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THE COMPLETE SOUTH AFRICAN HOLIDAY
Friday
Depart London Heathrow on SAA or BA for Johannesburg
Saturday
Arrive Johannesburg early am. Transfer to SAA Durban flight departing 08.55
Arrive at Durban Airport 10.05. On arrival you will be met and transferred to the Umhlanga Sands hotel, right on the beach, north of Durban. 
Umhlanga Sands is located right on the Umhlanga beachfront with breath-taking panoramic views overlooking the sparkling Indian Ocean.
This tropical resort is a family favourite, where sun, sea, sand and fun are all part of the holiday experience.
All 237 rooms are sea-facing and offer spacious accommodation and an equipped kitchenette. A well-patrolled promenade runs in front of the hotel, linking all the Southern Sun Resorts along this beautiful beach front.
There are an endless choice of leisure activities - 2 swimming pools exclusively for adults, a sauna and jacuzzi; ten pin bowling, volleyball an entertainment centre as well as an adult and children's entertainment programmes which are fully supervised by a spirited entertainment team and run throughout the year.
The resort also boasts a gift shop, hairdressing salon, beautician and aroma therapist as well as two restaurants and a late-night action bar with different live music for every night of the week.
The resort is situated within walking distance of the charming village of Umhlanga Rocks.
Spend tonight at the Umhlanga Sands Hotel on a bed and breakfast basis.
Sunday
You will be met at the hotel and taken down into the city of Durban for a guided tour of this vibrant, cosmopolitan city with its Indian, Africa craft and African 'muti" markets as well the fabulous uShaka Marine World. Lunch today is for your account.
Overnight at the Umhlanga Sands Hotel on a bed and breakfast basis.
Monday
This morning a vehicle will be delivered to the hotel in order to give you freedom of movement at considerably lower cost than having a guide to take you around in the area
Spend the next two nights at the Umhlanga Sands on a bed and breakfast basis, exploring on your own.
Wednesday
Drive up to Thanda Private Game Reserve in your own vehicle. This is an easy drive of about 2.5 hours and directions will be given.
The philosophy 'For the love of nature, wildlife and dear ones' embraces Thanda's vision of creating harmony between man and nature. 'Thanda' - 'love' in Zulu - is truly a game reserve centred on 'love'.
Originally purchased as degraded cattle farms, heavily infested with alien invasive plant species, the land is in the process of being restored to re-establish the natural equilibrium. The full suite of animal species, including the Big Five, which roamed the area in the past, has been reintroduced and current management interventions are such that they work in tandem with natural processes.
Thanda invites you to experience ultimate luxury and world-class service. Let your senses awaken with sumptuous decadence, and candlelit culinary masterpieces impeccably served in your private boma. 
Main Lodge: Nine luxury bush villas are pure indulgence! Each spacious bush villa has a private splash pool and viewing deck, sala, lounge, fireplace and a full bathroom with an inside as well as an outside shower. The private bomas offer absolute privacy should that be your choice. The public area at the main lodge has a lounge, library, dining room, boma, dining deck, wine cellar, and cigar bar, fully equipped business centre and viewing decks overlooking tranquil water features. Artefacts made by local artists can be found in the curio shop adjacent to the business centre.
Tented Camp: Wild, yet gentle; rugged, yet refined - Thanda Private Game Reserve offers a select few a luxurious escape into nature. Situated on the slope of a hill, the tents have spectacular views of the reserve, and offer guests an authentic bush experience. The camp has no electricity, and guests can opt to have their meals in the dining tent or around the boma fire. Without compromising luxury or service, the tented camp allows guests an opportunity to get closer to nature in style. Each of the four luxury tents has a viewing deck, and a spacious bathroom with a shower
Wellness Centre: Take heed of your body and mind's desire for inner peace and close your eyes whilst life's daily stresses vanish beneath skilful hands. The wellness centre offers a variety of therapies and beauty treatments to ease the effects of life's daily stresses on your body and mind. Qualified health and skin care therapists will ensure that your soothing full body aromatherapy massage or healing reflexology, to name just a few, will aid you to unwind and relax in the beautiful surroundings of Thanda Private Game Reserve.
Zulu Culture and community involvement: The focus point of Thanda Private Game Reserve is to fully embrace the Zulu culture by including elements of it throughout all aspects of the lodge. From the décor to the cuisine, guests will truly learn to appreciate the rich and still very much alive tradtions of the Zulu people.
Vula Zulu, a traditional homestead is the setting for guests to have the privilege of watching 50 to 100 Impi warriors, trained by an associate of a Zulu prince, performing age-old dancing rites, as was done prior to and after battle.
A guided tour to a nearby Zulu tribal village will offer guests an insight into the daily life of the community. Visit local historical sites and battlegrounds, or witness young children's enthusiasm and ambition during a visit to a local school. Our rangers will embrace the close connections and traditions between nature and the Zulu people, and in the library at the main lodge, you can read about the many fascinating aspects of the Zulu nation, from culture and history to myths and legends. Even the Zulu songs will stay with you long after your visit to Thanda!
In this way, Thanda will be contributing to sustaining the Zulu culture, through job creation as well as maintaining an ongoing interest in the Zulu heritage, and offering guests a unique opportunity to experience all aspects of this incredibly interesting culture, not found at any other lodge.
Spend two nights at Thanda Tented Camp on a full board basis including activities and the Zulu experience.
Friday
Drive back down to Durban, leaving Thanda at after the morning game drive or walk and drop off your car in time for a SAA flight to Cape Town departing at 14.00 and arriving at 16.15. On arrival in Cape Town you will be met and transferred to the Camps Bay Terrace Guesthouse.
Camps Bay Terrace in Cape Town South Africa offers the discerning tourist, holiday maker, honeymoon couple and business traveller luxurious bed and breakfast and self catering accommodation with magnificent views of the Twelve Apostles and the South Atlantic.
Wonderful beaches, shops, bars and restaurants are a stroll from our front door. The Table Mountain cableway, city centre and the world's best waterfront are just a few minutes drive away. Camps Bay Terrace is the perfect location from which to explore Cape Town and its environs! 
Three comfortable en-suite bedrooms with old world charm, personal service, and delicious breakfasts.
The three guesthouse rooms are set in a charming renovated 100-year old house, which oozes with colonial ambience and comfort. The property has spectacular views of the Twelve Apostles and the Atlantic Ocean. Built over a century ago as a beach front retreat, it has been lovingly restored to its former state - rich brown mahogany sash windows and shutters, golden Oregon pine floors, rustic red clay tiles - all adding up to a delightful place in which to relax and enjoy Cape hospitality.
Furnished with lovingly collected antique instruments and Africana the guesthouse has a very special magic. Each room is en-suite, and each has some special Africana artefacts, and at least a small view of the ocean.
All three rooms adjoin onto, and share a stunning guest lounge. It is furnished in colonial style with leather and rich fabric furniture and fittings. Plate glass sash windows look down on the exclusive Bakoven beach - a sheltered haven for Cape Town's most selective sun seekers. The two comfortable wing chairs with Ottoman are the ideal spot for soaking up the afternoon sun, and the large leather sofa is ideal for curling up in front of the satellite TV or sitting with a book.
The rooms also share a huge outdoor paved deck with a solar-heated swimming pool and barbecue. The sun deck has eight sun loungers, and it's the perfect place to watch the sun set into the Atlantic, with a chilled glass of wine in your hand.
The rooms are all serviced daily, and each morning Gila and the team serve a scrumptious, hearty and healthy South African breakfast!
Spend the next three nights at the Camps Bay Terrace Guesthouse .
Monday
Leave Cape Town and drive out to the winelands - again, this is an easy drive and comprehensive directions will be given. A Car will be delivered to your hotel, or to Le Quartier Francais.
Should you like to take a winelands tour and be able to relax without worrying about driving, we definitely recommend a private tour. This will be at an additional cost of SAR 2000.00 for the full day, but is well worth it, if you are wine lovers!
Make your way to Le Quartier Francais in the heart of the village of Franschhoek. 
The Auberge du Quartier Français is a small, privately owned inn situated in the French Huguenot valley of Franschhoek, in the Cape Winelands. The philosophy is: "We like to keep things simple, but exceptional" and the Auberge prides itself on its reputation for warm, world class service ... and the little touches that make the difference.
The atmosphere at the Auberge is peaceful and serene. Emphasis is on ultimate luxury and romantic charm, combined with the priceless gift of privacy.
Fifteen eloquently decorated en-suite bedrooms open onto the rose filled central courtyard and swimming pool. In addition two unashamedly luxurious suites offer spacious lounges, private pools and complimentary full bars. And if you feel like a little pampering, the in-room beauty therapy offers the ultimate experience in relaxation.
The theatre offers an intimate cinematic theatre experience with the style and decadence of halcyon days gone by. Enjoy everything from celebrated classics to cinema nouveau and the latest movies from the comfort of one of twenty four arm chairs or indulge in 'couch time', drink in hand. With state of the art audio-visual equipment and great eats from 'iCi' this is also an ideal venue for private celebrations and product launches.
Spend two nights at Le Quartier Francais in a luxury twin on a bed and breakfast basis.
Leave Franschhoek and travel north east to the "ostrich capital of South Africa" Oudtshoorn. The drive will take about 4-5 hours through diverse and impressive scenery.
Make your way to Shades of African guesthouse in town and perhaps freshen up a bit, before exploring further.
Shades of Africa is a relaxing bed and breakfast retreat, situated in a typical Klein Karoo indigenous garden, complementing the ethnic architecture. For the sophisticated young at heart, looking for something unique, the guesthouse offers an African experience with comfort, tranquillity and style. Love of this land of great beauty that is huge enough to embrace anything and influenced by the cultural diversity of the history, was the inspiration behind the composition of Shades of Africa.
To enhance the many facets of African simplicity, the guesthouse is filled with comfortable furnishings and everyday artefacts, including unique traditional baskets with intricate patterns, made from grass, reeds and leaves of the Ilala pal. The slate floors are covered with sisal and grass matting: the white walls hung with carefully, selected African paintings and prints, colourful brooms, wall hangings, antelope horns and masks.
Alet, the owner, has a passion for simplicity, natural textures and gaiety of colour. In designing and decorating, she was influenced by nature and its surroundings and has used a mosaic of existing elements to adorn what she calls her "little Mexico".
There are 5 double rooms with twin beds, private entrance each with own bathroom plus shower. Each room has a colour TV, M-Net, safety deposit box, heater, hairdryers, overhead fan, tea and coffee making facilities and alarm clocks. All rooms are air-conditioned.
Spend tonight at Shades of Africa Guesthouse on a bed and breakfast basis.
Thursday
Leave Oudtshoorn at leisure and make your way over the Robinson Pass down to the N2 highway and the back towards Cape Town as you head for Arniston, near the southernmost point of Africa. 
The Arniston Hotel is internationally known as one of South Africa's greatest getaways. It is set in the beauty of white limestone cliffs, giant sand dunes, pristine beaches, stunning nature reserves and the aquamarine waters of the Indian Ocean. Arniston is also called Waenhuiskrans (wagon house cliff), a name that originates from the shape of a giant's sea cave nearby. Tide permitting, the visitor can access this spectacular site.
While the Arniston Hotel offers the discerning 
traveller any imaginable luxury it is still perfectly well integrated into the simple world of an authentically preserved Cape fishing village. The hotel and the villagers co-operate to the benefit of both and the restaurant's fame is based on the fresh produce caught daily by the local fishermen.
The culinary delight of a dinner at the Arniston Hotel is the crowning finale of a day well spent, since Arniston offers a host of activities for nature lovers and sports enthusiasts. Arniston lies at the beautiful Overberg coast, a pleasant two hours' drive from Cape Town. This coastline is still a quiet, unspoilt and little known part of South Africa although it offers the world's best whale watching.
The Arniston Hotel offers 31 rooms; each is en-suite and tastefully decorated providing all the comforts of a world-class hotel. The six luxury and nine sea-facing rooms have private balconies with panoramic ocean views. The other sixteen rooms open onto our tranquil garden and swimming pool. Tea and coffee making facilities, TV (M-Net) are in all the rooms.
Overnight at the Arniston Hotel in a standard sea-facing twin room on a bed and breakfast basis.
Friday
Leave Arniston in your own time and travel to Hermanus. You will be arriving in peak whale-watching time and should definitely allow time to relax on the shores or even take a boat trip out among the whales.
Lavender Manor Guest Lodge is proudly positioned above famous "Blue Flag" Grotto Beach, with stunning views across the whale sanctuary of Walker Bay and the magnificent mountain backdrop. The manor has seven luxury and exclusive private suites, each with a unique character and atmosphere which enfold guests in stylish comfort. Each suite has satellite TV, tea and coffee facilities, a fridge, wall safe, percale linen and all upmarket comforts. All 7 rooms have full en-suite bathrooms (bath & shower), and guests have access to the private lounges, TV room, swimming pool, pub and large outside patios and wooden decks with panoramic views of the sea and mountains. A delicious English and Continental breakfast is included.
Lavender Manor has breathtaking views of the ocean, beaches and mountains as well as offering great, seasonal whale and dolphin watching from the lodge or cliff-path. Two minutes walk will take guest to Grotto Beach and other smaller scenic beaches, the popular cliff-path and various mountain trails in Fernkloof nature reserve.
The manor is also close to Hermanus Golf course (3 minutes) and Arabella Golf Estate (30 minutes) as well as being ideally positioned to explore all the great attractions of the Overberg and the numerous eco-adventure activities in the area (Great White shark viewing and diving nearby). Hemel-en-Aarde (Heaven and Earth) wine route id nearby and it is an easy drive to Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
Additional features of the manor include secure, off-street parking and large secluded garden with comfortable splash pool, a large upstairs lounge with fireplace, fully licensed bar and outside patio with panoramic views of the sea and mountains.
Spend two nights at Lavender Manor on a bed and breakfast basis.
Sunday
Have the morning to relax and enjoy the whales and this quaint coastal town before driving the 2.5 hours back to Cape Town to drop off your rental car in time for your international flight home.
Depart Cape Town on SAA or BA in the eveing. Arrive London Heathrow the following Monday morning, relaxed, and ready for Reality again!
End of arrangements
COST - FOR GROUND ARRANGEMENTS:
£1,750 per person sharing accommodation
COST - FOR FLIGHTS:
£750 per person, indication only, subject to availability.
INCLUDES:
Meet and transfer on arrival at Durban Airport
Twin accommodation
Meals as specified
Full day tour of Durban city, including uShaka Marine World
Bed levies and community levies where applicable
Car hire - Avis group B in Cape Town and in KwaZulu Natal
Activities as offered by Thanda
Flights
EXCLUDES:
Tips, gratuities and all items of a personal nature
Activities apart from the tour in Durban and those offered by Thanda
Meals not specified
Travel and medical insurance
CAR HIRE:
CAR HIRE INCLUDES: 100% cover on CDW and TLW, Personal Accident Insurance, unlimited mileage, airport surcharges, VAT, tourism levy and windscreen damage
CAR HIRE RATES EXCLUDE: Contract fee of SAR 25.00, fuel and "extras" deposit of SAR 1000.00, additional driver fee of SAR 110.00, fuel, delivery/collection fees and undercarriage damage. One way drop off fee between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth (+- SAR 500.00)
E&OE