Cape Town, Winelands & Whale Coast

Land in to Cape Town this morning and head through to the arrivals hall where a driver will be waiting to whisk you in to town for your 4-night stay at Abbey Manor, a charming little guesthouse sitting in the shadow of Table Mountain. With some lovely local restaurants to enjoy you can have a leisurely lunch or perhaps relax by the sparkling swimming pool. The nearby Company Gardens are a lovely spot to have a stroll in the afternoon and work off the cobwebs from the flight.

Today will be a chance for you to enjoy some of the highlights of Cape Town, including a trip up Table Mountain, a stroll through the V&A Waterfront and a ferry trip out to Robben Island to visit the prison where many political prisoners, most famously Nelson Mandela, were imprisoned during Apartheid. There are many excellent restaurants to be found around Cape Town, with some great options in the V&A Waterfront, as well is the “in-town” options around Bree, Long and Kloof Streets.

We will arrange for a rental car to be delivered to Abbey Manor this morning, to allow you to do some exploring a little further afield. The Cape Peninsula stretches far to the South of Cape Town and a day trip here will allow you to spend some time in the Cape Point Nature Reserve, have the obligatory photograph taken at the Cape of Good Hope and take a stroll along Boulders Beach, famed for its large colony of African Penguins. Enjoy lunch in one of the area’s many excellent seafood restaurants before heading back to Cape Town, perhaps stopping for a late afternoon visit to the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

You will have some time to relax at day, perhaps doing some pottering around Cape Town and taking advantage of the excellent shopping on offer, as well as of course the wonderful restaurants. If you are looking to get away from the town, then a drive up the West Coast, taking in the fishing villages of Langebaan and Paternoester is highly recommended – there is such a quaint feel to both of these spots and the seafood restaurants are exceptional, with crayfish a particular local delicacy.

Enjoy a final breakfast with Table Mountain looming large overhead before bidding farewell to the Mother City and heading out to Franschhoek, a beautiful village at the heart of the Cape Winelands where you will be spending the next 3 nights at the lovely Avonrood Guest House, a beautiful spot just a short walk from the main street running through the village.

Today will arrange tickets for a departure and route of your choosing on the famed Franschhoek Wine Tram. A huge number of the wineries in the valley are included on the tram routes, which allow you to combine trips in a specially designed bus and on the lovingly restored tram, with up to 5 winery visits possible during the day. Enjoy special wine tastings included in your ticket prices and you can work in a lunch stop as well, returning to the village in the latter part of the afternoon.

Enjoy an altogether more relaxing day today, perhaps taking a stroll down the main street of Franschhoek to enjoy the views to the surrounding mountains, take a look through the many shops and galleries that line the street and have lunch in one of the streetside cafes. If you are feeling active then there are walking trails for you to enjoy, as well as the chance to go mountain biking, horseriding and even fishing – please just ask and we are happy to make suggestions for what to do.

Set off from Franschhoek after breakfast this morning as you make your way down to the coast to round off your trip in the beautiful town of Hermanus, which looks out over imposing Walker Bay. Your base will be the lovely One Marine Drive, which boasts amazing sea views and has easy access to the clifftop walk which is such a popular feature of Hermanus.

If you are here in whale season (usually July to November) then today will be the chance for you to head out on a whale watching boat trip in to Walker Bay, for some up close and personal (but perfectly safe!) encounters with Southern Right Whales, who spend their time in the deep waters of the bay. Hermanus is also renowned for being the best place in the World for land-based whale watching and the Hermanus whale crier will alert you to any new arrivals.

Aside from being superb for whale watching, Hermanus is a lovely spot to visit in its own right, with a lovely seaside town feel to it and, as you would expect, some excellent seafood restaurants. You can visit the nearby Fernkloof Nature Reserve, enjoy a variety of hiking trails or head down to explore the Cape Nature Reserve. There are also a number of superb wineries in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley which surround Hermanus so this can also be enjoyed.

Take advantage of the evening departure of your flight back to London, perhaps doing some exploring around Hermanus or maybe head back to Cape Town for some last-minute shopping. Head back to the airport to drop off your car and catch this evening’s British Airways flight back to London Heathrow.