14 Day $5395pp includes airfare from JFK and train fare. From cosmopolitan Cape Town to the traditional Harry's Camp, this safari captures the wonderful contrasts of South Africa. Your bush camp, located in a private reserve, features walking safaris and night game drives to spotlight wildlife, including leopard. In Cape Town, tour the city's famous museums and mansions, with charming Cape Dutch architecture, plus Cape Point, Stellenbosch and the Cape vineyards. One splendid night on board the African Rail transports you south to the Shamwari wildlife reserve to view elephant, giraffe and the rare rhino. Then you see the botanical splendors of Port Elizabeth and the Garden Route.

Includes: Round trip airfare New York/Johannesburg. All flights in South Africa indicated in itinerary. African Rail fare from Johannesburg to Shamwari. Superior accommodations. All breakfasts, 7 lunches, 5 dinners. Sightseeing by motorcoach; game drives by Land Rover, professional English-speaking driver/guides. Tours of Cape Point and Vineyards. All lodging taxes and gratuities for baggage handling. Visit to cheetah and ostrich farm. Visit to Cango Caves. All park entry fees. All transfers to and from airports. Flight bag, passport wallets, and baggage tags. $250,000 Automatic Common Carrier Accident Insurance.

Dates: Year round

Difficulty: Moderate

Day 1 Depart JFK International Airport on your direct flight via South African Airways.
Day 2 Johannesburg-Sandton Arrive in Johannesburg, where your representative escorts you to your hotel in the fashionable Sandton suburb. BALALAIKA HOTEL
Day 3 Johannesburg - Shamwari This afternoon board your beautifully appointed train, the African Rail, exclusive to only 22 guests, with an air conditioned dining car and lounge. Relax and enjoy the scenery, rolling Orange Free State prairie and mountain passes, as you glide towards Port Elizabeth and Shamwari. THE AFRICAN RAIL (B, L, D)
Day 4 - 5 Shamwari Reserve Shamwari means 'My Friend' and the reserve is user-friendly to the environment. Stretching over 25,000 acres along Bushman's River near Port Elizabeth, Shamwari is the most southern private reserve in Africa. The owner has extensively restocked the area with wildlife, including white and black rhino. Previously black rhino were extinct in the Eastern Cape since 1853. Game drives allow you to see these rare rhino, plus elephant and a wide variety of antelope. During your two days at Shamwari, you may also spot zebra, wildebeest, springbok, gemsbok, eland, kudu and bushbuck. Nocturnal creatures such as aardvark, leopard, aardwolf, caracal and genet are exciting to see on night game drives. Walking safaris with a ranger let you get the feel of Africa beneath your feet. LONG LEE MANOR ON THE SHAMWARI RESERVE (B, L, D daily)
Day 6 - 7 The Garden route Drive along the scenic coastline with spectacular views of the sea and beautiful beaches. Africa's fifth largest city, Port Elizabeth overlooks Angola Bay, and boasts an abundance of birdlife. See the Tsitsikamma Forest, with magnificent gorges cut by clear streams, passing over river bridges that form the Trio of Arches, graceful and high above the water. Encounter Plettenberg Bay, one of the most beautiful resorts in Africa, before continuing to the picture-postcard town of Wilderness, where you can windsurf, sail, fish. You take short drives to visit an ostrich farm, and the colorful Cango Caves. KAROS WILDERNESS (2B, 1L)
Day 8 - 9 Cape Town Fly to Cape Town for thrilling days of sightseeing, including a scenic drive to Cape Point to see whales and the merger of the tranquil waters of the Indian Ocean and the turbulent Atlantic. You will also visit the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens with 4,000 species of South Africa's unique flora. COMMODORE HOTEL (2B, 1L)
Day 10 Cape Town-Stellenbosch Tour the charming village of Stellenbosch, with its 17th century Cape Dutch houses, then sample wines from local vineyards. This afternoon, visit Cape Town's National Museum and the charming Malay Quarter with its narrow cobbled streets and colorful 18th century homes, or shop at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. COMMODORE HOTEL (B)
Day 11 - 12 Mala Mala Reserve Fly to Mala Mala in time for lunch at Harry's Camp on the banks of the Sand River. This magnificent private reserve borders the more crowded Kruger National Park, so at Mala Mala you have unsurpassed views of wildlife and their natural setting, not other tourists. Enjoy dawn and dusk safari drives from an open four wheel drive vehicle, great for photography and a sense of space. Yet the highlight of the day is often the spotlit night drive. See nocturnal leopard, South Africa's Cape hunting dogs, plus the Big Five: elephant, rhino, leopard, lion, buffalo. Mala Mala is the largest privately owned sanctuary with the Big Five in all of South Africa. Facilities at Harry's include a pool, and a verandah ideal for spotting wildlife. The focus is on the outdoors, with breakfast and lunch served at a shaded table on the river bank, while dinner is in a traditional reed enclosed Boma, with a campfire in the center. HARRY'S CAMP (B,L,D daily)
Day 13 - 14 Johannesburg-New York Fly to Johannesburg, to catch your direct flight to JFK. (B)

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