DAY 1: Depart for Cape Town, South Africa.
DAY 2: Arrive in Cape Town Airport and transfer to the Mount Nelson Hotel. The afternoon is at leisure. This evening, gather for a welcome reception at the hotel. (R)
DAY 3: Begin your exploration of Cape Town with a tour of the city’s highlights and an ascent of Table Mountain for breathtaking panoramic views. For nearly 400 years, isolated Robben Island was a place of exile. Now it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cruise to the island and tour the former prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. Participate in a private discussion with a former Robben Island prisoner. Then, see the island’s lime quarry and local village. (B)
DAY 4: The full day is at leisure. Optional excursion available to Franschhoek, the French Corner of the Cape area. (B)
DAY 5: Travel by motor coach to the Cape Point Nature Reserve. Ascend Cape Point by funicular and marvel at the panoramic views. Travel to Boulders Beach and see the African Penguin colony. (B,L)
DAY 6: This morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to Livingstone. Upon arrival, check into the Royal Livingstone Hotel. Tonight, enjoy an optional catamaran cruise excursion on the Zambezi. (B)
DAY 7: Optional excursion to Chobe National Park. Visit the second largest park in Botswana, and see its renowned African elephants. Marvel at the “smoke that thunders,” one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore Victoria Falls at your leisure. (B)
DAY 8: After a morning at leisure, transfer to the airport for the flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. Upon arrival, check into the Westcliff Hotel. (B)
DAY 9: Tour Soweto, including Nelson Mandela’s house and Desmond Tutu’s house. Then, visit the Apartheid Museum and the internationally acclaimed, award-winning exhibits on life in the townships during the 1970s and 80s. (B,L)
DAY 10: This morning, fly to Hoedspruit Airport near Kruger National Park. Upon arrival, transfer to the Thornybush Game Lodge. Set out on an afternoon game drive. Begin your quest for the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo. (B,L,D)
DAY 11: During today’s drives, try to spot zebras, giraffes, blue wildebeest, eland, bushbuck and waterbuck. (B,L,D)
DAY 12: Search for spotted genets, impala, kudu steenbok, common duiker and more than 300 bird species during today’s drives. This evening, join your fellow travelers for farewell reception. (B,L,D)
DAY 13: Full day at leisure. (B)
DAY 14: Transfer by motorcoach to the airport for the return flight to the U.S. (B)
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