We flew from London Gatwick to Cape Town and returned from Johannesburg to London Gatwick, both flights via Doha, with Qatar Airways. We also had an internal flight between Gqeberha and Johannesburg with CemAir. The quality of planes and opportunity to break the flight up makes Qatar an excellent choice. It’s been a long time since I witnessed an amenity kit in economy, but the Qatar eye mask and ear plugs were a nice touch for anyone wanting to get some sleep.

Checking in a large group can run the risk of a hiccup, but we were smooth sailing straight through to Gatwick’s well-known Wetherspoons thanks to a clean sweep of two blank pages and six months of validity in everyone's passports. The transit in Doha was a great opportunity to window shop designer products and stretch the legs each way, with no issues of any delays. The transit through Johannesburg on to Cem Air was a breeze, taking less than an hour from landing to getting through passport control to the gate.

We woke up over the mountains of Southern Africa as the plane flew into Cape Town. After a freshen up we got stuck straight into exploring. In no time at all we were enjoying the views from the top of Table Mountain after a ride on the incredible cable car. The first day ended with a welcome party at Bar Vista where the group made the most of no jet lag and hit a local karaoke bar after.

A true understanding of the layout of Cape Town came from our hop-on-hop-off bus tour. We recommend this tour as a great way to get your bearings. It turned out to be a ‘wet’ wet weather activity for those that chose the top deck!

It was clear from our time in the city that luxury in South Africa is just as much about the service and hospitality as it is the gorgeous properties. We had opportunities to experience this luxury first-hand through hosted evenings at some of Cape Town’s most prestigious hotels (One&Only, Mount Nelson, Twelve Apostles) as well as a unique opportunity to step on board the legendary Rovos Rail for a quick tour.

Highlight: Settling into the Rovos Rail train with a glass of champagne, learning about the history of the business from the founders’ daughter; Tiffany Vos.

Interesting fact: South Africa has 11 official languages, with English and Afrikaans being the most spoken alongside 9 ethnic languages. 

Where we stayed: 4* Southern Sun Waterfront / 4* Southern Sun Cullinan.

Our farewell to Cape Town started with wine. We first learned about the differences between the winelands through panels and presentations before moving on to experience it in Franschhoek, which took less than 90 minutes to reach by road. The wet weather wasn’t enough to dampen our spirits as we hopped between the vineyards for the afternoon.

Highlight: Franschhoek Wine Tram - the perfect way to leisurely hop between beautiful wine estates sampling fine wines paired with breathtaking scenery, which a choice of several tram lines for your perfect route. We all agreed this should be an unmissable experience for anyone visiting the region.

Interesting fact: The Wine Tram was originally built in 1904 as an alternative to ox-drawn carts for farmers transporting produce.

Where we stayed: 4* Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa.

Waking up to clear blue skies and the surrounding mountains was an even bigger wow factor than we expected! Our visit to the African Seabird and Penguin Sanctuary in Gansbaai was very educational and our tour of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve further showcased South Africa’s beautiful scenery. 4WD nature drives allowed us to understand the history of the area. We ended the day with down time in the scenic seaside town of Hermanus, just a 40 minute drive away.

Highlight: Standing one metre away from a rehabilitating penguin in the Penguin Sanctuary.

Interesting fact: The Grootbos exhibit won gold at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

Where we stayed: 4* Harbour House Hermanus/ 5* The Marine.

The longest stretch of driving came between Hermanus and Oudtshoorn at around four hours. A pit stop along the way allowed us to browse traditionally made African arts and crafts and take in more beautiful scenery. We spent time in the afternoon with representatives from key hotel partners from along the Garden Route, who had an easy job in selling their product to us. It was great to experience a traditional Braai dinner complete with an authentic drumming lesson. Although we travelled in May, which is during off-peak season, sitting outside by the fire, star gazing under the clear night sky still delivered that magical ‘holiday’ feeling. 

Highlight: Relaxing by the pool in the late afternoon sun, taking in the beautiful surrounding scenery.

Interesting fact: Oudtshoorn is the ostrich capital of the world, thanks to the soaring value of ostrich feathers during the 19th century, encouraging farmers to turn their trade towards rearing the profitable birds.

Where we stayed: 4* Surval Boutique Olive Estate.

The weather was now on our side, so it was perfect timing to make our way back to the coast. The journey was nice and easy at just two hours and the sand was between our toes shortly after lunch. The afternoon was well spent, both in the water and on the beach. Then it was time to get the glad rags on ready for our beautiful evening meal at 4+* Hogs Hollow Country Lodge – a unique property just 20 minutes’ drive from the town. 

Highlight: Having private use of a small club under our hotel, complete with DJ to dance the night away.

Interesting fact: 'Plett', as the locals generally call it, was originally named 'Bahia Formosa' by the early Portugese navigators. Translated as 'Beautiful Bay', we all agreed it was very apt!

Where we stayed: 4* Plett Quarter Hotel.

Our final day as a group was all about setting the scene of the grand finale – learning all about safari. This was the perfect opportunity to broaden our knowledge and build our excitement for our final stop at the Eastern Cape.

Highlight: Our farewell ceremony; complete with traditional singers and tribal face painting.

Interesting fact: The word ‘Gqerberha’ is a Xhosa word for the Baakens River that flows through the city, renamed in 2021 from what was formerly known as Port Elizabeth.

Where we stayed: 4* The Beach Hotel.

We waved goodbye and hit the road via private transfers to our designated game lodges. For many of us this was our first safari experience, and it exceeded expectations. The Eastern Cape is more diverse than you would think but everybody agreed the lodge and experience was a great way to round off an incredible trip, and one we can't wait to share with our clients!

Highlight: Lots of animals!

Interesting fact: All the lodges we stayed in were incredible but 4+* Pumba Water Lodge is the only lodge offering the opportunity to see the unique white lion – even better that the pride has just welcomed some new cubs!

Where we stayed: 5* Elephant Gorah Camp, 4+* Lalibela Lentaba, 4+* Pumba Water Lodge, 4+* Amakhala Bukela, 5* Shamwari Eagles Crag.

This part of South Africa is diverse, easy to navigate and incredibly good value. Boasting vastly contrasting landscapes, quaint villages and laidback seaside towns, any Garden Route holiday is guaranteed to offer a host of invigorating experiences. On top of that, South Africa’s Eastern Cape provides some of the country’s most accessible game viewing within its malaria-free private game reserves. Discovering a new favourite shot – the springbokkie - was just the icing on the cake!