9-Nights Wonders of the Western Cape from $2,595

CostSaver

OFFER ID 1493787

Wonders Of The Western Cape
No, you’re not dreaming, the incredible beauty of the Western Cape is part of its charm. From the eclectic streets of Cape Town to the wild nature of Cape Agulhas and the Garden Route Game Reserve, you’ll be living out your dream as you dive in to the culture, landscapes and lifestyle of this region.

Dining Summary

5 Dinner (D)
9 Breakfast (B)
1 Lunch (L)

Essentials

City orientation tour includes Bo-Kaap and the Castle of Good Hope. Visit Table Mountain via Aerial Cableway
Visit the whale watching capital of South Africa
Visit the southernmost tip of Africa where the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Oceans meet
Explore the Knysna Quays area
Three included safari vehicle game drives, in a reserve home to the 'Big 5'

Whats Included

An expert Travel Director or Driver Guide
Cherry picked hotels and lodges, all tried and trusted.
Many meals and daily breakfasts included
Luxury air-conditioned coach
Airport transfers are provided on the first and last travel day. Conditions apply.
Extensive variety of Choice Experiences
On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilized.

9 nights from $2,595 per person

Valid on new bookings deposited November 1, 2024 – December 5, 2024 for travel in 2025.

*Discount may already be included in the displayed price. Promotion may not be combinable with any other offers, promotions, or discounts, and is subject to availability and airline booking guidelines. Other restrictions may apply.

Itinerary

Costsaver: Wonders of the Western Cape

Day 1 - Arrive Cape Town
Aweh (hey), Cape Town! Before exploring all the magnificent sights, sounds and flavors of the city, you’ll meet up with your Costsaver representative at the airport and be transferred to your hotel in the heart of the city. You’re staying in the midst of the buzz, so make the most of your time exploring before joining your Travel Director and fellow travelers for a Welcome Dinner and trip briefing.
Accommodations: Protea Fire and Ice
Meals: Dinner

Day 2 - Cape Town Orientation and Free Time
Ready for an exhilarating day, Cape Town style? Kick things off by exploring the suburb of Bo-Kaap, where rainbow-hued houses and facades turn the streets into works of art. Get your first dose of nature during a visit to the Company Gardens, before taking a spin around the 17th-century Castle of Good Hope. Then, leave the city below to catch a ride up Table Mountain, where the local furry residents (hyraxes) are the only things that may steal your attention from the view. Later, check out the golden beaches of the area on an optional e-bike ride, followed by a sunset beach braai (barbecue). For the musically-inclined, consider jamming your way through a djembe drumming session, followed by a delicious and traditional African feast.
Accommodations: Protea Fire and Ice
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3 - Cape Town - Hermanus
Put away your camera and just enjoy the ride as you wind your way along one of South Africa’s most awe-inspiring drives from Cape Town to Hermanus. The Hottentots Holland mountains plunge dramatically into the Atlantic for most of the route, so you’ll want to simply stare out over the epic scenery. Arrive in Hermanus and enjoy lunch with stunning views of the ocean. Then, hit the water on a Choice Experience Walker Bay or unleash your inner wine connoisseur on a visit to a renowned vineyard in the aptly named Hemel-en-Aarde (Heaven-and-Earth) Valley.
Accommodations: Windsor
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4 - Hermanus - Garden Route Game Reserve
Before heading into the wild, expect to be wowed by the swirling waters of the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas, where the Indian Ocean collides with the Atlantic. Then, get your game face on for your safari adventure at the Garden Route Game Reserve, keeping your eyes peeled for the wonders of the African bushveld—glimpses of impala, zebra and giraffe are highly likely.
Accommodations: Garden Route Game Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5 - Garden Route Game Reserve Safari Drives
The one thought on everyone’s minds today: will you spot the Big 5? Rise with the Cape turtle doves and let their songs kickstart another magnificent day in South Africa. We’ll get out into the bush early to avoid the heat of the day, so after grabbing a cup of coffee, don your safari hat for a morning adventure through the fynbos-clad landscape in search of wildlife. You may be lucky enough to spot lions lazing in the shade of a tree, buffalo weavers stripping the trees to craft their nests or perhaps even a lonely dung beetle rolling his ‘treasure’ uphill. Return to camp for a hearty breakfast and afternoon siesta to recharge, before grabbing your binoculars for another safari late this afternoon.
Accommodations: Garden Route Game Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6 - Garden Route Game Reserve - Knysna
You don’t need green fingers to enjoy South Africa’s lush Garden Route. Take a quick side trip to Victoria Bay and stretch your legs or soak in its refreshing salty waters. Your next stop is a bit of a tongue-twister. Knysna, pronounced ‘Naaisnah’ (the ‘k’ is silent), sits sheltered on the edge of a lagoon, shielded from the Indian Ocean by two mountainous outcrops, referred to as the Knysna Heads. With the rest of the day to do as you choose, perhaps opt to join a guided walk through lush, flora dense forests where hundreds of elephants once roamed. Or, if you want to relax until the evening, why not join a sunset dinner cruise on board a traditional paddle steamer, that will sail you along the tranquil waters of the lagoon.
Accommodations: Protea Knysna Quays
Meals: Breakfast

Day 7 - Knysna Free Day
You’ll be grateful for an extra day to explore Knysna your way today. There’s plenty to do in this pretty town and its surrounds, but we’d recommend joining our boat ride across the Knysna Lagoon, to Featherbed Nature Reserve. Once here, buckle up and enjoy a 4x4 ride along the western headland, stopping along the way to appreciate the contrast of the bright blue sea, sandy beaches and lush green headlands. If a slower pace is more your vibe, take a stroll down Sedgefield beach with a Local Guide to learn about the Strandlopers, who once roamed these beaches to gather food.
Accommodations: Protea Knysna Quays
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8 - Knysna - Cape Town
End your epic journey in South Africa’s Fairest Cape the same way you started it, in what locals call the “Mother City”. You’ll return to Cape Town this morning, stopping in Swellendam, the third-oldest town in South Africa. The center of a large farming community, Swellendam is particularly renowned for its Cape Dutch architecture – whitewashed walls, thatched roofs and the characteristic gable which makes them unmistakably Dutch in heritage.
Accommodations: Protea Fire and Ice
Meals: Breakfast

Day 9 - Cape Town Free Day
Get your final fix of Cape Town with a full day to spend your way. If you want to relax, consider kicking back at a craft beer tasting experience and tucking in to a beach braai (barbecue) at Blaauwberg Nature Reserve. Keen to fit in one last adventure? Why not explore the rugged Cape Peninsula coastline, passing the Twelve Apostles, Cape Point and Boulders Beach to check out the colony of African Jackass penguins. However you choose to enjoy the day, you’ll have plenty of stories to share over our final dinner.
Accommodations: Protea Fire and Ice
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 10 - Depart Cape Town
The time has come to say totsiens (until we see each other again) as you prepare to return home after your soul-stirring visit to South Africa's fairest Cape. All that's left is to plan for your return as you transfer to Cape Town International Airport for your flight home. Your Airport Shuttles are due to depart your hotel at 11am and 3pm.
Meals: Breakfast

Featured Destinations

Garden Route

Technically, the scenic road known as the Garden Route, South Africa—famous for its beautiful wildflowers, forests and mountainous coastline—runs along the coast from Mossel Bay to the Storms River. However, the entire drive from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth is spectacular. It takes three days to drive, but five days or longer would be much better so you can stop and enjoy the sights.

Begin in Cape Town and overnight at Mossel Bay, where Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias landed in 1488 after he had completed the first recorded rounding of the Cape of Good Hope. Mossel Bay, despite being a rather unappealing town, has the famous Post Office Tree, where sailors left letters hanging in a boot to be picked up by those headed toward the country of the addressee.

The second day, drive to Oudtshoorn, overnight there and visit the intriguing Cango Caves and an informative ostrich farm in the morning.

Then drive to George for the next overnight. While in George, see the town museum.

Next drive to the quaint and artsy town of Knysna, and on the way stop at Wilderness National Park. This is part of the Garden Route National Park, which was established in 2009 by amalgamating the existing Wilderness and Tsitsikamma national parks and the Knysna National Lake Area. The Wilderness section is a 30-mi/50-km strip of glistening vlei (lake), river and marsh, sandwiched between the Indian Ocean and the Outeniqua Mountains. Once in Knysna, stop in at some of the craft shops and galleries, then spend at least an hour exploring in one of the nearby state forests. If you have time, take a boat ride around the Knysna Lagoon, also part of the Garden Route National Park, and to the Heads—the impressive rocky promontories that lead from the lagoon to the open sea.

Plan to overnight in Plettenberg Bay, which is one of the most appealing holiday resort towns along the Garden Route with wide sandy beaches and a good choice of accommodations and restaurants. If time permits, visit Robberg Nature Reserve (great bird-watching and a small seal colony). The following day visit the numerous wildlife attractions along the N2 (the coastal highway), such as Monkeyland and Birds of Eden, where a variety of species can be seen in natural forest environments, or the Plettenberg Bay Elephant Sanctuary where there is the unique opportunity to walk with or even ride an elephant.

Stop at the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park for its giant trees, caves and several hiking paths that require from one to seven days. There's good diving, snorkeling and fishing in the area, as well as seal colonies along the coast. Adrenaline junkies can't miss the bungee jump at Bloukrans Bridge, located on the N2 in Tsitsikamma. At 710 ft/216 m, it is the highest commercial bungee jump in the world and maintains a 100% safety rating. Then head to Jeffery's Bay, which is not an attractive town but has one of the world's best surfing beaches—it was one of the locations for the '60s surf-film classic Endless Summer.

Hermanus

Knysna

Cape Town

Cape Town is southern Africa's most beautiful, most romantic and most-visited city. Few urban centers anywhere can match its setting along the Cape Peninsula spine, which slides like the mighty tail of the continent into the Atlantic Ocean. By far the most striking - and famous - of its sights is Table Mountain, frequently mantled by clouds, and rearing up from the middle of the city to provide a constantly changing vista to the suburbs below. Table Mountain is the city's solid core which divides the city into distinct zones with public gardens, wilderness, forests, hiking routes, vineyards and desirable residential areas trailing down it's lower slopes.

Excursions

Cape Town City Tour - Half Day

Three Hour Cruise

Whale Watching Tour - Full Day

Cape Point Sidecar Tour - Full Day

Vacation Details

Valid Date Ranges

12/07/2024 - 12/16/2024

from $2,595 per person

* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.

Prices Start At

from $2,595 per person

Length

9 Nights

Air City

Call for airfares from your city.

Vacation Rating

Superior
These above average establishments provide guests with a greater level of style, comfort and personalized service. On-site dining, limited room service, gift or sundry shops, spa services and baggage assistance may be found at these hotels and resorts. For the business traveler, superior hotels and resorts often provide conference or meeting rooms and extended business services. Activities may include an on-site pool and fitness center. Guestrooms are usually tastefully decorated and offer more by way of amenities.

Remarks

Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

All fares are quoted in US Dollars.

OFFER ID

1493787

Reference this number when contacting our agency so we may better serve you. Also keeping this number handy will allow you to locate this document again quickly.

Merced Travel

(209) 383-1511 Alternate (209) 658-6518

9-Nights Wonders of the Western Cape from $2,595

Excursions

Knysna Lagoon Oyster Tour

Excursions

Cape Town City Tour - Half Day

Three Hour Cruise

Whale Watching Tour - Full Day

Cape Point Sidecar Tour - Full Day

Vacation Details

Merced Travel