South Africa Tour
GWEN’S ELITE TRAVEL & SALUTE AFRICA PRESENTSThe Ultimate Heritage Tour :Travel dates: Sept. 15 – 26, 2019 (SOLD OUT)New! Travel dates: September 1st – 12th, 2019 (Additional Bus Tour, Same Price, Exact Itinerary, Escorted by Gwen & Vicky, Seats Going FAST!)Celebrating Mandela’s “Long Walk to Freedom” Nelson Mandela Art at the Apartheid Museum Cape Town (4n) – Pilanesberg National Park and the glitz and glamour of the Sun City Resort (2n) – Johannesburg (3n)
 Johannesburg, South Africa |
Click Here for South Africa Sept. 1-12 Detailed Itinerary
Click Here for South Africa Sept. 15-26 Detailed Itinerary
South Africa Tour Personal Information Form
Day 1 – Sept. 15th |
Depart USA
Day 2 – Sept. 16th
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| Arrive Cape Town and transfer to the hotel
Visa requirements: Visa to enter South Africa is not required ( subject to change without prior notice) The world was transfixed when Nelson Mandela was finally released to freedom in 1990 after 27 years in jail for his role in the struggle to overcome apartheid. We begin the journey in Cape Town where Nelson Mandela walked from prisoner to presidency. Cape Town is a great city to visit, to live in, to work in, to play in and to invest in and is one of the World’s 10 Most Loved Cities according to CNNGO, the travel wing of CNN International. During 2011, Cape Town was named Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice Best Destination, as well as the 2014 World Design Capital, while Table Mountain was listed as a New 7th Wonder of Nature. SOUTHERN SUN CULLINAN HOTEL 4+* or similar – 4 nights Accommodation in standard rooms, including breakfast
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Day 3 -Sept. 17th Cape Town, South Africa |
| Breakfast at the hotel
Full day Robben Island, City & Table Mountain Tour with an African English speaking guide  Robben Island
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| Robben Island, the unique symbol of “the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, suffering and injustice”, is visited every year by thousands of people eager to understand and honour the important aspects of South Africa’s history that the Island represents. The Tour guides inside the prison are former political prisoners. They are fully conversant and knowledgeable about the Island’s multi-layered 500 year old history. The tour route includes the Maximum Security Prison where thousands of South Africa’s freedom fighters were incarcerated for years. The tour culminates with a viewing of Nelson Mandela’s cell.
Time at leisure for lunch ( own account) at a bustling Waterfront restaurant, we explore the city of Cape Town. Your city tour will include a visit to the front of City Hall, where from the balcony on February 11, 1990, only hours after his release from prison, Nelson Mandela made his first public speech. Also close by are the Parliament Buildings and Gardens. The tour will end with a visit to Table Mountain (weather permitting), and then you will be taken to your hotel. Early evening , transfer to The Gold restaurant for dinner Africa is home to hundreds of tribes, ethnic and social groups. This diversity is reflected in the cuisine at this restaurant. As you enjoy the cuisine, you also enjoy 3 unique performances during your dinner, starting with a praise singer who welcomes you to GOLD and introduces you to the singers, dancers, puppets and musicians. The second performance showcases the vibrant dancing and elaborations in Africa and the third performance is in honour of our royal African queens. The queen will scatter 24 carat gold dust on the guest to say thank you for visiting. This is a unique African restaurant in the heart of Cape Town. It is a set 14 course Cape Malay and African menu often referred to as a taste safari that will transport you from Table Mountain to Timbuktu. Dinner & entertainment included, drinks are for client own account Return to the hotel for overnight rest |
Day 4 – Sept. 18th
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| Breakfast at the hotel
Full day Cape Point Tour and the wine country tour with an African English speaking guide – lunch included (meals only) Cape Point is a world heritage site and a romantic meeting place of the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans. We travel through the picturesque Hout Bay, along the breathtaking Chapman’s Peak Drive towards a spectacular, narrow finger of land, covered in endemic fynbos and home to picturesque bays, beaches, rolling green hills and valleys. We continue onto The Cape Winelands region, visiting one of the leading wine estates in South Africa where we get a chance to walk through a typical wine cellar and enjoy a wine tasting.  Cape Point Tour
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Day 5 – Sept. 19th – Cape Town, South Africa |
| Breakfast at the hotel
Day at leisure to explore the City of Cape Town and its treasures. Arts and crafts markets, coffee shops, nature walks, Botanical gardens are among the few things which are sure to be enjoyable Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is just minutes away from the hotel with complimentary shuttle running regularly for your convenience. It is one of Africa’s most luxury and most visited malls with 24 million visitors annually. It is situated in the oldest working harbour in the southern hemisphere, with the iconic Table Mountain as its backdrop. |
Day 6 – Sept. 20th
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| Following breakfast, transfer to the airport and flight to Johannesburg – economy class (2 hrs in flight) Arrive and transfer to Pilanesberg National Park– home to virtually every mammal of southern Africa and is also home to the Big Five.
BAKUBUNG LODGE or similar – 2 nights Accommodation in standard room, including breakfast and dinner Tucked in the expanses of the malaria-free Pilanesberg National Park, Bakubung, or the People of the Hippo, provides guests with the peace and tranquillity of a true bush experience coupled with the luxury and service. All thatched roof rooms /chalets curve into a horse-shoe around the outside entertainment areas, huddling visitors in cozy intimacy. Bakubung Bush Lodge is a luxury game lodge offering the utmost comfort and tranquillity in “Big Five” territory. Note: standard room configuration allows for a twin room with two double beds or with one king size bed. Rooms are situated in blocks with 3-4 minutes walking distance to the main restaurant area. Golf carts will be made available to take guests with mobility constraints to and from their rooms On check in, time at leisure to enjoy the surroundings, take advantage of the accredited SPA. Note: spa treatments are for client own account Take advantage of the return shuttle service into The Sun City resort – African Las Vegas – a world-class resort and gaming center, situated only 10 minutes away . Experience the legendary glitz and glamour of the Sun City Casino. Opened in 1979, Sun City Casino has evolved with the times and the latest technology and popular games combine in a spectacle of round-the-clock thrills for both experienced and first-time gamers. Recently refurbished, the Sun City Casino features hundreds of exciting slot machines and over 40 popular table games. Cash desk facilities and ATMs are available at the Sun City Casino and the Bureau de Change accepts all major currencies. Important: passports are required for any foreign exchange transactions. Dinner at lodge. |
Bakubeng Lodge
Sun City Casino
Day 7 – Sept. 21st – Pilanesberg National Park |
| Early morning (5:30AM) safari game drive experience in the Pilanesberg National Park
Set in the crater of a long extinct volcano, the Pilanesberg National Park, which is home to Bakubung Bush Lodge, ranks amongst the largest of the parks in South Africa and covers an area of some 55 000 hectares. The Park offers guests sightings of a wide diversity of animal and plant life. This includes 360 species of birds, the Big Five and many other South African animals. Return to the hotel for breakfast, and time at leisure to enjoy the lodge facilities, SPA treatments or a visit to the neighbouring Sun City resort Early afternoon depart on an afternoon (3:30PM) game drive safari , followed by a traditional barbeque African dinner under the stars in the Boma area within the park , around a roaming fire . Dinner included. All drinks for client own account |
Pilanesberg National Park
Day 8 – Sept. 22nd
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Following breakfast at the lodge, we depart towards Johannesburg with a stop at a cultural village en-route
A wonderful opportunity to experience Lesedi Cultural village tour with an African English speaking guide, including a delicious lunch
A visit to this cultural village will introduce you to various cultural groups of South Africa – the Northern Pedi, Zulu, Southern Sotho and Xhosa. This is the Rainbow Nation of today’s South Africa. The song and dance of the different tribes followed by a traditional African lunch – an experience of a lifetime.
After lunch we continue to our hotel in Johannesburg – South Africa’s biggest city and capital of its inland Gauteng province, began as a 19th-century gold-mining settlement. It’s known for Soweto township, a sprawling jumble of African workers’ houses that was once home to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
Lesedi Cultural Experience
Lesedi Cultural Village Tour
MICHELANGELO HOTEL – 3 nights
Accommodation in superior room including breakfast
Michelangelo Hotel is a proud member of the “Leading Hotels of the World” and remains one of the most exclusive hotels in Johannesburg. This renaissance styled hotel offers unsurpassed luxury and attention to detail.
Located in a tranquil area suitable for business and pleasure, it overlooks the heart of Nelson Mandela Square and is attached to Sandton City, one of Africa’s leading and most prestigious shopping malls. With more than 300 leading local and international retailers, Sandton City is a one-of-a-kind premier fashion and leisure destination. It’s an energetic hub of Afro-cosmopolitan glamour – international shopping with South African flair.
Note: superior room configuration allows for a twin room with two single beds or with one king size bed.
Check in at the hotel and evening at leisure to explore the attached Nelson Mandela square with various restaurant choices and shopping experience
Michelangelo Hotel
Day 9 – Sept. 23rd Johannesburg, South Africa
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Following breakfast, depart on a full day Soweto and Johannesburg city tour with an African English speaking guide – lunch included
Our tour begins in Johannesburg – The City of Gold. We travel through districts of Downtown Hillbrow and Braamfontein to the business city area. Visit the George Harrison Park, dedicated to the first founder of gold in 1886, touching on the gold rush and the establishment of the city, which ultimately connected our activists, shaping their ideologies and their struggle to end the regime of discrimination.
Following a traditional African lunch, we continue to Soweto. On the one hand there is abject poverty and on the other hand there is extraordinary wealth in the upper class suburbs. Soweto is essentially a Labour Reservoir for the City of Johannesburg and major towns on the reef. We visit World famous Landmarks such as the Baragwanath Precinct, the Hector Pietersen Museum and the Mandela House Museum…
Evening at leisure
Johannesburg, South Africa
Nelson Mandel
Day 10 – Sept. 24th Johannesburg, South Africa |
Following breakfast, depart on a full day Long Walk to Freedom tour – lunch included
We head to the Apartheid Museum and spend a couple of hours exploring the museum, discovering the history of the Apartheid era. Following a delicious lunch, visit the Liliesleaf Heritage Site. Once known as Liliesleaf Farm this fascinating heritage site is closely linked to the Rivonia Treason Trial that lead to Nelson Mandela’s incarceration. In the early 1960’s Liliesleaf was a sanctuary where most prominent leaders of South Africa’s struggle against Apartheid sought shelter, attended secret meetings and engaged in key debates on political and military policy and strategy. Many of these individuals, including Nelson Mandela, were discovered in the 1963 police raid on Liliesleaf Farm, and tried in the subsequent treason trail. You will learn in great detail what happened during those days and the ultimate arrest of Nelson Mandela.
In the course of the day, we visit a local arts and crafts market and a wholesale undercover market
Return to the hotel for some time to freshen up
Farewell dinner at a well renowned Maximillien Restaurant ( or similar) situated within 5 minutes walking distance from the hotel. Tonight, enjoy a 3 course set menu dinner ( with 3 options for starters, 4 for mains and 2 for desert) to the sound of African jazz music performed by the resident pianist as you conclude your African cultural tour.
All drinks are for client own account
Note: transportation to take guests to and from the farewell dinner will be available for guests with mobility issues.
Apartheid Museum
Apartheid Museum
Day 11 – Sept. 25th
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Breakfast at the hotel
Time at leisure for additional shopping
Transfer to the airport and connect to your outbound flight home
BON VOYAGE!!!
Day 12 – Sept. 26th Arrive in US |
PAYMENT PLAN |
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$500 Deposit Payment Plan1st Payment- $150 on February 15, 2018 (Fully refundable if cancelled by May 30, 2018)2nd Payment- $150 on March 30, 2018 (Fully refundable if cancelled by May 30, 2018)3rd Payment-$200 on May 30, 2018 (Fully refundable if cancelled by May 30, 2018)**Note: Deposits totally $500 NON REFUNDABLE AFTER May 30, 2018
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| NOTE: Visa NOT required. Immunizations NOT REQUIRED for US Citizens.
Airfare Not Included (I will explore group rate when available- about August 15, 2018). However, depending on coordination of arrival time in Cape Town and departure time from Johannesburg, you are welcome to make your own flight arrangements. Check out South African Airways and Delta. Several people want to extend their return by flying Emirates Air and staying over in Dubai for 3 days (Optional and depends on interest). We have time to discuss this option. Make check, Payable to Gwen’s Elite Travel, 2612 Granada Cir W, St. Petersburg, FL 33712 |