 |
|
|
|
Search
|
|
|
|
Meerkat self-drive safari
This self-drive safari begins in northern South Africa with an 8-night safari in the stunning Kgalagadi Transfronteir Park and the Augrabies Falls National Park before meandering down the west coast to stay in the vibrant and beautiful city of Cape Town for its final 3 nights.
|
Depart London Heathrow on your scheduled overnight South African Airways flight to Johannesburg. |
Arriving early, you connect with an internal flight to Upington where you collect your hire car. Stop in town for lunch, and do a spot of supermarket shopping as you will be self catering for some of the nights in the park. Then drive north for about 3 hours to the Kgalagadi Transfronteir Park - where you will stay for 1 night at… |
| Twee Rivieren Rest Camp (accommodation only) |
| Beside the banks of the dry Nossob riverbed, this is the Kgalagadi's main restcamp – with its own shop, restaurant and pool. Explore the transfrontier park in your own 2WD vehicle; it's also possible to arrange guided walks and night drives with park rangers from here. |
|
The Kgalagadi covers roughly 38,000km² between Namibia and Botswana of Kalahari dunes veined by a few fossil river valleys. This environment is particularly well suited for cheetah – and perhaps Africa's best park for meerkats. Take a lovely leisurely drive to the north of the park for about 6 hours game driving on the way before spending 2 nights at… |
| Grootkolk Wilderness Camp (accommodation only) |
| This small popular camp has 4 simple cabins overlooking a floodlit waterhole up in the dunes. There is no restaurant here so self-catering is necessary. |
Take a leisurely game drive heading south where you will spend the next 2 nights at… |
| Kalahari Tented Camp (accommodation only) |
| This unfenced camp feels very wild, and one of its highlights is a waterhole that's perfect for close-range photo opportunities of visiting animals. |
Dawn is a magical time in the African bush as many animals are at their most active, especially the predators, so leave camp early for your best chances of good game sightings. Black-maned lion, cheetah, leopard and hyena are all common here, so look out for them as you drive through the park for 1 night at... |
| Kielie Krankie Wilderness Camp (accommodation only) |
| Often the Kgalagadi's roads follow its riverbeds, where a string of water-holes attract herds of blue wildebeest, red hartebeest and eland. Be sure to also look out for playful meerkats, which live in large family groups, inquisitive honey badgers and sleek bat-eared foxes. |
Leaving the park at Twee Rivieren drive south towards the Augrabies Falls National Park where you stay 2 nights at… |
| Augrabies Falls Restcamp (accommodation only) |
The restcamp here is large with a well-stocked shop, restaurant, three swimming pools, a petrol station and 59 en-suite self-catering chalets.
This starkly beautiful semi-desert park is home to at least 46 mammal species including klipspringers, gemsbok, Hartmann's mountain zebra and giraffe. There are also black-backed jackals, caracals, bat-eared foxes and leopards. It is also a good park for bird watching. |
After an early morning drive leave the park and head south-west to the outpost town of Springbok: the main town of this region of Namaqualand. It's an area famed for its amazing displays of wild flowers, which bloom here around August-September. Stay for 1 night at… |
| Mountain View Guest House (bed & breakfast) |
| This short stop enables you to visit Namaqualand's famous flower reserves –Goegap and Skilpad – and perhaps the Nababeep Museum, which tells of the area's copper mining history. |
|
After a leisurely breakfast, leave Springbok to drive south-west for about 4½ hours to the Atlantic coast. Here the smallish coastal town of Langebaan stands beside a nature reserve on the edge of an immense lagoon. This offers some superb seafood, and spectacularly good windsurfing too! Stay 2 nights at… |
| Farmhouse Hotel (bed & breakfast) |
| Explore the reserve for the day with a slow drive. See flocks of sea-birds in their thousands, and colonies of squawking gannets, gulls and cormorants on the nearby Schaapen Island. |
It's an hour's leisurely drive to the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town - where there are endless things to do! Explore the city, take a boat out to Robben Island, ride the revolving cable-car to the top of Table Mountain, shop 'til you drop at the V&A Waterfront, stroll throughthe exotic Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens or simply relax around the hotel pool. Stay 3 nights at – |
| Vineyard Hotel and Spa (bed & breakfast) |
| This charming hotel is in a quiet and leafy area in the heart of the Cape Peninsula. It's a short drive from the city centre, the vineyards of Constantia, the stylish beachfront at Camp's Bay – and only 45-minutes from the wine region around Stellenbosch. In short, it's an ideal base! |
|
After a full leisurely day in Cape Town, drive to the airport in the late afternoon where you will leave your hire car in good time to check in for your scheduled overnight flight back to the UK with South African Airways. |
|
After a fantastic trip you arrive back at London Heathrow early in the morning with ample time to continue your journey home. |
| From |
To |
Cost |
| 1-Jan-2010 |
16-Mar-2010 |
£2,226 |
| 17-Mar-2010 |
30-Apr-2010 |
£2,140 |
| 1-May-2010 |
31-Aug-2010 |
£2,136 |
| 1-Sep-2010 |
17-Sep-2010 |
£2,213 |
| 18-Sep-2010 |
30-Sep-2010 |
£2,294 |
| 1-Oct-2010 |
31-Oct-2010 |
£2,284 |
| 1-Nov-2010 |
16-Dec-2010 |
£2,373 |
Notes:
• The prices shown are per person sharing; call us for single person supplements. |
This itinerary includes:• Economy flights as above, to and from London, plus UK and South African airport departure taxes. • All meals and activities as specified. • A Group B/C car for the duration of your trip, to be picked up at Upington Airport and dropped off at Cape Town Airport. This includes unlimited mileage. • Our unique full 100% LDW insurance cover. Please note that this is only valid for drivers who are aged over 25 and under 75 years and who are resident in the EEC. (Alternative insurance arrangements are possible for others, although this alters the price of the itinerary slightly.) • A comprehensive pack of maps and information covering the places that you'll be visiting. This itinerary excludes:• Petrol for your hire car. • One way drop-off fee between Upington and Cape Town which must be paid for locally. • Tips and gratuities (which are optional) • All meals and activities which are not specified.
^ Top of page
|
|
