs. Spend the evening at leisure and enjoy the friendly Klein-Karoo hospitality as you dine in town.
Breakfast at the hotel and then experience the subterranean, enchanted realm of the Cango Caves, which are approximately 20 million years old. Don’t worry about claustrophobia; the Van Zyl’s Hall cave is 107m long and 54m in width. Back on the surface, travel through the beautiful Karoo, passing villages such as De Rust and De Vlugt before experiencing a section of the longest publicly accessible mountain pass in South Africa – Prince Alfred’s Pass.
Continue to the coastal town of Keurboomstrand for lunch (at your own expense) at a beachfront restaurant. The road then wanders to the misty, primal forests of the Tsitsikamma forest where elephants once roamed. Close to the powerful rush of the Storms River, the forests were once a haven for San hunter-gatherers. Tsitsikamma is a San word meaning “place of abundant water”. The ancient yellowwood, pear and stinkwood trees are part of a diverse ecosystem alive with animals and birds that inhabit the fern and moss-rich forest. Feel the ancient power of the forest as you enjoy dinner and local hospitality in Storms River Village.
Enjoy breakfast and spend the morning at leisure to explore this unique forest village on foot. You have the option to join an hour guided forest walk through the forest (2km Goesa Hiking Trail at your own expense and subject to availability).
We leave the village in the late morning and enter the Storms River section of the Garden Route National Park for a walk across the unique Storms River Suspension Bridge. There are a series of 3 bridges with stable wooden paths and stairs. This hour-long walk offers spectacular views of the gorge and ocean. Leaving the forest behind, we take a short drive to the popular coastal town of Plettenberg Bay for lunch (at your own expense) before ending the day in Knysna. The town is famous for its inland waterways and the Knysna Heads, the sandstone cliffs towering over the entrance to a vast lagoon.
Spend an afternoon exploring Knysna with its fine art galleries, craft markets, Gin Distillery and Motorcycle Museum to name a few. The Thesen Island marina is an ideal place to enjoy the slow pace of the town. End a perfect day cruising the lagoon, tasting oysters, and watching dolphins at the river mouth as kingfishers hover and dive for fish. Listen to the cry of the wetland resident, the African Fish Eagle. Another day winds to a beautiful close, with dinner at your hotel.
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and then it’s a short drive to Mossel Bay via the town of Wilderness and the Map of Africa viewpoint, where the Kaaimans River creates a clear map of Africa. Mossel Bay is a beautiful seaside town featured in the Guinness Book of Records for having the mildest all-year climate.
Discover the rich history of the town with a visit to the Bartholemew Dias Museum with its 500-year-old Post Office tree; a living relic, used by sailors to leave letters hanging in a shoe. Board the replica of the ship (subject to availability) sailed by Bartholemew Dias, the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope.
Have lunch (at your own expense) in town before we move on to Albertinia, the aloe capital of South Africa. Relax before the thrill of an afternoon safari in an open game viewing vehicle. Have your binoculars ready to look for lion resting in the shade. The endangered white rhino shares the plains with towering elephants and herds of buffalo. We may encounter a cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal. The reserve, close to the Langeberg Mountains, is a bird haven for 207 different species, including Rock Kestrels, Peregrine Falcons, Booted Eagles and the Blue Crane. There will be plenty to see before returning to our lodge beneath a star-studded African sky.
It’s an early start with the thrill of a game drive in an open safari vehicle. Listen to a riot of birdsong as the sun floods the plains and animals make their way to drinking holes. Add to your animal checklist, and be on the alert for the ‘Big 5’. After breakfast, the drive takes us past fertile farmlands, across rivers and past fields dotted with aloes and proteas to Swellendam. Sample the youngberries and blackberries for which the town is renowned. Try a berry liquor or the export quality citrus fruit, peaches, and plums (all at your own expense).
It’s a scenic drive from Swellendam to Arniston. Spend an afternoon at leisure in this seaside village. Arniston is a kaleidoscope of colour with white beaches and brightly painted fishing boats bobbing on a turquoise sea. The town is famous for an enormous sea cave, “Wagon House Cliff” (Waenshuiskraal), large enough to hold a wagon and a span of oxen. The name of the town was changed from Waenshuiskraal after “The Arniston” was wrecked on the rocks in 1815. The town, with its natural beauty and whitewashed cottages, is an artist’s paradise. End the day with a relaxed dinner at your hotel.
After breakfast at the hotel, we make the most of the last day with a visit to the Cape Agulhas National Park. The Park stretches along 200km of coastal plain between the towns of Gansbaaai and Struisbaai and covers 20,959 hectares.
You will stand at the southernmost tip of the African continent and see the official line that divides the cold Atlantic and warm Indian Oceans at the Map of Africa Monument. Visit the beautiful lighthouse and its museum. Cape Agulhas, the “Cape of Needles”, named by Portuguese navigators, is where the compass needle always points to true north. Our compass points us to Hermanus, a town renowned for its whale watching and natural beauty. Set against the majestic backdrop of the Overberg Mountains and with its toes in the Indian Ocean, you will be in another world. With luck, we may even see whales (depending on the season). Find a spot for lunch (at your own expense) before we head back to Cape Town for the finale of our grand exploration.
This trip requires a valid passport and for certain nationalities. Spending money required will be for the restaurant meals, drinks, visas, tips, curios, airport transfers, and any other optional excursions.
Our price includes 5x breakfast and 5x dinners, as per the itinerary, transport in an airconditioned Quantum, a professional driver/guide, accommodation based on 4 to 5 stars and entrance fees, as stipulated. Our price does not include any other meals, which are not stipulated, visas, tips, curios, optional excursions, alcohol, bottled water and soft drinks, airport tax, airport transfers and airfares. Before departure clients will be required to enter into an agreement pertaining to our booking conditions and general information as defined on our website and in our brochure. Clients are required to have their own comprehensive personal travel insurance.
Departure Point
The tour departs from Cape Town City Hotels, Sea Point Hotels and Waterfront Hotels between 07h30 and 08h30. Drop-off on the last day is at a Cape Town Hotel around 16h00.
Accommodation on Tour
The accommodation during this tour is based on 4 and 5 star properties
Optional day activities
Please Note:
Travel documents
Please ensure that you are in possession of valid travel documents (passport/visas) for South Africa and that your passport has at least six months’ validity from your planned date of return to your home country. Make two photocopies of valuable documents such as your passport, tickets, visas. Keep one copy with you in a separate place to the original and leave another copy with someone at home.
Please note that all guests travelling to South Africa will require two blank facing pages in their passport.
Please note it is your responsibility to have the correct travel documents (Visas -if applicable and valid passports) for each and every country you will be visiting on your tour.
Foreign currency
Upon arrival you will be able to find a Bureau de Change OR ATM Facilities at the airport and at various points throughout the tour. It is advised to withdraw some ZAR at the ATM upon arrival, in order to have some cash for tips or small curio purchases along the way.
The preferred currency for your tour is as follows:
Credit cards are widely accepted in most parts of South Africa but please ensure to have enough cash for personal expenses and possible gratuities.
Insurance
It is compulsory that all passengers make arrangements for adequate travel insurance to financially safeguard against unforeseen circumstances. If you need further information please do not hesitate to contact us. Drifters do not accept responsibility for any loss, injury, damage, accident, fatality, delay or inconvenience experienced whilst on tour. You will be required to complete and sign a full indemnity prior to your tour departure.
Your insurance should include all the countries and territories that your tour will pass through. You must ensure that you have sufficient cover for medical and evacuation costs, and should base this on advice from your insurer. A minimum benefit of USD 60 000.00 is recommended for evacuation from any area in which Drifters operates in Africa to South Africa, with further benefits for medical costs in South Africa, and for possible repatriation to your home country. Please note that you will be required to furnish details of your travel insurance to Drifters before you will be allowed to travel with us. Please ensure that these details are completely and accurately recorded in order to facilitate a claim should this be necessary.
Health precautions & requirements
The only necessary prophylaxis for South Africa is against Malaria, but on this tour there is no eminent danger as South Africa is regarded mostly as a Malaria free zone however prevention is better than cure, so we do advise to also use insect repellent on exposed areas after sunset. Please consult with your general practitioner regarding this. All Drifters guides have first aid boxes for use in emergencies, however we recommend that you bring a long your own basic supply of medication, headache tablets etc.
**Personal medication
Please bring along any personal medication that you might need on your tour as specific medication could be difficult to find or might not be obtainable in most places we visit. General medication for headaches, colds and fever are easy to get.
Please also inform your guide of any medical conditions. This information will be received professionally and kept confidential.
Weather conditions
Please note that Southern African weather conditions vary tremendously from season to season. During summer months temperatures of up to 40°C can be experienced. During the winter months of June, July and August the nights are very cold, temperatures may drop well below 0°C, although the day temperatures will be pleasant at around 20°C.
For more accurate information, please visit AccuWeather and choose your destination.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/browse-locations
Clothing and personal effects
Herewith a recommended guide of what to bring along:
For walking, hiking and safaris
For general travelling (to keep yourself entertained on the longer drives)
Our vehicles are well equipped with charging facilities while driving. A Two-pin charger is perfect.
General Accessories
Luggage and Packing space on our vehicles
Luggage should be limited to a maximum of 20kg’s
Meals and refreshments
5 Breakfast and 5 dinners are included in the itinerary. Please note that any beverages, such as soft drinks, bottled water and alcohol are for your own expense; there is ample opportunity during the tour to buy refreshments. All beverages and other meals are for own account.
Personal expenses
A reasonable amount of personal spending money must be brought on our tours. This is to cover own expense meals as indicated in our Drifters Brochure, bottled water, soft drinks, alcohol, sundry goods purchased- such as suntan cream etc., curios, optional extra excursions, airport tax, transfers and tips.
In Africa things work a little different to the rest of the World. Tipping or gratuity, unless otherwise specified, is not included in the price you pay for services delivered. This accounts for restaurant meals, casual help and the services of the guide or guides that you will meet on your tour.
Gratuity guidelines
This TIP is not something that is forced upon you by any means, but in many industries of tourism it is customary. It works as follows: if you believe your guide has lived up to your expectations and has performed his/her job in a way that you respect and are happy with the services rendered, an amount of R50 per day or equivalent amount of R50 per day in any major currency per person per day would constitute a fantastic tip. Remember that this is just a guideline and is not by any means compulsory, but seen as common courtesy in Southern and East Africa. General gratuity at restaurants is 10% of the total cost of the receipt.
Pre/Post-Tour Accommodation:
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