Blackheath Lodge

South Africa Express

Wildlife & Nature Express + 1 more + 2 more

A whistle-stop adventure packed with penguins, wine and wildlife.

10 days

from £3,050 pp

including flights

Family Classic + 3 more + 3 more

City, Safari & Beach

South Africa, Mauritius

South Africa’s culture, safari and beaches rounding off with an indulgent island escape.

15 days

from £5,010 pp

including flights

South Africa Family Holiday

Family Safari + 1 more + 2 more

The ultimate family adventure through South Africa's highlights.

15 days

from £3,495 pp

including flights

South African Grand Tour

Romantic Safari + 3 more + 3 more

Three weeks, one unforgettable road trip across South Africa’s greatest highlights.

21 days

from £4,295 pp

including flights

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 1 more + 2 more

Waterfalls to Waterfront

South Africa, Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls, Kruger & Cape Town.

11 days

from £5,595 pp

including flights

Unexplored South Africa

Romantic Wildlife & Nature + 3 more + 3 more

Leave the tourist trail behind and experience a different South Africa.

14 days

from £9,350 pp

including flights

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in South Africa

Table Mountain

Table Mountain defines Cape Town and you should definitely attempt to get to the top sometime during your stay. The views from the top are absolutely stunning: out over the city towards Robben Island, or down the rocky spine of the Cape Peninsula, the initial stretch of which is the Twelve Apostles that stand guard over Camps Bay. There are a couple of ways to get to the top. For the active, there are walking trails that will make tough demands on your fitness, but for most people, the cable car to the summit is the preferred option. The cars complete a 360º rotation on their way up, offering great views on the way. Once at the top, there are walkways and viewpoints to enjoy, and you may be lucky enough to come across a dassie, (rock hyrax), a local resident that looks like a shrew-faced rabbit, but is in fact most closely related to elephants! For the adventurous, Table Mountain offers a variety of ways to get the adrenalin pumping: rock climbing and abseiling are the most common. A restaurant at the top provides somewhere to slake hunger and thirst built up during your time on the mountain.

Afternoon Tea at the Mount Nelson

The Mount Nelson is one of the oldest hotels in Cape Town, built in 1899 to house the upmarket passengers of the grand cruise liners of the day. Its pink walls, colonial architecture and lush gardens have made it a landmark of downtown Cape Town, and their afternoon tea has become something of a ritual for visitors and locals alike. Enjoy the ambience and tone helpfully created by the surroundings and accompanying piano, before tackling the gargantuan buffet of canapés and cakes, and a cup of Earl Grey or Darjeeling.

Uthando Philanthropic Cultural Tour

Everyone knows about the poverty and inequality represented by the townships in South Africa, and about the recent history of the country: apartheid and the emergence of the Rainbow Nation. Township tours have developed as a way of exploring these issues, but all too often get it very wrong and are simply tours to see how the poorest people live. Uthando is a charity that has got it very right, having been set up by a former lawyer and travel industry professional, James Fernie, to ensure that visitors can see, directly, how the cost of their tour directly benefits projects in these deprived areas. Uthando has a wide range of projects it gets involved in, from a market garden to provide fresh fruit and vegetables for families as well as an income from selling the surplus, to musical and theatre projects offering kids the chance to develop skills everyday life doesn’t equip them with, to orphanages, nursing homes and AIDS refuges to help the most unfortunate members of the community. With a wide range of projects, each tour is slightly different: James does not want visits to the projects to become routine: the activities that take place here are everyday ones, not something laid on for the tourists, and minimising the intrusion caused by tours helps reinforce this: but it also allows you to see exactly how your contributions are giving hope and opportunity to these people. It is a humbling and challenging day, but ultimately hugely uplifting.

A Day At The V&A Waterfront

Derelict docks across the world have been redeveloped with varying degrees of success, but the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town is amongst the most successful. The cavernous buildings with their iron work and suspended galleries clearly recognise the heritage of the docks and the sheer variety of things to do ensures that the V&A is always busy. There are all sorts of shops, from clothing to souvenirs and very upmarket jewellery. There is the Two Oceans Aquarium, which is definitely worth a visit, and in the plazas between buildings all manner of impromptu open air entertainment goes on, creating a very lively atmosphere. When you get hungry, all manner of restaurants tempt you, from seafood, to Portuguese, to Asian, to fast-food outlets: all tastes and budgets are catered for, and nearly all the restaurants offer the possibility of eating outside to make the most of the sun. The harbour is a scene of continuous activity: although there are few commercial vessel movements, you'll see fishing boats, harbour charters and the Robben Island ferry going back and forth all day: indeed you may be embarking on one of these yourself. For the indulgent and adventurous, there are helicopter trips either as a means of transport across the city, or to get an aerial view of Cape Town offered from the V&A helipad. Finally, there is the Two Oceans Aquarium, which is worth an hour or so of your time. There is enough going on here to comfortably spend a day pottering around, and partaking in the various activities available.

Waterfront Harbour Cruise

A harbour cruise of Cape Town's iconic waterfront offers panoramic views of the city and Table Mountain behind. The newest cruise departs from in front of the V&A aquarium, and is 30 minutes long, so can easily be combined with a hop-on hop-off bus tour of the city, or a meal down in the waterfront area. Headphone commentary informs you of the local history, and the boat is an attraction in itself to the curious seal population, so be prepared for some close up sightings.