Cape Town and the Garden Route

Wamkelekile e iKapa! Welcome to Cape Town! The Mother City is South Africa's oldest city and one of three official capital cities. After meeting your tour leader at the hotel, join them and the tour group on a Cape Town City Tour! The city is a bustling metropolis with an array of sights and attractions. This exciting driving tour will reveal beautiful and important sights such as Signal Hill, District 6 and the Castle of Good Hope. Set foot in the Company's Gardens (the oldest garden in SA!) and the colourful Cape Malay Bo-Kaap region before heading back to the hotel. This evening, enjoy an included welcome dinner!

Take a driving and walking tour of Cape Town: This Cape Town city tour showcases the historic heart of the city. It’s a place with many influences that include Cape Malay and Xhosa communities, as well as a Dutch colonial heritage. The afternoon drive shows off some of Cape Town's most scenic landmarks. The Atlantic coast and Table Mountain National Park are very beautiful at this time of day. 

Welcome dinner: Enjoy an included welcome dinner this evening - the perfect opportunity to get to know your Expat Explore tour leader and fellow travellers from all over the world!

Cape Town is yours to explore today! Choose from a variety of optional activities - Cape Town has something for every kind of interest. A popular option is to join a day trip to Cape Point and the Cape Peninsula. Here, visit the Cape Point Nature Reserve, the Cape Point Lighthouse, the most south-western point of Africa, and see beautiful landscapes filled with Cape Fynbos. Also make stops at Kalk Bay and Boulders Beach Penguin Colony. More activities include visiting the District 6 Museum, the Two Oceans Aquarium, the stunning Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the Constantia Wine Valley - which is a short 20 minute drive from Cape Town and home to a number of award-winning wine estates!

Today it’s off to the Cape Winelands! South Africa has 100,000+ hectares of vineyards and the wine industry is the world’s oldest outside of Europe. Top wine varieties include Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Pinotage, which is unique to SA. After breakfast, drive to Stellenbosch, a beautiful university town that is full of charm and history! Here, enjoy a special wine tasting. A wine specialist leads a tasting of local wines and tells us about South African varietals. Then, enjoy a tasty lunch in the vineyards. After lunch, explore the Cape Dutch architecture, boutiques and art galleries. Before leaving, enjoy one more wine tasting. Finally, visit the coastal town of Hermanus before heading to the hotel for the night.

Cape Winelands wine tasting: Enjoy two wine tastings including lunch at a wine farm in the famous winelands region of the Western Cape.

Explore Stellenbosch: Take some free time to explore the historical university town, admire the mix of Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian architecture, the tree-lined streets and relaxing coffee shops.

Visit Hermanus: Savour the stunning coastal views as the tour makes its way to Hermanus. Enjoy free time to explore this delightful town on the Cape Whale Coast Route - if you’re lucky you’ll even be able to spot whales from the beach!

This morning, enjoy free time before heading for the Garden Route! Join an optional shark cage diving experience to see great white sharks up close! En route to Swellendam, enjoy a lunch stop in Riviersonderend. In Swellendam, explore the town’s incredible architecture. Outside Albertinia, visit the Cape Aloe Vera farm. Try aloe tea and body products made from this medicinal plant and learn about its many uses. Next stop, Mossel Bay, a popular coastal village. On the way to the hotel, stop at Pinnacle Caves. Fossils of 170 000+ years have been found at this ancient site. Enjoy an included dinner at the hotel tonight.

Discover Swellendam: Enjoy some free time in the third oldest town in the Republic of South Africa. Check out the incredible architecture of the Dutch Reformed Church - a striking mix of Italian Baroque and French Gothic influences, with an Eastern dome and Cape Dutch facades.

Explore an Aloe Vera farm: Stop at one of the original aloe factories in the Hessequa region. Sample various Aloe Vera products, walk around in the indigenous garden (with 17 species of aloe) and drink some Aloe tea!

Visit Pinnacle Point Caves in Mossel Bay: Visit Pinnacle Point Caves, a Provincial Heritage Site where human bones of between 40,000 and 170,000 years ago have been discovered. The discoveries have led to further studies by the Institute of Human Origins.

A South African wildlife experience awaits at Botlierskop Private Game Reserve. Here, enjoy the chance to see wildebeest, rhinos, giraffes, elephants and lions on a real-life safari with the group! Spend lunch time in Knysna, the heart of the Garden Route. Get dropped off at the harbour where you can explore or eat at a local restaurant. The local seafood, especially the famous Knysna oysters, are highly recommended! After lunch, enjoy some more animal encounters! Choose between two optional excursions: roam free with the monkeys at Monkeyland, or visit Birds of Eden, the world's largest free flight aviary and bird sanctuary.

Botlierskop Game Drive: Get to know the Garden Route wildlife on an open vehicle safari truck in Botlierskop Private Game Reserve. Sightings include buffalo, zebra, giraffe, golden wildebeest, hippos, rhinoceros, lions and more than 200 bird species!

Explore Knysna: Experience the laid-back yet stylish vibe of Knysna, a quaint town known as "the beating heart" of the Garden Route. Get off at the Knysna waterfront - an idyllic location with unique and trendy stores, water activities and the most divine dining options.

Get adventurous and spend time outdoors in the Garden Route National Park! The Tsitsikamma forest is filled with rivers, gorges and mountains. There are lots of exhilarating things to do in this beautiful place. Take a zipline tour through the trees or bungee jump off the Bloukrans Bridge - the highest commercial bungee jump in the world! Or, stay on the ground to learn more about the region's fauna and flora. Drive to the Storms River Mouth in Tsitsikamma National Park where you can hike through the forest, take a seaside stroll and cross the longest suspension bridge in South Africa. Enjoy free time this evening to relax, or grab a beer from the local microbrewery or pub in Storm’s River.

Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River Mouth: A suspension bridge and lookout trail that meanders along the most spectacular ocean and forest landscapes. The highlight of the walk is a famous 77m long suspension bridge over the Storms River Mouth. As you walk, keep an eye out for the Knysna Loerie, Cape Clawless Otter and dolphins.

A whole new landscape unfolds as the tour heads into a semi-desert area today. The Karoo is a unique place known as the 'land of the thirst'. The scenic Route 62 takes the coach through Langkloof. Here, have a look at the many fruit and vegetable farms along the road and among the foothills of the epic Kouga and Tsitsikamma mountains. In Oudtshoorn, visit a working ostrich farm to take a tour and learn more about the world’s biggest birds. Next, it’s time to take a heritage tour of the magnificent Cango Caves. These dripstone caverns are over 20 million years old! This evening brings a delicious Karoo dinner at the lodge.

Visit a Klein Karoo ostrich farm: Take a guided tractor tour which covers the history of ostrich farming, farming practices and the breeding cycle of these special Karoo ostriches. See ostriches and adorable chicks up-close! A delicious traditional lunch is also included in this experience.

Visit the Cango Caves: Enjoy a visit to the historic Cango Caves near Oudtshoorn. The caves are one of South Africa's hidden treasures and are millions of years old. See the large chambers and learn more about the caves’ cultural and historical heritage.

Karoo Dinner: Eating and drinking in the Karoo is an experience in itself! On the menu tonight are a variety of dishes prepared the traditional way: Braaivleis (BBQ), boerewors (South African sausage), potato salad, fresh seasonal veg and an iconic South African dessert. You might also get to taste true Karoo lamb. It has a distinctly herby flavour due to the fragrant shrubs and grasses sheep naturally feed on in this region. Either way, this is sure to be a sensational culinary experience!

After breakfast, travel down Route 62 and take in the scenery along the way. After a quick comfort stop at a quirky road stall along the way, enjoy an included lunch in the Robertson area, known as the valley of wine and roses! Then, head to Paarl for another culinary adventure of cheese and wine tasting at a local vineyard. After a full day in the spectacular winelands, head back to Cape Town and settle into the hotel for the evening.

Lunch in Robertson: Experience this stunning wine-producing region. It’s known as the valley of wine and roses and sits at the heart of the Route 62 wine route.

Cheese and wine tasting in Paarl: Sample some of South Africa’s most delicious cheese and wine during a stop in Paarl in the Cape Winelands!

This is the last day of this wonderful tour of Cape Town and the Garden Route. Enjoy one last breakfast with your new tour buddies at the hotel. Be sure to swap contact details so that you can stay in touch once you are back at home. Don’t forget to share your amazing tour memories with us using the hashtag #ExpatExplore!