South Africa for solo travellers

Itinerary

• Day 1
  Departure
• Day 2
  Arrival in Johannesburg - Arrive in Johannesburg, where you will be met and transferred to the four-star Indaba Hotel in a prosperous suburb north of the city. On the way to our hotel, we take the opportunity to visit the Apartheid Museum, a truly fascinating exhibition charting the apartheid years and the struggle against it, culminating in the first democratic elections. It is a superbly presented walk through contemporary history using original material, riveting eyewitness accounts, photographs and film. The rest the afternoon is at leisure. This evening we will enjoy a lovely welcome dinner that includes some local specialities, where you have the chance of meeting and getting to know your dedicated tour manager, as well as the like-minded solo travellers of the group.
• Day 3
  Kruger National Park - After breakfast this morning, we follow the wonderfully scenic Panorama Route to Kruger National Park. One of the most stunning drives in the world, we follow the rim of Blyde River Canyon – a gorge over 600 metres deep, where intricate rock formations created by centuries of erosion separate temperate grasslands from dusty savannahs. We continue to our three-star superior hotel, Hippo Hollow Country Estate, set in a lush forest on the edge of the park, where we will stay for the next three nights.
• Day 4
  Kruger Game Drive - Our early morning venture into the Kruger National Park will be rewarded with a most spectacular safari experience. Expert rangers will take us around in specially adapted four-wheel-drive vehicles to the best spots for catching a glimpse of the amazing wildlife that call this place home – elephants, cheetahs, leopards, warthogs, zebras, and numerous more species. Make sure you have your camera on hand to seize the very moment when these magnificent creatures make their wonderful appearance.
• Day 5
  Kruger free day - This is a day at leisure for anyone who just wants to take it easy by one of the pools at the hotel or do some hippo-spotting from the lovely lawn overlooking the river. Alternatively, you could try river rafting (subject to weather conditions), as well as sunset safaris or night safaris where you can experience the unique thrill of an open 4x4 vehicle game drive by spotlight.
• Day 6
  Eswatini & Kwazulu Natal - Today we leave Kruger on our way to the battlefields of Zululand. After breakfast we’ll drive south, entering the small but scenically beautiful country of Eswatini. As the road climbs past the interestingly named Piggs Peak, we descend through lush green fields and rolling hills interspersed with small farms and drive through the country’s small capital, Mbabane, passing the parliament house and royal palace en route. We cross back into South Africa in the afternoon and enter KwaZulu-Natal province, staying at the simple three-star Battlefields Lodge for two nights on bed-and-breakfast basis.
• Day 7
  Isandlwana & Rorke’s Drift - After breakfast we visit the battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. Brilliantly dramatised in the films Zulu Dawn and Zulu, these two battles, just a day apart, became a defining moment for the British Empire. In 1879 at Isandlwana, a depleted force of 1,300 were surprised and outmanoeuvred by a 20,000-strong Zulu army armed with cowhide shields and spears. Only a handful survived. The next day just 9 miles away, about 140 British soldiers, some wounded, held off 4,000 Zulus for over 10 hours at Rorke’s Drift, an action earning 11 Victoria Crosses, the largest number ever awarded in a single engagement. Isandlwana, particularly, remains a haunting and lonely place, with mass graves marked by simple white stones. Our specialist Zulu guide will really make those desperate encounters come alive. After an included lunch we return to our hotel.
• Day 8
  Mossel Bay - After breakfast we return to Johannesburg airport, flying to George in the Western Cape and at the heart of the gorgeous Garden Route. We take the short drive to the coastal town of Mossel Bay and our hotel, the charming three-star superior Diaz Hotel and Resort with breakfast. The comfortable rooms all boast excellent sea views. Dinner at a local restaurant is included this evening.
• Day 9
  Featherbed Nature Reserve & Knysna - For 2024 departures We will depart our hotel in the morning and drive to Knysna where we take a ferry across the lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve site which we explore by 4x4 vehicle. We stop at some magnificent viewpoints whilst our guide describes the area’s fauna, flora, history and shipwrecks, followed by an easy downhill guided walk and delicious buffet lunch under the canopy of the milkwood trees (note: due to weather conditions over the winter period, departures between May and Aug will have lunch at a restaurant in Knysna). After taking the ferry back to Knysna, you will have some free time to explore this small town, with its numerous art galleries, craft shops and the Knysna Quays marina shopping complex.
• Day 10
  Hermanus - This morning we take the long scenic drive to the Cape’s beautiful Winelands. We drive via Hermanus – during July to November is the best time for on-shore whale-watching. These gentle giants move in seemingly permanent slow motion and are a truly amazing sight as they playfully cavort in the water. We arrive in the Winelands by late afternoon, staying two nights on bed-and-breakfast at the excellent four-star Pearl Valley Hotel, which is a real find.