Tour Overview
South Africa, this vast land flanked by the Indian Ocean on the east and the booming Atlantic on the west, is world renowned for its stunning scenery, cultural diversity, rich variety of wildlife and in particular, its flowers. Our tour is designed to show a mixture of wild flowers and beautifully cultured varieties in South Africa’s private parks and gardens, plus the opportunity to see some of the country’s magnificent wild game. For 2010 we have also added some stunning private gardens.
We fly from London to Johannesburg, the “city that gold built”, and head for our hotel, which enjoys a spectacular location in the foothills of the southern Drakensberg Mountains. Here we will enjoy guided walks in the surrounding area as well as free time to enjoy the many facilities that the hotel offers. We continue with visits to the botanic gardens at Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
Moving on from Durban, where we also visit a private garden, we travel to Hluhluwe, where we will enjoy a boat cruise through the St Lucia Wetland Park, with its extraordinarily diverse range of wildlife, as well as an open vehicle game viewing drive in the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve, which is home to the Big Five: white rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo and elephant, along with other indigenous game, and provides a moving, unforgettable experience.
During our stay in Cape Town, we take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain, whose flora encompasses some 1470 species, including South Africa’s national flower, the Protea, and visit the superb Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens, dedicated to the preservation of the indigenous plants of Southern Africa. The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is a priceless wilderness area and home to a dazzling array of wild flowers as well as a colony of endangered Jackass penguins. Finally we explore the area around Stellenbosch, with visits to three fascinating private gardens and the superb gardens and winery at Vergelegen.
Saturday 25 September 2010
Depart from London Heathrow Airport (regional flight connections, flight upgrades and overnight accommodation before or after the tour available on request – please ask for a quotation) on our scheduled overnight flight to Johannesburg.
Sunday 26 September 2010
On arrival in Johannesburg we will be met by our comfortable coach and will commence our journey to the Southern Drakensberg, where our accommodation has been organised for the next three nights at the 3-star Drakensberg Gardens Golf & Leisure Resort, set on a scenic 860-acre estate near Underberg, with breathtaking views. Dinner is included each night. All rooms at the hotel have full private facilities and within the grounds there are extensive leisure facilities including a swimming pool and a spa centre.
Monday 27 September 2010
Following breakfast we will have a leisurely botanical walk within the immediate vicinity of the hotel giving an introduction to the native flora. The dramatic terrain of the Drakensberg range has made it one of South Africa’s prime mountaineering areas, however, you do not need to be a seasoned climber to get the best out of the area. The scenery surrounding the hotel is outstanding with beautiful indigenous trees and plants, including varieties of protea and ancient tree ferns. Dinner will be served at the hotel.
Tuesday 28 September 2010
After breakfast there will be further and more detailed botanical walks along the many trails that criss-cross this scenic area. Dinner will be served once again at the hotel in the evening.
Wednesday 29 September 2010
After breakfast the journey continues to the beautiful and tranquil Natal National Botanical Garden at Pietermaritzburg, which specialises in the conservation of plants from the eastern region of South Africa and of rare and endangered species from elsewhere. Established in 1874, the Garden's Victorian past is evident in its magnificent specimens of northern hemisphere plants, such as the swamp cypress, tulip trees, camphor trees, plane trees, giant figs and magnolias. One of the finest features of the Garden is the avenue of London plane trees, which has been stunning visitors since 1908. A section of the garden is planted specifically to attract birds which, along with other diverse habitats, makes the garden rich in birdlife, with over 150 species recorded. A special feature of the garden is a traditional Zulu hut, surrounded by indigenous medicinal plants which form the basis of a Useful Plants garden.
We then travel on to Durban, on the shores of the Indian Ocean, and the 3-star Tropicana Hotel, situated in Durban’s Golden Mile within a few steps of South Beach. All rooms have air-conditioning and full private facilities. The hotel has three restaurants and your guide will be able to offer advice on other restaurants close by.
Thursday 30 September 2010
After breakfast we have organised a guided tour of Durban’s splendid Botanical Gardens. Laid out on slopes, high enough to catch cool breezes, its beautiful collection of palms, trees, orchids and water lilies are superbly displayed. The gardens are world famous for the original specimens of Encephalartos woodii, a cycad that is still acknowledged as probably the rarest plant in the world, as well as for its comprehensive collection of other Southern African cycad species. The orchid house is named after Ernest Thorp, who built it up to its position of world fame as the first "naturalistic" display house.
We follow this with a visit to the private garden of local landscape designer Phil Skerritt. This 1.5-acre garden is sub-tropical in nature and personally landscaped by the owner himself, with extensive terracing using dry stone walls, railway sleepers and pathways which link one area of the garden to another. The garden is well stocked with more than 120 trees and colourful borders comprising shrubs, perennials and ground cover, both indigenous and exotic.
Later in the afternoon we travel through lush sugar cane fields, stopping en route for refreshments, to the village of Hluhluwe. Accommodation has been arranged at the comfortable Ezulwini Game Lodge, situated a few miles outside the village in a private game park. All rooms are fully air-conditioned with private facilities (shower only), hairdryer and tea & coffee making facilities. Dinner is served in the evening.
Friday 1 October 2010
After breakfast this morning we drive to the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park for a boat cruise through the Lagoon. A very special slice of Africa, the Wetland Park stretches along the Zululand coast from Mapelane in the south to Sodwana in the north and offers a diverse range of wildlife. While we can never guarantee that wild animals will co-operate by coming into view when we want them to, we hope to see some of the following species: Nile crocodile and hippo, as well as rhino (both black and white), elephant, buffalo, giraffe, waterbuck, kudu, nyala, impala, duiker and reedbuck, amongst others.
In the afternoon we drive to the Memorial Gate of the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve where we will enjoy an open vehicle game-drive. Following our drive we return to our hotel, where dinner is once again served in the evening.
Saturday 2 October 2010
We rise early this morning (the best time to see wild animals) and return to the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve, where we will again board open view safari vehicles. This is one of the largest game reserves in South Africa, covering an estimated 96 000 hectares, and encompasses three reserves: Hluhluwe, Umfolozi - two of Africa's oldest game reserves, both founded in 1895 - and the associated Corridor Reserve, proclaimed in 1989. The game reserve boasts the largest population of white rhino in the world and if luck is on our side we may see all of the Big Five – lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino – as well as encountering a variety of indigenous game from cheetah, wild dog and giraffe to zebra, nyala and crocodile. A picnic lunch is included today. After the game drive we return to the hotel, and dinner is served in the evening.
Sunday 3 October 2010
Following breakfast we drive to Durban Airport for our flight to Cape Town. On arrival we will be met by our comfortable coach and will transfer to our accommodation for the next four nights at the 3-star Park Inn Greenmarket Square, centrally located overlooking the vibrant Greenmarket Square. All rooms have full private facilities and for relaxation there is a heated swimming pool and sundeck on the roof with views towards Table Mountain. Your guide will be able to offer advice on the eating establishments close to the hotel.
Monday 4 October 2010
This morning, following breakfast, we will explore the many trails on top of Table Mountain (don’t worry - we will get to the top by the five minute cable car!). The indigenous flora of the mountain encompasses some 1470 species, including many different species of Erica and Iris. South Africa’s national flower, the Protea is also abundant on the slopes.
Later we will visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, beautifully situated on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. These world renowned gardens are dedicated to the preservation of the indigenous plants of Southern Africa. Some 6000 different species are grown here including ancient cycads and many species of protea, erica, pelargoniums and ferns. This is truly one of the world’s top gardens.
We will also call in at Cellars Hohenort, a luxury hotel with lavish gardens laid out on a grand scale. Walkways lead to different sections of the garden, which include herb and vegetable gardens, box-edged parterres and fragrant rose gardens.
We return to the hotel where the evening is at leisure.
Tuesday 5 October 2010
Today, following breakfast, we will drive via the fishing village of Hout Bay and the Chapman’s Peak Drive to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where we enjoy a full day tour. Once again indigenous fauna and flora are conserved in this priceless wilderness area, and at this time of year the wild flowers that carpet the landscape should be looking at their best. Within its 7750 hectares, the reserve sustains more varieties of plants than the British Isles, some 1100 indigenous species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.
After our visit to the Nature Reserve we continue to Boulders Beach to see a colony of endangered Jackass Penguins, so called because their call resembles the bray of a donkey. Almost 3000 birds live here, free to roam the fish-filled seas before returning to their private haven.
We return to the hotel where the evening is at leisure.
Wednesday 6 October 2010
Following breakfast we drive in the direction of Stellenbosch and stop for a visit at Una Van der Spuy’s garden, which is tucked away in the Jonkershoek Valley and laid out around an Old Cape Dutch Manor House. Una’s gorgeous garden is a sight to behold with azaleas stealing the show in springtime.
We continue to Stellenberg Garden in Kenilworth, where the owner Mrs Sandy Ovenstone will take us on a tour. The manor house dating from the 1800s is a picturesque backdrop to the beautifully tended gardens, which owe much of their inspiration to three well-known English gardens – Sissinghurst, Hidcote Manor and Hatfield House. The white garden alongside the house is a wonderful mix of romantic perennials, the vegetable patch boasts a companionable mix of herbs, vegetables, sweet peas and foxgloves, and the myrtle hedges are kept clipped as straight as a die. There is also a marsh garden area and a wonderful formal garden designed by David Hicks.
Later we drive in the direction of Somerset West for a visit to the Vergelegen Wine Estate and a tour through the garden. Vergelegen (meaning ‘siuated far away’) has been a gardener’s paradise from the time the land was first tamed by Willem Adriaan van der Stel in 1700, since when has passed through a succession of owners. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited during their tour of 1947 and were said to be “overcome by Vergelegen’s loveliness”. The gardens were restored in 1987 and now feature a White Garden, a Rose Garden and the magnificent Octagonal Garden, which has views to the house along 400m of twin herbaceous borders. Along with summer flowering perennials, annuals such as cleome and nicotiana are planted in September. A wine tasting is also included here, a chance to enjoy the fine Cape wines which are such a familiar sight on our supermarket shelves while actually standing on their native soil. Evening at leisure.
Thursday 7 October 2010
Time to check out of the hotel, however with a whole day to fill before our evening flight, we will take the opportunity to visit another fine private garden. Heading back towards Stellenbosch, we come to the Rustenberg Farm Gardens, which owner Rozanne Barlow has extensively re-designed and re-planted since 2001. Some of the features of the old garden have been retained – a swimming pool from 1926 has been converted to a lily pond with koi carp, and the 1892 pergola remains, now covered with vines and climbers. Elsewhere there are formal yet soft plantings of roses, foxgloves, irises, agapanthus and nicotania, with a surrounding of old English oaks – a reminder perhaps that it is time to head for home!
After a brief visit to Stellenbosch for some last-minute shopping, we will transfer to Cape Town International Airport for the overnight flight back to London.
Friday 8 October 2010
This morning we arrive back into London Heathrow where the group will disperse. (Once again regional flight connections can be arranged on request).
As our programme is very full and varied please note that if there is ever a day you would prefer to relax at the hotel and make your own arrangements, please simply advise your guide the night before.
•11 nights accommodation – 3 nights dinner, bed and breakfast at the 3-star Drakensberg Gardens Golf Leisure Resort, Southern Drakensberg; 1 night bed and breakfast at the Tropicana Hotel, Durban; 3 nights dinner, bed and breakfast at the Ezulwini Game Lodge, plus one picnic lunch; 4 nights bed and breakfast at the 3-star Park Inn Greenmarket Square, Cape Town.
•Scheduled flights from London Heathrow to Johannesburg, Durban to Cape Town and Cape Town to Heathrow. Regional flight connections, flight upgrades and/or overnight accommodation at Heathrow before or after the tour available on request
•Comfortable coaching in South Africa
•Visits to Pietermaritzburg and Durban Botanical Gardens; St Lucia Wetlands Reserve (including boat cruise); Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve (including game viewing drives); Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Cellars Hohenort gardens and Stellenbosch; Vergelegen Wine Estate and Gardens, Rustenberg Farm Gardens and the private gardens of Phil Skerritt, Una van der Spuy and Stellenberg.
•Services of Brightwater Holidays tour manger and local guides throughout
•Single room £275.00
•Insurance £105.00 (66 years and above £145.00)
London Heathrow
Regional flight connections, flight upgrades and/or overnight accommodation at Heathrow before or after the tour available on request