Best of South Africa & Botswana

Arrive in sun-drenched Cape Town, where an Abercrombie & Kent representative meets and transfers you to your luxurious hotel, situated at the heart of the city. Cape Town is set on a soaring, rocky peninsula punctuated by lush valleys; generations of weary seafarers have come to this idyllic “Tavern of the Seas” for rest and replenishment.

Travel by aerial cable car to Table Mountain’s plateau (weather permitting), where unsurpassed panoramic views of the sea and city await. Explore the Company Gardens, viewing notable buildings, including the Houses of Parliament, Tuinhuys, National Art Gallery and Library, and make your way to the Castle of Good Hope, a museum depicting the military history of the Cape. Later, attend an elegant, A&K-hosted welcome dinner at a private family home.

The Cape of Good Hope is blessed with a rugged beauty and indigenous wildlife — from rarely seen bontebok to shrub-like Cape fynbos. Its nature reserve, populated by chacma baboons, converges in the south at Cape Point — a stunning pinnacle of rock and the spot that marks the convergence of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Climb the steps or ride the “Flying Dutchman,” a funicular railway, to the top. You also may view local seals and endangered African penguins.

Embark on a gourmet tour of the Cape Winelands, with whitewashed homesteads nestled under avenues of oaks, rolling green hills covered with wildflowers and fertile valleys alive with the sounds of surging streams. Sample wines and Forest Hill cheeses at Anura Estate at the foothills of the Simonsberg mountain range. Continue through historic Stellenbosch to Waterford Wine Estate for a wine and chocolate tasting, followed by lunch at Terroir on the Kleine Zalze Estate. From there, experience a wine, olive and olive oil tasting at Morgenster Estate.

After a flight to Zimbabwe, embark on a guided walking tour of Victoria Falls, one of the great natural wonders of the world. Keep your eyes peeled for the abundant wildlife in the rainforest, but it is the breathtaking falls that should prove to be the highlight of your day. Imagine yourself in the place of David Livingstone, the first known European to see the falls, and the awe he must have experienced at the sight of the thundering, crashing waters.

During a Flight of the Angels helicopter ride, rise above the falls’ cloud of mist for a bird’s eye view. From this vantage point, see rainbows cast from the spray and the green Zambezi sweep over the cliff and plunge into wild, white foam. Continue overland to Chobe National Park, known for its large concentration of elephants, antelopes, buffalo and predators. Settle in to Chobe Chilwero, your award-winning safari lodge, which boasts 15 spacious cottages with private gardens and balcony, as well as a full-service spa.

Navigate Chobe’s riverine forests and floodplains on game drives in open safari vehicles or via motorized boat. Set out on a sundowner cruise as the sun sets.

Fly to Chief’s Camp in the Moremi Game Reserve, located in the Okavango Delta, the “predator capital” of Botswana. Moremi is one of the best game reserves on the entire continent, sheltering leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, spotted hyenas and a large resident pride of lions. Your luxury safari camp is ideally located in the heart of this bounty of wildlife, with 12 thatched-roof cottages offering elegant sanctuary in the bush.

Explore this lush haven by open safari vehicle or water safari (seasonal), travelling at the gentle pace of a poled mokoro (dugout canoe). Watch for a large number of elephants, buffalo, red lechwe, giraffes and impalas, as well as 400 bird species. Join fellow travellers for a farewell dinner this evening.

Fly to Johannesburg and spend the day at leisure.

Visit Soweto, a historic town tied to apartheid where nearly every tribe of people in South Africa is represented. Stop at the Hector Peterson Museum and Vilakazi Street, the only street in the world that was home to two Nobel Prize winners: Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Return to the hotel to relax until your international flight.