Were headed out on Safari in South Africa!
Dates: October 19th – 28th, 2024
We’re going to spend 10 Days & 9 Nights in South Africa! Well see Penguins in Cape town, go on an African safari, if you’ve ever wanted to meet the big 5, now is your chance! An absolutely unforgettable, bucket list trip!
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10 Days / 9 Nights *Optional Extra 3 Days and 2 Nights!
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8-12 People
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9 Breakfasts, 4 lunches and 5 Dinners included
- Double occupancy in 3-star hotels (single rooms available)
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Optional Extended Trip: Why stop your trip early when you can explore Zimbabwe as well? Join us for some additional days of adventure!
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Fly into Cape Town International Airport (CPT)
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Fly out of Nelspruit International Airport (MQP) – we recommend booking a roundtrip in/out of Cape Town & booking this flight as a one-way separately back to Cape Town.
Overview
We’re going on Safari!
This trip is a once in a life time trip! Rachel is partnering with a well established safari company that has years of experience touring the area and is providing us with the best experience. On top of building the itinerary for us, providing guides throughout the trip, they also provide 24/7 support while we’re on the trip in case of any issues.
- 10-20 Girls
- October 19th, 2024 – October 28th, 2024
- 10 Days / 9 Nights
- Arrive in South Africa at Cape Town Airport (CPT) Land before 6pm
- Depart from Nelspruit International Aiport (MQP) in the AM – We recommend booking this flight back to Cape Town or Johannesburg and booking your flight from home as a round trip flight as it might be more economical.
- Optional: Stay 3 extra days & Depart from Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe (VFA) in the AM – You can either fly directly from VFA back home or look into taking a 1-way into Johannesburg or Cape Town airports before going home if its more economical.
- Optional: We have the option to have 4 double occupancy Luxury Rooms at the Safari lodge. They are a $220 upgrade per/person for the 4 nights. The first 8 that book the upgrade are guaranteed the upgrade and then we’ll assign roommates among the 8.
- Only 25% Deposit needed to secure your spot!
Important Notes:
-If you have a particular payment schedule you want to set up let Rachel know otherwise you can pay via the payment plan set up for the trip.
-After booking you’ll receive a survey from me when we reach the minimum number of people (10) that includes allergies and a few other things we need.
-Upon booking please email or message Rachel with a copy of your passport. This is required to book our spots on the trip. [email protected]
-Please read the full Itinerary, FAQ, & Inclusions/Exclusions prior to booking this trip.
-Travel Insurance is required.
Trip Highlights
- 4 Days on Safari
- Visiting Penguins in Cape Town
- Exploring Winelands
- Going to Victoria Falls
- Tons of Delicious meals included!
Itinerary
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Your African metropolis awaits! With Table Mountain as a breathtaking backdrop, Cape Town is considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities. With its friendly people and rich history, Cape Town will enchant you, from the brightly colored facades of Bo-Kaap streets and colorful beach cottage in Muizenberg to the contemporary, African-inspired decor of the many excellent guesthouses, restaurants and bars. Discover pure wilderness on the west coast: whale watching in Hermanus, the Cape of Good Hope, penguins in Simon’s Town, and the indulgent wine region. From October to March, enjoy the wild, beautiful beaches where a hot day is not too different from Copacabana or Ipanema in Brazil!
Today we’ll arrive in Cape Town and be transferred to our hotel. We can celebrate the week to come at dinner and get to know each other over some delicious food.
Included: Airport Transfer, Welcome Dinner
Private Full Day Cape Point Tour
Discover all that Cape Point has to offer on this enjoyable day excursion. Following an early breakfast at your hotel, drive out to the Atlantic Seaboard Coastal Road with your local guide. Enjoy your drive along this scenic stretch of road, passing by white sandy beaches and the ocean by Clifton and Camps Bay. Take in the bracing sea breeze as the wind catches your hair. Watch the sudden appearance of the Twelve Apostles Peaks to one side of the road, while the dramatic cliffs and rocky outcrops of the Cape Peninsula rise above the Atlantic on your other side. Make a pit stop at the pretty little fishing village of Hout Bay with its famous Sentinel.
We will take a boat ride to Seal Island, or browse through colorful stalls by the harbor piled high with handicrafts and local artifacts. Drive up to the Cape’s famed Chapman’s Peak and make the most of its photo opportunities. Continue up to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve before dropping by the spectacular Cape Point. Look out for the feathery ‘fynbos’ swaying in the heathland along with the region’s endemic birds and wildlife, particularly the Cape Mountain Zebra and the baboons.
After lunch we’ll visit the colony of African penguins at Boulders Beach. Go over to the old naval base of Simon’s Town,
Visit the world-famous penguin colony on Boulder’s Beach and marvel at the friendly animals from an extraordinary perspective.
Included: Breakfast, Boulder Beach Penguins, Cape Point Tour
Today we’ll board the Robben Island Ferry and enjoy spectacular views of Cape Town and Table Mountain as we sail across the bay to the island that is packed full of history. Once we reach the island we’ll be given a guided tour and see the prison cell that held Nelson Madela captive for so many years.
In the afternoon we’ll go up Table Mountain via the aerial tramway. Get ready for spectacular views of the entire city of Cape Town from above! **
Weather Permitting**
Included: Breakfast, Full Day tour to township, Sailing across to Robben Island on the ferry
Today is a free day! Whether its shopping, history and art, going whale watching, shark cage diving or just relaxing at the hotel – there’s something for everyone.
Included: Breakfast
The Winelands are one of the prettiest areas of South Africa and producing some of the best wines in the world, which you can sample during your vineyard visits.
The region is also well known for its excellent restaurants, with local and international cuisine. Though the oldest European settlement in South Africa after Cape Town, Stellenbosch feels the youngest, with vitality imbued by students attending its famous university. Meanwhile, Franschhoek (or ‘French corner’) is a beautiful town, commemorating the Huguenot refugees granted land here in their flight from 17th century persecution in France.
Explore the beautiful countryside of the Cape Winelands and discover well-stocked cellars at some of the best vineyards in the region. After lunch at your hotel, drive over to the historic hamlet of Stellenbosch, accompanied by your local guide. Stop over for a round of delicious South African wine paired with cheese and crackers. Driving around Stellenbosch, soak in the mesmeric natural beauty of the gorgeous valley shadowed by the Hottentot Holland Mountains. Feast your eyes on the white gabled Cape Dutch homesteads and tree-lined avenues shaded by ancient oaks. You could also try yet another round of wine and cheese, if time permits.
Included: Transportation to Winelands, Winelands tour, 3x Wine Tasting in Franschhoek, Breakfast
Wake up and nurse that hangover with breakfast then we’re off on a travel day to our safari lodge!
Todays travel includes:
Transfer to Cape Town Airport & Flight to Southern Kruger (2-3 hrs)
Then we’ll be transferred from Southern Kruger Airport to the hotel (1-3 hrs)
We’ll have a late lunch at the Safari lodge then we’re going on our first Safari tonight!!
Kruger National Park is the epitome of safari experience in Africa, rich with its lion prides, elephant herds and thousands of other animals, against shifting backdrops of savanna, forests, rivers and mountains. Various private game reserves bordering or close to Kruger National Park offer excellent wildlife sightings and are ideal for those seeking exclusive, luxurious and diverse safari experiences. In addition to daily game drives, you can enjoy night game drives and exciting bush walks to discover the small wonders of nature. Many an accommodation shares their border with Kruger National Park and offers particularly spectacular wildlife viewing experiences from the comfort of your hotel, including leopard sightings in the riverine bush.
We will stay on a private game reserve adjacent to Kruger national park where the animals roam freely but there are less people and less vehicles so the animal cities are WAY more intimate then what you experience at public national parks.
Included: Breakfast, Lunch Dinner, Transfer to Safari Lodge
Get up close with the wildlife at Mjejane Game Reserve and sprawling Kruger National Park with a choice of game drives. Set off early in the morning with an experienced guide for thrilling encounters of the wild kind! Enjoy breakfast in the bush with the sights and sounds of the wild making for a unique ambiance. Or, you could get off to a slightly late start and explore Mjejane Concession. Listen to your guide’s insights into animal behavior as you drive to vantage viewpoints. Keep an eye out for elephant herds sauntering along while shy antelopes scurry past your vehicle.
Look out for glimpses of lions, cheetahs, hippos, and giraffes before you return to the lodge for breakfast. You also have the option of going on afternoon game drives across Mjejane Concession, returning to the lodge in time for dinner.
Note: Depending on our group size there may be other people that join our safari vehicles.
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Morning & Evening Safaris
Wake up early and head out on another Safari game drive! Whatever animals you didn’t see yesterday be sure to let your naturalist know today so maybe they can help spot the ones you want to see before leaving. The objective is to see as much wild life as possible and hopefully cross off all of the Big 5!
Get up close with the wildlife at Mjejane Game Reserve and sprawling Kruger National Park with a choice of game drives. Set off early in the morning with an experienced guide for thrilling encounters of the wild kind! Enjoy breakfast in the bush with the sights and sounds of the wild making for a unique ambiance. Or, you could get off to a slightly late start and explore Mjejane Concession. Listen to your guide’s insights into animal behavior as you drive to vantage viewpoints. Keep an eye out for elephant herds sauntering along while shy antelopes scurry past your vehicle. Look out for glimpses of lions, cheetahs, hippos, and giraffes before you return to the lodge for breakfast. You also have the option of going on afternoon game drives across Mjejane Concession, returning to the lodge in time for dinner.
(Shared Activity – depending on our group size it could be private.
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Morning & Evening Safaris
This is our last full safari day, and potentially your last full day here in Africa, so let’s make the most of it!
Go out and enjoy the wildlife spotting – maybe you’ve seen the Big 5 by now! If you have had enough of the reserve you also have the option of adding a safari game drive inside Kruger National Park instead of on the Mjejane Game Reserve, this can be reserved ahead of time. Its fairly inexpensive as well.
Optional: If visiting Kruger national park is on your bucketlist today is the day. We can sign up for an optional full day safari with our lodge and go over to Kruger to explore the trails and forests of Kruger National Park. (additional fee)
(Shared Activity – depending on our group size it could be private; Time of Day: Morning/Afternoon; Duration: 2-3 hrs; Fitness level: Easy to Moderate.)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Farewell Dinner, Morning & Evening Safaris
Excluded: Any Extra Game drives booked at Kruger National Park
For those of you not joining us on the final leg of the adventure in Zimbabwe, today will be your last day with us, so get up early, enjoy some breakfast, and make the most of the sun while you can! There will be airport transfers available to get you to your flight on time, so see you soon! Your trip ends here at Kruger airport (MQP).
Optional:
Those of you who are continuing on to Zimbabwe; Take the morning to enjoy our final day on the Reserve then we’re off to Victoria Falls!
Angels in their flight! This is how David Livingstone described the breathtaking Victoria Falls, where five million cubic meters of water cascade over every minute during wet season. Hear the roar and see the spray upon approach.
Dinner, Drums and Dancing at Victoria Falls
Enjoy an evening of dining and entertainment at The Boma, an atmospheric open-air restaurant nestled amid an indigenous Gusu forest near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Ushered in by local greetings and face painting, wrap a chitenge around and settle down as aromas of exotic vegetables and game meat fill the air. Soak in an authentic African experience featuring four-course meals plus Ndebele song and Shangaan dance! Join in for rounds of local beer complemented by platters of impala skewers, smoked crocodile tails, samosas, and fritters.
Next, followed by soup from the campfire, savor an assortment of Zimbabwean specialties at the main barbecue buffet. Expect to taste warthog filets, grilled ostrich, buffalo curry, spit-roasted lamb, and kudu steaks among others, served alongside vegetarian favorites, and desserts. You can also try the dried mopane worms, and take home a certificate of appreciation! Listen to regional stories and folklore, finishing off with an interactive dance and drumming circle! (Half Day; Time: 1800 hrs onwards; Duration: 3 to 5 hrs; Shared Activity & Private Transfer; Fitness level: Easy)
Included: Airport Transfers
Optional: Zimbabwe Transfers & Flights Boma Dinner at Victoria Falls
In the morning we’ll head out on a guided tour of Victoria Falls – if you’re interested in taking a helicopter ride over it or going bungee jumping there is time to do either of those this afternoon as well before our sunset cruise on the river!
Guided Tour of Victoria Falls
Head out and discover the Smoke that Thunders! This tour will take you to all the highlights surrounding Victoria Falls. Stand at the ideal vantage point overlooking the heart of the mighty waters as they gush and roar. Pack your waterproofs because the closer you get, the more likely you are to experience the spray! (Time: Early morning or late afternoon; Duration: 2-3 hrs; Private Activity; Fitness level: Easy)
Sunset Cruise on Zambezi Royal
Discover the fascinating ecosystems along the upper Zambezi river during a sundowner cruise onboard Zambezi Royal. After a busy day admiring the beauty of Victoria Falls, embark on the twin hull luxury vessel at the Wild Horizons’ jetty. As the waterfall spray creates a gentle haze in the background, head into the beautiful sunset beyond. Find a comfortable spot, and enjoy your ride on the well-appointed boat, decked with modern amenities. Luxurious furnishing in soft earthy tones complement the tangerine sunset hues. Amid the stillness of the river and the boat whirs, the captain’s commentary on the life and people of Zambezi will keep you entertained. Spot a variety of game such as crocodiles, hippos, elephants and giraffes, and a profusion of beautiful birdlife. Sup on an impressive selection of wines and spirits on board. You’ll also be served a delicious dinner on board while watching sunset on the Zambezi.
Included: Dinner Cruise, Guided tour of Victoria Falls, Breakfast
Today is a free day in Zimbabwe!
Interested in going to the Devils Pool? Want a Spa Day after a long 11 days of travel? Want to go explore town and buy souvenirs? White Water Rafting down the Zambezi river? All of these things are options for today! We can coordinate as a group once we get closer to the trip!
Included: Breakfast
Wake up, pack your bags and after breakfast we’ll head out to the airport.
Enjoy going through all the amazing photos and videos from our amazing trip to South Africa on your flight home. I’m sure you’ll have a ton of memories to last you the entire flight from this amazing trip.
Tip: Consider booking your international flight home out of Cape Town or Johannesburg, whichever works out better for you. Our flight today out of Zimbabwe is not covered so we will coordinate as we get closer to our dates & flights for October 2024 are available for booking.
Inclusions
Everything Included on the trip!
- Meals as indicated on the Itinerary
- Double Occupancy Accommodations as indicated
- Flight: Cape Town - Southern Kruger
- All activities as indicated:
- Cape Town: Private Full Day Cape Point Tour
- Cape Town: African Penguins at Boulder’s Beach
- Cape Town: Private full day Tour to Robben Island
- Winelands: Wine Delight at the Cape Winelands
- Southern Kruger: Mjejane River Lodge: Game Drives
- Optional Flight: Southern Kruger - Victoria Falls
- Optional: Victoria Falls Zimbabwe - Dinner, Drums and Dancing at Victoria Falls
- Optional: Victoria Falls Zimbabwe - Guided Tour of Victoria Falls
- Optional: Victoria Falls Zimbabwe - Sundowner Cruise on Zambezi Royal
- Game drives in high quality and well maintained safari vehicle with private professional English-speaking driver-guide. In case the game drives are booked through your lodge/camp, they will be shared with other guests with a maximum of 9 guests per vehicle.
- Zimbabwe: All national park and conservation fees as per your itinerary
- Africa: Entry fees, unless otherwise specified in the itinerary.
- All transfers as indicated above
- Fees and taxes
Exclusions
- -International Flights
- -Travel Insurance (required)
- -Covid test to re-enter USA (if applicable)
- -Any Covid tests required to enter South Africa or Zimbabwe
- -Alcohol
- Zimbabwe:
- -Cross Border Charter Plane Departure & Navigation fees of 50 USD per person should be paid directly at the airport. A 10 USD Domestic Passenger Service Fee & AIDF Levy of 55 USD per person, also applies when departing internally from any registered, manned airport. These include Harare, Bulawayo, Kariba, Hwange and Victoria Falls airports.
- South Africa:
- -Tips (Roughly $10/Day)
- -Additional meals
- -Personal expenses
- -Laundry
- -Drinks and meals not specified above.
- -Visa fees and immigration-related expenses
- -Immunizations
- -Malaria Medication
FAQs
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As of January 2023, Adventuring for Life is not requiring proof of covid vaccination for the trips. It is still strongly recommended that you are vaccinated and by signing up for this trip you accept all responsibility for your health & care if you test positiive for covid on or after the trip.
International flights to and from the trip destination are not included. Only flights that are included are listed in inclusions. Looking for cheap flights? Check out Kayak.com or Google Flights!
Any flights that are needed due to the Itinerary will be included for this trip.
There are no vaccines required to visit South Africa or Zimbabwe. We HIGHLY recommend Malaria medicine and speaking to your doctor prior to this trip to ensure they agree with us.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/south-africa
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/zimbabwe
Each trip is different, at least 2 dinners plus breakfast every day is included. The Inclusions has the exact list of food included! Dietary & allergy information will also be collected leading up to the trip to ensure you’re taken care of.
The minimum number of girls for this trip is 8. Once we reach 8, the 25% deposit is no longer refundable as I book our hotels, activities, etc. at that point. If we don’t reach the minimum number of people, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel your trip more than 60 days prior to the trip your 25% deposit is non-refundable but can be used for future Adventuring for Life trips minus a $100 cancellation fee. Anything over the 25% will be refunded automatically.The trip credit must be used within 12 months of cancellation.The trip is 100% non-refundable 60 days prior to the trip.The only way to get any money back within 60 days of a trip is if you are able to find a replacement. Rachel can definitely help try to fill the spot but there are zero guarantees we’re able to find a replacement. This is why we recommend travel insurance – incase something happens causing you to be unable to join us!
Rachel highly recommends checking out Travel Insurance quotes as they can be pretty reasonable and assist in these situations.
Yes, this trip requires travel insurance with covid protection. This must be purchased separately.
https://www.travelguard.com/?cmpid=kac-CJ2018-QuoteReferral
*Full Disclosure, both my Travel Insurance links are affiliate links so feel free to do a google search of the best travel insurance if you prefer. You’re not charged anything extra if you go through my link.
The majority of the people that sign up for the trips with adventuring for life are coming solo! We do an extensive Roommate matching survey before each trip to help match people up that have the same vibe. You are welcome to bring a friend or request a certain roommate after you’ve met the girls on the group chat or let us pick somebody for you.
We offer solo rooms on certain trips for people that want their own space but you are 100% welcome to sign up by yourself and we will get you a great roommate.
A minimum of 25% down payment is due at the time of booking. The down payment is refundable until your spot is confirmed at which time it becomes non-refundable. Your spot is confirmed after the first 8 bookings are made. The remaining balance is due 60 days prior to the trip. If you book within 59 days from trip start, the full amount will be due at booking.
Although this trip will be closely monitored by Rachel, with her having full knowledge of everything and every day. The trip itself will be hosted by the wonderful Lex, who has previously hosted a trip to Iceland, and knows everything there is to know when it comes to grabbing that perfect Instagram shot!