Southern African Mystical Journey - Itinerary

ROUTE: Cape Town – Oudtshoorn – Knysna – Plettenberg Bay – Safari Reserve – Port Elizabeth.

HIGHLIGHTS: Cape Town City / San People / Robben Island / Buffelsdrift Camp Lodge / Kango Caves /  Garden Route / Knysna Lagoon / Tsitsikamma Plettenberg Bay / Monkey Land / Birds of Eden / Addo Elephant National Park  / Lion Reserve / Traditional African Mysticism / Plant Medicine.

Day 1) Sunday, January 8th : Cape Town – Located at the Southwestern tip of Africa. Welcome to South Africa!  Brace yourselves for a memorable journey from the vibrant cities to the magnificent wildlife. Guests will be met upon arrival at Cape Town International Airport. Private transportation from the airport to the hotel is included. Briefing at hotel & dinner (incl.) at Hollow-on-the-SquareHotel in Cape Town.

Day 2) Monday, January 9th : Cape Town – Visit the San People. Breakfast. Morning visit to the San People, the earliest hunter-gatherers in southern Africa, also known as ‘Bushmen’, are the best model we have for the hunter-gatherer lifestyle that saw so many generations through the Stone Age. Afternoon Shaman circle with African Medicine Sangoma. (Traditional healer), Gogo Lindy Dlamini. Demonstration for Bone throwing, reading of divination & ancestral spirits. The reading is a diagnostic tool for the Sangoma, enabling her to ‘see’ through the ancestor’s eyes. Hotel in Cape Town.

Day 3) Tuesday, January 10th : Cape Town – Robben Island – World Heritage Site. Breakfast. Transfer to Waterfront. The tour to Robben Island is 4 hours long, including the two ferry rides & a 45-minute bus ride with a guide providing commentary. Robben Island tour is most famous for its notorious maximum-security prison and the place that NELSON MANDELA was jailed for 18 years. The island is a symbol of the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism, a life-changing experience. We will meet some of the ex-political prisoners and hear their account as to what life was like during the days of Apartheid. Experience the beauty and diversity of Table Mountain from Robben Island overlooking the city of Cape Town. Transfer back to the hotel. Free time to explore. Hotel in Cape Town.

Day 4) Wednesday, January 11th : Cape Town – Oudtshoorn – Buffel Drift Camp. Breakfast. Bus transfer along the Cape wine route to Outdshoorn stopping along the way for lunch and visiting a vineyard for wine tasting. South African bushveld experience in the heart of the Klein Karoo. Buffelsdrift offers an experience of wildlife including Elephants, Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Giraffe, Hippo and over 200 bird species. With the Swartberg mountains as a backdrop and a magnificent waterhole at your tent doorstep, it’s the closest you’ll get to the wild and a true African  experience. Luxury tent accommodation in Outdshoorn. 

Day 5) Thursday, January 12th : Oudtshoorn – Buffel Drift Camp – Free Day (Optional Activities). Breakfast. Optional activities elephant feeding, brushing & feeding, sundowner and meerkat trips: An experience up close and personal, or just spend the day relaxing at the swimming pool. The main lodge area is right next to a 5ha waterhole, filled with big fish, turtles, and hippo. From the wooden deck that surrounds the lodge area, you can see elephants walking, hippo and fish in the water as well as another game grazing on the opposite bank. Luxury tent accommodation in Outdshoorn.

Day 6) Friday, January 13th : Outdshoorn – Kango Caves – Knysna. Breakfast. Kango Caves spectacular underground wonder is situated in a limestone ridge, finest dripstone caverns, with their vast halls and towering formations. Transfer through to Knysna. The Garden Route encompasses some of the most beautiful golden beaches, rivers and majestic mountain landscapes along the picturesque Southern Cape coastline. Knysna is famous for its magnificent views of the sandstone cliffs that dramatically separate its tranquil lagoon from the pounding  surf of the Indian Ocean. Optional: Sunset cruise, enjoy the atmosphere of the African sunset onboard a Knysna Charters Sunset Cruise. Hotel in Knysna.

Day 7) Saturday, January 14th : Knysna – Plettenberg Bay – Jewel Of The Garden Route – Masizame Orphanage. Breakfast. Morning stroll along the waterfront which is a popular leisure site, shopping destination, and a boat-lover’s paradise. Transfer through to Plettenberg Bay. Plettenberg Bay offers the best of nature, rated Africa’s best beaches and coastline, Plett is internationally recognized for its marine life. Afternoon visit to Masizame (Let’s Try) street children project founded by Lesley in 1991. ‘Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.’ Hotel in Plettenberg Bay.

Day 8) Sunday, January 15th : Plettenberg Bay – Saint Peter ‘ Teacher Plant’. Transfer to sacred space for ceremony. Conducted by Lesley Myburgh . Overnight at ceremonial space.

Day 9) Monday, January 16th : Plettenberg Bay – Free Day. Breakfast. Sunrise stroll & meditation/integration along the beach exploring for sand dollars. (Pansy shells). Free day to explore sightseeing around Plettenberg Bay, and enjoy nearby attractions, restaurants and shopping areas. Hotel in Plettenberg Bay.

Day 10) Tuesday, January 17th : Plettenberg Bay – Monkey land – Birds of Eden Sanctuary Park. Breakfast. Transfer to Monkey-land & Birds of Eden sanctuary park. Monkey land is the world’s first free roaming multi specie primate sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to almost 450 primates. Birds of Eden’s unique two-hectare dome (the World’s largest) spans over a gorge of indigenous forest. The bird inhabitants of the aviary comprise of a mixture of exotic and African birds. Transfer back to hotel. Enjoy a traditional sunset South African Braai (BBQ) at Robberg Nature Reserve mountain park. (Incl.) Hotel in Plettenberg Bay.

Day 11) Wednesday, January 18th : Plett / P.E – Schotia Lion Park. Breakfast. (All meals on safari included) Transfer out, stopping en route at Storms River in the Eastern Cape Province.  Lunch at Safari Guesthouse before tour departure. Afternoon tour to Schotia Lion Park privately-owned game reserve for a game drive in an open land rover with expert guides, which offers free roaming lions. We can almost guarantee sightings of these magnificent animals on every Tooth & Claw game drive. Have a true South African boma-style buffet dinner and then return at approx. 22h00. Safari Guest House. comfortable accommodation with a swimming pool.

Day 12) Thursday, January 19th : Addo Elephant National Park. Breakfast. Early morning game drive. Guests will be picked up at 09h00. You will be taken to the Addo Park in an open land rover and head out on a game drive. After your game viewing fix, indulge in a traditional South African braai for lunch. You’ll be visiting the new section of Addo Park too. The area is covered in large tracts of indigenous forest, commercial plantation, and Fynbos. The park has proved to be very successful and currently houses more than 600 elephants and a large number of other mammals. Safari Guest House, comfortable accommodation with a swimming pool.

Day 13) Friday, January 20th : Port Elizabeth Hotel. Breakfast. Transfer to P.E. Explore the nearby Markets & Beaches. Last supper (incl.). Hotel in Port Elizabeth.

Day 14) Saturday, January 21nd : P.E – Departure day. Breakfast. Transfer to Port Elizabeth airport for your flights back home.

Hambagashli. (Good-bye!)