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African
Safari Home
Garden
Route Tours
Cape
Town Day Tours
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Garden Route &
The Big 5 - "African Dream"
 7-Days
& 6-Nights
Please note that this tour can be adjusted to your requirements and
interests. This is merely a suggestion from endless possibilities.
Day 1: Cape Town to Oudtshoorn
We travel over the Klein Drakenstein mountains to Worcester,
nestled in the Breede River Valley, a lush fruit and wine growing
region. We visit Kleinplasie, a living open air museum that depicts
the lifestyle and farming methods of the early pioneers. As we travel
along the Breede River Valley we enjoy wonderful scenery changing
from lush orchards to dramatic mountain views. We continue towards the Little
Karoo passing through Barrydale and Calitzdorp, well
known for the quality Port it produces. We arrive in Oudtshoorn in
time to explore the world famous Cango Caves with their magnificent
chambers and limestone formations.
Day 2 : Oudtshoorn to Port Elizabeth (PE)
 Traveling
on the R62, we pass through Uniondale, home town of the famous
hitchhiker ghost of South Africa. We then travel through Uniondale
gorge with its impressive rock formations before we swerve towards the
Langkloof, second biggest deciduous fruit growing region of South
Africa and famous apple-country. We enjoy views of the lush fruit orchards
as we travel past small villages through which the famous Apple Express
transports apples for the export market (on a narrow train trail of 61 centimeters) to arrive in Port Elizabeth, founded by the 1820
British Settlers and the fifth largest city and harbor in South Africa.
Day 3 : Addo National Elephant Park and Shamwari Private
Game Park - The Big 5
We leave Port Elizabeth in the early morning to reach the Addo Elephant
National Park where we embark on a guided 2-hour game drive in
a canvas-topped vehicle to meet the huge and impressive elephants
in this protective sanctuary, which is also home to the Black Rhino,
the Cape Buffalo, and a recorded 170 bird species. After
lunch we set off to Shamwari, malaria-free private game reserve,
for a late afternoon / evening game drive in an open-topped vehicle with
an experienced tour guide in search of the Big 5; Lion, Leopard,
Buffalo, Rhino and Elephant. The evening ends with an feast served
either in- or outdoors under the African sky.
PS : Lion sighting on the game reserve are very good, cheetah sightings
are fair and hyena sightings are good at night.
Day 4 : Shamwari to Knysna
An early morning game drive in Shamwari starts the day,
enabling us to see some more of Africa's wildlife, including cheetah,
hippo, zebra, giraffe, hyena and numerous antelope, baboons, monkeys and
birds. Then a hearty breakfast before we bid farewell to this
beautiful game reserve and continue our journey towards Knysna. We
stop for an optional 216 meter bungee jump experience; otherwise view the
brave of heart.
Day 5 : Knysna to Tsitsikamma Coastal Park and Back
 We
travel to Plettenberg Bay, playground of the rich, where we make a
spectacular detour from the main road through the Groot River and Bloukrantz
Passes, traveling in the heart of ancient, mysterious and primeval
indigenous forests. We visit the beautiful Tsitsikamma Coastal Park
where we embark on a leisurely stroll to the suspension bridge at the Storms
River mouth. We also visit one of the forest's giant inhabitants, the
ancient Outeniqua Yellowwood Tree that was already growing when
Europe was still caught in the dark ages. We return to Knysna for some
leisure time.
Day 6 : Knysna Environment
We set off to Knysna Lagoon where we catch the ferry ride to the
unique Featherbed Private Nature Reserve, one of South Africa's
Natural Heritage Sights, for a spectacular 4-hour eco-experience,
which includes a Unimog drawn trailer and drive up to the top of
the Reserve with an experienced guide to enjoy the most wonderful views.
This reserve is home to amongst others, the beautifully coloured Knysna
Loerie, the Blue Duiker ( Africa's smallest antelope species), Cape
Mountain Tortoises, Blue Cranes (South Africa's National Bird), White
Breasted cormorant and Bushbuck. We enjoy a fish braai
("barbeque") for lunch before we return to the town of Knysna
for some leisure time in which to explore the many fascinating curio
shops and arts and crafts.
Day 7 : Knysna to Cape Town
We start our journey to Cape Town, stopping in Mossel Bay to visit
the Maritime Museum where the replica of the Caravel in which the
Portuguese navigator, Bartholomew Diaz, sailed around the Cape of Good
Hope in 1488, is on view. We also visit the old Post Office Tree
that served as a mailbox to the various Portuguese navigators in the 16th
century. Traveling through rolling farmlands, we arrive in Swellendam,
an 18th century frontier town. As we come to the end of our journey, the
open farmlands once again make way for the rugged and beautiful mountains.
We travel through the lush fruit growing area of Elgin and Grabouw
to finally descend the Sir Lowry's Pass with a final and dramatic
view over the Hottentots Holland Mountains and Table Mountain in the far
distance.
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Gateway
Africa Safaris specialize in affordable, small group African
travel. Besides the comfort and quality of our African safari tours, our landed
prices are all inclusive.
What
to budget for a African holiday ?
Because
Africa is such a uniquely diverse and varied destination, there is no
quick answer.
Comfortable camping safaris are cheaper than staying in a
luxury safari lodge, except when you are heading into remote wilderness
areas - then safari travel logistics costs come into play.
Certain mobile
safaris operate on a scheduled departure basis at a fixed cost, while
fly-in safaris or tailor-made safaris are planned specifically to meet
your own personal budget and needs.
Affordability
of an African safari tour is in the mind of the
beholder and the value of desired experiences is a personal matter.
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