Capetonian Chic Special

Today you will be met by your guide for an exploration of Cape Town, known affectionately as the Mother City. Your tour will take in the Houses of Parliament, the Castle (built between 1666 and 1679, this is South Africa’s oldest building), lively Greenmarket Square with its daily market, the Company Gardens and of course Table Mountain which will give you spectacular views over the city and Peninsula (cable car fee is not included as it is weather dependent). On our descent, we stop at the Bo Kaap, home to the Cape Malay community, with its cobbled streets and brightly coloured houses.

This brief 'hop' gives you the best abbreviated tour. Leave from the V&A Waterfront and fly over the city bowl, the new Green Point Stadium, the famous four beaches of Clifton, the white sands of Camps Bay and the majestic Twelve Apostles before making an about turn back to Cape Town.

Uthando South Africa is our chosen charity in South Africa and serves as an umbrella for a wide range of highly effective community projects across the country. In order to showcase these and also to offer a glimpse into the work being done to uplift the disadvantaged in South Africa, they offer daily scheduled excursions visiting the sprawling townships around Cape Town, with particular emphasis on visiting at least three of the social development projects being funded through Uthando. The Uthando tours offer a unique and authentic introduction to the social problems confronting so many millions of South Africans, while also illustrating the innovative and inspirational ways in which they are being handled by these marginalized and destitute communities. Very importantly, the projects are not treated as tourist attractions and the tours are designed in such a way as to educate, inform and inspire while also respecting the dignity and privacy of the people concerned. The projects are, after all, places where people live, work and in most cases, just survive. You will be collected at your hotel in the Cape Town area and dropped off at the end of the trip. A portion of the tour cost goes directly to Uthando charities.

The tour commences with a transfer to the vibrant, warm hearted village in the heart of Woodstock, where Cape Town’s talented people come together to share, collaborate and show off their heart-felt passion. This is the Old Biscuit Mill, home to day and night markets, dynamic office space, a range of workshops and designer stores, delicious farm stalls and decadent cafes. Then continue to Cape Town’s central business district.  Here you will enjoy an orientation tour of the city, driving past the Castle of Good Hope, City Hall, the Grand Parade, past the Company Gardens and through the picturesque Bo-Kaap.  Browse the retail lifestyle outlets at the trendy Cape Quarter Village located in the suburb of Green Point, and then lunch (for your own account) before proceeding to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Here you are treated to shopping and entertainment venues, as well as over 80 restaurants, set in a cosmopolitan and vibrant atmosphere.  From here, you embark on a champagne sunset boat cruise from Table Bay Harbour before returning to your hotel.

You will be collected this morning for a tour which combines two of the highlights of the Cape – The Cape of Good Hope and Stellenbosch, in the Winelands. We take in the beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay, before crossing over to Hout Bay, where you may choose to join an optional boat cruise to Seal Island. From here we drive to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve via Chapman’s Peak, one of the world’s most breathtaking coastal drives, where you will board a funicular to the top of the Peninsula to witness the symbolic meeting of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans as well as have spectacular views over False Bay. We enjoy lunch near here (not included – own account) before continuing to Simonstown, the naval base, and visiting the African Penguin breeding colony at Boulders Beach.  Onward to Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in South Africa, with canal lined avenues, and magnificent examples of Cape Dutch architecture where we enjoy a wine tasting and cellar tour, before drop off at your hotel in Franschhoek late this afternoon. 

The serious business of fine dining at Le Quartier has been set apart and defined by The Tasting Room. Course after course of exquisitely presented culinary delights showcase chef Margot Janse and her team's award-winning talent. You can indulge in a surprise - African inspired - or a five course choice menu (drinks not included). The menu can also be enjoyed with a wine pairing, speak to your server for more details.

Today your resident Winelands expert will join you for a full day exploration of the culinary delights of the Franschhoek Valley, including exceptional estates such as Haute Cabriere, Moreson, La Motte and Grande Provence. You will delight in cheese tasting in the 200 year old barn at La Grange Fromagerie, chocolate tasting at the Franschhoek Chocolate factory and lunch which has been booked for you at either La Petite Ferme or Grande Provence, depending on your preference (lunch on own account). Take time to explore the town by foot as the boutiques and art are exceptional. You will return to your auberge late this afternoon.

Enjoy time at leisure to explore at your own pace, or relax at your hotel.

Private transfer between Cape Town and Franschhoek.