"My new husband and I were truly amazed by the beauty of South Africa! We had the most wonderful and memorable times of our lives. What an incredible way to start our new life's as husband and wife."
Private Guided trip by local Food and Wine expert.
Tour the scenic Cape Point via Chapman's Peak and Boulders Beach ( "Penguin beach")
Dine at 3 of South Africa's top restaurants - La Colombe, Le Quartier Francais, Emily's
Visit a Cape Malay Spice Shop
Visits to 5 of the regions top wine estates where you will have the opportunity to engage with local winemakers.
Optional Cape Malay Cooking Class.
Visit to a Cheesery for a talk on local cheeses followed by tasting.
Cooking demonstration at a township cooking school.
3 Day/2 Night Fly in Safari in the Greater Kruger park at a Private Game Lodge.
Accommodation
Cape Town - Derwent House Boutique Hotel. Derwent House is one of Cape Town’s most inviting guest houses. It combines chic contemporary elegance with a fun and relaxing atmosphere. It is also incredibly well located just off the trendiest street in the City in between the City Centre and Table Mountain. With a total of 10 rooms and one apartment the atmosphere is friendly without being intrusive, and the staff team are dedicated to making your stay a success.
Derwent House is the winner of the 2009 TripAdvsior Travellers Choice Awards for "Best Hidden Gem" and "Best Service".
Cape Winelands - Rusthof Country House Rusthof Country House, a classic Cape Dutch styled home, lies in the heart of the historic French Huguenot Village of Franschhoek, the “Food & Wine” capital of South Africa. The scenery is spectacular with magnificent mountains, endless vineyards and shady oak trees that dominate this beautiful valley. Rusthof is an exclusive Country House catering to no more than 16 guests, ensuring a warm, friendly personal service in gracious and elegant surroundings.
Greater Kruger Park - Pondoro Game Lodge Set on the cool riverine banks of the Olifants River in the exclusive Balule Private Game Reserve, Pondoro offers its visitors comfort, sophistication, elegance and a canvas on which to create a truly unforgettable African safari. In this small, very exclusive 12-bed lodge you will discover the only way to experience the African bush. In addition to luxurious accommodation and the caring attention from trained professionals, visitors are lavished upon with international fare and humble African hospitality. Meals are an extraordinary culinary experience where Traditional African Cuisine fuse effortlessly with modern European trends. All meals are served on a wooden deck high up in the tree canopy overlooking the Olifants River (weather permitting).
Trip Slideshow
A vineyard tour
African Steam Bread
Spice Shop
Cape Malay Fish
Cape Malay Spices
Chakalaka
A cooking lesson
Cape Malay Cooking
La Colombe
Entre at La Colombe
Red Wine Barrels
Wine Tasting
Cape Winelands
Among the Vines
Among the Vines 2
Deck At Pondoro Game Lodge
Outside View at Pondoro
Bathroom at Pondoro
Spa at Pondoro
What's Included
Meet and Greet on arrival by our local representative.
Private transfers to and from the airport.
A personal qualified tour guide for your tours during the day.
3 Nights accommodation in Cape Town with breakfast included.
2 Nights accommodation in the Winelands with breakfast included.
2 Nights accommodation at a Private Safari Lodge in the Greater Kruger Area with all meals and game viewing included.
Dinner at Emily's in Cape Town (excluding drinks and tips)
Lunch at La Colombe (excluding drinks and tips)
Dinner at La Quartier Francais (excluding drinks and tips)
Lunch at African Cooking School (excluding drinks and tips)
All entracnce fees to Wine Estates and Chessery.
Flight from Cape Town to Kruger Mpumlanga Airport with taxes included.
Flight from Hoedspruit to Johannesburg with taxes included.
What's Not Included.
International Flight. (We offer special contract fares from the USA to South Africa with South African Airways, Delta, Virgin Atlantic and KLM in both Economy and Business Class and would be happy to quote a fare for you).
Travel Insurance. (We offer travel insurane with our partners Travel Insured International. Full details of rates and coverage can be found here.)
Table Mountain Cable Car entrance fee. (can be paid locally as is weather dependant).
Option Cape Malay Cooking on day 5. (Approx additional cost $160 per person).
All drinks and tips in restaurants.
Tips to drivers, guides and hotel sfaff.
Dinner on day's 1, 3 and 5.
Lunch on day's 2 and 5.
All items of a personal nature.
Map and Day By Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Cape Town Arrive at Cape Town International Airport afternoon or evening (depending on flight plan). Our representative will meet you on arrival in Cape Town and transfer you to Derwent House, boutique hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure.
Overnight at Derwent House on a bed and breakfast basis .
Day 2: : Full day tour of Cape Point via the scenic Chapman's Peak Meet your guide this morning at Derwent House and begin your private Cape Town and The Cape Winelands Culinary Experience.
This day introduces you to the beauty of Cape Town as you meander along the coastline. Highlights: Chapman's Peak drive, the African penguin colony at Boulders and the famous Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope.
Dinner this evening is at Emily's. Emily's is owned by Peter Veldsman and his partner Johan Odendaal. Together they are a formidable team. Peter is a renowned authority on South African cuisine and Johan is one of South Africa's top chefs. Between them they offer a modern South African cuisine fine dining experience. They are inspired by the many ingredients used by the rainbow nation, bringing together flavours from Malay, Sotho, Zulu, British, Afrikaans, Tswana etc!
Emily's has won many awards over the years: Top 10 awards, The Tony Jackman Choice award, three years in a row of Wine Magazine awards, Diners club International winner of platinum and the rare Diamond awards for 2000 and 2001, BBC award winner and New York Times accolade recipient.
Overnight at Derwent House on a bed and breakfast basis.
Day 3: Morning city tour with Table Mountain by cable car (weather permitting). Lunch in the Constantia Wine Valley and Wine & Cheese Tasting in the afternoon.
Today we explore the city by bus, by foot and by cable car. There is no better way to get a feel for a city than to walk! We start our walk in the Bo-Kaap region with a visit to Atlas Spices. This region is our Cape Malay quarter and as such is a celebration of the earliest Cape cuisine. The spice shop is an assault on the senses and represents the spices that were brought in from the East and used liberally by the Indonesian slaves in the kitchens of the Dutch to liven up the dishes that were served.
The visit to the city takes you through the history of Cape Town through time; it introduces you to the people and explains their influences in our cuisine. From the city we head to the closest wine region Constantia.
Constantia was the estate of Simon van der Stel one of the earliest Cape governors. Simon was very passionate about wine and wine making. As such he settled the area of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. His rightful place in history is that of the father of South African wine.
Today Constantia's wines are noted as some of the best wines in the country. It is a particularly good white wine region due to the close proximity to the ocean which allows for cooling sea breezes.
We start our journey in this region with lunch at La Colombe Restaurant on the Constantia Uitsig estate. This restaurant is currently rated the best restaurant in the country and has been scooping up all of the gourmet awards for best chef and best restaurant. It is located in a relaxed country setting and the cuisine is a celebration of French and Asian flavours.
After lunch we will visit two more estates in the region: Steenberg and Klein Constantia.
Steenberg is renowned as one of our top estates in the country for sauvignon blanc. They are frequently rated as one of the top wine farms in the country and have achieved at least one 5* rating in the John Platter's guide for the last few years. The John Platter's guide is the definitive wine guide to purchase while you are here for anyone who is truly passionate about wine.
Klein Constantia is famous for recreating the wine that made Constantia famous in the 1800's. This wine was adored by Napoleon Bonaparte, Queen Victoria, the King of France and was ever written about by Charles Dickens! The current owner decided in the 1980's to attempt to recreate the famous wine he called it Vin de Constance. This wine has been held up to much acclaim every since his first bottling. It has won numerous awards every year and is highly sought after. The wine is made from Muscat de Frontignan grapes which are left on the vines to shrivel to sweet raisened berries before being harvested in late March.
In the late afternoon we head through to the Constantia Cheesery to have a talk on South African cheeses followed by a tasting of cheeses from around the country. The owner has extensive knowledge on cheese and cheese producers from around the country and as such is fascinating to chat to.
Dinner this evening is at leisure. If you would like a restaurant reservation please let us know, however you will have had a large lunch and may not be able to fit in a large dinner!
Overnight at Derwent House on a bed and breakfast basis
Day 4: African Cooking, Wine & Old Wine Regions Today starts with a Hands on African cooking demonstration in a township at the only full time cooking school located in a township. Here you learn to cook and experience the tastes of the food that the local African population eats daily. You will learn to cook pap (similar to polenta), chakalaka (a relish) and a meat stew. (Vegetables are a secondary concern to a population who loves their meat!).
After lunch we head through the town of Stellenbosch for a short tour of this historic town. Stellenbosch boasts oak lined streets and white houses from the Dutch and British occupation.
We stop en route to Franschhoek for a wine tasting at Warwick an award winning wine estate which was started by one of South Africa's first female wine makers. Canadian born Norma Ratcliffe faced fierce opposition in a male dominated industry in setting up her winery. She triumphed. Her wines were the first South African wines to get a rating of over 90 points in US Wine Spectator for two red blends Trilogy and Three Cape Ladies. Time dependant and energy dependant, we will then move onto Thelema wine estate for a tasting.
Dinner: Le Quartier Franscais: The award-winning restaurant, The Tasting Room, showcase Margot Janse " "Top Chef 2004" revolutionizing the concept of traditional dining with 4, 6 and 8-course menus. Food created with passion and the best of the Cape's ingredients have earned this restaurant a place in the country's Top Ten for the last five years. (Note rated by UK Restaurant Magazine as one of the World's 50 best restaurants 2005, 2006 & 2007).
With a flair for the fresh and the avant-garde, this sanctuary has never had to try too hard to be exceptional.
Overnight tonight at Rusthoff Country House in the Village of Franschoek.
Day 5: Stellenbosch wine region, meet the wine makers, exclusive wine tasting in a old Cape Dutch homestead, followed by Cape Malay cooking (optional).
This morning set out to explore more of the Stellenbosch wine region, taking in poetry, rustic cellars and good wine. We start the day at Le Riche wine estate in a rustic wine cellar where some of the countries top cabernet sauvignons are produced. The tasting at this boutique winery will either be conducted by Etienne Le Riche or his assistant wine maker Mark Daniels. Mark is one of the few black wine makers in the industry and his story is inspirational. www.leriche.co.za
After lunch we have another private wine tasting with Mike Debrovnic at Mulderbosch wine estate Mike will spin poetry about the wine and life itself. He is a wonderful warm inspiring man who produces a large range of excellent red and white wines. He is rated as one of the top wine makers in South Africa. www.mulderbosch.co.za (Note that sometimes the private tasting is hosted by one of the wine makers that works with Mike on the farm it is none-the-less a wonderful experience)
Or
A tasting with one of South Africa's top winemakers Bruwer Raats (www.raats.co.za). Raats Family Wines has specifically decided to specialize in varietals that can stand out from the pack and reflect the unique terroir. As such Bruwer has decided to specialize in Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. This has paid off and he has achieved ratings of 93 in US Wine Spectator Magazine, 90 in US magazine Wine & Spirits and rave reviews in the New York Times
Or
A visit to De Toren wine estate (http://www.de-toren.com/thestory.htm). De Toren is known for their award winning red wine blends. A visit to the farm is really interesting as it is available by appointment only and is hosted either by the wine maker, the owner or the viticulturist each one is fascinating in their own right. De Toren believes in minimal handling of the grapes, they use basket presses and gravity to avoid harsh pumping.
Note : The choice of which estates will depend on the availability of the wine makers on the day of your visit. However, please let us know your preferences out of the above three and we will strive to get the opportunity for you to meet the winemaking team that appeals to you most. In addition, it will assist us if you let us know what your wine preferences are so that we can tailor make your wine tour day.
Dinner: Franschhoek is the undisputed culinary capital of the country. Each year the Cape dominates the culinary awards, with Franschhoek taking the vast majority of the accolades. There is something that appeals to the chefs about the quaint country atmosphere of this town. They have visited, fallen in love and moved here! Tonight you will have the opportunity to simply relax and chose a restaurant on the main road, or we will make a booking at a top restaurant for you or you can chose to do the Cape Malay cooking experience.
OPTIONAL: Cape Malay Cooking with Cass Abrahams: (location about œ hour away from Franschhoek)
The Cape Malay cuisine is the oldest cuisine of the Cape people. It emerged from the Malay slaves who worked in the kitchens of their Dutch masters. They could not resist adding some spice to the bland Dutch cuisine!
Today we join local foodie celebrity Cass Abrahams the renowned authority on Cape Malay cuisine for a talk and a cooking demonstration. Her restaurant is scenically located on the main road of the winelands town of Paarl. Paarl is the third oldest town in South Africa and boasts a beautiful wide main road that was big enough to take two way traffic of ox wagons.
Highlights: Introduction by Cass Abrahams to the history of the Cape Malay people and the recipes that emerged from the blend of the eastern spices and Dutch cuisine. Cass has spent many years researching the cuisine of her people, she obtained recipes from the old people in the community, dug into the archives and researched the history of her people and their cuisine. Cooking demonstration of typical Cape Malay dishes (tasting as you go along!). Volunteers will be asked to come and assist with the cooking. Enjoying a relaxing dinner with her accompanied by regional wines. xplore the extensive Gardens of the Zomerlust this was one of the main original farms in the area and as such they have extensive grounds.
Overnight: Rusthoff Country House on a bed and breakfast basis.
Day 6: Cape Town -Johannesburg - Greater Kruger
We will collect you from Rusthoff County House early thsi morning and transfer you to Cape Town International Airport. Depart on a South African Airways flight at 10am to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport. Arrive at 12.35pm where a ranger will meet your for your road transfer to Pondoro Game Lodge in the Balule Private Game Reserve. Arrive at your game lodge in time for a freshen up followed by an evening game drive. Return to your lodge for dinner.
Overnight at Pondoro Game Lodge on a full board basis.
Day 7: Ful Day on Safari in the African Bush
Imagine a lion's pre-dawn roar as the only sound accompanying your early morning wake-up call.
As the first rays of the sun melts the African night away, you will find yourself on a open-topped Land Rover tracking down amongst others, five of the animals African hunters feared the most.
Experienced guides will not only use all their vast knowledge and bush craft to try and show you the notorious Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) and other plains game such as zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, but they will do their best to paint memories of an Africa that will never fade away.
A nature walk with an armed guide would add the thrill of encountering animals on foot.
Let your guide page with you through nature's book and explain to you the meaning of various tracks and why tracking is seen as the origin of science.
Your evening drive will be interrupted by sundowners and a sunset out of a Hemingway novel.
Thereafter the spotlight might follow grey ghosts as they move silently through the night, bringing back memories of a time when we were the prey and they were the undisputed rulers of the night. .
Day 8: Final Game Drive and head for home
An early wake up call this morning for a final game drive on the landrover. After watching the animals wake as the sun rise over the african bush you will return to the lodge for breakfast. After breakfast it is time to bid farewell to Balue Game Reserve and your ranger will transfer your to Hoedspruit Aiport for your early afternoon flight to Johannesburg International Airport where your trip ends.
Per Person Rate is $3,385 and is based on two people sharing.*
*Rate is based on current exchange rates and is subject to change. Itinerary is subject to availability.
Please note rate does not include international flight from the USA.
