Bush & Beach Honeymoon: Cape Town to Vilanculos in 12 days

Today we go all the way to the end of the Cape. It is a full day on the road, but trust us, you won’t be bored.

First comes Chapman’s Peak Drive, a road carved into the side of the mountain, high above the Atlantic. There are lookout points along the way, so take your time and get those photos.

Then, our favourite part: Boulders Beach. A colony of African penguins lives here among giant granite rocks. Listen closely and you’ll hear them bray like donkeys. That’s why locals used to call them jackass penguins! From the boardwalks you can watch them waddle past, dive into the waves and look after their nests, just a few metres away.

Last stop is Cape Point, so hold onto your hat. The cliffs drop straight into the sea, the wind is wild, and the air smells of salt and fynbos, little flowering bushes that grow nowhere else on the planet. Walk up to the old lighthouse, or take the Flying Dutchman funicular, and look out over False Bay and the open ocean. Keep an eye on the water for Cape fur seals and dolphins.

At the end of the day, we will take you back to your guesthouse in Sea Point.

Grab your sunglasses, because today we head inland to the Winelands, about an hour from the city. Think vineyards in neat rows, mountains all around, and old Cape Dutch farmhouses with white gables under big oak trees.

People have been making wine here since the 1650s, so they’ve had some practice! You’ll visit two local estates for tastings. Ask all the questions you want, and find your favourite. Our tip: if there’s a Pinotage on the list, try it. It’s a red grape that was born right here in South Africa.

Take your time between tastings, walk through the gardens and soak up the view. In the evening we’ll bring you back to Cape Town, relaxed and smiling. Gesondheid! (That’s “cheers” in Afrikaans.)

No alarm today. Cape Town is all yours! Here are a few lekker (that’s “great” in local slang) ideas: an early walk on the Sea Point promenade with the joggers and dog walkers, a few hours of shopping and seafood at the V&A Waterfront, a picnic at Kirstenbosch gardens at the foot of the mountain, or sundowners on Camps Bay beach as the sun drops into the ocean.

Want to do something a bit different? These optional experiences can be booked in advance:

• Robben Island: Hop on the ferry to the island where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. Today it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll see his tiny cell and the limestone quarry where prisoners were forced to work, and hear what life was like here during apartheid. It stays with you long after you leave. Tours sell out fast, so book early.
• Langa Township Tour: Spend the day in Cape Town’s oldest township with Thami, who grew up in Langa and now shows visitors around his neighbourhood. Start at the Langa Dompas Museum, in the old pass office and court, where Black South Africans were once forced to carry passbooks that controlled where they could live and work. Then walk the streets, visit craft cooperatives and community projects, and see how most Capetonians really live, through the eyes of the people who call it home.
• San experience at !Khwa ttu: About an hour up the West Coast is !Khwa ttu, often called the embassy of the San people. The San are one of the oldest cultures on Earth, and around 130,000 still live across six Southern African countries. Here they tell their own story, through guided walks, demonstrations of traditional skills and the meaning behind ancient rock art.
• Two Oceans Aquarium: Right at the V&A Waterfront, this is a great pick for a slower morning, or if the weather turns. Meet the sea life of the cold Atlantic and the warm Indian Ocean, from penguins and rays to sharks gliding past the glass.
• More wine? If yesterday left you wanting more, visit Groot Constantia, South Africa’s oldest wine estate, founded in 1685. It’s just 20 minutes from the city, at the back of Table Mountain, and offers tastings and cellar tours in a beautiful old Cape Dutch setting.

Time to trade the ocean for the savanna. This morning you fly north to Hoedspruit. Step off the plane and you’ll feel it straight away: warmer, drier air, and bushveld as far as you can see.

A short drive takes you into the Klaserie Nature Reserve, your home for the next two nights. It’s part of the Greater Kruger, with no fences between it and the national park, so the animals roam freely across a huge area. The Klaserie was protected as wilderness back in 1969 and only opened to visitors recently, so it’s quiet out here. On some drives you’ll see just one or two other vehicles all day. And yes, all of the Big Five live here, including leopards that are famously relaxed around vehicles.

After lunch, jump into an open 4x4 with your ranger for your very first game drive. Who will you meet first? You’ll be back at the lodge after dark, with dinner waiting and plenty of stories to share.

Set your alarm for just before 5:30 am. It is early, we know, but trust us on this one. Grab a jacket, warm up with a quick coffee at the lodge, then climb into the vehicle with your ranger. The bush wakes up before the sun: lions still on the move after their night, elephants having breakfast, impala and kudu with their ears up and listening.

You will be back at the lodge around nine for a proper breakfast. When the day heats up, so do the animals’ naps, so join them. Lounge, read, and rest. After lunch, you are out again for the afternoon drive, then dinner at seven.

Here is what we love about the Klaserie: nobody rushes. If your ranger finds a leopard lazing in a tree, you stay and watch it as long as you like.

One last early morning drive (say goodbye to the bush!), then breakfast and a flight to Johannesburg. Locals call it Jozi or Egoli, the City of Gold.

This afternoon, we’ll show you Johannesburg and Soweto. In Soweto, you’ll walk down Vilakazi Street, where Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu both lived. It’s the only street in the world that’s been home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners. Your guide will share the stories of the township and the people who helped bring down apartheid, and you’ll see for yourself how much life there is in Soweto today.

Dinner is on us tonight.

After breakfast, it’s off to the airport for a flight to Vilanculos in Mozambique. Our advice: get the window seat. As you come in to land, you’ll see turquoise water with sandbanks shining through it. It’s quite something from up there.

A short transfer brings you to your hotel right on the seafront. Kick off your shoes. You won’t need them much from here on! Have a swim, order something cold, and watch the wooden dhows sail past. Welcome to island time.

These three days are all about doing as much (or as little) as you like. The water is warm, the beach is long, and at low tide the sea pulls back to reveal sandbanks you can wander out on. Mornings for swimming, afternoons for a good book and a nap. That’s the plan, if you want one.

Feeling adventurous? Just off the coast lies the Bazaruto Archipelago, a national park of islands, giant dunes and coral reefs. We can arrange a boat trip for the day if you’d like (optional, on request).

One last breakfast with a sea view, then we will take you to the airport for your flight back to Johannesburg, where our trip together ends.

Think back: you’ve stood on top of Table Mountain, laughed at penguins, tracked leopards in the bush and swum in the Indian Ocean, all in twelve days. Hamba kahle (“go well” in isiZulu), and see you next time!