15 Day Iconic South Africa, Kruger and Victoria Falls

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This 15 Day tour explores the most iconic locations in Southern Africa.

Your journey begins as you explore the beautiful city of Cape Town, better known as "The Mother City" with its lush Winelands, scenic peninsula, and breathtaking Table Mountain. Cape Town is a vibrant city offering several exhilarating activities, cultural experiences, and some of the most exquisite cuisine. You will have the opportunity over the next four days to meet the locals, try traditional South African cuisine, and immerse yourself in the city's most beautiful corners.

The Cape Grace Hotel is an experience in itself, with its modern comfort, superior hospitality and facilities, and its perfectly private location within the popular V&A Waterfront. There is no better position from which to venture out and explore the "mother city".

Your African safari adventure begins as you travel to the world-renowned Kruger National Park. The Kruger National Park is known for its prolific wildlife including the "Big 5" and an abundance of bird species.

The award-winning Singita Lebombo Lodge welcomes you to its midsts, with its cutting-edge and organic design that will make you feel as if you are floating between river and sky, providing the perfect intimate setting.

Over the next five days, you will have the opportunity to enjoy morning and afternoon big five game drives, guided safari walks, community visits, archery, mountain biking, star gazing and spa treatments.

Following on from an exhilarating time in the bush, you travel to the lesser-known city of Pretoria where you will overnight at the African Pride Irene Country Lodge. Located in the quaint and historic village of Irene, the Irene Country Lodge offers a tranquil setting with its breathtaking lakeside views and a full-service spa.

Your journey continues from the Pretoria Train Station, where you board South Africa's most iconic and luxurious passenger train. Rovos Rail launched their first journey in Southern Africa on the 29 April 1989 and have flourished over the years because of their love and understanding of luxury train travel. Aboard the train, you are sure to experience the charming Victorian atmosphere of the dining cars as the evening attire demands a more formal look. The scenery from Pretoria to Victoria Falls over the next three days can only be described as majestic, as you cut through the valleys that are unseen by so many.

Your last stop on this spectacular tour is the majestic Victoria Falls, one of the "natural wonders of the world". Your home for the next four days is the Royal Livingstone Hotel, the Victoria Falls is only a 15-minute walk from the property, enjoy unlimited complimentary access to Victoria Falls via our own private entrance.

Spend your time exploring the Mosi-oa-Tunya, or "the smoke that thunders”, and experience several other exhilarating attractions in this region.

For more information on the different tour options available, please consult with one of our travel experts.

Itinerary

Day 1 - 3: Cape Town

Accommodation: Cape Grace

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On arrival at Cape Town International Airport, you’ll be met and transferred to the elegant Cape Grace hotel in one of Cape Town’s top locations: a private quay at the V&A Waterfront.

The Cape Grace hotel offers a complimentary chauffeur service to anywhere within a ten-kilometer drive of the hotel; this includes the famous beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton, Cape Town’s vibrant city center, and the cable station at the foot of Table Mountain.

Day 4 - 7: Kruger Private Game Lodge

Accommodation: Singita Lebombo Lodge

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Leaving Cape Town you fly directly to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, followed by a short charter flight to the luxurious Singita Lebombo, found in a private concession of the Kruger Park.

This area of the Kruger is well known for exceptional wildlife viewing, and over the next few days you are likely to see all of Africa’s Big 5 including the area’s famously large prides of lion. Between game drives relax in the understated luxury of your glass-walled suite or stretch out on the shaded daybed of your private deck, looking out for hippo and elephant at the river below.

Finally, everyone who’s been to Lebombo can’t help but comment on the high quality of their food and their incredible selection of wine - Singita is recognized as one of Africa’s most influential wine collectors and has received numerous awards and accolades.

Day 8: Pretoria

Accommodation: African Pride Irene Country Lodge

Today you fly to Johannesburg and with a short transfer to Pretoria, where you’ll spend the night at the African Pride Irene Country Hotel. Nestling in Irene, the African Pride Irene Country Lodge is centrally located between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and a mere twenty-five-minute drive from OR Tambo International Airport.

The area has a rich cultural heritage and many national leaders and historical figures have left their mark in Irene. Enjoy an overnight stop at this welcoming hotel with lakeside views that rival most paintings, African Pride Irene Country Lodge is a luxury upmarket hotel with spacious, luxury accommodation, a fine dining restaurant, conference, function and wedding venues, and also boasts a spa.

Day 9 -11: Pretoria to Victoria Falls on Rovos Rail

Accommodation: Rovos Rail

After breakfast, you’re taken to the Rovos Rail station where you climb about the most luxurious train in the world and travel to thundering Victoria Falls in true old-world style. This four-day adventure includes journeying alongside the Magaliesberg Mountains; on into Botswana through the capital Gaborone, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn; then into Zimbabwe, passing through Hwange National Park (where wildlife can be spotted on your scheduled game drive), and finally arriving at Victoria Falls where you will be transferred to the Royal Livingstone Hotel.

Traveling aboard Rovos Rail is a truly special experience that recaptures the romance of luxury rail travel. In the evening prepare to dress for dinner - a lavish four-course affair with white-gloved service, while afternoons can be spent chatting to your fellow travelers in the observation carriage with its plush leather armchairs and unique open-air balcony.

Day 12 -14: Victoria Falls

Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Hotel

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Staying at the Royal Livingstone Hotel puts you within easy walking distance of the Zambian side of Victoria Falls. This elegant hotel lies on the Zambezi riverbank just upstream of the falls and has a fantastic sundeck with views of the spray rising up from “The Smoke That Thunders”, Victoria Falls.

Go on a walking tour around Victoria Falls – across the Knife-Edge Bridge and down into the Boiling Pot – then choose from the many other activities on offer in the area: sunset cruises, a helicopter flip over the falls, elephant-back safaris or simply a relaxing treatment in The Royal Zambezi’s tented gazebos right on the riverbank.

Day 15: Depart Victoria Falls

After one last breakfast out on the shaded verandah of The Royal Livingstone Hotel, it’s time for your transfer to Livingstone Airport for your onward travel arrangements.

Rates

15 Day Iconic South Africa, Kruger and Victoria Falls

Includes: Road transfers as per itinerary, 3 nights stay at the Cape Grace Hotel, scheduled charter flight to Singita Kruger Airstrip, 4 nights stay at Singita Lebombo on a fully inclusive basis, scheduled charter flight to Johannesburg, 1 night stay at Irene Country Lodge with breakfast, Rovos Rail journey to Victoria Falls from Pretoria, 3 nights stay at Royal Livingstone Hotel with breakfast, tour of the falls, and a sunset river safari.

Please note: This tour departs on a Wednesday as the Rovos Rail only departs on a Thursday from Pretoria.

Reviews

"We travel the world extensively and we can honestly say that this trip has been one of our favorite. Having been to many other African countries, we were blown away by the high standard of all our hotels. All our expectations with regards to comfort and luxury were surpassed. Cape Town is officially our favourite city. It is so diverse and incredibly beautiful but modern at the same time. We ate like kings at the many world-class restuarants which are such good value. Compared with other African countries further North, South Africa was very good value for money. After a very busy stay in CT we headed to our luxurious hotel in the Kruger. 3 nights proved just enough and we managed to spot all the Big 5 by day 3. The weather was extremely hot but bearable due to the air conditioning. The hotel has a master chef so we were treated to gourmet food in the wild. Our trip on the train was everything it promised to be but be prepared for the fact that the cabins are smaller than you may expect but still luxurious and comfortable. We arrived in Zambia at feeling very relaxed and rested from 2 days on the train and headed to the our hotel on the falls. We did the walks to the fall from the hotel as well as a helicopter trip above the falls and into the canyons which is chilling but memorable. Zebra, giraffe, monkeys and other antelope walk through the hotel's manicured lawns and come right up to your room windows and seem to have no fear of human contact. We tried the spa which is pleasant but the spa at Lubombo proved to be better. The hotel staff at the Royal Livingstone were friendly but didn't seem to have the finesse or knowledge base as with the many staff members we encountered in the South African hotels. I am not sure if this is due to a language barrier. I highly recommend this once-in-a-lifetime experience."

- Robyn Meulemans