On Safari in South Africa – Elephant Lodge with Three-night Cape Town Extension

Overnight direct flight to Johannesburg.

Meet your local tour manager at Johannesburg airport for the scenic transfer to the Sebatana Elephant Lodge. Upon arrival, lunch will be served.

Afterwards, rest, relax and settle into your new surroundings, perhaps by taking a refreshing dip in the one of the pools. This evening, enjoy an included welcome drink, followed by dinner and a short briefing about the week ahead.

This morning you'll venture out in 4x4s into the reserve with your guides, who will tell you about the different animals and plants that inhabit the area.

After lunch, head out on the first of many wonderful wildlife-spotting game drives. All game drives at Sebatana are done in open-air vehicles for maximum visibility. Access to the reserve is subject to extensive restrictions, so it’ll feel like you have the whole place to yourself! Keep an eye out – and have your camera at the ready – for zebras, meerkats, giraffes, wildebeest and impalas.

Tonight, enjoy a complimentary wine-tasting before dinner.

After breakfast, venture out on a game drive to the nearby Welgevonden Reserve in search of the fabled Big Five – the lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant.

This evening, you have the option to join the tribal evening to learn more about South Africa’s indigenous cultures.

This morning, join your guide for a gentle included bush walk into the Sebatana Private Reserve. Listen intently as your guide points out animal breeding areas and local plant life. After the walk, return to the lodge for some well-earned lunch.

After lunch, set out on your second game drive into the Sebatana Private Reserve for the chance to spot some spectacular wildlife, armed with the knowledge gained this morning. You’ll head to Christina’s Wallow, a hide with wonderful views of a waterhole. For a truly authentic wildlife-spotting experience, you’ll complete the journey on foot.

Today you have the choice of joining the 'Echoes of the Past, Hope for the Future' excursion. Rise early and head back into Kaingo Private Reserve under the morning light for another game-viewing experience. With the lower temperatures, the wildlife you spot across the bushveld will be more active, making for even more dramatic animal encounters. Kaingo isn’t only famous for its resident creatures, though, and your expert guide will introduce you to a series of world-famous archaeological sites which chart humanity’s evolution across millions of years. You’ll see ancient stone tools, delicate Bushman paintings, and cave shelters which were once used by the earliest homo sapiens.  

Rise and shine early this morning for a very special game drive, and the chance to spot herds of antelopes moving in the open. Antelopes and other prey animals tend to move around in the morning, to find the best protection from predators.

Around mid-morning, you’ll stop at Kudu Rock for a magnificent, traditional African brunch. Enjoy a well-earned meal as you soak up the fantastic views of the African bush.

Return to the lodge to rest and relax. If you want to carry on exploring, the guides will point out some gentle trails through the reserve. This evening, enjoy a complimentary wine-tasting before dinner. Later on, why not join the fascinating optional night safari?

This morning, you’ll have the chance to join one last optional Big Five game drive to nearby Kaingo Game Reserve.

Later, in the mid-afternoon, enjoy a fitting finale to your South African adventure, as you join the included safari to Sunset Rock. Sip a traditional sundowner from this magnificent vantage point, looking out over the Waterberg Mountains as the sky turns a cascade of red and orange.

Return to the lodge for a farewell feast, no doubt reflecting on a wonderful break in the African wilderness.

Have your last breakfast at the lodge and say goodbye to your hosts as you depart for Johannesburg for a flight to Cape Town. Upon arrival, you’ll check into your charming, centrally located hotel ahead of the rest of the day at leisure.  

Enjoy breakfast and get ready for a full day at leisure in Cape Town, perhaps venturing out into the city for some self-guided exploration.  

If you’d prefer a more structured day, why not join an optional drive around the Cape Peninsula? The first stop on this unmissable excursion will be breath-taking Chapman’s Peak (weather permitting), famous for its idyllic picnic spots and glorious 180-degree views of the Cape’s rugged coastline. This legendary route encompasses nine kilometres of mountainous seafront and promises some of the region’s finest natural landscapes from Hout Bay to Noordhoek.    

After an extraordinary time on the road, you’ll visit the Cape of Good Hope, a stretch of flower-strewn headland leading onto the Atlantic Coast. Here, you’ll have time to admire the fields of native fynbos in the heart of the Cape Floral region, which is home to a fifth of Africa’s total floral species. Reconnect with the natural world, or perhaps search for the perfect photo spot, amongst the colourful wildflowers and imposing clifftops overlooking the open ocean. If you visit between early August and late September, you’ll experience the region’s flora at their most vivid as the Cape enters the height of its flowering season.    

Another wildlife encounter awaits on the return leg of the day’s journey as you make a stop at Boulders’ Beach, home to flocks of free-roaming native penguins. Though their species is endangered, this group of African penguins, numbering around 3000, often nest along the bay’s craggy rock faces and make for a perfect picture stop.

Please note: this optional excursion can only be booked locally while in South Africa.

Those in favour of a more laid-back day will be spoilt for choice of coastal gems to enjoy in Cape Town, with Clifton Beach and Bloubergstrand Beach amongst the most popular options. Table Mountain is another must-see landmark and promises a relaxing, scenic ride to its summit onboard its dedicated cable car service.   

Later, enjoy a final evening in Cape Town ahead of the return journey.  

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast this morning, check out of the hotel and head to the airport later in the afternoon for your flight back to the UK.   

Touch down in the UK at the end of an unforgettable safari adventure.