Johannesburg, South Africa

On arrival in Africa, we’ll spend two nights in Johannesburg, once home to the Late Nelson Mandela and the recently late Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We’ll step into the history of the rise and fall of Apartheid, and celebrate this rainbow nation with a tour through modern Soweto close to where the Late Nelson Mandela lived. It is also in this region where 40% of the world’s gold is found.

Botswana

Undoubtedly one of the most awe-inspiring countries in Africa, Botswana has a landscape teeming with wildlife like no other. It is home to both the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta. 

In northern Botswana near the vast inland Okavango Delta, is Chobe National Park (11,700 sq kms). Best known for its Big 5, Cape Buffalo, hippo, giraffe and the highest concentration of elephants in the world!

It is here I saw one of my favourite entrance billboards – a majestic elephant herd and the words “Here we have right of way”.

Zimbabwe

Talk about a change of scenery! Hands down, the land of my birth and where I grew up will be a momentous visit for us all. We will explore the Victoria Falls, the spectacular reverence of which has earned it a place in the 7 natural wonders of the world. This waterfall on the Zambezi River at the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe is 1,708m wide and 108m high, almost twice the height and half a kilometer wider than the daunting Niagara Falls, it is a sight to behold, even in the dry season. The spray that soars from this giant waterfall at a distance look like smoke, and be seen from as far away as 30 km from the Lusaka road, Zambia and 50 km from Bulawayo road, Zimbabwe. Locals call it Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘the Smoke that Thunders’. Basalts have been cut by a river system producing a series of eight spectacular gorges that serve as breeding sites for four species of endangered birds. You will see the works of some of our nations most talented Shona stone sculpture artists, and cultural treasures handcrafted by a skilled co-operative of Zimbabwean women. Of most pride to me is the warmth, friendliness and enthusiasm of local Zimbabweans who so appreciate us visiting.

Cape Town, South Africa

Every year, thousands of tourists flock to Africa’s #1 travel destination, Cape Town. In this port city on South Africa’s south west coast, on a peninsula beneath the imposing Table Mountain, you get to experience the eclectic mix of cultures, breathtaking scenery, wine culture and home of the world renowned Two Oceans Marathon. It is here Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first-ever heart transplant in 1967, and it is here where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet at Cape Agulhas, the southern-most tip of Africa.

Hermanus, South Africa

Hermanus, a charming coastal village in The Cape Whale Coast, rich in breathtaking scenery and famous for sightings of the sometimes elusive (despite their gargantuan size), the Southern Right Whale. Their playful nature and rarity have made them a sought-after attraction to the Cape Whale Coast between June and October every year. Thousands of whale-lovers arrive along the coast to witness these massive mammals birth and care for their new-born calves.

Southern Rights are so named because they were seen as the “right whales” to hunt in the past due to their slow movements and inability to dive for long periods of time. Because of this their numbers have been depleted drastically, with only 3000 or so left. However, with time and the banning of whale hunting the numbers are said to start increasing slowly but surely.