The first European sailors to attempt to round the southern tip of Africa, having endured the winter storms that can pound this peninsula, are said to have returned to Portugal and told their king that they had found their way around the 'Cape of Storms'. The King immediately instructed that the name be changed to 'The Cape of Good Hope' because, despite its sometimes stormy nature, it provided a vision of a future that was filled with hope and potential.

The winter storms still pound the coast of South Africa and its society will continue to face challenges as it evolves in the future. Over and above the scenery, wild life and peaceful beaches, what makes South Africa so uniquely interesting is the remarkable resilience that its varied people have shown in overcoming and moving past its problems. This is important to all of us, because in its unique way, South Africa mirrors the world that we all will be living in - a great diversity of human and other life sharing a single planet.

Our Journey commences in the second oldest town in South Africa, Stellenbosch, the centre of the 350 year old Wine Lands, of which it is said ‘‘wine is made in no more beautiful place on earth’. There you will see, in their magnificent settings, examples  of the unique ‘Cape Dutch‘ architecture, a melding of the Dutch gable style and the skill and artistry of the Indonesian artisans that built them.

We then move on to the Mother City - Cape Town, established in 1652 beneath the magnificent massif of Table Mountain. During our time there, weather permitting - we  schedule our Journeys for March precisely because that is the best time of the year to ensure that there is the least likelihood of weather disruptions - you will visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela and many other leaders were incarcerated, now a World Heritage site.

You will take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain to take in the view and the peninsula which Sir Francis Drake described as ‘Fairest Cape in all the world’. You will tour that peninsula, visiting a penguin colony and visit a conservation group maintaining peace between human and baboon contenders for the same habitat.

You will fly to Johannesburg where you will be introduced to the prehistory of our species and then right back up to our modern day in one of the world’s most modern cities. You will visit the Apartheid to Museum where you will see the consequences of following a mistaken social ideology and visit Soweto, Johannesburg’s sister city that has featured so much in the news of the last fifty years, itself a manifestation of the ideology of racial separation and a testimony to the resilience and adaptability of people.

From Johannesburg we will drive to and cross the Botswana border and into the first of two very different wild life habitats to experience the extraordinary variety of unspoiled life - birds, animals, reptiles, insects and flora, that inhabit Africa.

You will drive from there along the northern South Africa border to the most beautiful part of the Kruger National Park, and area seldom included in overseas visitors tours. Between the two, you will have the chance to see, in two very different habitats, “The Big Five”, “The Little Five” and everyone in between; from Aardvark to Zebra, they are all there. Of course in a genuine wildlife safari, as opposed to the ‘canned’ variety, nothing can be guaranteed, but because of the places we have chosen, none of our groups have ever failed to have outstanding natural encounters.

We will return to Johannesburg to re-merge into the modern world where, prior to your departure for home, you will have an opportunity for final shopping at a Market where goods from all over Africa are available.

Please Contact us for a complete itinerary.

Sceduled: March 13 - 27, 2011