OVC05 - 18 Day South Africa Scenic Route Camping Tour

A wonderful journey through the Rainbow Nation, camping, trekking, game viewing, historical and cultural visits through South Africa!

           
Travelling along the South Peninsula of the Cape.

Guests
Minimum 4 - Maximum 12 

Departures
Tours depart Johannesburg on Saturday at 06:30. South African Tour ends in Cape Town on Tuesday at 18:00. Scheduled departure dates can be found below.

Guests
Minimum 4 - Maximum 12



Day 1 of the tour
Departing from Johannesburg at 06:30 we head east towards Mpumalanga. A landscape characterised by mountains, panoramic passes, valleys, rivers, waterfalls and forests. We will camp the night in the old gold rush town of Pilgrims Rest, a living museum dating back to 1873. We explore the quaint town, visit Bourkes Luck Potholes and God’s window viewpoint.

Distance/ Time:     350km, +/- 5 hours, excluding stops for sightseeinga and lunch

Overnight:     Camping - Pilgrims Rest (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)

Days 2-3 of the tour
The Kruger National Park Safari - Big game country - exciting game drives provide us with excellent game viewing. Spot lion, elephant, rhino and other animals in one of the last African wildernesses. Early morning & afternoon game drives get us close to the wildlife.  

Distance/ Time:     150km, +/- 2 hours, plus 3x3 hour game drives

Overnight:     Camping - Kruger National Park (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)

Day 4 of the tour
The mountainous Kingdom of Swaziland, lead by King Mswati III, is one of 3 monarchies in Africa. Swazi’s are proud of their traditional lifestyle & cultures. Malalotja borders on the Drakensberg escarpment and we explore the reserve on foot to enjoy the mountain scenery, rare birdlife, and the 95m high Malalotja waterfall. Overnight in log cabins with fantastic panoramic views.

Distance/ Time:     200km, +/- 4 hours, excluding 2-3 hour morning drive out of Kruger, Shopping stop in Malelane, Jeppe's
                              Reef border formalities and stops for sightseeing    

Overnight:     Cabin - Swaziland (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)

Days 5-6 of the tour
After visiting craft markets near Mbabane, we re-enter South Africa. Mkuzi Game Reserve is a safe haven for the endangered black rhino. We have a full day to game drive and stop at waterhole hides and watch game come down to drink.

Distance/ Time:     300km, +/- 4 hours, excluding border formalities and game drives in Mkuzi

Overnight:     Camping - Zululand (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)

Days 7-8 of the tour
Moving further south to the base of the Drakensberg (Dragon Mountains). We have two nights here in chalets allowing time for walking along beautiful mountain stream paths, looking for Bushman rock paintings or just enjoying spectacular views.

Distance/ Time:     400km, +/- 6 hours, excluding stops for sightseeing and lunch

Overnight:     Camping - Drakensberg Mountains (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)

Days 9-10 of the tour
We travel through the towering red sandstone cliffs of Golden Gate en route to Lesotho. Quaint villages and towns offer interesting stops along the way. We cross the border and head to southern Lesotho to our overnight chalets at Malealea. This lodge nestled in the mountains forms our base for two nights. The next morning we are up early and spend the day trekking with local guides and their ponies through the rugged mountains.

Distance/ Time:     370km, +/- 8 hours, excluding stops for border formalities, sightseeing and lunch

Overnight:     Chalets - Lesotho (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)



Day 11 of the tour
Descending from the Lesotho highlands we make our way into the Karoo. It covers most of central South Africa and is a vast semi desert. It has become famous for its sheep and ostrich farming industries, and roadside stalls selling handmade windmills.

Distance/ Time:     370km, +/- 8 hours - a long day! Excluding stops for border formalities, sightseeing and lunch

Overnight:     Guest House - Karoo (Lunch, Bed & Breakfast)



Day 12 of the tour
A conservation success, Addo Elephant National Park offers a unique wildlife area, famous for the Addo elephants. We head out on game drives in search of elephant, black rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard. Evening viewing at the floodlit waterhole allows us to watch the nocturnal animals.

Distance/ Time:     280km, +/- 3 hours, excluding stops for sightseeing, lunch and game drives

Overnight:     Camping - Addo Elephant National Park (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)



Days 13-14 of the tour
Indigenous Tsitsikamma forests surround the campsite at Storms River mouth, and there are walks up the Storms River Gorge and along the rocky coastline. There is an option of the world’s highest bungi jump (own expense). Whale watching in season (July to November).

Distance/ Time:     220km, +/- 3 hours, excluding stops for sightseeing

Overnight:     Camping - Tsitsikamma (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)



Day 15 of the tour
After visiting “The Heads” in Knysna, a town nestled on a tranquil lagoon we travel south along the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve and Threewaterskloof Dam before heading over the Franschoek Pass to our campsite near Franschoek for the evening.

Distance/ Time:     510km, +/- 7 hours, excluding stops for sightseeing and lunch

Overnight:     Camping - Franschoek (Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)



Days 16-17 of the tour
We enjoy a morning walk in historic Franschoek. Visit Stellenbosch, for wine tasting and a cellar tour. Explore Cape Town and the “mother city's” many attractions, visit Cape Point, the Cape of Good Hope, Chapman’s Peak drive, the harbour at Hout Bay, enjoy the famous beaches and the V&A Waterfront. Optional visit to Robben Island (own expense). Meals at a variety of local restaurants (own expense).

Distance/ Time:     160km, +/- 2 hours and Wineland Tour, full day Cape Peninsula Tour on day 17

Overnight:     Guest House - Cape Town (Bed & Breakfast)



Day 18 of the tour
We climb Table Mountain in the morning admiring the views over Table Bay and Cape Town. Spend the afternoon catching up on last minute curio shopping or just lazing on the beach absorbing the Cape’s sunshine. The tour ends at about 18:00. Transfers can be arranged to Cape Town International Airport. 

Distance/ Time:     N/A 

• This tour is operated as a Scheduled Tour. Departure dates can be found below.
• There are only two single tents available for this tour, which attracts the single supplement charge. On the nights that the camping tours stay in Guest Houses or Chalets the single travellers will be roomed with another same sex single traveller. Should there be no single tents available single guests will pay the sharing rate and then be accommodated in a twin share tent with another traveller of the same sex.
• Please feel free to add on to this tour with any of the other possible tours we offer in the area.
• The accommodation specified in the itinerary is a guide only and subject to availability. Alternatives will be of a similar standard if required.
• The Euro rate is just an indication of the price at the current exchange rate, it cannot be guaranteed until a confirmed booking is made.

Scheduled Departure Dates 2012

All “South Africa Scenic Route” departures can be combined before the “Cape Town to Victoria Falls Explorer” to create a complete circular safari in Southern Africa.

All “South African Scenic Route” departures can be combined before the “Cape Town to Namibia Desert Tour” to create a comprehensive safari in Southern Africa.