Where two Oceans meet Exploring the wild beauty of South Africa s Cape Region Apr 20-28, 2018
Cape Town, Fynbos and the Big Six Our journey starts with urban adventures around Cape Town including a scenic Helicopter flight, MTBing, hiking and paddle boarding to experience the city s spectacular setting in a special way. From there it will be game on for challenging excursions into the vast beauty of the Western Cape. From Grootbos Nature Reserve, our luxurious base camp within the UNESCO Heritage Fynbos Biome, we will venture out by MTB, Kayak, on foot, and embark on a private boat tour to an encounter with the Great White Shark. An exclusive Big Five Safari in the Kwandwe Game Reserve will be the final highlight of an African adventure like no other.
The Journey at a Glance Days 1-3 Cape Town Urban Adventure - morning arrival and check-in to our iconic Hotel in Camps Bay - scenic Helicopter ride above Cape Town and Table Mountain/ hike up Lions Head/Scootour down - easy MTB excursion through Constantia Valley, wildlife hike around Cape Point - Atlantic SUP excursion among penguins, explore Chapman s Peak Drive and Elgin Valley Days 3-7 Grootbos Private Nature Reserve - 4 nights in our exclusive Lodge above the Ocean within a UNESCO World Heritage Site - scenic 100 Km MTB ride to Cape Agulhas, the southern tip of Africa with lunch at the cape - adventure/orienteering race by kayak, MTB and trail running to the area s highest peak - 21Km low tide beach run from De Kelders to Hermanus - Great White Shark cage diving excursion - coastal walk with sundowners by the Beach - visit of the Grootbos Foundation s projects we are supporting with our stay - local culture and culinary highlights Days 7-9 Kwandwe Private Game Reserve - private charter flight to Kwandwe Game reserve - 2 nights in our exclusive use Ecca Safari Lodge - game drives and walks among spectacular African wildlife - immersion in conservation projects - special farewell celebration - transfer to Port Elizabeth for return flights home
Activity Log Cape Town Urban Adventure Experience Cape Town Chopper Tour, urban exploring hike up Lions Head, Scootour down Signal Hill Challenge total fun unless too windy full day Rating easy to moderate Exploring Constantia to Cape Point and Elgin Valley Experience MTB tour along trails of Constantia Valley SUP with Penguins, hike Cape Point, explore Chapman s Peak Drive and Elgin Valley (MTB) Challenge multitude of impressions 1.5 days Rating easy to moderate Cape Agulhas MTB excursion Experience 100 Km excursion to Africa s Southernmost point Challenge long half day ride through varying terrain +/- 5 hours Rating moderate to demanding Grootbos adventure race Experience fun Kayak, MTB and Orienteering race Challenge multi tasking at its best 3 hours Rating depends on how hard you push 21 Km Beach Run De Kelders to Hermanus Experience scenic low tide beach run along the bay Challenge running on sand, crossing a river 2-3 hours Rating demanding Great White Shark Cage Diving excursion Experience you won t ever get any closer (hopefully) Challenge water temperature 2.5-3 hrs Rating easy Big 5 Safari at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve Experience daily wildlife excursions on foot and by 4x4 Jeep from our exclusive Lodge 2 days Rating *****
The stages of our journey Day 1 Arrival in Capetown After a morning arrival, our team will welcome you at Cape Town international airport and take you directly to our luxurious sanctuary in Camps Bay overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, while giving you an en route briefing about our upcoming adventure itinerary. Having checked in and freshened up we will commence our first adventure from the V&A Waterfront where we will embark on a short Helicopter Hopper Tour for a quick and spectacular overview of the city s spectacular setting, between Table Mountain, the 12 Apostles and the white sandy beaches of Camps Bay. Our journey will then lead us to Lion s Head where we will enjoy a hike to the top while taking in the 360 views of the City before heading back down to explore the lower mountain trails on two wheels, Scootouring down into the colourful streets of Bo-Kaap. Our day will end with Sundowners before enjoying a Welcome Dinner at one of Cape Town s finest restaurants.
Day 2 Exploring Constantia to Cape Point We will start the day heading out of Cape Town towards Constantia. Here we will begin by testing out our biking skills on the Utsig Bike Park where your guide will teach you how to cycle the A-frames and tight pipe turns before heading out to ride the Greenbelts between the neighbouring Wine Estates. Our journey will then lead us towards Muizenberg & Simon s Town where we will choose between either Surfing with the 8 X South African Surf Champion or opting to SUP near the colony of African Penguins at Windmill beach (weather dependent). Lunch will be enjoyed at The Hub, Scarborough before we continue to the Cape of Good Hope where we explore secluded beaches, shipwrecks and this region s unique wildlife while on the hunt for the Cape 5 (Ostrich, Baboons, Mountain Zebra, Bontebok and Tortoise). Our return journey will weave back along the costal road to Cape Point Vineyards located in Noordhoek, home to world class wine and some of the best Atlantic views in the cape before we return to our hotel over the scenic coastal road of Chapman s Peak Drive.
Day 3 Elgin Valley to Grootbos The day will be spent heading out of Cape Town towards Grootbos Nature Reserve, the next stage of our African adventure, via the Elgin Valley and Bot River. We will head over Sir Lowry s Pass stopping first to explore the area on two wheels, Mountain Biking on some of the best Trails in the western Cape. Our journey will then lead us to the Beaumont Estate in Bot River. Here we go exploring among the Fynbos, SUP in the dam and enjoy a unique tasting, sipping wine directly from the Wine Barrels before enjoying Lunch on the estate. After having explored the estate, we continue towards Grootbos on a scenic route across mountains and along the coast line. We plan to arrive in the afternoon with plenty of time to settle in and enjoy a sun downer overlooking the reserve and beyond where Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, followed by a gourmet dinner with splendid local wines.
Day 4 Low tide beach run De Kelders - Hermanus We will start out a couple of hours before low tide. Between de Kelders and the town of Hermanus lies a magnificent Bay the length of a half marathon. Perfect for a scenic little morning run a long the Beach. With the right timing we can run all the way along the shoreline - only interrupted by a river flowing into the Ocean where we will inevitably get wet swimming across. There will be several opportunities for refueling along the way, and upon arrival we will be piked up and transferred back to Grootbos for lunch by our team. There may be time for a relaxed paddle from Stanford Village down the Kline River to visit Springfontein wine estate on the afternoon. A gourmet dinner at Grootbos Red Indigo restaurant with stunning views and tasting of fabulous regional wines will end this first full day in our fabulous Fynbos basecamp.
Day 5 MTB to Cape Agulhas, Grootbos Foundation Visit Today we will embark early on a special mountain bike excursion. From Grootbos resort it will take us on a scenic 100 Km ride across varied landscapes to Cape Agulhas, Africa s southernmost point. Upon arrival we will reward ourselves with a fine lunch in a local restaurant before our private transfer takes us back to the resort. In the afternoon we will have the opportunity to visit the Grootbos Foundation s projects protecting nature, empowering children through sport and fostering entrepreneurship among community members. Projects that we actively support with our stay.
Day 6 Shark Diving and Fun Adventure Race We rise early today and embark on a private boat tour for an adrenaline filled marine wildlife and Shark Cage Diving adventure. Equipped with Neoprene suits everyone will have the opportunity to get up close to the Great White from special cages attached to the side of the boat. The afternoon should provide even more fun when it is time for everyone to test their skills and fitness on a private adventure race designed by PUREWILD s South Africa Ambassador Sean Privett. Sean is a multiple adventure racing champion and the ninth ever finisher of the Freedom Challenge Extreme Triathlon made up of a 90 km trail run, 2300 km MTB Race Across SA and 240 km canoe marathon. Driven by his passion for preserving the natural beauty of his multi sport playground, he also works for several local conservation projects. Sean has thought out an exciting and fun itinerary for our group: we will River Kayak, MTB and end with a challenging Orienteering Race that finishes on top of a hill within the Grootbos reserve - the perfect way to conclude our stay in the magnificent Fynbos Biome.
Days 7-9 Kwandwe Private Game Reserve We will not compromise on time this morning getting to the final destination of our African adventure. A private charter plane will pick us up and fly directly to Kwandwe, an award winning private Big 5 game reserve in the Eastern Cape Region. After settling in to our luxurious Suites and a briefing on our stay by our guides over lunch, we embark on our first of several daily excursions by jeep and on foot in search of the Big 5, tracking Rhinos and learning about this special ecosystem, its marvels and also challenges. When we are not out exploring the Kwandwe team will pamper us with delicious food and wine, campfire atmosphere and the nightly sounds of the African Bush all around us. After breakfast and a final game drive we depart by private transfer for Port Elizabeth to connect to Cape Town or Johannesburg for individual journeys home.