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2 Because we have had the good fortune to personally experience camps and lodges from the low end right up to the ultra-luxurious we have an understanding that not many safari specialists can share. Our focus is on the wildlife then the accommodations. We love to get you off the beaten track. We take the time to understand what it is that you wish to experience and then we take our 30+ years of safari knowledge and outline something that we feel fits your specific needs. We look forward to sharing our passion with you! Everything was perfect. Every step of the way we were met by your representatives, smiling and happy to help. It was seamless. From airport to airplane to camp, again and again, perfect. The camps were well selected for the time of the year and comfort. The food was fantastic, the camp personnel great. We saw so much game I fear an unattainable standard has been set. You look at the cost of the trip, smile and say to yourself, It was well worth the expense. There is no greater tribute to Rothschild Safaris. ~ J. & R. Parker Rosyln, NY 2

3 SOUTH AFRICA FAMILY SAFARI Take your children on the trip of a lifetime on our specially designed family safari. This itinerary features Cape Town and the Cape Winelands, the Eastern Cape s Garden Route, home of Monkeyland, and malaria-free game viewing in Kwandwe Private Reserve. 3

4 Safari Snapshot KEY: B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner * Please note that premium import brands are not included with beverages Date Destination Nights Accommodation Tours/Activities What s Included Day 1 Travel Day To Africa Days 2, 3, 4 Cape Town 3 Cape Grace Hotel Township Cultural Tour, Cape Peninsula Tour Days 5, 6 Cape Winelands 2 Le Quartier Francais Winelands tour with wine safari Days 7, 8, 9 Garden Route 3 Hog Hollow Country Lodge Option day activities available Meet & greet service at airport on arrival Accommodation Meals: B Accommodation Meals: B Accommodation Meals: B Days 10, 11, 12 Kwandwe Private Game Reserve 3 Kwandwe Ecca Lodge Game drives, bush walks, visits to the Mgacamabele Community Center, bush sundowners, picnics, fishing Accommodation Park entrance fees Meals: B, L, D Day 13 Your Journey Ends 4

5 Itinerary Details DATE: Day 1 LOCATION: Depart USA DESCRIPTION: Your safari begins today as you board your international flight to Africa. DATE: Day 2 LOCATION: Cape Town DESCRIPTION: Welcome to Africa! As you arrive in Cape Town, South Africa, you will be met by our representative and transferred to the Cape Grace Hotel for your first three nights in Africa! ACCOMMODATION: Cape Grace Hotel (B) DATE: Day 3 LOCATION: Cape Town Morning Cultural & Township Tour DESCRIPTION: The majority of non-white South Africans live in the townships. Townships are urban residential areas that were set aside for non-white people during South Africa s policy of Apartheid ( ). Townships are situated on the outskirts of a city center and often lack basic facilities like electricity and running water. Although Apartheid is no longer in place, millions of non-white South Africans choose to still live in the township areas. Touring the townships offers direct insight into these vibrant, lively, poor and cultural hot spots. Our tour guide will collect you from your hotel for your morning tour into the townships near Cape Town. Here you will get to witness everyday life in a harsh environment, one that tells you of the struggles, hopes and also the achievements of these communities. You will begin at District Six, an area that was once home to thousands of people of various cultures. You then visit Langa, the oldest formal black township in Cape Town, see the local market, an art and crafts center and you will also visit a traditional healer. Visit a school (when in session). You will have the opportunity to visit local people and find out about their harsh past, hear about the challenges they face every day but also about their positive hope for the future. After your tour you will return to the city before lunch time. OPTIONAL: You may choose to have your guide drop you off at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront where you can enjoy lunch on your own or you may choose to take a tour to Robben Island. The Robben Island tour is 3.5 hours long and includes the two half-hour ferry rides. 5

6 Ferries depart at 9am, 11am, 1pm & 3pm (weather permitting, but please check the website for current schedule and updated departure times as these can change). On the island you will visit the infamous maximum security prison, interact with an ex-political prisoner and enjoy a 45-minute bus ride with a guide providing commentary. After your tour you may walk back to the Cape Grace Hotel. ACCOMMODATION: Cape Grace Hotel (B) DATE: Day 4 LOCATION: Cape Town Private Full Day Cape Peninsula Tour with Penguin Sea Kayak Trip DESCRIPTION: A must for anyone who is passionate about dramatic scenery, this tour is a photographer s dream. With sheer drops to the sea below and towering mountains rising above you, the twists and curves in the road seem endless. This tour offers stunning 180 views with many areas along the route where you can stop and take in the exquisite scenery. You will be collected from your hotel this morning and travel to one of the most unique places in the world Boulders Penguin colony. The best way to see them is from the water. On arrival in Simonstown, you will meet your kayak guide and, after a briefing, you will paddle out past the civilian and Naval Harbor where you get a bonus close up view of their biggest naval vessels and out to Boulders Beach to see the penguins. On the way there you may encounter a number of Cape Fur seals resting in kelp beds or next to the harbor wall. If the tide is right, you may stop on a beach for a swimming break, or else you may swim from the kayaks. During the whale watching season (July-October) there is a good chance of seeing whales as well. Your kayak tour lasts approximately two hours. Enjoy lunch at a fishing village (on your own account) and then continue to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where you may encounter different species of buck, birds, Cape Mountain Zebra and mischievous baboons, as well as magnificent indigenous flora. You may take the funicular (on your own account) or walk the stairs to the lighthouse to see the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans at the Cape Point. Travel along Chapman s Peak, the scenic Atlantic seaboard coastal road back to Cape Town. Chapman s Peak is one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world. Enjoy time in the quaint fishing village of Hout Bay. Here you may choose to take a boat out to Seal Island (on your own account). Pass the formidable Twelve Apostles Peaks that rise above the road on one side, while sheer cliffs and incredible rock formations drop into the icy Atlantic Ocean on the other side. Pass the pristine beaches of Clifton and Camps Bays before returning to your hotel, or you may ask your guide to drop you off for sundowners at one of the many lively restaurants in Camps Bay. 6

7 Note: Our tours are privately guided, so we may tweak them to best suit the needs of your group. We may include any of the following additional activities onto your tour at an additional cost: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens Cable car ride up Table Mountain Lunch Seal Island boat trip in place of kayaking to penguins Sundowners on Signal Hill with oysters & champagne ACCOMMODATION: Cape Grace Hotel (B) DATE: Days 5 & 6 LOCATION: Cape Winelands Half Day Cape Winelands Tour with Wine Safari DESCRIPTION: On this wine tour we have hand selected an intimate winery for you to visit that tends to stand out for us. If you have a specific preference and wish to include certain wineries or wish to add any component to your wine tour that we have not included, just let us know. We tailor make our tours to suit you! We recommend you spend some time at your leisure this morning and suggest taking the cable car up to Table Mountain (if you did not do that on the previous days), or spend some time shopping for African artifacts at the Greenmarket Square. Or simply enjoy the last morning at the Cape Grace Hotel. If this day happens to fall on a Saturday we highly suggest you go to the Old Biscuit Mill market and enjoy breakfast there among the locals. It s a great place to feel part of the community and take a look at some wonderful art works by local artists. Your tour guide will collect you this afternoon from your hotel and you will head into the wine country, approximately a 50-minute drive from the city. We head into Stellenbosch to explore the second oldest and undoubtedly most scenically attractive and historically preserved town in southern Africa. History is reflected in the neo-dutch and modern-victorian architecture throughout this quaint town. Take a tour of the Village Museum, which currently comprises four houses of historical interest and their gardens. Each of these homes represents a different period in the architectural development of Stellenbosch. They have all been wonderfully restored, furnished, planted and decorated to illustrate the particular style and taste of the time, dating back to the 1700s. 7

8 You then continue to the lovely Waterford Estate. Here you will enjoy a scenic wine safari. A safari type game viewing Landrover has been fitted out with bucket seats and your guide will take you around the 120-hectare property that is situated on the slopes of the beautiful Helderberg Mountain in the Stellenbosch region the undisputed wine capital of South Africa. As part of their biodiversity program, they show visitors their intentions in terms of sustainable agriculture, since they are aiming to achieve an organic approach to wine farming. Guests will also be able to taste the wines made from the respective vineyards while amongst the vines. While out in the vineyards, your guide explains their terroir, and gets you to smell the soil and rocks in which the vines grow, while enjoying the beautiful vistas, geography and topography of the Cape Winelands. At certain vantage points, they stop to explain the 350-year history of South African winemaking, while looking at Table Mountain and Constantia, where it all started in This tour lasts 1.5 to 2 hours. Note: they will tailor this tour to suit the ages of all children. After your tour you will continue to Le Quartier Français in Franschhoek for two nights. ACCOMMODATION: Le Quartier Francais (B) DATE: Days 7, 8, 9 LOCATION: Garden Route DESCRIPTION: Enjoy a wonderful breakfast at Le Quartier this morning. Last night, your rental car would have been delivered to Le Quartier. When you are ready, you will proceed on your own towards the beautiful Garden Route, stopping along the way at any points of interest. A drive of approximately six hours - depending on your number of stops. You will arrive this afternoon at Hog Hollow, which will be your base for the following three nights. The Garden Route runs along one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in South Africa a visual gem with exquisite African scenery and untamed coastline. Over the next two full days explore this little bit of heaven on earth. Listed below are a few touring options in this area: Monkeyland - This world-class multi-primate sanctuary is the world s first free-roaming sanctuary. The freedom of these amazing animals add to the excitement as visitors need to search for them, as they are not caged and are free to roam where they want to. It is a rare opportunity to see them like this; it is almost like they are in the wild. Visitors can partake in a multitude of activities, including 8

9 educational safaris where visitors leave with a new understanding of the world s primates and the challenges they face. Elephant Sanctuary This sanctuary, started in 1999, grew from five elephants to a total of twelve African elephants. These elephants have been domesticated through positive reinforcement animal management principles and, as a result, provide us with the unique opportunity to interact with them. You will have the rare and exciting chance to get close to these magnificent creatures. You have the opportunity to touch, feed and take photographs. There are no barriers or fences to spoil the close encounter, but this can be a bit unnerving for some. Nothing could be more gratifying than hand-feeding one of these gentle giants. Enter the world of the elephant with Elephant Back Riding if you choose. Bare-back Elephant Back Riding enables us as humans to feel the power and bulk of an elephant in contrast with the quietness, delicateness and grace of these mammoth creatures' movement as they walk/glide across the ground. Understand the height at which an elephant stands and experience their environment from an elephant's perspective. Birds of Eden - Located on 2.3 hectares, it is the largest single, free-flight aviary in the world. Enjoy being outdoors, walking behind a waterfall viewing the birds and their habitat, or simply just pack a picnic basket and sit down with your family while the birds are all around you. Children can feed the ducks. Treetop Canopy Tours - This tour is found in the magnificent Tsitsikama forest at Storms River, approximately 45 minutes from the holiday enclave of Knysna, and consists of 10 platforms and 10 slides, the longest of which is 100-meters. The Cape Treetop Canopy Tours are fun and adventurous, stemming from biologists who needed to find a way to access the plants they wanted to study that were found in the deepest and most mysterious parts of the forests. After figuring out how to get to where they wanted, these biologists soon discovered an unbridled joy and passion of combing through the forest in this way and, as a result, canopy tours came into existence. And much much more, depending on your interests and age of your family group: Ostrich farm visits, the Cango Caves, Storms River Mouth walk at Tsitsikamma, scuba diving, whale watching (in season), Blackwater Tubing etc. ACCOMMODATION: Hog Hollow Country Lodge (B) DATE: Days 10, 11, 12 LOCATION: Kwandwe Private Game Reserve DESCRIPTION: This morning, you sadly leave behind the lovely Craggs area, and continue with your rental car to Port Elizabeth Airport where you will return your rental car and be met by your guide and privately transferred to Kwandwe Private Game Reserve and 9

10 Kwandwe Ecca Lodge. Your next three nights will be spent in this private reserve viewing all sorts of incredible wildlife. You will arrive at Ecca Lodge in time for lunch. You will then enjoy an orientation of the lodge and this afternoon you will head out on your first game drive. These days will be filled with lots of adventurous activities, including: game viewing with your game ranger in open Land Rover, optional bush walks, night game drives in search of the nocturnal wildlife, visits to the Mgacamabele Community Center (including the children s school) the kids will love to interact with the local school children and learn all about their way of life - bush sundowners, picnics and even fishing is available. Children are also encouraged to spend time baking their own pizza and cookies with the chef, doing various art projects and then, of course, cooling off in the swimming pool is a favorite of all kids! The wide open spaces and tranquil scenery belie the area s turbulent history, and relics of the area s rich historical and cultural legacy can be found both on the Reserve and nearby. At an additional cost, guests can spend time with a local historian and raconteur, and learn all about the history of the Eastern Cape, with insightful visits to ancient San (Bushman) rock art sites and neighboring forts and military towns, such as Fort Beaufort and Grahamstown. ACCOMMODATION: Kwandwe Ecca Lodge (B, L, D, Local Beverages & Laundry) DATE: Day 13 LOCATION: Your Journey Ends DESCRIPTION: Sadly the time has come to return home, but hopefully not for long the memories created over the past two weeks will no doubt leave your family longing for more, and the bonds formed over this special time together will be stronger than ever. Over the next 50+ years to come we have no doubt this will be one of those trips that your family will still be talking about! After some sad goodbyes and plenty of hugs, you will be transferred to Port Elizabeth Airport in time to check in for your scheduled flight to Johannesburg. As you arrive in Johannesburg, you will connect with your onward international flight home. A Magical Journey Awaits! Booking a safari with Rothschild Safaris = Helping give schoolchildren in Zambia an education through our sponsorship program 10

11 Safari Cost 2014 Travel Date Adult Child under 12 Internal Air* Day Tours* Single Supplement January 12 April 30 $5,099 $1,466 $112 $395 $2,689 May 1 July 31 $3,790 $968 $112 $395 $1,990 August 1 October 31 $4,507 $1,193 $112 $395 $2,408 Prices are in USD Per Person Please call our office for special international airfares. *Internal airfare includes: Port Elizabeth-Johannesburg. Flight availability and cost subject to change until booked and ticketed. *Above tour costs are based on a family of four Includes: AM Township Cultural Tour, Cape Peninsula Tour with Sea Kayaking, and Half day Wine tour with wine safari *The above safari cost has been discounted by 3% for check payment, which is not applicable if credit card is used. *The airfare prices above are current per person as indicated and include airport taxes as they are linked to the performance of the exchange rate, the applicable conversion takes place on the date the tickets are issued so please expect a variation. Until ticketed, the airlines have the right to alter the pricing structure without warning. All prices are in USD. INCLUDED: Besides what is listed above, the following additional items are included in your trip price: National parks and concession fees Services of professional English-speaking guides and staff Comprehensive safari preparation Internal flights within South Africa Rental car for 4 days, automatic including GPS, additional driver and one way pick up fee EXCLUDED: Items of personal nature Beverages at accommodations excluded unless otherwise stated Travel insurance Gratuities (estimate approx. $15 per person per day) Excess baggage fees Airport departure taxes Passport and visa fees International airfare (available upon request) 11

12 Booking Conditions Rothschild Safaris: Terms and Conditions applicable on all tours. Cancellation insurance is highly recommended. Deposit Requirements: 20% per person deposit is required to confirm your booking. Final payment is due 60 days prior to departure. Currency Exchange Rates (for South Africa services only): Due to the volatility of currency markets, we can only offer the most competitive pricing on South African tours by tying these costs directly to the value of the South African Rand. This is calculated based on an in-house exchange rate of 9.5 Rand to 1.0 USD. Approximately 90 days prior to your safari, we finalize the cost of the South Africa portion of your trip and make any necessary changes to the price on the final invoice. Generally, price changes are not necessary. Additional Trip Information A detailed packing list, country facts, suggested reading list, medical information, and other pertinent travel information will be sent to you once your safari is booked. International flights can be arranged upon request utilizing our excellent consolidator airfares. All of our safaris can be customized to suit your specific interests, timeframe and budget. Please contact us to talk about other options for you, as this is one of many choices we offer. Travel insurance Unexpected events or accidents can leave you with cancelled plans and sometimes significant expenses. Travel insurance can help you cover yourself, your belongings and your travel investment against any surprises. Travel Guard offers a broad, affordable package of benefits and services to help you enjoy your safari. Call us for a travel insurance quote today. We do not automatically send you an insurance quote. PLEASE CALL US if you wish to receive a quote. 12

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14 CAPE GRACE BOUTIQUE HOTEL CAPE TOWN About Cape Grace: A boutique hotel positioned on a private quay in the center of the vibrant V & A Waterfront. Backed by the iconic Table Mountain, the Cape Grace melds style and sophistication with warmth and hospitality. Enjoy afternoon tea in the library or take breakfast or a light lunch in the Bascule Bar. Signal Restaurant serves an ever-changing menu of fresh ingredients and South African dishes. Accommodation: 120 guest rooms & suites complete with a fully stocked private bar and mini-deli, French windows with views of the yacht marina or working harbor. Room types available include: luxury room, superior room (French doors open onto balcony), one bedroom suite (separate lounge), 2 or 3 bedroom suite (2 or 3 guest rooms, kitchen, dining area & balcony with outdoor dining) and penthouse suite. Optional Activities (Available at an additional cost): Cape Peninsula/Cape of Good Hope tour, excursion into the Cape Winelands, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain, Cultural Tour including Robben Island and the history of South Africa (Costs and descriptions of tours available upon request). 14

15 LE QUARTIER FRANCAIS CAPE WINELANDS About Le Quartier Francais: This luxury boutique hotel situated in the heart of the Franschhoek Village is home to two great restaurants, the award winning Tasting Room and Common Room, both menus designed by Executive Chef Margot Janse. It is the extra-ordinary staff, comfortable rooms, and the attention to detail ensures that this Relais & Châteaux Auberge is the ultimate spoiling. Accommodation: The Auberge Suites are en suite rooms which feature a walled garden with a private pool, loft section for children ideal for children under the age of 12, second bathroom, WII gaming consul and an ipod docking station. Each suite boasts two bathrooms with a separate shower, bath and under floor heating. Optional Activities: Le Quartier offers many wonderful tours that we can book for you during your stay: Art Lovers 5 hour tour; History, Grapes & Charcuterie full day tour; Historical Walk 2 hours; Spice Class 4 hours, Discover South Africa Flavors 3-4 hours; Bicycle tours & wine tasting, horseback riding & wine tasting. All tours should be booked in advance. 15

16 HOG HOLLOW COUNTRY LODGE GARDEN ROUTE About Hog Hollow: This country house overlooks the Matjies River Gorge. There are three lounge areas to escape to with a book, a pair of binoculars, or just your thoughts. The pool lounge leads out onto cool blue waters where you may find others lazing about on comfortable recliners. The reading room offers a quiet haven and a leafy vista of the indigenous forest valley and Tsitsikama Mountains. If you're a bird lover we advise you to head straight for the Ficus lounge where an ancient fruit-laden tree is a favorite with Plettenberg Bay's prolific bird community. At the center of the Main House is the large dining room table where guests can plan their daily activities over breakfast and unwind in the evening around a candle-lit table laden with gourmet delights. The Boma is a place for festive occasions and the day's end where guests can kick back on a pile of comfy cushions, a fire crackling nearby, and their favorite night cap in hand. Accommodations: 16 suites are all situated in the gardens surrounding the main house. Rooms feature king size beds (or twin if you prefer), earthy colors with a bit of zing, hand crafted artifacts, a well-stocked mini bar and a hi-fi with some interesting music. Sit out on your private wooden deck listening to the sounds of a garden humming with life, enveloped in the warmth of the African sun. Optional Activities: Birds of Eden, Monkey Sanctuary, Tsitsikamma Forest Nature walk to the Storms River Mouth Suspension Bridge. 16

17 KWANDWE ECCA LODGE KWANDWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE About Kwandwe Ecca Lodge: The lodge guest areas feature a spacious sitting room with fireplace, dining room and bar area, and a deep veranda with expansive wooden viewing decks overlooking rolling spekboom valleys with a backdrop of the distant ecca shale cliffs. Highlights include the open interactive kitchen, a gorgeous rim-flow lap pool and the nearby interpretive library. Accommodations: Six spacious suites featuring en-suite bathrooms, indoor and outdoor showers, large verandas with private decks and solar-heated plunge pools. The furnishings reflect natural textures and combine clean contemporary sofas with venerable old collectibles from the area. Wildlife: Kwandwe Reserve is a game rich country with Big Five, black & white rhino, elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard, as well as remarkable variety of predators and general game, including cheetah, kudu, springbok, eland, red hartebeest, giraffe, black wildebeest and gemsbok. The reserve is a paradise for birdwatchers; the Fish Eagle and endangered Blue Crane are among a wide variety of birds found on the Reserve. One can also enjoy excellent nocturnal viewing aardwolf. Optional Activities (at an additional cost): Scenic coastal flights, rhino monitoring, big game walking safaris, private safaris, flight of the Blue Crane and rhino darting. 17

18 SOUTH AFRICA South Africa is situated at the southernmost tip of the continent of Africa. It has a land area of 1.2 million square kilometers that stretches from the great Limpopo River in the north, to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas in the south. And it is here that the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans meet. The interior of the country is high plateau, separated from the coastline by a chain of mountains giving South Africa richly diverse and dramatic landscapes. South Africa has a turbulent history with the release of Nelson Mandela from a 27-year jail sentence initiating the change from the apartheid regime to multi-racial democracy. Home to approximately 49 million people, South Africa is a melting pot of culture, race and ancestry, with eleven official languages and seven different ways of saying South Africa. This diversity of languages gives an indication of the striking combinations that makes South Africa truly unique. The epitome of African culture juxtaposed with the pace of world progress, a complementary blend of third world and first world, a dynamic fusion of old-age customs and modern sensibilities. South Africa s contrasts are not limited to landscape, culture and people but also found in flora and fauna. It is a fine depiction of Gondwanan distribution, the third most biologically diverse country in the world, and the only country to host an entire plant kingdom within its borders. South Africa is a whole world within one country, from fish rich oceans to majestic mountains, award- winning vineyards to arid desert and wildlife-stalked bushveld to tropical forest. The Rainbow Nation is blessed with magnificent, unspoiled natural splendor and rich cultural heritage, a destination in its own right or the perfect gateway to other African adventures. 18

19 CAPE TOWN Consistently named the most beautiful city in Africa, Cape Town combines a mild Mediterranean climate, gorgeous ocean front setting, spectacular mountain backdrop, dramatic white sand beaches, world class dinning and outstanding shopping and nightlife to make it a must see attraction on any South Africa itinerary. Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa after Johannesburg, and the provincial capital and of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. The city is famous for its harbor as well as such wellknown landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was originally developed by the Dutch East India Company as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India, and the Far East. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. Until the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa. Today it is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa. 19

20 CAPE WINELANDS Although wine is produced over a much broader area, this region of absolutely beautiful agricultural valleys to the northeast of Cape Town is the real heart of the Winelands. The village of Franschhoek is by far the prettiest in the area and is the gourmet capital of the country. Set at the end of a beautiful valley with scenic vineyards surrounded by impressive granite mountains. Settled by French Huguenots in 1672, the town has always had a natural proclivity towards fine wines and cuisine. It is a great stop in the Winelands for wine tasting and fine dining. The elegant and historic town of Stellenbosch is the region's capital and contains a good range of accommodation for those in search of an in-town base from which to explore. Dating back to the early pioneer days of 1680, Stellenbosch is the second oldest settlement in the country after Cape Town. It remains a very attractive town of shady oak lined streets and beautiful Cape Dutch, Regency and Victorian buildings. The presence of the university gives the town a real vibrancy, whilst various museums and historic sites provide plenty of interest. There are over 100 wineries within easy reach around the town, plus dozens of top class restaurants. 20

21 GARDEN ROUTE The Garden Route is a popular and scenic stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa. It stretches 200 kilometers from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to the Storms River which is crossed over the Paul Sauer Bridge in the extreme western reach of the neighboring Eastern Cape. The name comes from the verdant and ecologically diverse vegetation encountered here and the numerous lagoons and lakes dotted along the coast. It includes towns such as Mossel Bay, Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg Bay and Nature's Valley; with George, the Garden Route's largest city and main administrative center. In the middle of the wide open Little Karoo, is Oudtshoorn. For over a century this place has been the capital of ostrich farming in Africa. In Victorian times fortunes were made from the fashionable feathers and lavish stone mansions, known locally as ostrich palaces, were constructed in this unlikely location. Ostriches continue to be raised here, although these days the focus is on their low cholesterol meat, and people flock in from far and wide to visit the town and its outlying farms, to view, ride and even race ostriches. The other major attraction is the Cango Caves, an impressive subterranean world 20km to the north. Knysna is geographically rather special; a huge lagoon separated from the ocean by a dramatic cleft known as The Heads and surrounded by beautiful verdant hills. 21

22 KWANDWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE The Kwandwe Private Game Reserve lies in the heart of South Africa s unspoiled Eastern Cape Province. It lies on 30 km of privately owned Great Fish River frontage, surrounded by more than 54,000 acres of exclusive, malaria-free wilderness. The name Kwandwe means Place of the Blue Crane, as the reserve is home to a wide variety of wild game and birdlife, including the endangered Blue Crane. This private reserve is game rich, home to the Big Five elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion, and rhino. Other residents include cheetah, kudu, springbok, giraffe, eland, red hartebeest, black wildebeest and gemsbok. The Reserve is a paradise for birdwatchers, with the Fish Eagle and Blue Crane among the wide variety of birds that call the Reserve home. Nocturnal game viewing often reveals the elusive aardvark and aardwolf. Evidently, this Reserve is truly a wildlife lover s dream. Kwandwe is quite diverse geographically as well, featuring sweeping grasslands, dense bushveld and breathtaking views of an escarpment of steep shale cliffs. Due to excellent roads, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve is only a two hours drive from Port Elizabeth Airport. Also available to guests is access to Kwandwe s private airstrip. This expansive private reserve leaves guests with an unforgettable and magical memory of all that Africa has to offer. 22