Classic Safari & Cape Town - 7 Days

Cape Town - Aquila Game Reserve. On arrival in Cape Town, join up with the tour and meet the group before transferring to Aquila Private Game Reserve - don't worry, you'll be back to Cape Town later in the tour! Aquila is a 7,500 hectare conservancy that is home to all of the Big Five as well as other iconic African species. You'll have a good chance of spotting wildlife from the window of your room! Dinner is included tonight.

We enjoy two game drives today in open 4x4 safari vehicles, accompanied by highly skilled and experienced guides who know the reserve intimately. Aquila is home to an impressive array of wildlife, so this is an excellent chance to spot members of the Big Five, along with giraffe, hippo, zebra and a wide variety of antelope. Birdlife is equally rewarding, with raptors and colourful resident species often sighted across the plains.

As we explore the reserve, our guide shares insight into the region's conservation work and the natural behaviours of the animals we encounter, helping us appreciate the landscape and its inhabitants in a meaningful way. Each drive offers a fresh perspective, with the changing light and movement of the wildlife ensuring no two experiences are ever the same.

Aquila Game Reserve - Cape Town. After our final game drive and lunch, we return to Cape Town. Known as the Mother City, Cape Town sits between dramatic mountain ranges and pristine white beaches, earning its reputation as one of the world’s most picturesque destinations. On arrival, you spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

Optional: African Dinner and Drumming Experience This evening, at around 6:00pm, you can join a lively cultural experience at GOLD Restaurant. Return transfers from Cape Town city centre are included, so you can relax as the evening unfolds. On arrival, you take part in an interactive djembe drumming session led by a professional instructor, followed by a traditional hand-washing ceremony.

You then enjoy a Cape Malay and African inspired set menu, served in a combination of sharing and individual dishes. Throughout dinner, live entertainment brings the stories and traditions of the continent to life, including a Mali puppet performance with music, dancers and musicians. The evening ends at approximately 11:00pm, with the restaurant team closing the night in true local spirit through song and dance.

Today, we explore Cape Town on a half-day city tour that introduces us to the city's historical and cultural highlights. We step into its layered past as we pass key landmarks, including the Castle of Good Hope - the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa - and Cape Town City Hall, where significant moments in the nation's history have unfolded. The tour includes a stop at the elegant St George’s Cathedral, long associated with South Africa’s struggle for democracy, before continuing through the leafy Company’s Garden, once the settlement’s original food garden.

The next two days are completely free for you to explore Cape Town in your own time. You can also choose from a range of optional excursions, each offering a different perspective on the region.

Optional: Full Day Cape Peninsula Tour Departing at 8:00am, this full day tour showcases some of the Cape’s most dramatic scenery. You enjoy the sweeping coastal views along Chapman’s Peak Drive before continuing to Cape Point Nature Reserve and Cape Point, where rugged cliffs and ocean panoramas define this iconic landscape. There is the opportunity to add a 30 minute boat trip to Duiker Island from Hout Bay at your own expense.

On the return journey to Cape Town, the tour travels via Simon’s Town, where you may opt to visit the penguin colony at Boulders Beach (own expense), followed by scenic drives through Fish Hoek and Muizenberg. The day concludes with a visit to the world renowned Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, before returning to the city around 5:00pm. Return transfers, entrance to Cape Point Nature Reserve and entrance to Kirstenbosch are included.

Optional: Half Day Cape Point Tour This shorter morning tour departs daily at 8:00am and follows the coastline to Chapman’s Peak for unforgettable views. You then continue to Cape Point Nature Reserve and Cape Point, taking in the dramatic landscapes that characterise the peninsula. The return route passes through Simon’s Town, where you may choose to visit the Boulders Beach penguins at your own expense, before continuing via Fish Hoek and Muizenberg. The tour ends at approximately 12:30pm.

Optional: Cape Town Food Markets Experience Departing on Saturdays at 8:30am (weather permitting), this half day tour offers an authentic taste of Cape Town’s vibrant market culture. You begin at the Oranjezicht City Farm Market, where small scale farmers and artisanal producers showcase seasonal ingredients linked to the city’s agricultural heritage. Here you can sample cooked or raw foods at your own expense and mingle with locals doing their weekly shopping.

The experience continues at the popular Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, a 19th century milling complex transformed into a lively village of food, crafts and design. With your guide on hand to offer insight into the producers and their stories, you have ample time to browse stalls and enjoy a variety of eats and treats at your own expense. The tour ends around 1:00pm.

Optional: Full Day Cape Winelands Tour Departing at 8:30am, this full day tour reveals the natural beauty and acclaimed wine estates of the Cape Winelands. You travel through the historic towns of Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, known for their oak lined streets, mountain backdrops and rich winemaking traditions. As you explore the region, you enjoy three wine tastings and a cellar tour, with opportunities to appreciate the cheeses, olives and classic varietals for which the area is famed. The day ends at approximately 5:00pm. Return transfers are included.

Optional: Half Day Township Tour with Robben Island Available on select days at approximately 9:00am, this immersive tour traces three key chapters of South Africa’s story: its early origins, the Apartheid era and the modern democratic nation. Beginning in the Bo Kaap, you learn about the early Dutch settlement and the development of racial segregation while walking the colourful streets of this historic neighbourhood. The route continues through District Six, where the remains of a once vibrant, mixed community highlight the impacts of forced removals.

You then visit Langa, Cape Town’s oldest Black African township, where you discuss the Apartheid laws that shaped daily life. Highlights include a photo stop at a memorial site linked to the 1976 student uprising and, on Sunday mornings, an optional visit to a local church. In the afternoon, you take the ferry to Robben Island (weather and availability permitting), where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were held. The tour returns around 4:30pm.

Optional: Great White Shark Cage Diving Tour For those seeking adventure, this full day tour departs at 6:00am and travels to Gansbaai, one of the world's premier shark viewing locations. After a light breakfast, you board a vessel for the journey to Dyer Island. You can choose to cage dive for an up close encounter with Great White Sharks, or remain on deck to watch the action from the vessel. This experience offers a rare opportunity to observe these powerful predators in their natural feeding grounds. The tour ends around 5:00pm. Weather and sea conditions apply, and sightings cannot be guaranteed. A light breakfast is included.

Your tour comes to an end today, after breakfast and check-out. No transfer is included, so you are free to make your own way to the airport or your next destination.