The International Leadership Seminar for State FFA Officers South Africa! January 2 16, 2018 ITINERARY BUS 1 Tuesday January 2 Home Airports Washington Dulles. Arrive anytime to Washington Dulles International Airport. Once you have collected your suitcase at Baggage Claim, take the free hotel shuttle bus to the hotel. Check-in begins at 3:00PM. Dinner on own. Crowne Plaza 2200 Centreville Road Herndon, VA 20170 Tel: (703) 471-6700 Wednesday January 3 Washington Dulles. Breakfast at the hotel. Our orientation begins at 8:00AM in the TBA meeting room. Lunch is served at noon, and the orientation continues in the afternoon. Dinner will be at an off-site restaurant. Thursday January 4 * Washington Dulles Johannesburg. Get breakfast, and at 8:00AM we convene in the meeting room to continue our orientation. At 10:30AM we take a break to check-out of our rooms and bring our luggage to the meeting room. Lunch is served at 11AM. Following lunch, we return to our meeting room. At 2:15PM we board our waiting motor coaches from Academy Bus and transfer to the Washington Dulles International Airport. Check-in for our flight, South African Airways flight 210, which departs at 5:40PM for Johannesburg, South Africa. Dinner is served on our overseas flight. Snacks are also available during the flight by request.
Friday January 5 B*/L*, D Johannesburg Pretoria. A one-hour stop will be made in Accra, Ghana, to refuel, during which nobody is allowed off the plane. Continue our flight to OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg), and arrive at 5:20PM local time. Clear South African immigration and customs, and collect our luggage at the baggage claim area. We meet our Agrotours guide, Roel Goris, and then board our private deluxe motor coach. Drive to Pretoria and check-in to our hotel. This evening we enjoy a Welcome Dinner at Café Beyritz at 7:30PM. Overnight: City Lodge Lynnwood Pretoria Tel: +27 12 471 0300 Saturday January 6 Pretoria Hazyview. We have an early morning visit (5:30AM) to the Pretoria Boeremark (Farmers Market in Afrikaans). Here local consumers can find a wide variety of fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables, spices, herbs, rusks, cheeses, jams and preserves, yoghurt, poultry, and meat. You may also want to browse the numerous arts, crafts, handmade clothes, jewelry, woodwork and niche products that are also sold at the market. We return to the hotel for breakfast, and check-out of our rooms. Board the coach and we travel to Hazyview, making a stop for lunch at Corn & Cob Restaurant near Middelburg. In the afternoon we visit the farm of Steyn Prinsloo called Oude Werf. He farms with bananas (70 ha), macadamia nuts (100 ha) and avocadoes (80 ha). Continue to our lodging and check into our rooms. Dinner is at the hotel. Sabi River Sun Resort Hazyview Tel: +27 13 737 4600
Sunday January 7 Hazyview Panorama Route Private Game Reserve. Today we will explore the amazing natural splendour of the Panorama Route. We will view spectacular wonders like the Three Rondavels at the Blyde River Canyon and Bourke s Luck Potholes. The Blyde River Canyon, a gigantic gorge, is one of the natural wonders of Africa. This canyon is the largest green canyon in South Africa. Bourke s Luck Potholes were named after Tom Bourke, who discovered gold there at the influence of the Treur and Blyde Rivers. The potholes are deep cylindrical holes formed by the action of the sand and rock carried down by the rivers when in flood. From here we will travel to a private game reserve. These 9,000 hectares of unspoiled wilderness are home to the Big Five : lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. We will arrive in time for lunch. This afternoon we will enjoy a safari style game drive with 4x4 vehicles. Qualified and enthusiastic rangers will lead us through close and unrestricted encounters with Africa s big game. Tonight we will enjoy dinner at the lodge. Chisomo Safari Camp Hoedspruit Tel: +27 15 383 9909 Monday January 8 Private Game Reserve Pretoria. Before breakfast we will enjoy a game drive. Return to the lodge for breakfast, and then we check-out with our luggage, and we return to Pretoria. We will enjoy lunch at The Rose Cottage in Dullstroom at 12:30PM. This afternoon we will visit the Boer goat stud farm of Conrad Herbst, called Sebriana. The Boer goat is a 100% indigenous breed that was developed in South Africa in the early 1900s for meat production and is considered to be the world s best meat goat. There are 450 goats on the farm, including some Kalahari Reds. Return to Pretoria and check-in to our hotel. Tonight we have dinner at Stephnie s Restaurant at 8:00PM. City Lodge Lynnwood Pretoria Tel: +27 12 471 0300
Tuesday January 9 B, L, - Pretoria Brits Pretoria. We have an early breakfast at the hotel, and then we go to the nearby Casa Toscana Lodge for an 8:00AM meeting in the Ruby Auditorium. Kobus van Heerden will speak to us about South African agriculture. At 9:00AM, Laura Geller, Senior Agricultural Attaché from the US Embassy in Pretoria, will brief us on what the Foreign Agricultural Service is doing in South Africa and discuss the trade relationship between the U.S. and South Africa. From here we travel to the town of Brits for an 11AM visit to Embryo Plus Centre. The centre specializes in embryo transfers and has established a worldwide reputation. In recent years it has exported approximately 12,000 embryos to places such as Canada, the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and many African counties. Breeds like the Brahman, Simmentaler, Bonsmara, Sentrapol, Boran, Brangus, Redpole, Simbra, Angus and South Devon can be seen. At the centre, Futhi, the first animal to be cloned in Africa, was cloned. Dr Morne de la Rey will be our host. We will enjoy lunch at Inyoni Crocodile Estate, followed by a tour of the estate. Although this is a tourist attraction, the farm is a commercial farm and at present there are more than 8,000 crocodiles. All the crocodiles here are Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus Niloticus). Return to Pretoria, and we will visit the Union Buildings and the famous statue of Nelson Mandela. Dinner is on own tonight. The hotel is situated in the Lynnwood Bridge Shopping Centre, which offers a variety of good restaurants. Overnight: City Lodge Lynnwood Pretoria Tel: +27 12 471 0300
Wednesday January 10 * Pretoria Johannesburg Cape Town. Check-out after breakfast, and we will travel to Johannesburg. En route we will visit Cambanos in Midrand. They specialize in African art and curios. At 11AM we will visit the African Leadership Academy, where we will receive an introduction of the academy and its leadership programs. We will also enjoy a tour of the campus and enjoy lunch in their cafeteria. After lunch we will visit Kliptown in Soweto. We will also visit the Apartheid Museum. The museum is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20 th century Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story. From here we will travel to Johannesburg Airport and check-in for our flight to Cape Town, South African Airways 377, departing at 9:15PM. Dinner will be served on the flight. Upon arrival at 11:20, we transfer to our hotel for overnight. Cape Town Tel: +27 21 419 9450 Thursday January 11 Cape Town Caledon Botrivier Hermanus Cape Town. Our guide for the remainder of the tour will be Elizma Petzsch. After breakfast, we will travel to the town of Caledon for a 9AM visit to the farm of Andre Cloete, called Kleineseljagt. He is a black emerging farmer and farms with apples, pears, sheep, cattle and cash crops (barley and oats). In 2008, the South African government gave him the farm. Next we will travel to Botrivier. Here we will visit Gabriëlskloof Wine Estate. We will learn more about their farming activities and we will enjoy lunch on the estate. Following lunch, we travel to Hermanus for a visit to Abagold, producers of abalone, the world s most desirable seafood. Their dried and canned abalone is exported all over the world. During our tour, we will learn more about South African abalone, its biology, life cycle, history in the wild and the farming industry. We will also visit the technical infrastructure required to keep Abagold s 10,000 abalone healthy and happily housed in their 40,000 baskets. We will also see the construction of the first ever wave energy converter in South Africa. After the tour, we will enjoy an abalone tasting. Return to Cape Town. Tonight we will enjoy dinner at the Greek Fisherman Restaurant at the V&A Waterfront.
Friday January 12 Cape Town Paarl Philadelphia Cape Town. After breakfast, we will travel to the town of Paarl where we visit Hoekstra Fruit Exporters at 9AM. Established in 2005, this South African company specializes in the export of top quality table grapes to global markets. Table grapes are exported from the middle of December to the middle of April, followed by citrus during the months of April to September. We will first visit the farm, and then their packing houses and cooling facilities. At 11AM we will visit Fairview. Here we will learn more about milk goats. We will also enjoy a cheese tasting, receive frozen yoghurt and have a chance to feed the goats. We will enjoy lunch at the Barley & Biltong Emporium at The Spice Route at 12:30PM. This afternoon at 3:00PM we will visit Cape Town Ostrich Ranch in Philadelphia and learn more about ostriches. Return to Cape Town. Tonight at 7:30PM we will enjoy dinner at the City Grill Steakhouse Restaurant at the V&A Waterfront. Saturday January 13 B, L, - Cape Peninsula. Today we will experience the splendour of the Cape Peninsula. We will visit the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Nearly 8,000 hectares of indigenous fynbos (fine bush) cover the reserve and about 1,200 plant species have been recorded in the area. We will enjoy lunch at Seaforth Restaurant at 1:00PM. After lunch, we will visit Boulders Penguin Colony in Simons Town. It is home to a unique and endangered land-based colony of African Penguins. This colony is one of only a few in the world. We will also visit the world famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Kirstenbosch is the headquarters of South Africa s National Botanic Gardens and is the premier centre for the study and propagation of South Africa s indigenous flora. It covers 560 hectares filled with other 6,000 species of trees and plants. Tonight you have the opportunity to select from the many restaurants at the V&A Waterfront for your dinner. Return to the hotel for overnight.
Sunday January 14 Cape Town. This morning at 9:00AM we will visit Robben Island (weather permitting). In 1999 Robben Island became only the second place in the world after Hiroshima in Japan to be declared a World Heritage Site for its importance as both a cultural and historical shrine and the world s most powerful symbol of resistance to oppression. One of the main attractions for tourists is the tiny cell in which Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. We have 1:30PM lunch at Quay Four Restaurant at the V&A Waterfront. This afternoon we will enjoy some free time at Camp s Bay beach, and later we visit Table Mountain (weather permitting). Table Mountain Park protects a staggering 2,285 plant species and is home to a number of species found nowhere else in the world, including the endangered Table Mountain ghost frog, the Table Mountain beauty (butterfly) and the well known silver tree. We will ascend to the top of the mountain by cable car to enjoy incredible panoramic views of the Cape Town area. We will have a special evening at Gold Restaurant, with traditional food, music, and dancing. Starting at 6:30PM we will take part in an interactive djembe drumming session, followed by a taste safari with a set 14 course menu to experience African cuisine. During dinner Mali Puppets will dance around the tables with drummers and singers. Monday January 15 B, S*, D* Cape Town Johannesburg Washington Dulles. Breakfast at the hotel. The morning is free to sleep in, pack your bags, and take a few last pictures before we head to the airport. At 11:00AM we arrive at Cape Town International Airport to check-in for our flight to Johannesburg. South African Airways flight 334 departs at 1:15PM and arrives into Johannesburg at 3:10PM. Proceed to connecting flight, SA 209 departing at 6:50PM. Dinner will be served on the flight, and snacks are available during the flight by request. Tuesday January 16 B* Washington Dulles Home Airports. Breakfast will be served before our flight arrives into Washington Dulles International Airport at 6:15AM. Clear US immigration and customs procedures, then check-in for your connecting flight to your home airport. Welcome Home! Meal code: B-breakfast;;L-lunch;;D-dinner;;S-snack;; *airline meal, **meal provided by host. Agrotours Inc. 2017. This itinerary is prepared for the exclusive use of the National FFA Organization. Latest revision: 12/4/2017 We reserve the right to make adjustments in technical visits due to circumstances beyond our control.