Cape to Desert Adventure - 13 Days

Welcome to Cape Town. On arrival, an included transfer takes you to the lodge, and the rest of today is at leisure for you to relax or head out to explore South Africa's 'Mother City'.

We depart from our accommodation at 8:00 for a full day exploring the Cape Peninsula. Driving along the Atlantic seaboard via Hout Bay and Chapman's Peak, we make our way into Table Mountain National Park to visit Cape Point, before returning along the Indian Ocean coastline and stopping at the Boulders penguin colony.

From here we head back to our well-situated accommodation at the Waterfront. A cable car ascent up Table Mountain is included this morning or afternoon, weather permitting. In the evening, you're free to head into the lively Waterfront for dinner, with plenty of restaurants to choose from.

Cape Town - Franschhoek - Stellenbosch. Leaving Cape Town, we travel to Franschhoek - known as the French corner, a name recalling the French Huguenots who settled here.

Following free time for lunch, we continue into the wider winelands area to visit two wine farms for tastings, sampling some of South Africa's finest wines. We then return to Stellenbosch, where we spend the night. In the evening, you can choose from one of the town's many well-regarded restaurants for dinner.

Stellenbosch - Namaqualand. This morning, we take some time to explore Stellenbosch's historic, tree-lined streets and learn about the town's history, before departing late morning. From here, we travel through the picturesque Namaqualand region, arriving this evening at our overnight stop at the foot of the Van Ryns Pass.

In the early evening, we learn about the region's local wines during a tasting at our accommodation.

Namaqualand - Augrabies Falls National Park. Leaving the Little Karoo, we head north towards Augrabies Falls National Park, passing through a lush oasis area home to an abundance of wineries.

Here, the mighty Orange River plunges 56 metres into the gorge below - known locally as "Aukoerebis", meaning "place of great noise". We spend the afternoon admiring the falls from its many viewpoints.

Augrabies Falls National Park - Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. From Augrabies Falls, we press further north into the Kalahari and the magnificent Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, one of the largest reserves in Africa at over 3.6 million hectares.

The sparse vegetation here makes for excellent predator sightings, including the famous black-maned lion. We enjoy morning and afternoon game drives inside the park aboard our vehicle, hoping to spot this elusive big cat.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park - Fish River Canyon (Namibia). We head west into Namibia, arriving at our accommodation in a scenically beautiful setting.

This evening, we enjoy sunset from the various viewpoints of the Fish River Canyon, one of the largest and most awe-inspiring canyons in the world.

Fish River Canyon - Kalahari Desert. We travel to the Kalahari Desert for a 4x4 sunset nature drive, taking in panoramic views across the dunes before returning to our accommodation for dinner.

Kalahari Desert - Sesriem. Early on day 10, we begin the journey through the Kalahari into the ancient world of the San, Namibia's first inhabitants. Guided by a local Bushman, this immersive desert walk reveals ancestral knowledge and the secrets of survival in one of the world's most challenging environments.

We then travel to our accommodation on the edge of the Namib Desert. The following morning, we set off early for Sossusvlei, stopping in the dune belt to watch the changing colours of the world's highest sand dunes.

We undertake a 5 kilometre walk to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei, before enjoying a short hike through the Sesriem Canyon in the afternoon.

Sesriem - Windhoek. We travel on to Namibia's capital, Windhoek, where we spend our final night together. This evening includes a farewell dinner at Joe's Beerhouse.

After breakfast, you're transferred to the airport for your onward flight home.