South Africa New Years Singles Vacation & Safari
Capetown - Johannesburg - Kruger National Park
December 28 2011 - January 7 2012
$3,775*

Victoria Falls Pre-Trip - December 26 - December 29

From Capetown to Kruger National Park to Johannesburg this singles vacation has it all. Celebrate New Years under the stars in Capetown and then Carnival in the streets. Safari with the Big5: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo in Krueger and learn about the history of Johannesburg. Top it all off by starting with the powerful Victoria Falls.

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South Africa Singles Vacation & Safari Itinerary

Day 1, Wednesday: December 28 - Depart from Home

Your vacation begins when you board your overnight flight to Capetown, South Africa. Please note that you will be flying home from Johannesburg.

Day 2, Thursday: December 29 - Capetown, South Africa

On arrival at Capetown Airport, you will be met and transferred to our Hotel. To give everyone a chance to arrive, no activities are planned today. We will meet for an optional dinner at 7:00pm.

Day 3, Friday: December 30 - Capetown - Robben Island

Our morning guided city tour takes us past famous Capetown landmarks such as the Castle of Good Hope, built in 1666 by the Dutch East India Company, City Hall, a baroque building and the Grand Parade. We will see St. George’s Cathedral, the Anglican Diocese of Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tut and pass the Company Gardens and the Malay Quarter [also known as the Bo-Kaap]. In the early 18th century, thousands of slaves from Java, Ceylon and other Far Eastern regions were brought to Cape Town. After slavery was abolished, their descendants, known as the Cape Malay’s, settled here.

Our route then leads to Kloof Nek and the magnificent Table Mountain. We'll ascend to the top by the revolving cable car. Here, we'll see wild flowers and the famous silver tree, and marvel at a birds-eye view of the city and its beaches.

After time for lunch we will board a ferry to the famous Robben Island, whose prison was once home to the former South African president Nelson Mandela. Now a World Heritage site, a tour of the island with a former political prisoner as your guide, is an unforgettable experience and offers a glimpse into the life and times of the apartheid era.

Tonight enjoy our Welcome traditional cultural dinner.

Day 4, Saturday: December 31 - Capetown - Cape Peninsula Tour

Experience some of the most spectacular views in the world. Our tour begins with a scenic drive along the Atlantic coast passing through the fishing village of Hout Bay. Here we will take a short boat trip to Duiker Island to view the Cape Fur seals. Watch them bask on the rocks or frolic in the freezing water of the Atlantic.

Our tour then heads along Chapman's Peak Drive (if open) on to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. From there we travel to False Bay and return to Cape Town by way of the Simon's Town naval base where we visit the Penguin colony at Boulders Beach. The beach is home to a growing colony of the vulnerable African Penguin. Wooden walkways allow us to view the penguins in their natural habitat and there is also a new information centre.

Travel via Fishhoek fishing village and Muizenberg to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens for a short walking tour of these beautiful gardens. We return to Cape Town in the late afternoon.

Tonight we will welcome in the New Year with dinner, party and fireworks.

Day 5, Sunday: January 1 - Capetown

Carnival time in Capetown! Over 13,000 costumed, banjo-picking musicians and dancers, their faces painted white, many wearing hats and waving parasols, parade and march through the streets. The event was formerly known as the Kaapse Klopse and originated in the 1800s when Malay slaves celebrated the one and only day in the year that they had off work.

     

We have a free day to enjoy the Carnival or if you would rather take an optional tour now is your chance.

Shark Cage Diving - (Full Day - $250)
Through the ages, the Great White Shark has stirred up emotions of fear & fascination. We invite you to join us on an expedition into this noble savage’s world. You could get close and personal in the cage or enjoy the experience from the deck of the largest and most stable boat operating from Gansbaai Harbour.

Wine Tasting - (Full Day - $110 / Afternoon Tour - $75)
Allow us to take a breathtaking journey through the wine lands of the Cape. Witness the wine making process from the vineyard to the bottle & visit the historical towns of Stellenbosch, Franschoek & Paarl.

Tonight we will welcome in the New Year with dinner, party and fireworks.

Day 6, Monday: January 2 - Capetown - Hoedspruit

After breakfast we will transfer to Capetown Airport for our flight to Johannesburg and connecting flight to Hoedspruit. On arrival we will transfer to the Kapama River Lodge, the largest private game lodge in the Greater Kruger National Park region. Kapama River Lodge is so named because it lies in a curve of the Kapama River.

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A small permanent water source lies just beyond Kapama River Lodge perimeter fence attracting animals like antelopes, elephant and buffalo. Watch this truly African spectacle from the warm blue water of the big rim flow swimming pool, or relax in the shade of an umbrella on loungers around the pool.

We arrive in time for our first late afternoon open vehicle game drive. At about 3.30pm everybody convenes for high tea, before departing with the same ranger/tracker team for the day's second African bush safari.

Enjoy an optional sundowner drink along the way, and get out of the vehicle to stretch your legs and watch the sun go down over the distant Drakensberg Mountains. As darkness descends it's time to return to the safety of the Landrover and let the tracker scan the landscape with a spotlight picking out the glinting eyes of nocturnal animals. Return to the lodge around 7pm, where there is time to freshen up before dinner.

Day 7, Tuesday: January 3 - Hoedspruit

We enjoy two daily game drives today and our skilled ranger and tracker will do their best to find the animals of Africa for us to admire.

Expect a wake up call between 5am and 5:30am and gather for tea or coffee and rusks before we head out at first light. If we are lucky, the big cats will still be around after their night of hunting. This is Big 5 country (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo) all of which are possible to see during our stay in the Kapama Game Reserve.

There are also many other species to be seen, large and small, as well as fascinating plants and colourful birds. We stop halfway through the morning game drive for hot drinks and rusks from the Landrover snack box and return at around 9am for breakfast. During the rest of the day, you are likely to see wildlife like nyala antelope and vervet monkeys around the lodges.

Our next safari begins at 3:30pm so relax by the pool or take an optional tour till then.

Elephant Interaction ($110)
The elephant interaction offers the visitor the unique opportunity to get amazingly close to an animal which can usually only be viewed from a respectful distance. Your ranger will drive you to a pre-arranged location in the bush where you will get to see sixteen African Elephants, which range in age from less than eighteen months, to thirty years. These trained elephants take half an hour out of their day to act as ambassadors for their kind. After a brief introduction, some of the elephants are brought forward for you to meet and interact with. Here you can see, feel and even smell the elephant while both feeding and photographing them. It is and ideal forum to learn about elephants, both wild and trained. An experienced handler accompanies each elephant and is there to educate and inform the guests about the individual animals, the herd in general and of course to answer any questions. You will see the behavior of the babies playing together while under the watchful eyes of their mothers, while witnessing the more mature habit of the adults.

Hoedspruit Centre for Endangered Species ($60)
This is an ideal activity for the restless to fill up a morning after breakfast. A guide will take your to the Hoedspruit Centre for Endangered Species facility where cheetah and a number of other rehabilitated animals can be viewed at close range. An educational video is shown to explain the projects undertaken by this unique establishment. A guided tour will follow to view the cheetah and other animals.
 
Day 8, Wednesday: January 4 - Hoedspruit - Johannesburg

Another early morning as we enjoy our final game drive or take an optional balloon ride or Elephant safari..

Balloon Ride ($450)
The giant candy-striped balloons lift off at first light and drift at the mercy of the wind for about an hour. This usually means that you pass right over Kapama Game Reserve and the skill of the balloon pilot is such that you can skim the top of the trees and spot the wild animals below. The hot air balloon landing can be bumpy, so hold on tight then celebrate with a glass of bubbly.

Elephant Back Safari ($260)
This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here in Kapama Game Reserve to ride on the back of an African elephant. Meet the herd in the early morning and learn just how to get onto the back of an elephant and move to its rhythm as they walk through the bush. Elephants need to feed for many hours a day, so just because you are on top, this doesn't stop them from pulling down branches and grabbing a trunk full of grass as they walk. They are the largest creatures in the African jungle so other animals that you may come across will give way to you. After walking for about an hour, the elephants will return you to the elephant boma.

After breakfast we transfer to the Hoedspruit airport for our flight to Johannesburg. On arrival we will transfer to our hotel.

Day 9, Thursday: January 5 - Johannesburg

On our guided tour we will experience a fascinating glimpse of bustling township neighborhood life. Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnship) is the most metropolitan township in the country - setting trends in politics, fashion, music, dance and language. Drive past two former Nobel Prize winners’ previous residences; the Hector Peterson memorial; and the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, the largest hospital in the world.
 
After time for lunch we visit the Apartheid Museum and embark on a journey of discovery of the racial segregation experienced by millions of South Africans just over a decade ago. Information on the Soweto uprising of 1976, the history of the African National Congress, solitary confinement of political prisoners and the birth of a new democratic country are detailed.
 
Day 10, Friday: January 6 - Johannesburg

This morning we will visit The Lion Park which is neither a game reserve nor a zoo. We will start with the caged enclosures that we can walk into to pet and fondle small cubs. The park has been split into two areas – one area for the herbivores such as zebra, giraffe, and various plains antelope and other grass-eating animals, and the other area for the carnivores. The herbivores roam freely around the area and we are able to view the animals at close proximity at any time.

The carnivore camps, which currently house three prides of lions and a clan of hyena, are protected by barriers and fences to prevent the different prides from attacking one another. By nature, lions are protective of their territory and can become fierce and aggressive if other lions or prides enter their domain.

Tonight enjoy our Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant.
 
Day 11, Saturday: January 7 - Depart for Home or Victoria Falls

Time to say "Sala kahle" to all your new singles travel friends as we make our way to the Johannesburg airport. Some of us will be departing for home and others onto Victoria Falls.

South Africa Singles Vacation & Safari December 28 -  January 7 '12 Price $3,775* Includes * 9 Nights Accommodations * Air Flights within South Africa * Breakfast Daily * 2-Lunches - 5 Dinners * Guided Tours per itinerary * Game Drives per itinerary * Best Single Travel Representative * National Park Entry Fees * Airport / Hotel Transfers day 2 and 11 * Admissions and Transportation as stated above * All Taxes and Surcharges Click Here for Hotels *The price per person is for a double room. Best Single Travel provides roommate matching so there is never a need to pay a "single supplement". If you wish to room alone it is an additional $1250 Not Included * International Airfare * Visa * Tips $10 a day collected on day 2

Deposit - $500 Balance Due October 15

Next is free time to do some optional activities such a White River rafting or a Kayak Ride on the Zambezi River. If you prefer a more relaxing activity enjoy an “Elephant Safaris” or a Helicopter Ride

Victoria Falls Pre-Trip December 26 -  December 29 '11  Price $890* Includes * 2 Nights Accommodations * Domestic Air - Victoria Falls - Capetown * Breakfast Daily * 1 Dinner * Guided Tours per itinerary * Best Single Travel Representative * Airport/Hotel Transfers on Day 2 and Day 4 * Admissions and Transportation as stated above * All Taxes and Surcharges Click Here for Hotels *The price per person is for a double room. Best Single Travel provides roommate matching so there is never a need to pay a "single supplement". If you wish to room alone it is an additional $250 Not Included * International Airfare * Airport Tax * Visa Fees * Tips $10 a day collected on day 2

Deposit - $200 Balance Due November 1, 2011