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Africa
South Africa: A...
 

South Africa: Cultural Cities & Wildlife Safaris

17 days |  20 days with Johannesburg & Victoria Falls extension
17 days |  20 days with Johannesburg & Victoria Falls extension
Group size1222 travelers
Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars

111
Physical activity
a man standing on a cliff overlooking the coast of cape town south africa
a white van parked on the edge of a hill
an elephant in the brush in south africa
blue ocean waves crashing on the sand along the coast of south africa
OverviewItineraryDates & pricesReviewsTraveler photosHotels, flights & FAQ

Currently, COVID-19 vaccination is required to participate in this tour.

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Journey to the southern tip of Africa to a country that defies comparison.

No other destination offers such a spectacular combination of scenery, cities, and amazing wildlife sightings. One day you’re out on the savanna, spying on leopards and lions on this small group Adventure Tour; the next, you’re sipping a crisp chenin blanc and feeling the breeze off the Indian Ocean.

Your tour package includes

  • 14 nights in handpicked hotels
  • 14 breakfasts
  • 5 lunches
  • 7 dinners with beer or wine
  • 1 liquor tasting
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Included highlights

  • Table Mountain
  • Cape of Good Hope
  • Pinnacle Point
  • Featherbed Nature Reserve
  • Tsitsikamma National Park
Read more
Start planning today

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Day-by-day itinerary

Print itinerary
Overnight Flight1 night
Day 1: Travel day

Board your overnight flight to Cape Town today.

Cape Town4 nights
Day 2: Arrival in Cape Town

Welcome to South Africa! Settle in to your hotel this evening.

Day 3: Sightseeing tour of Cape Town
Included meals: Breakfast, Welcome dinner

Join your Tour Director for a tour of Cape Town, a beautiful and culturally rich city.

  • Take a cable car ride up Table Mountain and soak in panoramic views of the city below (weather permitting)
  • See Signal Hill and the Castle of Good Hope
  • Catch glimpses of City Hall and the Houses of Parliament as you drive through the city
  • Take a walking tour of the Bo-Kaap area, home to Cape Malay culture and some of the city’s most vibrant architecture
  • Visit the District Six Museum to learn about the diverse communities that were forcibly removed under apartheid
  • See how the museum staff are helping to rebuild the communities and strengthen the rich cultures in District Six and beyond

Spend a free afternoon in Cape Town or add an excursion.

Enjoy a welcome dinner with your fellow travelers this evening.

Please note: On some departures, the optional excursion will be offered in the morning and the sightseeing tour will take place in the afternoon. In the event of inclement weather, the visit to Table Mountain will be moved to day 4 or 5. In the unlikely event of poor weather both days, Table Mountain will be replaced with a visit to Signal Hill. For departures during July and August, travelers will visit Signal Hill and enjoy an included lunch due to annual maintenance of the Table Mountain cable car.

Robben Island

From $85 per person

Day 4: Sightseeing tour of the Cape Peninsula & choir performance
Included meal: Breakfast

Spend the day exploring the Cape Peninsula.

  • Drive along the Atlantic seaboard, passing the Clifton and Camp’s Bay beaches
  • Visit the Cape of Good Hope and the lighthouse at Cape Point and enjoy views of where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet
  • Visit Boulders Beach, a protected marine habitat for the endangered African penguin
  • Learn how your visit helps support the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, a local NGO

As you travel back to Cape Town, stop to enjoy a performance by the Major Voices South African Choir.

  • Listen to Afro-gospel, and jazz music by the talented a cappella group, Isicathamiya
  • Hear about the group’s mission to give youth community members an opportunity to be involved in music and the arts
Day 5: Free day in Cape Town
Included meal: Breakfast

Enjoy a full free day in Cape town or add an excursion.

Cape Winelands Tasting & Lunch

From $109 per person

Knysna2 nights
Day 6: Knysna via Pinnacle Point & gin distillery
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Liquor tasting

Travel along the Garden Route to Knysna, making several stops along the way.

  • Enjoy a guided tour of Pinnacle Point, known as the Point of Human Origins
  • Enter cave 13B to learn about the archaeological site, which contains a record of human occupation and evolution over a period of 170,000 years
  • Enjoy an included lunch at a local restaurant in Mossel Bay
  • Sip a gin cocktail at a local distillery as you learn about the local herbs used to produce the liquor
  • Make your own bottle of handcrafted gin to bring home

Then, continue on to Knysna.

Day 7: Sightseeing tour of Featherbed Nature Reserve & Knysna Township
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Cross the scenic Knysna Lagoon by ferry and get ready to explore the pristine beauty of Featherbed Nature Reserve on a guided tour.

  • Join your naturalist guide in a 4x4 vehicle and ride up the Western Head
  • Stop along the way to admire views of the lagoon, mountains, and Knysna village
  • Learn about the area’s coastal forest and fynbos, a shrubland with a diverse array of plants, on a nature walk
  • Enjoy an outdoor lunch under the grand milkwood trees

Travel back across the Knysna Lagoon by ferry. Then, meet up with a local guide for a tour of Knysna Township.

  • Learn about Xhosa culture and interact with the community members, who are part of South Africa’s second-largest ethnic group
  • Visit the library before meeting a local resident at their home to learn about Xhosa song and drum traditions
  • Discover the roots of the language, which eight million South Africans speak
Port Elizabeth2 nights
Day 8: Port Elizabeth via Tsitsikamma National Park
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today, travel to the sun-drenched shores of Port Elizabeth, set on the beautiful Algoa Bay, making several stops along the way.

  • Follow the Garden Route to Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River
  • Walk along the Storms River suspension bridge for an incredible photo opportunity

Then, continue on to Port Elizabeth and venture out on an orientation tour before sitting down for an included dinner this evening.

Day 9: Pumba Private Game Reserve
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Visit the Pumba Private Game Reserve for a game drive today.

  • Keep a lookout for white lions, elephants, and other wildlife
  • Sit down for an included lunch at an outdoor boma restaurant
Durban1 night
Day 10: Addo Elephant Park game drive & flight to Durban
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Spend the morning learning more about South Africa’s conservation efforts for some of it’s most beloved wildlife when you set off on a game drive through the Addo Elephant Park, where over 600 elephants and other animals like with lions, buffalo, black rhino call home

Later, fly to Durban and settle into your hotel. Afterwards, enjoy an included dinner this evening.

Hluhluwe1 night
Day 11: Transfer to Hluhluwe & Wetland Park
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Travel to Hluhluwe this morning, then pay a visit to the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, declared South Africa’s first World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999.

  • Admire the flora and fauna of the St. Lucia Estuary on a river cruise
  • Try to spot hippos, bush bucks, crocodiles, fish-eagles, monkeys, kingfishers, and mudskippers

Sit down for an included dinner tonight.

Eswatini1 night
Day 12: Game drive, Transfer to Eswatini & Swazi Candles
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Drive out into the bush to enjoy a catered, open-air breakfast complete with coffee, tea, and juices. Then, head out for a game drive at the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. The game reserve is home to the Big Five and is one of the best places in all of Africa to view rhinoceroses.

Later, enter the Kingdom of Eswatini, the continent’s last absolute monarchy.

  • Stop at the traditional markets in Manzini
  • Pay a visit to Swazi Candles, a local fair trade organization that produces high-quality candles
  • Tour the manufacturing warehouse and community garden, and receive a small candle to take home

Then, pass mountains, forests, and farms as you continue on to your hotel. Sit down for an included dinner.

Kruger National Park Region2 nights
Day 13: Kruger National Park Region via Chimp Eden
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Cross the border into South Africa and tour Chimp Eden, the Jane Goodall Institute South Africa Chimpanzee Sanctuary.

  • Enjoy the unique opportunity to see chimpanzees in semi-wild enclosures
  • Admire the viewpoints at some of the enclosures, which overlook the forest and foraging areas
  • Hear how the chimps safely play in these areas and how they help positively reinforce their natural behavior

Continue on to the Kruger National Park region. Sit down for an included outdoor bush dinner at your safari lodge.

Day 14: Kruger National Park game drives
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Set out for a full day of game drives in Kruger National Park.

  • Hop inside your open-air safari vehicle and explore the park with a naturalist guide
  • Try to spot the Big Five game animals: buffalo, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos
  • Enjoy an included lunch at a private boma in the national park
  • Continue riding through the park to see wild animals in their natural habitat

Later this evening, sit down for an included dinner with your group.

Johannesburg1 night
Day 15: Johannesburg via Panorama Route
Included meal: Breakfast

See scenic landscapes at every turn as you head to Johannesburg along the Mpumalanga Panorama Route.

  • Soak in breathtaking views at God’s Window (weather permitting)
  • Walk along a pathway to visit Bourke’s Luck Potholes, a collection of natural rock formations
  • Stop at the lush, green Blyde River Canyon, where you can see neighboring Mozambique on a clear day
Overnight Flight1 night
Day 16: Sightseeing tour of Soweto & departure
Included meals: Breakfast, Farewell lunch

This morning, set out on a guided sightseeing tour of the Soweto township.

  • See the soccer stadium where the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals game was played
  • Pass Vilakazi Street, once home to both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu—both recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize
  • Enter the Hector Pieterson Museum to learn about the 1976 Soweto uprising

Afterward, raise a glass to your trip at a farewell lunch before transferring to the airport to board your flight home, or continue on the tour extension to explore Victoria Falls.

Arrive Home
Day 17: Travel day

Arrive home today.

Extension to Johannesburg & Victoria Falls
Spend a little extra time in Johannesburg (Jo’burg for short), then fly to Zimbabwe. Learn more about life in South Africa with visits to the Chinotimba Township and Community Peace Project. Later, visit Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world. You’ll fly back to Johannesburg before saying “so long” to Africa.
Johannesburg1 night
Day 16: Sightseeing tour of Soweto
Included meal: Breakfast

This morning, set out on a guided sightseeing tour of the Soweto township.

  • See the soccer stadium where the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals game was played
  • Pass Vilakazi Street, once home to both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu
  • Enter the Hector Pieterson Museum to learn about the 1976 Soweto uprising
Victoria Falls2 nights
Day 17: Flight to Victoria Falls
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Fly to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, located on the southern bank of the Zambezi River.

Then, sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Please note: On some departures, you may fly to Livingstone, Zambia instead which will require a visa. Afterwards, you’ll transfer to your hotel in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe by bus.

Day 18: Sightseeing tour of Victoria Falls, Chinotimba Township & Rose of Charity visits
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Explore Victoria Falls, the largest curtain of falling water in the world, on a guided tour.

  • Walk along a network of trails to take in spectacular views of the falls from several vantage points
  • Learn about the history, flora, and fauna of the area

Then, take a guided tour of Chinotimba Township, a village of the Nambya and Tonga people.

  • Sit down in the shady garden of a traditional home in the village for an included lunch of Zimbabwean food and drinks
  • Visit the Rose of Charity, an organization helping transform the lives of impoverished children, their families, and their communities through education
  • Hear how your visit helps sustain this local NGO

Enjoy a free evening in the Victoria Falls region or add an excursion.

Please note: Shoes with good grip are highly recommended for the walk around Victoria Falls due to slippery surfaces.

Zambezi River Sunset Cruise

From $79 per person

Overnight Flight1 night
Day 19: Departure
Included meal: Breakfast

Fly back to Johannesburg, where you’ll board your overnight flight home.

Arrive Home
Day 20: Travel day

Arrive home today.

Show full itinerary
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Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars

Overall rating 4.6 out of 5

Based on 111 authentic traveler reviews
Sort by

    5 out of 5 stars

    Fantastic and complete tour
    1/12/24 by 2nd-time traveler Anonymous

    Excellent tour of South Africa which touched on all aspects of the country in a well planned,efficient itinerary. Pieter was an excellent tour guide with extensive knowledge, experience,and a sense of humour. The extension to Victoria falls is well worth it.

    EF Go Ahead Tours replied on 2/5/24

    Thank you for sharing your positive feedback about...

    Read more +

    5 out of 5 stars

    Outstanding!
    1/12/24 by 2nd-time traveler Cal

    Peiter was an excellent guide, very experienced and knowledgeable. The Itinerary was well planned and jam-packed. Good variety of sightseeing, cultural, landscapes and of course the incredible wildlife. The safaris exceeded my expectations, we had four incredible drives. We also got to see the real ...

    Read more +
    EF Go Ahead Tours replied on 2/5/24

    Cal, Thank you so much for sharing your experienc...

    Read more +

    5 out of 5 stars

    9/15/23 by 6th-time traveler Anonymous

    Great.

    Show more reviews

    Traveler photos

    Hotels, flights & FAQ

    Here's the nitty-gritty—where you’ll stay, how you’ll get there, and what to know about your destination before you go.

    Hotels

    We handpick every hotel to strike the balance of comfort, location, and local charm. Specific accommodations will vary based on your departure date, but these are frequently used hotels for this tour and we're confident you'll be satisfied.
    Southern Sun Cape Sun
    Southern Sun Cape Sun

    This elegant hotel is located in the city center of Cape Town. Guests enjoy free Wi-Fi, a restaurant and bar, an indoor pool, and a spa. Nearby, you’l...

    Read more +
    Protea Knysna Quays
    Protea Knysna Quays

    This stylish, scenic hotel is located in Knysna. Guests enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi, an outdoor pool, and a sun deck. Nearby, you'll find Knysna Elephan...

    Read more +
    Southern Sun the Marine
    Southern Sun the Marine

    This beachfront hotel is located in Port Elizabeth. Guests enjoy a beachfront location and pool, fitness center, and Wi-Fi. Nearby, you'll find Baywor...

    Read more +
    Anew Hotel Hluhluwe
    Anew Hotel Hluhluwe

    This welcoming hotel offers a true bush experience and is located in Hluhluwe. Guests enjoy an outdoor pool, sun deck, and Wi-Fi. Nearby, you'll find ...

    Read more +
    Foresters Arms Hotel
    Foresters Arms Hotel

    This cozy hotel is located in the beautiful Eswatini highlands. Guests enjoy free Wifi, a pool, and a gym. Nearby, you’ll find the village of Mhlamban...

    Read more +
    Hippo Hollow Country Estate
    Hippo Hollow Country Estate

    Nestled amongst lush indigenous gardens on the banks of the Sabi River in Hazyview, only ten minutes from the world famous Kruger National Park. Hippo...

    Read more +
    Protea Hotel Wanderers
    Protea Hotel Wanderers

    This vibrant, elegant hotel is located in Illovo. Guests enjoy an outdoor pool, spa, and laundry services. Nearby, you'll find the Wanderers Golf Club...

    Read more +
    A'Zambezi River Lodge
    A'Zambezi River Lodge

    This unique hotel is located on the bank of the Zambezi River. Guests enjoy multiple restaurants, a bar, and an outdoor pool. Nearby, you'll find the ...

    Read more +

    Flights

    Round-trip flights are one more thing we handle to make your journey as smooth as possible. Our team of travel experts will find the best flight itinerary for you at a competitive rate, thanks to our partnerships with top airlines.
    Add our airfare package and you'll get:
    • Round-trip flight for your tour
    • Airport transfers at your destination
    • A great price locked in today
    • 24/7 support from our dedicated service team
    • Options for arriving early, staying longer, or requesting an upgrade
    • Flexible rebooking options if your tour itinerary changes
    • Find out more about flights

    FAQ

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