Croquet, Wildlife & Wine Tour of South Africa

After breakfast there will be a short sightseeing tour of Johannesburg, that will include the South West Township – now more commonly known as Soweto. Tour will conclude at the prestigious Johannesburg Country Club situated very close to the CBD, where lunch at the clubhouse restaurant will be followed by a couple of social games of Golf Croquet between visitors and locals. Evening free giving everyone time to explore the bars and restaurants within the precinct of the Hotel.

This morning you travel to one of the croquet clubs located in the greater Johannesburg region – for a game
or two with the locals – followed

by lunch. Those who prefer can spend the morning checking out the shopping options near their hotel and join the others in time for lunch. During the afternoon there will be
a tour to ‘Cradle of Humankind’ – Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, the site is home to the largest concentration of human ancestral remains anywhere in the world. This will be followed with a visit and dinner at the Lesedi Cultural village. Representing cultural traditions of the of the Zulu, Ndebele, Sotho, Pedi and Xhosa tribes, you will enjoy one of the greatest feast and dance show in Africa!

After breakfast you check out of hotel and travel north to Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, where you will visit the Voortrekker Monument, a massive granite structure erected in the memory of the pioneers who set out from the Cape Colony to explore and settle the interior of South Africa. As you pass through the city there will be a short sightseeing tour, of the Union Buildings. A most impressive structure that is the official seat of the South African government and houses the offices of the President.

Later in the morning you continue in an easterly direction, across the highveld, with a lunch stop at one of the very large tourist service centres enroute.

During the afternoon you will travel through the regional city of Mbombela (formally known as Nelspruit) and then north adjacent to Kruger National Park to Hazyview, where you check into accommodation for overnight. Dinner at your hotel.

This morning will be spent travelling the scenic Panoramic Route, visiting God’s Window, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and Blyde River Canyon, with lunch at the Blyde River Canyon Resort. About mid-afternoon you will arrive at Kapama Game Reserve, situated near Hoedspruit. This 13000-ha reserve is privately owned and home to lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo as well as numerous other animals that call Africa home. Arrive in time to relax and enjoy the amenities and then depart after the high tea for the late afternoon game drive in open vehicles. Dinner at the lodge.

Enjoy an early morning game drive and then return for a sumptuous breakfast.

The remainder of the day is at leisure – with optional activities such as guided bush walks, or a visit to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre. Once again, after high tea there will be a late afternoon game drive – with ‘sundowners’ in the bush!

Enjoy an early morning game driver and then return for a late breakfast.

After checking out you will be transferred to the nearby Hoedspruit airport for direct flight to Cape Town, where you arrive in the afternoon to be met and transferred to your hotel situated in the waterfront tourist precinct. Dinner at leisure there are
a variety of restaurants to choose from in Victoria and Alfred Waterfront complex near to where your hotel is situated.

This morning, weather permitting you ascend Table Mountain, for one of the most spectacular views on earth, followed by a visit to the Castle of Good Hope completed in 1679 and the Company Gardens with its emerald lawns, graceful fountain and exotic shrubs and plants. From here it is only a short drive to either the Kelvin Grove or Rondebosch croquet clubs, where you will enjoy lunch with local members, prior to engaging in an enjoyable afternoon of social competition with them. Later return to the V & A Waterfront, where dinner will be at leisure in any one of the many restaurants that abound in the complex. Portswood Hotel

Today is a full day sightseeing, as you travel to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point for a memorable vista.

Return to Cape Town, with lunch in Simonstown, which has been an important naval base and harbour for the Royal Navy and the South African Navy for more than two centuries. There will be an afternoon stop at Boulders to visit the penguin colony, which is the home of a growing colony of African penguins. Return late afternoon to your hotel. Dinner at leisure there are a variety of restaurants to choose from in the Waterfront.

After breakfast you check out of hotel and travel to either the Kelvin Grove or Rondebosch croquet clubs, where you will engage in an enjoyable morning of social competition with local members. Around midday you travel to the Boschendal Wine Estate. One of the oldest farms in South Africa, founded 1685, the farm has grown with the passing centuries into a cherished source of wholesome produce, great wines. A wine tasting and picnic lunch, will be followed by an afternoon tour of Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in South Africa, prior to checking into accommodation located in the vineyards that surround the region. Dinner included at your hotel.

This morning you will travel the short distance to have a morning of croquet at either the Heidelberg Village or Somerset West Croquet Clubs. Following lunch with the local members the afternoon is spent visiting some of the iconic vineyards and wineries that populate the famed winelands of the Western Cape. Dinner included at your hotel.

You checkout of your hotel and travel east across the Sir Lowry’s Pass and then the Houw Hoek Pass – two of the most attractive mountain-passes on the national highway. You will deviate to the attractive small town of Greyton, with time to grab a coffee and check out some of the art and craft galleries that abound in the town. You continue east to the proclaimed Garden Route, with a lunch stop enroute. Pass through Mossel Bay, George and Wilderness to arrive mid-afternoon in Knysna, the name is of Khoenkkhoen origin and means “fern leaves”. You visit the Knysna Heads with it splendid views prior to checking into your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Depart after breakfast and continue in an easterly direction along the scenic Garden Route, you pass through Plettenberg Bay, with its perfectly manicured polo lawns and then spend time in the Tsitsikama National Park. Tsitsikama means “water begins”, an explanation borne out by the high rainfall and the occurrence of many rivers and streams. Continue to Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, where you will find time for lunch in the Summerstand beach precinct. The afternoon will be spent travelling through the rural regions of the Eastern Cape to Port Alfred, where you check into accommodation for two nights.

Port Alfred hosts one of the strongest croquet clubs in South Africa, and today there will be a full day’s GC mini tournament between members of the touring party competing with a selected team of local members. Lunch and dinner included – with opportunity to get to know hosts and make new friendships.

There will be a relaxing trip back to Gqeberha this morning, with time to check out Kenton on Sea and Cannon Rocks to arrive at Dawid Stuurman International Airport in time for an afternoon flight back to Johannesburg. Upon arrival you are transferred to the Johannesburg Country Club at Auckland Park, where you check into the very comfortable private lodge facilities for your final two nights in South Africa.

As a conclusion to the tour and a practice opportunity for some who may be staying on to compete in the South African Nationals, today there will be a full day’s GC mini tournament between members of the touring party competing against a selected team of local Johannesburg players. Lunch will be included – with opportunity to get to know your hosts and make new friendships. A farewell dinner tonight will be held at the Country Club with members you have played against during the day and will include an awards presentation.

For those returning to Australia, there will be a relaxing morning with an afternoon transfer to OR Tambo International Airport for early evening flight directly to Sydney.