You will be met at Upington Airport and transferred to your hotel in this small town that acts as the gateway to the vast Kalahari. Check in and relax under warm blue South African skies.

This morning we travel 3-hours through the vast and arid Kalahari, one of the world’s last unspoilt ecosystems and one of Africa’s greatest wilderness areas. In this land of far horizons, marvel at the gigantic nests of the sociable weaver birds set high in camel thorn trees and stop to examine some of the amazing succulent desert plants which have adapted to survive in such harsh conditions. The malaria-free Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a visionary 3.7-million hectare joint venture between South African and Botswana. There are several self-catering rest camps, with accommodation in simple but comfortable air-conditioned chalets and tents. Your guide has an allowance to purchase provisions for breakfast, lunch & dinner each day.

Today is devoted to game viewing in the vast Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with your own driver/guide, travelling in his closed air-conditioned vehicle. You can discuss preferred routings and travelling times with him each day, but we recommend setting off early each morning as the camp gates open (05h30 to 06h00 depending on the season), to take advantage of the best game viewing conditions of the day. Wildlife is plentiful in the red sand dunes and semi-desert of this vast game sanctuary, which is twice the size of the Kruger National Park. Of the many species of mammals and reptiles that have successfully adapted to the harsh desert conditions, the most famous is the black-maned Kalahari lion. Kgalagadi is also renowned for the magnificent oryx, cheetah and leopards - which are more easily seen in the sparse vegetation. You will see some of Africa’s most unusual animals in the Kalahari and many of the “great cats” – lion, cheetah and leopard – but the vegetation does not support elephants, rhino or buffalo. We should see large herds of antelope including springbok, eland and blue wildebeest. We also hope to see the brown and spotted hyena, black-backed jackals, curious meerkats, yellow mongoose, porcupines, honey badgers, bat-eared foxes, Cape foxes, African wild cats and many other interesting animals. Bird life is also prolific, with over 260 species, including 20 different raptors. You can spend the full day on the road, or return to your rest camp for breakfast and some relaxation, before setting out again at the time of your choice (usually the late afternoon) for another game drive. Note: Vehicles are not allowed to drive off-road in any national park in South Africa.

Today we transer to our next rest camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, game viewing along the way. After checking in, we can enjoy a late afternoon game drive in a different part of this vast wildlife conservation region.

Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in a different sector of the great Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, with its fascinating desert adapted wildlife and majestic black-maned lions. Predator sightings are usually excellent. You can also enjoy the many smaller mammals of the park as well as its bird life. In the evening relax around the campfire and be dazzled by the stars above.

After some final game viewing in Kgalagadi National Park, we travel south for 4-hours through Bushmanland to Augrabies. On the way enjoy a picnic lunch (included) and stop at a Bushmen craft stall to give you the opportunity of supporting the community by buying one of their hand-made products. At Augrabies Falls - “The Place of Great Noise” - the mighty Orange River dramatically crashes over the rim of a granite canyon during the summer flood, to plunge 270 ft into the gorge below, forming South Africa’s largest waterfall and the sixth largest in the world. Check in and view Augrabies Falls, where conditions for photography are excellent. Accommodation is in simple but comfortable air-conditioned self-catering chalets, with your guide having an allowance to purchase breakfast in the camp restaurant each day. In the late afternoon enjoy a short drive in the park, where you may see giraffe, eland, and other smaller antelope.

Transfer 1.5-hours to Upington Airport for your onward flight. You will be met at Cape Town Airport and transferred to your hotel in this beautiful city, within sight of Table Mountain. Check in and relax in your magnificent surroundings.

Today is free for independent sightseeing in Cape Town. We recommend you purchase a day pass onboard the convenient Hop-Off Bus, which stops at all Cape Town’s key sights and beaches. The "Red Route" bus stops at the Table Mountain base station, where you can buy a ticket to ascend by cable car and enjoy one of the world’s most famous views. Continue to Camps Bay beach and the many attractions of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

Today we recommend an optional full day tour to the beautiful Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where you may see baboons, ostrich and perhaps even dolphins or whales in season (July/November). Your tour travels through Hout Bay and along spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive to the Cape Point peninsula, returning via Simons Town, Fish Hoek, Constantia and Kirstenbosch Gardens. This is a scenic tour of the whole Cape Peninsula, with the optional opportunity of visiting the penguin colony at Boulders Beach.

Today we recommend an optional full day tour to the renowned Stellenbosch Winelands, travelling through the scenic Franschhoek Valley where a handful of French Huguenot refugees started South Africa’s now famous wine industry. Explore the historic university town of Stellenbosch and several wine estates on this famous wine route, which stretched from Paarl through to Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Enjoy a cellar tour and some wine tasting, before returning to Cape Town in the late afternoon.

Transfer to Cape Town Airport for your flight home.