Day 1: Johannesburg

On arrival at Oliver Tambo International airport, you’ll be met by your local African guide and transferred to your hotel in Sandton. Check in and spend the rest of the day at leisure, relaxing after your long journey. Overnight at the Protea Balalaika.

Balalaika Hotel
The hotel is ideally situated, being convenient to the main Johannesburg / Pretoria highway, and within easy reach of Johannesburg International Airport and three main local airports. The hotel is within easy walking distance of the main shopping areas of Sandton. The entire hotel has undergone extensive renovations and now boasts 330 completely renovated and refurbished brand new rooms ready for occupation. All rooms have new carpeting, curtains and furniture, individually controlled air-conditioning and heating, private bathrooms with separate showers, T.V. with an additional five satellite stations, three German channels, M-Net, radio, tea and coffee making facilities, electronic safes, mini-bars (available upon request), executive work desks with multiple adaptor plug points and modem points. Refurbished to five star standards, the Balalaika rooms are spacious and elegant, well appointed, and well suited to the discerning traveler.

Day 2: Johannesburg – Soweto

This morning, depart on a tour to Soweto (South Western Township). This sprawling metropolis of more than 3.5 million people on the outskirts of Johannesburg, is synonymous with South Africa’s turbulent past and its hopes for the future. Visit the Mandela Museum and stand on the only road in the world which carries the honor of two recipients (Mandela and Tutu) of the Nobel Peace Prize. The tour includes a full view of Soweto from the vicinity of Baragwanath Hospital, visits to African merchants of traditional medicines, the Hector Peterson Memorial, and a typical Shebeen. Enjoy lunch at Wandies tavern, where you can sample indigenous African cuisine. Overnight at the Protea Balalaika. Breakfast, lunch.

Day 3: Johannesburg – Apartheid Museum

Today’s guided tour takes you to the Apartheid Museum, which illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid. Take an inspiring journey from the dark days of  ‘whites only’ privilege, through to Nelson Mandela’s historic release. Documented film snippets, texts, sound clips and live accounts recapture life in the old South Africa. Next is a visit to Constitution Hill, the site of Johannesburg’s notorious Old Fort Prison complex, where thousands of ordinary people were brutally punished before the dawn of democracy in 1994. Many of South Africa’s leading political activists, including Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, were detained here. Partake in the interactive tour and listen to the messages of former inmates. Both of today’s visits bring to life the dark history of South Africa, but end with the positive affirmations of a new beginning. The afternoon is free for shopping – visit Bruma Lake market where you can browse for African curios and souvenirs, or shop at one of the opulent shopping centres within walking distance from your hotel. Overnight at the Protea Balalaika. Breakfast.

Day 4: Johannesburg – Lesedi

Transfer to Lesedi Cultural Village, a multi cultural village, for lunch and a cultural show.
Arrive to a vibrant traditional African welcome, then browse the Ndebele village and African craft market. You’ll be taken on a guided tour of four homesteads – Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho and Pedi – before a traditional song and dance, and African feast in the Nyama Choma restaurant. Overnight at the Protea Balalaika. Breakfast, lunch.

Day 5: Johannesburg / Cape Town

Transfer to Oliver Tambo Intl Airport in time for your flight to Cape Town. On arrival, transfer to the vibrant V&A Waterfront for check in at the Portswood Hotel. Spend some time exploring the Waterfront at your leisure. This evening, transfer to Gugulethu township, where you will have the opportunity to join a local family for a home-hosted dinner. Overnight at The Portswood. Breakfast, dinner.

Portswood Hotel
Located on the trendy V&A Waterfront, The Portswood offers guests superlative accommodation, stunning cuisine and world-class service. This premier hotel’s success has been due to its location, situated away from the working part of the harbor, yet conveniently close to a variety of shopping and entertainment options in a secure and tranquil environment. The Portswood offers you a choice of 59 twin rooms, 35 double rooms or 9 suites. They all have individual aircon, television, tea/coffee making facilities, bathroom with bath, shower and toilet, direct dial phones, Internet, electric razor plugs, international adaptors, fully stocked mini bars, hair dryers, TV with DStv and 24-hour room service.

Day 6: Cape Town – Townships & Robben Island

Experience the raw energy of our “Rainbow Nation” in one remarkable morning. Visit the District Six Museum, Langa (the oldest apartheid housing scheme in the Cape), Tsoga Environment Gardens, an informal spaza shop, shebeen pub and hostel. Continue to the Waterfront, the departure point for your Robben Island tour. A short boat ride away is the legendary Robben Island and the prison cell of the Ôworld-loved and admired’ former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. The tour includes a visit to Mandela’s prison cell and the limestone quarry where prisoners worked unceasingly day after day. Overnight at The Portswood. Breakfast.

Day 7: Cape Town – Peninsula tour

Enjoy a full day tour of the Cape Peninsula today, and see for yourself how this spectacular southern tip of Africa became known as the Fairest Cape. Overnight at The Portswood. Breakfast.

Cape Peninsula Tour
The Cape Peninsula is the thin finger of land in the south-western most corner of Africa with the city of Cape Town at its head. As you travel south towards Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, the land gets narrower until the great Indian and Atlantic Oceans combine into one vast southern ocean, with nothing beyond except Antarctica. This comprehensive tour shows you the best of the spectacular Cape Peninsula. Find out firsthand why it’s called the Fairest Cape. Dependant on the weather, enjoy a leisurely walk in the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in the morning or afternoon. Travel past Sea Point and Camps Bay, past the famous beaches of Clifton and Llandudno towards Hout Bay. (Optional Seal Island Cruise Â- time permitting). Drive along the breathtakingly scenic Chap-mans Peak Drive, around the Atlantic Seaboard. Pass through Noordhoek, and Scarborough. Later we stop for lunch (own account). Then on to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Ride the funicular to the scenic viewing point where the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans meet. From here we drive along the Indian Ocean coastline, where we visit the beautiful Boulders Beach, where you have the option to sit among the famous colony of Jackass Penguins. Afterwards enjoy a short stop at the naval port of Simons Town.

Day 8: Cape Town

Spend your day at leisure, exploring the “Mother City” at your own pace. Overnight at The Portswood. Breakfast.

Day 9: Depart Cape Town

Check out of your hotel by 11 am this morning. You will be transferred to Cape Town Intl Airport in time for your departure flight. Breakfast.