South Africa and Victoria Falls

Welcome to Johannesburg, South Africa! Upon arrival at O.R. Tambo International Airport, you are met and assisted by our local representative, as you are transferred to your hotel. Later, you can take a short stroll to the city's most up-market shopping complexes, all with an exciting range of designer boutiques, restaurants, banks and entertainment facilities

Shrouded in myth and controversy, vibrant Soweto is a city of surprise and contrast, of emerging enterprises and of vigorous cultural interaction. This morning takes in the biggest city in Southern Africa - steeped in apartheid history. Visit the former home of Nelson Mandela & Bishop Tutu as well as the current house of Winnie Mandela. See the millionaire mansions cheek by jowl with the tin shacks of the poor. This is your chance to experience the historic cultural drama as it continues to unfold. Next we'll visit the Apartheid Museum which helps put the struggle into perspective, giving you a chronological and pictorial review of the recent ethnic strife.

Early morning departure from Johannesburg taking the route that parallels Winston Churchill's dramatic escape from Boer imprisonment. Enjoy photo-stops at the incredibly picturesque Potholes and God's Window. Then descend into the subtropical Lowveld region of Mpumalanga and enter the Edeni Private Game Reserve, an untamed garden of Eden where you'll explore the timeless beauty of the bush. This is an oasis of rustic elegance that provides the greatest vantage point to the Big Five and its vast, untouched wilderness. This 21,000 acre wildlife paradise is straddled between four rivers and is located near world famous Kruger National Park. Edeni Reserve teems with an abundance of wild game, birds and diverse vegetation, which provides the perfect habitat for those most secretive of Africa's large cats, the leopard. Hit the ground running with your first safari tonight!

Most of Edeni's trackers and game rangers are Shangaan, indigenous to the region. What could be a better experience of the wild then to be guided through the bush by people native to the land who are eager to share the richness of their cultural heritage and nature's wonders? With their well-honed tracking abilities they will guide you to breathtakingly close encounters with the wild. On foot or onboard the specially outfitted (open) safari jeeps, the safety of the guests and care for wildlife is strictly observed.

Dusk and dawn safaris, game walk, relax by the swimming pool or on your observation deck. A highlight of Edeni Lodge is its thatched-roof lookout deck where guests can enjoy 360 degree views over the mountain, bush and river, sip Sundowners while game-spotting on the savannah or even spend a balmy summer afternoon in the pool.

Take an optional tour to the Kampama Cheetah Breeding Project. For something a little different, visit the nearby facility for an up-close view of these endangered wild cats. Grab lunch while being entertained by a young litter romping with their trainer.

Transfer to the regional airport for your flight to Johannesburg, and then connect to Cape Town. Arrival in Cape Town, you will be transferred to your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure. You can go shopping or enjoy a meal on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

Your morning city tour begins with a stunning cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain. Standing atop this "table", you'll be mesmerized by 360 degree views of the city below and 2 oceans. Next you will retrace 350 years of dramatic history on a unique walking tour. Specially trained guides will bring to life the challenges facing the early Dutch settlers, the pain of slavery, the Cape as a colony, the tragedy of apartheid, and the joy and triumph of the new "Rainbow Nation." The three hour walking tour takes in historical sites like the Castle of Good Hope, Grand Parade, and slavery sites like the Slave Lodge and Slave Tree.

Today you'll ride through the exclusive suburbs of Sea Point, Clifton and Camps Bay before continuing along the spectacular Chapman's Peak Drive to Kommetjie, where you enter the Cape Point Nature Reserve. Take a short walk to the best vantage point to view what is erroneously said to be the "meeting place of two mighty oceans." You'll have about an hour to either relax over lunch at the cliff-top restaurant or buy a snack & take a modest hike along the dramatic cliffs. Your tour continues to a African penguin colony and you will have a short stop at the Naval hamlet of Simon's Town. Time permitting; you will stop at the famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

The morning is free to explore as you please. In the afternoon you will visit one of the most important sites in this area; Robben Island Prison, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 19 of his 27 years. The ferry leaves the Victoria & Alfred pier, crossing to the island in less than an hour. The unique element of this tour is to hear its history directly from ex-prisoners who act as our tour guides. A walking and driving tour of this political prison helps you learn more about the turbulent history of this amazing country, showing the conditions people endured to fight for their beliefs.

Today you will take a flight to Victoria Falls Airport. After settling into your hotel, you'll enjoy an evening Sundowner Cruise on the A' Zambezi experiencing the majestic twilight that only Victoria Falls can offer you. A 2-hour sojourn up the river, starting approximately 3 km above the Falls, gives you the opportunity of seeing elephants swimming to the islands, or the white rhinos and giraffes on the Zambian bank. Pods of hippo snort and gape, and crocodiles slither from the sandbanks. Herds of buffalo and antelope may be seen coming down to the river to drink. You'll drift quietly as the sun sets through the Ilala palms lining the bank showing off an unspoiled corner of Africa.

After breakfast join your guided tour of Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Walk through the magnificent rain forest where you are able to view the largest falling sheet of water in the world, Livingstone's statue and a wide variety of birds and plants. The local Kololo tribe called the falls "Mosi-oa-Tunya" or the "Smoke That Thunders" and it is affectionately called "Vic Falls" by those who return again and again. This has become one of the top tourist destinations in the world and was named a World Heritage Site in 1989. Next we'll visit the Mukuni Craft Village, a perfect ethnic backdrop to the talented dancers who will guide clients through the legends of their ancestors in a display of African folklore. There's also plenty of shopping to be had by all.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home.