Saturday

May 15

Sunday

May 16

Upon arrival at Johannesburg’s Oliver Tambo International Airport collect your luggage and then clear Customs & Immigration. Connect with your domestic flight to Cape Town. Upon arrival at Cape Town Airport the group will be transferred to  your hotel.

On arrival in Cape Town you will be met by your Tour representative and transferred to your hotel. 

Overnight -  Portswood Hotel - (B) (Or Similar).  Remainder of the day on your own Situated in the heart of the V&A Waterfront where there are plenty of shops and restaurants, the four-star Portswood Hotel appropriately features a nautical theme throughout all private and public areas of the hotel. The bright and spacious rooms are fully equipped with individual air-conditioning, DStv, tea/coffee machines, en-suite bathroom with bath, shower and toilet and direct dial telephones. Fully-stocked mini-bars and international adapters are just some of the latest additions to the rooms aimed at ensuring guests have all the amenities they would expect in a five star standard hotel. The hotel's Quarterdeck Restaurant is a relaxed yet elegant restaurant, uniquely housed in the Old Convict Station building. This beautifully restored National Monument with its rich history, is the perfect setting to savour The Quarterdeck's renowned breakfasts and Cape Malay cuisine.Light meals and snacks are served on the Terrace daily and the Cocktail Bar is open for refreshments from noon till late evening. 

Monday   May 17

Today the group will be taken on a full day Walk to Freedom tour, including Robben Island. "No easy road to freedom" was a central theme in most of the Mass Democratic Movement's campaigns, from the early days through to the late 1980s. Any understanding of present day conditions in South Africa is greatly enhanced by looking at past injustice, the legacy of the struggle and the promise of reconstruction and development initiatives under way at present. Freedom has not come easy. This tour offers a wealth of insight into South African history. It includes a brief educational introduction to Cape Town, one of the world's most varied and sought-after cities. You will visit the

Bo-Kaap/Malay Quarter, District Six, Townships, and Cape Flats.

Continue with a tour to Robben Island when you board a ferry (tickets provided) at the Victoria & Albert Waterfront for the half-hour ride to the prison where former South African president Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were held. It is now a World Heritage Site with stunning views of Cape Town and Table Mountain. For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 7.5miles/12kms off the coast from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here that rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society. Some freedom fighters, such as Nelson Mandela, spent more than a quarter of a century in prison for their beliefs. Robben Island came to symbolize, not only for South Africa and the African continent, but also for the entire world, the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity. The Robben Island Museum Tours Department includes some ex-political prisoners who act as tour guides on Cape Town's World Heritage Site.  Return to Cape Town.

 Overnight: -  Portswood Hotel (B)(Or Similar).

Tuesday

May 18

Day free to rest or shop

Overnight: -  Portswood Hotel (B)(Or Similar).

Wednesday May 19

This morning after breakfast you will be transferred to Cape Town rail station for your train transportation to Johannesburg. Shosholoza Meyl, the preferred long distance rail transporter of choice, promises all our valued customers a "Pleasant Experience" from the moment they book and buy their ticket, until they disembark at their end destination. Shosholoza Meyl has 8 primary routes linking South Africa's cities, with smaller towns along each route. Shosholoza Meyl, a safe and pleasant way to explore South Africa. Traveller Maranda reports from a trip on Shosholoza Meyl's Johannesburg-Cape Town train:  "I met fascinating people (there were no non-South Africans visible on the trains I was on) and saw the country in a spectacular way I was greatly blessed to meet wonderful people and to see a slice of South African life that's not on the tourist maps.  On the Trans-Karoo, the food I had at dinner in the restaurant car was really good.  I had fried fish and yellow rice with some onion/tomato topping.  Quite scrumpy, and at Rand 30, a very good deal. It was obviously freshly made.  You still need to take a bar of soap, as soap provision in toilets was a bit spotty.  Overall, have to say that the 1st class travel on Shosholoza Meyl is one of the best bargains I've ever encountered. As you said, the train staff is lovely, the bedding is comfy, the views are unbelievably spectacular, and the whole experience is great.  Plus you just get a window onto so many different aspects of South African life, just in terms of whom you meet.  Train departs 11AM

Overnight:  Shosholoza Meryl includes (DB) Snacks, wine and beer can be purchased on the train.

Thursday

May 20

12:41PM Arrive in Johannesburg, Transfer form Johannesburg Train Station to Protea Balalaika. Overnight at the Protea Hotel Balalaika Today the group will be taken on an Apartheid Museum tour.

The Apartheid Museum which has already become the city’s leading tourist attraction, an obligatory stop for visitors and residents alike. Embark on a discovery of the racial segregation experienced by millions of South Africans a mere decade ago. The museum illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid with its large blown-up photographs, metal cages and numerous monitors recording continuous replays of apartheid scenes. For anyone wanting to understand and experience what South Africa was really like, a visit to the Apartheid Museum is fundamental. Excellent displays on the Soweto Uprising, ANC in exile, petty apartheid, solitary confinement, anti-apartheid movements abroad, sport boycotts – culminating in the birth of a new democratic country and the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as President, and one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. Whoever you are, you cannot but come away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of this country, its darkest days and its brightest triumphs.  

Overnight: BALALAIKA SANDTON Hotel (B)(Or Similar).
For those who seek premier quality and elegance, the Protea Hotel Balalaika Sandton is the distinctively superior choice. Established in 1949, the hotel is a privately owned Premier property. Set in the heart of Sandton, in Johannesburg's prestigious northern suburbs, the hotel is within easy reach of all business and entertainment centers.
The hotel is ideally situated, being convenient to the main Johannesburg / Pretoria highway, and within easy reach of Johannesburg International Airport and three main local airports. The hotel is within easy walking distance of the main shopping areas of Sandton, as well as the Sandton Convention Centre, a mere 180meters door to door.
 

Friday

May 21

This morning we travel to Soweto (SOuth WEestern TOwnship), largest black residential area in South Africa, we see a fascinating contrast to Sandton and Rosebank in the northeast. This “city within a city” consists of 50 suburbs and essentially acts as a labor reservoir for the greater metropolitan area of the Witwatersrand. In many ways, the story of Soweto is the story of South Africa. Our tour includes all the major points of interest, such as Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Baragwanath taxi rank, Freedom Square, Hector Pietersen Memorial and Nelson Mandela’s former home.

In the afternoon we will make a stop at Wandies for lunch.  Wandies is a cosy tavern in the middle of this huge "township", it is popular with both locals and tourists alike. In the suburb of Dube, some 15km from the Jo'burg city centre, it has become a mandatory stop on the route for virtually all Soweto tour operators.

The restaurant has played host to such luminaries as Richard Branson, the CEO of Virgin Airlines, Evander Holyfield, Jesse Jackson, Quincy Jones and the All Blacks.  For those who seek a touch of the exotic, the establishment serves indigenous cuisine in the form of dumplings, mogodu, ting (soft porridge), pap and umqushu (samp).  Meals are in the form of a buffet. The dish includes mutton, lamb, beef or chicken - roasted or cooked.

Vegetarians are spoilt for choice, if salads are what they want. There are six on the menu, including coleslaw, French salad, beetroot, potato salad, tuna fish salad and chakalaka - a local hot salad made of tomatoes, baked beans, onion, chillies and green chillies. 

Overnight: BALALAIKA SANDTON Hotel (B, L )(Or Similar).

Saturday

May 22

This morning the group will be taken on a Johannesburg City tour.  South Africa's largest city, Johannesburg – Egoli, "the City of Gold" - once founded on the wealth of its gold mines, is today the financial heart of the African continent. Highlights of the Johannesburg City tour include: the affluent, leafy suburb of Houghton before making our way to Hillbrow, a jarring contrast in living conditions. We visit Constitution Hill, the home of the country's Constitutional Court and site of Johannesburg's Old Fort Prison, where thousands of ordinary people and many of South Africa's leading political activists, were once detained and brutally punished. Visit the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Newtown. Afterwards we proceed to downtown Johannesburg, the historical heart of Johannesburg, where amid the inner city decay is heartening evidence of the many urban regeneration schemes underway. Learn about the workings of the Supreme Court and the symbolism of Gandhi Square before visiting the vibrant Market Theatre and Museum Afrika.  The afternoon is at leisure

Dinner at Carnivore (including return transport - drinks not included) - The Carnivore Johannesburg, adjacent to the Misty Hills Hotel is situated in natural surroundings overlooking the Krugersdorp hills. The entrance to the restaurant is by way of a thatched walkway through indigenous gardens and a spectacular water feature.

The central attraction of the restaurant is a large circular open fire with 52 converted Masaai tribal spears holding a variety of 10 different types of meat such as pork, lamb, beef, chicken, ribs and sausages and including such game meats as crocodile, zebra, giraffe, impala, ostrich, etc, gently roasting and waiting for you to begin your feast!!!

The meal starts with the homemade soup of the day and fresh, daily baked honey bread.
A lazy Susan is then placed on the table, with the bottom layer containing six assorted salads and the top layer holding six sauces to compliment the meats.  A very hot cast iron place is placed in front of you, followed by two potjieskos pots containing "pap and sauce".  A baked potato is also offered.

Carvers come from the fire with the swords holding the meat and carve the cuts of your choice directly onto your plate.
There is always a minimum of 10 different types of meat and a minimum of 3 game meats. The choice of meats include lamb, beef, ribs and game meats such as crocodile, zebra, giraffe, impala, ostrich, etc.  This is followed by a choice of five different desserts, and coffee.  It's a case of "eat as much as you can", with each table having a flag that is lowered to indicate that you surrender when you have had your fill.
Overnight: BALALAIKA SANDTON Hotel (B, D )(Or Similar).

Sunday

May 23

Monday

May 24

This morning is the morning for shopping.  On your transfer to Sun City. You will stop at a Hartebeespoortdam for 2 hours of shopping.  There are restaurants for eating also.  I suggest if you want to pick up inexpensive quality South African pieces this is the place to go.  One of the most unusual pieces is the hand painted Ostrich Eggs.  

After shopping you will be transferred to SUN CITY -  South Africa's "Las Vegas"- You will be staying at the Cascades

The Cascades Hotel in Sun City is a sophisticated and elegant hotel with lush gardens, tropical birds and water features. All the rooms at the Cascades face the tropical splendor of the Cascades Hotel's gardens and pools. There are 7740 square meters of

water features, including 12 man-made waterfalls and cataracts. These beautiful gardens at the Cascades Hotel offer unparalleled seclusion and escape from the hustle and bustle of the rest of Sun City. The 243 rooms at the hotel have en suite bathrooms, TV,

Overnight:  CASCADES Cabana (B) or similar

Tuesday

May 26

This morning the group will be transferred from the Cascades Hotel in Sun City to Johannesburg Airport. (B)  

On arrival at Johannesburg's Oliver Tambo International Airport’s Central Terminal Building/Terminal B, connect with your scheduled international South African Airways flight back to the USA.

Wednesday

May 27

 Arrive in Washington, DC (Dulles) and connect to your flight for your home city