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Gorillas, Kruger & Cape
USD 11500
JAN-DEC
21 NIGHTS
Select your style
We are able to vary the price of this trip considerably, simply by swapping out the lodges that it contains. This is likely to have a very significant effect on the level of polish of the trip, but in all cases it will remain cool and authentic. Make your selection here and the lodges will automatically change in the itinerary below.
USD 11500 per person
This trip includes very cool, well-located and relatively well-priced lodges, suitable for more adventurous, easy-going and outdoorsy travellers.
Trip Summary
Start location : Kigali International
Kigali
01 : Mille Collines
Virunga Mountains
Johannesburg
Sabi Sand Reserve
06 : Notten’s Bush Camp
07 : Notten’s Bush Camp
08 : Notten’s Bush Camp
Klaserie Reserve
09 : River Rock Lodge
10 : River Rock Lodge
11 : River Rock Lodge
Cape Town
12 : Four Rosmead
13 : Four Rosmead
14 : Four Rosmead
15 : Four Rosmead
De Hoop
16 : De Hoop Suites
17 : De Hoop Suites
18 : De Hoop Suites
Franschhoek
19 : Auberge Clermont
20 : Auberge Clermont
21 : Auberge Clermont
End location : Cape Town International
Kigali
Set in the centre of Rwanda, Kigali is the capital city and main transport hub for the country. Set across a series of prominent hills, the city centre is a reasonably pleasant place to explore, has some reliable hotels for overnight stops and some interesting genocide museums.
Day 1
Arrival : Kigali
lodge
Mille Collines
Hotel des Mille Collines is located in the middle of Kigali.
It is a rather old fashioned large hotel with all the usual facilities.
Guest accommodation is in 100 rooms of various specifications.
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Virunga Mountains
Set in the northwest of Rwanda, Virunga Mountains is one of the prime locations in Africa for viewing mountain gorillas, plus options for other primates and cultural interaction. Guest accommodation is in a very wide range of lodges, some of which are extremely high quality.
Day 2 , 3 , 4
Safari vehicle : Primate Safaris
lodge
Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel
Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel is located in the Virunga Mountains area.
The lodge is contained within a walled suburban plot.
Guest accommodation is in around 13 small rooms of various specifications.
Activities are centred on gorilla tracking, plus golden monkey tracking, hiking and cultural visits.
The primary activity is gorilla tracking up into the mountain forests.
The reserve is home to forty families of gorillas, totalling around 600 individuals.
It is also possible to trek into the forest to view golden monkeys.
The trek to Dian Fossey's Grave is something of a pilgrimage.
Villages can be visited either as part of the other treks or as separate outings.
Johannesburg
Set to the northeast of South Africa, Johannesburg is the great commercial heart of the country and the main transport hub, a sprawling mess of a place, scarred through its heart by the gold mines. It is not somewhere safari travellers tend to linger too long, although the Cradle of Mankind may be worth a visit.
Day 5
Safari vehicle : Primate Safaris
Fly : Kigali to Johannesburg ORT
lodge
City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo
Sabi Sand Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Sabi Sand is the premium private safari reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, with extremely rich and accessible wildlife and containing the lion's share of the region's high quality lodges.
Day 6 , 7 , 8
Fly : Johannesburg ORT to Skukuza
lodge
Notten's Bush Camp
Notten's Bush Camp is located on the Sabi Sand South Reserve in the Kruger area.
The camp is centred on a modest main building, leading out to a swimming pool.
There is also a small spa facility.
Guest accommodation is in nine large Suites, each with an outside bathtub ...
... two of which are Family Suites with two bedrooms.
Activities are centred on vehicle safari, walking safari and night vehicle safari.
The primary activity is vehicle safari on the private reserve, by day and night.
Serious walking safari may include deliberate approaches onto elephants and lions.
Klaserie Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Klaserie is a substantial private reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, an up-and-coming area with an increasingly wide range of well-priced lodges.
Day 9 , 10 , 11
lodge
River Rock Lodge
River Rock Lodge is located in the Klaserie Reserve in the Kruger area.
The camp is centred on a deck above the river ...
... with a small swimming pool ...
... and backed by a substantial main building.
Guest accommodation is in just five traditional rondavels ...
... each with a conventional indoor bathroom.
Activities include vehicle safari, walking safari and night vehicle safari.
Superb walking safaris are personally guided by owners Warren and Craig Howson ...
... and often include the deliberate tracking of elephants, rhinos, buffaloes and lions.
Vehicle safari ranges over a large area, a good proportion of which is completely private.
Wildlife levels are comparable with those in the better-known Sabi Sand area.
Cape Town
Set in the Western Cape of South Africa, Cape Town is a fabulous, fascinating city, tucked in the folds of a very beautiful national park, where you are never short of a view and never more than a short walk away from an epic hiking trail. There's so much to see and do that a few nights will only enable you to scratch the surface.
Day 12 , 13 , 14 , 15
Fly : Hoedspruit HDS to Cape Town
lodge
Four Rosmead
Four Rosmead is located in the Oranjezicht area of Cape Town.
The lodge is centred on a large 1903 house, set in a pretty garden.
Guest accommodation is in three rooms on the lower floor, two in a separate garden annex ...
... and two on the upper floor of the main house.
Activities include sight-seeing, beaches, hiking, horse-riding, mountain-biking, surfing, snorkelling, diving, kayaking and sailing, plus whale, dolphin and seal watching.
In Cape Town you are never more than a couple of minutes away from a great hiking trail.
The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is a popular area full of stores, restaurants and museums.
The trip out to the Apartheid prison on Robben Island is surprisingly authentic and moving.
The City Centre is surprisingly compact and easy to explore on foot.
To the west there are some really gorgeous cold water beaches.
The botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch are truly spectacular and not to be missed.
Constantia contains the Cape's oldest wineries, a couple of which are open to the public.
The Cape of Good Hope makes for a really good day trip.
The route is usually best done anti-clockwise, first heading south to Hout Bay.
The dramatic Chapman's Peak Road.
The broad beach from Noordhoek to Kommetjie.
The sleepy settlement of Scarborough.
Entering the national park, we approach Cape Point.
Returning north along the eastern side of the peninsular.
The naval port of Simons Town.
The famous penguin colony at Boulders Beach.
The broad view across the Cape Flats from Muizenberg.
De Hoop
Set on the Whale Coast, De Hoop is a lovely coastal nature reserve, a real hidden gem, containing fabulous white dunes, swimmable rock pools, shore-based whale-watching (Jun-Oct), fascinating endemic fynbos flora and fauna, plus a good range of larger mammals, notably including baboons, bonteboks and caracals. There are a handful of good accommodation options.
Day 16 , 17 , 18
lodge
De Hoop Suites
De Hoop Suites are located in the De Hoop Nature Reserve on the Whale Coast.
The three suites are rented individually, each with one room.
The Dassie Suite is a particularly nice one bedroom unit.
Cloete Suite is a one rooms apartment in the main farm courtyard.
Vlei Suite is another single bedroom suite in the main farm courtyard.
Stable Suite is a cute little one bedroom unit, an authentic part of the original farmstead.
The Manor House is the original farmstead, now converted into a very nice unit with two bedrooms.
The farmstead has facilities including a restaurant, bar, shop, swimming pool, gym, spa and tennis court.
Activities include gentle vehicle safari, sand-boarding, cave tours, snorkelling, mountain-biking, quad-biking, coastal hiking and whale-watching Jun-Nov.
Modest vehicle safari is also possible, including bonteboks, zebras, elands, baboons and caracals.
The area contains some superb beaches, with excellent snorkelling pools.
The inter-tidal nature walks here are extraordinarily good, especially the super aggressive octopuses.
Quad-bike trips are also sometimes available ...
... as well as modest motorboat safari out on the lagoon.
Franschhoek
Set in the heart of the Cape Winelands, Franschhoek is a beautiful and relaxed village and a very popular place for our guests to stay, with a wealth of high class wineries, restaurants and hotels, plus options for shopping, mountain hiking and biking.
Day 19 , 20 , 21
lodge
Auberge Clermont
Auberge Clermont is located close to the village of Franshhoek in the Cape Winelands.
The hotel is centred on an authentic 1870 Huguenot farmhouse.
Guest accommodation is in Deluxe Rooms ...
Guest accommodation is in Deluxe Rooms ...
Activities include wineries, fine dining, mountain-biking and hiking.
The village of Franschhoek is a pleasant place to explore, packed with fine wineries and restaurants.
There are also excellent options for mountain and road biking in the area.
The valley contains several superb wineries that are open to visitors.
There are also some hiking options in the hills above the village.
Day 22
Departure : Cape Town International
Alternative Trips
Here is a small selection of related sample trips.
Of course, your actual trip will be precisely tailor-made.
Of course, your actual trip will be precisely tailor-made.
