2020 GeoEx Catalog

The ManyWorlds of South Africa TOURING | 11 DAYS, OR 14 WITH KRUGER SAFARI EXTENSION · CUSTOM

T  here may be no other country on the planet that contains such a rich collection of worlds as South Africa, from the wild game lands of Kruger to the urbanity of Cape Town, with a taste of just about every- thing in between, including the acclaimed vintages of the Winelands. (South Africa made a lasting impression on the young Winston Churchill, who, in the midst of the Boer War, took time out to admire its “wonderful air and climate . . . the magnificent scale of its landscape, the life of unceasing movement and of continuous incident.”) In Johannesburg we’re taken around by two super- lative guides: Robin Binckes, who shares his legend- ary passion for his native land as he shows us the city, its townships, and the Apartheid Museum, a bracing reminder of South Africa’s recent history; and Jo Buitendach, who offers her impressive knowledge of contemporary art and how it’s shaping Johannesburg. Flying south, we spend a delicious night in the Winelands at Le Quartier Français, a great inn on an itinerary rich with great inns. We then make our way to

Walker Bay (probably the best place in the world to watch southern right whales) and on to Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, which we explore based from a five-star lodge set in an ancient milkwood forest. Next we follow the pictur- esque Garden Route to Cape Town, perhaps Africa’s most beguiling city, to wander, tour, and gaze up at “lofty Table Mountain with its beautiful table cloth of fleecy clouds,” in the words of David Livingstone. We highly recommend concluding with a safari extension to revered Kruger National Park, nucleus of an ecosystem that boasts a hugely eclectic congregation of wildlife (all of the so-called Big Five are abundant, and this is an outstanding location to see leopards in the wild).

offered year-round from $9750 safari extension from $7230

Day 1  arrive in Johannesburg ✦  2 & 3  Johannesburg touring ✦ 4  fly to Cape Town, drive to Winelands ✦  5 Winelands ✦  6  drive to Walker Bay ✦  7 Walker Bay and environs ✦  8  drive to Cape Town ✦ 9 & 10  Cape Town ✦  11  depart for home, or fly to Kruger National Park for extension ✦  12 & 13  Kruger ✦  14  fly back to Johannesburg, depart.

BELOW  Table Mountain, Cape Town. The iconic plateau, often draped in a cloud (the "table cloth"), supports a wide variety of endemic flora and fauna.

IAN TROWER / ROBERT HARDING