Public South Africa Wine & Safari Tour

We’ve paired delectable South African wine with an exhilarating safari, creating one of the most exciting wine vacations in the world!

In the shadow of Table Mountain in the Western Cape lies South Africa’s famed wine country. The first vines were planted by the Dutch governor of Cape of Good Hope back in the 17th century. Thanks to its dry, mountainous climate, the region is one of the world’s top ten largest wine producers and is known for its incredible Chenin Blancs, Bordeaux-style blends, Cabernet Sauvignons, and native Pinotages.  We’ll stay in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town and the university and wine town of Stellenbosch.

You’ll not only learn about a variety of incredible wines but of South Africa’s history and culture as they are intrinsically intertwined. The country is truly one of the most amazing lands on the earth and you will be inspired by its music, its people, and its culture.

After we’ve sipped and savored our way around the Western Cape, we’ll hop on a plane and head East for a thrilling safari, just outside Kruger National Park. There’s nothing like sitting in an open Land Rover as your ranger and spotter track a pride of lions or a herd of elephants. It’s an incredible event and something everyone should have the opportunity to experience at least once in a lifetime. We have never seen someone unimpressed with a safari.

South Africa Wine & Safari Tour Details

• Tour Dates: October 14 – 22, 2024
• Trip Price Per Person: $6,250.  Internal round trip flights from Cape Town to Nelspruit and Nelspruit to Johannesburg (estimated to be $600) are additional. We will purchase these for you and include this cost on your invoice.
• Single supplement: $1,400
• Min/Max: 6 people/20 people
• Guide: Local Guide
• Meals: 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 5 dinners
• General Tour FAQs

Please note: Because we must provide a deposit to ensure space on safari, the $1,000 deposit for this trip is not refundable or transferable to another trip, starting seven days after you receive your trip confirmation email. Please purchase travel insurance.

Private Tour Option

• Private Tours are available to book with your own group on any date you choose, given guide and lodging availability
• Customizations to the itinerary are possible with additional per person fees
• Please note –  Our pricing is based on double occupancy lodging. If upon finalizing your private trip, your group has a solo traveler in a room without a roommate, the single supplement becomes mandatory.

Plan Your Private Tour

Day 1

Welcome to beautiful South Africa! We will arrange meet you at the airport in Cape Town whenever you arrive and transfer you to our downtown hotel. Our tour will begin in the lobby of our host hotel in Cape Town at 2:00 PM for introductions and to go over expectations for our coming trip. We’ll then start our vacation with a visit to one of the oldest and most renowned wine estates, Beau Constantia. This magnificently-appointed wine estate is one of the jewels of the Constantia Valley and Constantiaberg. The estate is the home of South African wine with a proud winemaking history dating back to 1685. Experience the exceptional variety of estate wines while enjoying one of Cape Town’s best views.

We will then head back to our hotel, which is situated near the famous V&A Waterfront. You’ll have free time to walk around and explore the many attractions the waterfront has to offer, including local shops, museums, and an aquarium, or just stroll along the shoreline taking in the views of the water to one side and Table Mountain on the other.

Tonight we will enjoy a scrumptious dinner at the Sevruga Restaurant. Cape Town and the Winelands are veritable foodie paradises. The region’s history, along with global food trends, means that there are several dishes you have to try when visiting the Mother City – whether it’s traditional South African barbecue, wild game meat or fine dining cuisine.

Meals: Dinner

Day 2

After breakfast at the hotel, we will depart for our first stop, the lower station at Table Mountain. Table Mountain is one of the World’s New 7 Wonders of Nature. You have the option of admiring the views from the lower cable station or you can purchase a ticket (not included) to reach the summit (weather permitting). 

After enjoying spectacular views, you will explore the Constantia Wine Valley and visit the renowned Groot Constantia Wine Estate, established in the late 1600s. The granite soils and steep slopes of the Constantiaberg mountain provide the setting for 100 hectares of vineyards. The area’s terroir is suited to both red and white varieties. We will enjoy a phenomenal chocolate and wine pairing tasting.

This experience will be followed by delicious lunch at the Estate. Cape Town’s cuisine is all about fresh, locally sourced ingredients rather than a particular style of cooking – and why not, when it is surrounded by fertile farmlands and pounded by a bracing Atlantic ocean

In the late afternoon, we will celebrate the vibrant diversity of Cape Town’s special Gin variety with its distinctly South African flavor reflecting the region’s biodiversity. Here you will enjoy a craft gin and cocktails tasting. Woodstock Gin Company specializes in quality fine bush and herbs-infused gin. Only the finest natural ingredients are sourced to produce gin with subtle undertones of buchu and wild rosemary, among others.

You’ll then have a bit of free time to explore the V&A Waterfront, stroll along the histoic streets, do some shopping, and grab dinner on your own.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 3

After breakfast, the adventure continues to some of the most beautiful sights of the Atlantic Coast. Today is a non-wine day as we visit one of the iconic regions of South Africa.

Our journey to the magnificent Cape of Good Hope takes us along the scenic Atlantic seaboard coastal road. We pass the pristine beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay with their soft white sand and azure blue water. The 12 Apostles Peaks rise above the road on one side, while sheer cliffs and incredible boulders drop into the icy Atlantic Ocean on the other side.

Our first stop is the Cape Good Hope Nature Reserve, which offers breathtaking views. This area is home to amazing Protea flowers, many different species of African fauna like the Cape Mountain Zebra, and mischievous families of baboons, curious ostriches, and jumping antelope. These creatures might even give you a show while you enjoy lunch at the famous local seafood restaurant with splendid views of False Bay. We will visit Boulders Beach to see the African penguins before arriving at the naval base of Simonstown, and then heading to Cape Town for a relaxing evening in the “Mother City”, with dinner on your own.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 4

Today we will spend the day in the remarkable Stellenbosch Winelands. We check out and depart this morning for the Stellenbosch wine region, a fertile river valley boasting a mild Mediterranean climate with rainy winters and hot summers – ideal for growing the grapes that make this area so famous. Stellenbosch is regarded as the wine capital of South Africa. Hosting more private cellars than any other area, Stellenbosch is also the center of viticulture and oenological research and training. The extraordinary natural settings combined with world-class wine-tasting experiences and cuisine will have you falling in love with this area.

Today is dedicated to South Africa’s exceptional and unique local wine grape variety – Pinotage. Our first stop is a wine tasting at the Kanonkop Winery, the leading estate in growing and producing world-class Pinotage.

Afterward, we’ll head down the hill to Jordan Winery, owned by Gary and Kathy Jordan for the past 37 years, where you’ll have a chance to lounge on their stunning patio while grabbing lunch on your own. We’ll reconvene to learn about their terroir and taste their impressive lineup of wines before taking a short walk to a lavender farm.

We’ll then shuttle the rest of the way into town and check into our hotel. Stellenbosch is a university town with very Dutch roots and fantastic Cape Dutch architecture. Set against majestic mountains, Stellenbosch is a fun city with that will entrance you. Tonight, we’ll enjoy a delicious dinner at the Oude Werf Restaurant by renowned South African Chef Jeromy Joubert.

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 5

We are off to the Franschoek Wine Valley, known for its full-bodied red wines featuring Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. This is the area of the majestic eastern foothills of Simonsberg and the Klein-Drakensteinberg Mountains. You will visit three of the best wine estates – Antonij Rupert, Chamonix and Haute Cabriere with a focus on Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Champagne. 

We start with a private tasting at the beautiful Anthonij Rupert Winery  in their historic and recently refurbished Manor House, located just beneath the jagged peaks of the Groot Drakenstein Mountains.

The lunch will be hosted by Richard Carstens, one of South Africa’s Top chefs. Nestled at the foot of the magnificent mountains Franschhoek is a Wineland’s town, unlike any other with the atmosphere of a bygone era bringing a sense of gracious, unhurried living. 

Our next stop will be Chamonix Wine Farm, situated high above the fertile Franschhoek valley in the heart of the Cape Winelands, with a history stretching back nearly 350 years. 

The day’s final stop is Haute Cabriere, housing the iconic Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. You will enjoy a tasting while learning about the French Huguenot who established the farm in 1694, Pierre Jourdan.

Dinner tonight is on your own back in Stellenbosch, giving you a chance to explore the city on your own. We can make recommendations for some great local restaurants!

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 6

Today is our final day of the wine portion of our tour. We would be remiss not to visit the wine valleys of the Paarl wine region before heading east for our safari.

Paarl is situated beneath a large granite outcrop, formed by three domes. Paarlberg (in English, “Pearl rock”) has a smooth surface that glistens in the early morning light. This area is famous for its red wine. Red varieties produce a medley of fruit with serious structure and richness in single-varietal wines and blended wines.

We’ll start with a delightful sustainable wine and cheese pairing at the Fairview farm and winery.

We’ll then make our way over to Tokara Wine Estate, tucked away in the mountains in an area known as Banghoek, for a taste of their wonderful range of wines. This afternoon you will enjoy the wines from the winemakers who concentrate on eco-friendly viticultural practices and use natural winemaking materials and techniques.

Tonight, we will celebrate our last day in Winelands and enjoy a wonderful wine-paired dinner at The Fat Butcher Restaurant who’s menu offers up skaapstertjies (lamb tail), oven roasted sweet potato soup, signatures steaks, Domer lamb, west coast white wine mussels, fresh salmon, limoncello calamari, non-meat risotto and plenty more. 

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 7

 Today, we say goodbye to the fertile valleys of South Africa’s beautiful wine regions and say hello to the rugged wild of South Africa’s bushland.

We take a morning two-hour flight to Nelspruit International Airport and transfer to your luxurious lodge near Kruger National Park. The Park is a wildlife legend on the African Continent. Approximately half the size of Switzerland, Denmark or The Netherlands it is one of the world’s biggest wildlife sanctuaries.

Unpack, freshen up and get ready to discover a unique wildlife world while enjoying a wonderful sunset in the wilderness. This afternoon, after getting settled into our luxury lodge, we’ll take our first driving safari in our comfortable Land Rovers.

Our spotters and trackers will work hard to make sure we see as many of the reserve’s 48 mammal species, 112 tree species, 230 bird species, and 54 reptile species as possible. The drives are phenomenal, and we see an incredible array of animals at what seems an amazingly close (but safe) distance.

As the sun sets over the bush, we’ll stop for “sundowners” (cocktails). For dinner, we have the first of the gourmet meals cooked by the lodge’s staff.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8

After a quick cup of coffee or tea, we depart at first light – a time of day many animals are active – for another game drive.

These drives allow you an opportunity to witness some of the smaller species, like the dung beetle or geckos, and larger animals, such as giraffes, at close range. We return to camp a few hours later and enjoy breakfast and perhaps a quick nap.

In the middle of the day you will have time to relax in the lodge, where you can read a book, catch up on your journaling or vacation photo posting, sip a glass of wine, or chat with your friends. Hanging out at a luxury lodge in the middle of the bush is part of the experience and one of the most peaceful aspects of your vacation. There is something about being in the middle of the African bush that makes your cell phone and email seem … unimportant.

We repeat yesterday’s late afternoon safari drive, which is different each time, thanks to the animals. If we are lucky, we can catch a lion roaring (absolutely amazing), a thrilling chase, or perhaps a mother leopard with her small cubs. Sundowners and dinner cap the day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 9

We have our final attempt to complete our viewing collection of all of the “Big Five” animals (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and Cape buffalo) followed by breakfast. It’s then time to say Goodbye.

The last day of your once-in-a-lifetime vacation in South Africa has arrived. It’s time to pack luggage and prepare to fly back home. After check-out at our luxury lodge, we will shuttle to Nelspruit airport and fly to Johannesburg to catch a flight home.

Upon arrival in Johannesburg, there will be an opportunity for last-minute shopping for exotic souvenirs and African goods, colorful postcards, and picturesque travel books. All too soon, you will hear the boarding call for our intercontinental flight. It’s time to say Farewell to marvelous and unique Africa. We wish you a pleasant flight! 

Meals: Breakfast

Nights 1 – 2: Hyatt Regency Cape Town – Experience love at first sight in this 5-star city hotel that sits in one of Cape Town’s most vibrant neighborhoods, Bo-Kaap, and a short distance from the well-known V&A Waterfront. This trendy yet relaxed hotel offers newly renovated rooms, a pool, a lounge, and dining—a comfortable first stop on your South Africa tour.

Nights 3 – 6:  Oude Werf – This elegant boutique hotel is the oldest running hotel in South Africa, spanning over three centuries! It offers eclectic historical architecture and art while still providing opulent modern accommodations. Located in the heart of Stellenbosch and within walking distance of many shops, cafes, and wine bars.

Nights 7 – 8:  Kapama River Lodge – The largest of the Kapama Private Game Reserve camps, River Lodge’s wide, open spaces and airy design constantly remind you that you’re sleeping under the African sky. Besides the luxury five-star accommodation, River Lodge allows you to escape to a place away from time, and indulge in one of the finest safari lodges near the Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Please note: Hotels are subject to availability.  If listed hotel is not available at time of tour, a hotel that is equal or better to the original will be secured.