Hi I have just returned from South Africa having done the ‘Grand Tour’ from Cape Town to Kruger.
This was my first Just You tour, although I had done several trips with their former company title Page & Moy.
I had been looking at this particular holiday for some 14/15 years and the itinerary seemed to have barely changed. For me a clear indication of it’s popularity. And rightly so !
Spoiler Alert : this is going to be a detailed review. If you like to be surprised, look away now !
We started off as a team of 26, which sadly was reduced to 25 a few days in due to a health problem. Get well soon, Annie !
We all met up in the Heathrow lounge and a general sense of excitement was evident. We also met our Tour Manager the effervescent Lynne.
The British Airways plane lifted off at just after 10 pm. No upgrades were available and seating was extremely tight. At 6’3” I found it very cramped and almost impossible to sleep.
We eventually arrived touching down at 9 am. local. We all gathered at baggage reclaim and hooked up with our excellent local guide for the two weeks, Sharwaaz and driver extraordinaire Yusuf. Conditions outside were hot, dry and calm. Perfect for the hoped for trip up Table Mountain. Unfortunately for us it had been closed for two days due to high winds and every man and his wild dog wanted to go up. This meant queuing for 1.5 hours, but it was not one to miss. 2 cable cars take you up the 1067 metres in 3.5 mins. with a revolving floor so you all get to see the amazing 360 degree views. A quick drink and bite to eat. Then a wander around the pathway which afforded fantastic photo opportunities. Returning to Earth we checked in at our hotel in the centre of town. We enjoyed our evening dinner and show at the nearby Rockwell Theatre. This was the first of several buffet type dinners and none of them disappointed.
Day 3 was special. At 8 am. we set off on the Cape Tour. A beautifully, scenic drive down the coast (grab a right hand seat) to Cape Point with stop offs for photos including at the Cape of Good Hope. Great views from Cape Point itself. We took the funicular halfway up and climbed the rest (40 yards ?). Steps and viewing points if needed. We were advised to watch out for baboons. They’re always on the lookout and grab your food, drink or worse if your diligence slips ! As Chloe in our group found out. Next stop was at Boulders beach to see the penguin colony. A few Rand to get in close, but a must do. Hundreds of fabulous little penguins in a quiet cove. Our final stop was at the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Could have done with more time here. Back to the hotel by 5 pm. This was a long day, but a fabulous one. We were lucky with the weather as it was relatively calm. When it blows at the Cape it really blows.
Day 4 and some of us did the optional Cape Town Township Tour. Interesting stuff with the school visit the highlight. Some took the chance of pre booking the Robben Island trip. Most were able to get across, but one (sorry Dominique) found her ferry cancelled at the last minute due to strong winds. Most, if not all of us, found ourselves in the V&A Waterfront for the afternoon. There is lots to do and see here. As far as lunch goes I thoroughly recommend the Food Hall. All sorts on offer and something for everyone. The roast lamb wraps were both large and delicious! Later we had a walk to the nearby Bo Kaap area. A Muslim community that once given their freedom painted their white houses in an array of pastel shades. Extremely impressive and well worth the wander.
Day 5 and we were off to the Winelands and some tasting .. Fair View hosted us at 9:30 am.(!) and then we moved on to Bergkelder where we were given a tour showing us the various stages of the wine making process. Plus sampling of course ! All very interesting. After a lunch stop in Stellenbosch we made our way to our hotel for a restful afternoon.
Day 6 and a civilised departure time of 9:30 ! Another scenic coastal drive to Hermanus. Our hoped for boat trip to see the whales was cancelled due to gale force winds. There were more ‘white horses’ on show than in a hundred Grand Nationals ! However, the whales weren’t complaining. After a few hundred yards walk to see and then try to photograph them while battling the elements we returned to our hotel to check in. The views from our rooms were astounding. We looked out directly into the bay. Over the next few hours most, if not all, of us sat on our balconies with cameras clicking away as whales put on a show below. Fantastic ! We ate out locally and on return a game of pool was agreed. An Augusta greens like table and some ‘well oiled’ machines ensured a good time was had by all.
Day 7 and a 9:30 departure. This allowed a bit more whale watching for some in much calmer conditions. We headed for Oudtshoorn (oats horn) and an ostrich farm visit. This was a long day in the saddle. An interesting visit and to witness these odd creatures up close must have been quite an experience for the ostriches. When we returned to the coach we received our first curve ball. Our intended hotel couldn’t take us due to overbooking ! This had only been learnt at lunch time and Lynne and Sharwaaz had been frantically trying to find a replacement. They did and then some. The Surval Boutique Estate .. a higher grade altogether. With a beautiful setting, grounds and rooms we managed to get over our disappointment ! On the menu was ostrich and most gave it a go. Rave reviews. Absolutely delicious. We also learnt the boat trip was back on. An early start meant we could now fit this in the next day if we wanted to. A unanimous yes !
Day 8 and an 8:15 start. A short drive to the Cango Caves. Stunningly beautiful and surprisingly hot and humid. Then a 3 hour drive back thru the mountains and Garden Route. As we made our way to a baking Knysna we were informed the boat trip was off again due to Sea conditions. A huge disappointment. However, over dinner at a local restaurant we were delighted to hear it was back on again tomorrow ! At 7:00 am. ! Up early again, but we’re all keen.
Day 9 and the whale boat is go ! We all board the speedboat type and we’re off. Early sightings of seals, dolphins, then a humpback mother and calf and also a sun fish. This excited the crew as it is a very rarely seen fish. Our return after 1.5 hours took us close to the rock face which was home to a massive colony of seals. Another rare sighting, an elephant seal which we were informed ‘shouldn’t be there’. It was eyeing up the small seals for brekkie ! A word of warning. ‘Eau de Seal’ is not a desirables fragrance !! Our return to shore was an experience. A high speed burst out of the sea using the sand as a brake. Wow ! Afterwards most of the group did the Township tour, but 5 of us were dropped off at the Knysna Elephant Park. Here we were able to get up close to a group of animals saved, rescued and even born on-site. Armed with buckets of food we approached on our trailer and the elephants gathered for their treat. Keep the buckets behind you and hold out a piece of fruit or veg in the palm of your hand we were instructed. The elephants then grabbed it with their trunks which was an unusual and special experience. With the food gone we walked with them, patted them and took each other’s photos. A lovely way to spend a couple of hours. A hand waving driver and a badly cracked taxi windscreen trip back to the hotel and we were just in time for our afternoon paddle cruiser lunch on Knysna Lagoon. Very enjoyable and relaxing.
Day 10 had us on the coach at 4:15 am. for our 3.5 hour drive to Port Elizabeth airport. A good, quick flight to Johannesburg. Disappointingly for a few of us our bags had been damaged in transit. Some very clumsy handling seemingly the cause. Now unlockable mine would necessitate a wrap for security for the flight home. Details and complaints noted we joined our new coach and driver Humphrey. We then headed to Soweto for the Township tour. A moving history lesson and quite humbling. The drive to the hotel was highlighted by countless beautiful jacaranda trees in full purple bloom. An early night was needed after a long day.
Day 11 and we left at 7:00 am. A long drive ahead to the Panorama Route. We had a lunch stop at an unusual service station ! Views at the back were of a feeding station which had attracted buffalo, rhino, ostrich, emu, zebra and eland. Amazing. First stop on the PR was at the spectacular Blyde River Canyon and the 3 Rondavels. Very much the African ‘Grand Canyon’. Next up was the Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Another impressive area carved out by the flowing water. Our third stop was at ‘Wonderview’, which afforded panoramic views out to Kruger and Mozambique. A short drive later saw us arrive at our final hotel in Hazyview. A nice setting, but room standards varied. No late nights here. We were off to Kruger at 5:00 am. tomorrow !
Day 12 and we were picked up by 3 safari jeeps and are split into 9/9/8. The early drive was cold. Buffeting from the wind in these open sided vehicles was considerable. Wrap up ! It took us 25-30 mins to reach the Kruger gate. Once checked in we entered the Park and were on safari ! Immediately Impala on the left. Then elephants, giraffe, kudu, rhino, buffalo, hippo, hyena, jackal, warthog, zebra. The list grew and grew. Although plenty of vehicles were going in there was plenty of space. After all Kruger is the size of Wales ! Parked up cars was a good indication of something to see. Everyone had signed up for the afternoon drive so this was treated as an ‘all dayer’. Brekkie was taken at the cafe area after 3 memorable hours. Then it was back out again to search for lion, leopard and cheetah. This ‘second half’ was equally absorbing. We came across basking lions. With mid 30s temperatures shade was being sought. An unhappy elephant decided to ‘move them on’ which allowed us a much better view. This was an epic day and an epic experience. Some highlights were lion basking, elephant bathing, hippo wallowing, giraffe fighting, baboons squabbling, a 16 strong elephant herd crossing the road in front of us and the gorgeous flying and perching lilac breasted roller !
Day 13 had a twist. Some of us opted for the morning walk and afternoon drive. The walk allowed us a proper breakfast as pick up was at 7:30. We drove to a new area and split into 2 groups. Both groups were assigned 2 rangers with rifles .. just in case ! We had a 2 hour walk learning about the area, the smaller things, tracks and dung ! All very interesting, but a bit more animal activity would have been nice. Back to the hotel for a battery recharge (not just the camera) and lunch before pickup at 1:30. Our driver Maxwell was early and we reached the Park just before 2:00 pm. Sightings were a bit sparse at first but Max was trying to find us a leopard. Calls were coming thru and we drove to find a group of cars parked. A leopard was in the trees. Movement and its whereabouts were noted. Getting photos was tricky, but it then leapt from one tree to another, so at least we had seen one ! Time was now moving on and after 3.5 hours we were heading back to the gate. It’s closed at 6:00 pm. And if you’re not in time you’re locked in and/or fined ! Max was keen to avoid that .. With time short we pulled up by a car. The driver told us there were 2 cheetahs stalking impala. What a bonus. The stalking stopped and we had to move on. We soon found another car parked. A leopard was hidden behind a turmite mound. Ahead of us someone noticed a leopard move into the bush to our right then turn towards us. It kept coming heading towards a dirt track opposite us. Surely we couldn’t be that lucky. But we were. The leopard cleared the bush and strode majestically across the track in clear view. An unbelievable end to a magnificent holiday. And Maxwell got us out of the gate at 6:01 pm. with it being closed behind us ! Over the two days we had chalked up over 25 types of animal and over 30 birds.
Day 14 and a reasonable departure time of 9:30 am. We stopped for lunch at the same service station we used on the way down. This time feed had been put out and the area was packed with animals. When we got to Johannesburg we were in very good time. Half of the group were doing the Zambia add on and we dropped them at their hotel before heading to the airport. All very emotional. The team was breaking up ! Once at the airport my case was wrapped and we all headed ‘air side’ having said our goodbyes to Lynne and Sharwaaz. We now just had the 5.5 hours to kill .. Retail opportunities abound. All sorts of interesting shops to investigate. A few of us met up for a meal and then we were off to the gate for boarding.
During the two weeks there are some long travelling days with early starts, but so much is packed in and is so rewarding. Having dinners arranged is really useful and welcome. Overall the food is very good. Rooms are very comfy with all you require. We were lucky with the weather. Sunny, hot, blue skies and not a single drop of rain. However, the wind was quite fierce at times.
Our TM Lynne did an exceptional job. She had her work cut out at times, but came through it all in style, was always on hand to help with any problem large or small and was always in good humour. Our guide Sharwaaz knew his stuff and provided us with a good and interesting insight into South Africa both now and how it used to be. Our drivers, Yusuf and Humphrey were tireless. The local guides used were also very good and enhanced all excursions. Our group of 26 was a pleasure to be amongst. Everyone mixed in really well and couldn’t have been more friendly.
Some of my fond memories ...
Chatterbox Chloe’s generosity to a hungry baboon
Saucy Sarah taking Tim and me on a 2 mile trek to see fur seals in Cape Town that had actually been 20 yards away
Chloe and Sarah’s pool ‘expertise’ when in a very relaxed state of mind
Segway Dominique and her cheesecake fixes
Sarah’s chocolate fixation
Man Utd Carolyn’s photography wizardry
Sarah’s ice cream fixation
Steve’s bird knowledge and taking one for the team on the dance floor
Lynne’s ‘loo with a view’
I can’t recommend this tour highly enough. I would be amazed if anyone taking it returned feeling anything other than exhilarated, ecstatic and wowed !
The only question now is where to next ?
