Africa welcomes you, dear friends!
After border formalities you will be met by a representative of the company Alpha-Zulu, transferred to your hotel and have free time for rest. You can visit the Queen Victoria and Prince Alfred Waterfront, which is a tourist Mecca in Cape Town. There you will find a variety of cafes and restaurants, expensive shops and souvenir stalls, folk singers and dancers acting directly on the street, seals resting on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean that caresses the eyes with its blue waves...
After a delicious and hearty breakfast you will meet your guide for excursions in and around Cape Town. Table Mountain, the symbol of the city, will be the starting point of your excursion. You will go up to the mountain in the cable car (payment is made on the spot, for whether it operates depends on the weather) and from the top you will have a bird’s eye view of this unforgettable city. After that you will visit the Cape Town Castle of Good Hope, which was the first stone structure on the peninsula, and from there you will see the Grand Parade, dominated by the Town Hall building. Continuing the journey, you will visit the Company’s Gardens built at the time of Jan van Riebeeck, founder of Cape Town. You can buy peanuts to feed the squirrels, who will eat from your hand. Next to the Gardens you will see St. George’s church, famous for having the largest stained-glass windows in the Southern hemisphere. Nearby are also the Houses of Parliament and the National Gallery of art. A tour of a jewelry factory will help you understand the process of cutting of precious stones and you can touch diamonds of various sizes and learn useful information about jewelry. If you like, you can purchase jewelry at factory prices direct from the manufacturer.
Today you will relive the days of the discoverers and of the colonial conquests and you will spend the day on Cape of Good Hope, which you have heard about in school. In 1488 Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias landed on the Cape and called it the Cape of Storms, because he had survived a terrible storm that nearly cost him and his crew their lives. Portuguese King João II, having great expectations for a new Eastern sea route, renamed it the Cape of Good Hope. Here tourists often look forward to seeing large families of baboons. These animals are very cute, but be careful not to feed them, for you might get hurt when they fight for their food. After passing the entrance gate your bus will follow a level road and then drive down to the famous promontory. Here you can make a souvenir photo against a panel that has the coordinates of the Cape of Good Hope. Then you can climb to the highest point of the Cape Peninsula, where you will enjoy the extraordinary beauty of the ocean and the bay. We now say goodbye to the Cape and we are on our way back. The road runs along the coast of False Bay and goes through the small town of Simon’s Town, near which the largest South African naval base and Boulders Beach are situated. On that beach you will meet the famous Cape penguins. Long ago, these wonderful animals chose this beach for hatching their offspring and now they live there year-round, delighting local and foreign tourists. You will stop for lunch (at your own expense) at a restaurant well known for its seafood recipes. Return to the hotel around 17h00-18h00
And so this is the end of your visit to one of the most beautiful cities included in the top ten most visited cities in the world. A comfortable car takes you to meet new experiences. Morning transfer to the airport, the guide says goodbye. You have a two-hour flight to Durban. Upon arrival in Durban you will be met by your guide for transfer to Hluhluwe Umfolozi National Park (the oldest national park in Africa, this is the park where the white rhino was saved from extinction as a species), accommodation at the lodge and a dinner whose diversity and abundance will not leave you indifferent.
You will rise early and depart for an unforgettable safari in Africa's oldest National Park and second oldest Peace Park, Hluhluwe-Umfalozi. Its open spaces in the African bush with thickets of acacias and dense shrubbery are inhabited by almost all representatives of the diverse African fauna. Do not forget to have your cameras ready! A well-trained professional huntsman will help you find the animals and come as close as possible to them. At the end of the safari you will return to the lodge, where a delicious breakfast awaits you. You can either relax by the pool or you can order an optional excursion. In the afternoon, departure for an evening safari, returning in time for dinner
After a leisurely African breakfast, enjoy a comfortable car ride to new impressions. Now you see famous Lake St Lucia, where you will take a cruise on a boat to observe a unique ecological system. These waters are inhabited by crocodiles, hippos and sharks. This ecological system is under UNESCO protection. Where else you can see yellow crocs? It is only in St Lucia. Crocodiles can live in both fresh and salt water thanks to a special gland. In this lake the water is salty, so the crocodiles and covered in yellowish color.
After the cruise, the guide takes you back in a comfortable car to the coast of the warm Indian Ocean and to sunny, hospitable Durban. Durban is becoming extremely popular among tourists from all over the world. Ballito and Umhlanga are famous resorts on the East Coast. Whenever you go, any time of year, it is warm there. The mild air and the evergreen subtropical landscape will make you want to return again and again.
Yoga and Relaxation - Day 7 and Day 8
Sunrise and sunset are the best time for meditation and yoga. Accompanied by a highly qualified instructor you will spend the early morning on the shore of the ocean, performing various yoga exercises. After that you will have a healthy breakfast and then you can spend some time at the beach or take part in additional excursions. After this rest period you will meet with the yoga teacher to discuss healthy eating and how to cook a wholesome healthy meal. You will gather near the ocean for an evening yoga class. Meditate on the beach at sunset, then return to the hotel for dinner.
After a leisurely breakfast on the veranda of the hotel you will meet with your guide for an exciting journey to the farmlands. You will love the beautiful scenery and your guide will tell you about the Anglo-Boer war, about the culture and traditions of the local population, both white and black, and about the colonial history of this region. The first stop is a ceramic studio whose products are sold at the most famous auctions. You will get acquainted with the design and manufacturing process of these works of art and you can purchase some pieces if you wish.
Back in the car, you continue the journey and stop for lunch at a farm where goats of a rare breed produce milk from which a variety of high quality cheeses are made. First you will taste these cheeses and then the guide will organize lunch with cheeses and famous South African wines. After lunch you will go to the old colonial mansion of a hero of the Boer War, Richard Gordon, who became a minister in the government of the subsequent Republic of Natal. The manor house is surrounded by beautiful landscapes with lakes and farms for breeding horses. Your accommodation is at the manor. You will rest and there you will have a 5-course dinner in the best tradition of the Midlands cuisine.
Waking up to bird song you will meet with your mentor at the lake for morning yoga classes, and then proceed to a delightful colonial breakfast, after which it will be an interesting tour of the farm where you will be told about the breeding of thoroughbred horses. You can get acquainted with the best of them. After the tour you will be driven through scenic hills to the Drakensberg Mountains. Accommodation in a cottage and a short rest, then you will cook dinner and discuss wellness and overall efforts under the leadership of the yoga mentor. Evening yoga lesson and dinner
Drakensberg Mountains 11 и 12 день
Enjoy your morning yoga lesson in a stunning environment for meditation, relaxation and cleansing. Mountain air, pastoral and mountain views, Healthy breakfast, cleansing tea and stroll through mountain trails. Rest and cook dinner together. Later you will then proceed with an evening session of yoga. After dinner, the yoga instructor recommends evening meditation combined with breathing exercises under the sky where the stars are located so low that you have the feeling that one has only to reach out for them.
After early morning yoga, you will have your breakfast and get ready to depart.
A comfortable car is waiting for you for the last 3-hour tour of the program, to take you to Durban international airport.