Depart from New York or Washington, DC for your flight to Cape Town, South Africa via Johannesburg on South African Airways.

Upon arrival at Johannesburg International Airport you will go through immigration and clear customs, re-check your bags and then proceed to the Domestic Terminal for your onward flight to Cape Town. Then upon arrival at Cape Town Airport you will be met by a SAA Vacations representative and transferred to your hotel.

GOLD OPTION
The Commodore Hotel

The Commodore Hotel is a five star Hotel situated in the heart of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town's center of activity with a variety of stores, restaurants and bars. The Hotel offers superb service and excellent cuisine in a secure, friendly environment and most rooms have wonderful views of Table Mountain, Table Bay and Signal Hill. The Clipper Restaurant offers superb dining in a tranquil setting, from a mouth-watering buffet breakfast to a diverse à la carte menu and devilish desserts! To delight the palate further, indulge in a large selection of sherries, brandies and fine cognacs, or explore The Commodore House Wine Collection. Alternatively, relax to the nostalgic melodies played by the piano man over a light meal or high tea at The Admiralty Bar & Lounge.

PLATINUM OPTION
Table Bay Hotel

The gracious Table Bay Hotel is situated in Cape Town's Victoria & Alfred Waterfront with its array of wonderful shops, restaurants and bars. Discerning guests are offered panoramic views across the Atlantic Ocean to Robben Island, while behind soars Table Mountain. Combined with contemporary charm and attention to detail, the Hotel recalls the era of the great cruise liners and elegant hotels that served them.

Accommodation: The Commodore Hotel or The Table Bay Hotel

After breakfast depart for your Cape Peninsula Tour. See for yourself how this spectacular southern tip of Africa became known as the 'Fairest Cape'. You will travel through the pristine beaches of Camps Bay, Clifton and Llandudno - currently the hottest real estate in the world - to Hout Bay, a functioning harbor and heart of the local crayfish industry (optional Seal Island cruise, time permitting).

After a stop for lunch (own account), it's on to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and its scenic viewing point. The spectacular sea and mountain views are reason enough to make the 41 mile trip from Cape Town. Amid the rocky landscape - home to mountain zebra, eland and ostriches - blooms magnificent Cape flora.

Continue along the coastline to the beautiful Boulders Beach where you can sit among a colony of penguins. Our last stop is the naval port of Simonstown, the country's third oldest European settlement.

Return to your hotel in the late afternoon this evening.

Accommodation: The Commodore Hotel or The Table Bay Hotel (B)

After breakfast you will make your own way to the jetty at the Clocktower in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Here you will board the ferry for your Robben Island Tour.

For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 8 miles from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here that rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society.

During the apartheid years Robben Island became internationally known for its institutional brutality. The duty of those who ran the Island and its prison was to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. Some freedom fighters spent more than a quarter of a century in prison for their beliefs.

Those imprisoned on the Island succeeded on a psychological and political level in turning a prison 'hell-hole' into a symbol of freedom and personal liberation. Robben Island came to symbolize, not only for South Africa and the African continent, but also for the entire world, the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity. Today, you will be escorted around the Island by an ex-political prisoner, and given insight into the past and how the human spirit triumphs.

Later this afternoon you will be at leisure to visit Table Mountain (weather permitting). You will make your own way to Table Mountain, which is well-known for its spectacular views. The new revolving cable cars give stunning views over Cape Town. Once on top, there is time to wander around and take photographs from the numerous viewing decks around. Take a look at the curio shop, take a walk around to the different viewpoints, or you may want to stop for refreshments. After making your descent you will have the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Accommodation: The Commodore Hotel or The Table Bay Hotel (B)

After breakfast at the Hotel, the remainder of the day is at leisure to visit the fabulous stores and restaurants at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, or possibly take an optional Wine Tour.

Accommodation: The Commodore Hotel or Table Bay Hotel (B)

This morning you will have an early transfer to Cape Town Airport for your flight to Johannesburg, South Africa on South African Airways. Upon arrival at Johannesburg International Airport, you will then be transferred to your hotel.

The Michelangelo Hotel, a member of "The Leading Hotels of the World", is the perfect complement to Sandton's exclusive central business district. With its signature Renaissance architecture, elegance and service excellence, The Michelangelo makes a lasting impression from the moment you arrive. Forming an integral part of Renaissance styled Nelson Mandela Square, the five star Michelangelo Hotel reflects the architecture and design of the Square. A majestic dome in glass and steel tops the entrance lobby atrium rising eight stories. Scenic elevators overlook the atrium with its arches.

Accommodation: The Michelangelo Hotel (B)

After breakfast you will be taken on a half day Soweto City Tour. You will travel to Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnship), the largest black residential area in South Africa; see a fascinating contrast to Sandton and Rosebank in the northeast. This "city within a city" consists of 50 suburbs and essentially acts as a labor reservoir for the greater metropolitan area of the Witwatersrand. In many ways, the story of Soweto is the story of South Africa.

The tour includes all of the major points of interest, such as Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Baragwanath taxi rank, Freedom Square, Hector Pietersen Memorial and Nelson Mandela's former home.

Accommodation: The Michelangelo Hotel (B)

After breakfast this morning you will be transferred from the Hotel to Bakubung via the Lesedi Cultural Village including show and traditional lunch.

Lesedi is a multi-cultural African village, set amongst the pristine bushveld and rocky hills less than an hour's drive from the city of Johannesburg. The village consists of a number of different homesteads or traditional villages: the Xhosa, with their beautiful thatched homes and red blankets; the Zulu with their fighting sticks and cozy beehive huts; the Pedi, with their courtyards and rhythmic drums; and the conical straw hats and sturdy mountain ponies of the Basotho. Guests experience a traditional welcome upon arrival, guided cultural walkabout through two of the four homesteads, traditional song and dance and traditional lunch.

After lunch you will be transferred to the Pilanesberg National Park and stay at Bakubung Game Lodge, 10 minutes from Sun City. A haven of peace and tranquility deep in the bushveld, Bakubung meaning "the people of the hippo", is set like a jewel in the scenic splendor of the Pilanesberg. Its peaceful atmosphere is a balm for the work-weary.

PLATINUM OPTION
Cascades Hotel in Sun City

The Cascades Hotel in Sun City is a sophisticated and elegant hotel with lush gardens, tropical birds and water features. All the rooms at the Cascades face the tropical splendor of the Cascades Hotel's gardens and pools. There are 7740 square meters of water features, including 12 man-made waterfalls and cataracts. These beautiful gardens at the Cascades Hotel offer unparalleled seclusion and escape from the hustle and bustle of the rest of Sun City. The 243 rooms at the Hotel have en suite bathrooms, TV, radio, air-conditioning, telephone and mini-bar. Luxury rooms and suites have spa baths. Suites have private patios, sitting rooms and bar areas. The Presidential suite at the Cascades Hotel is even equipped with its own jacuzzi.

Accommodation: Bakubung Bush Lodge (B, L, D) or
Cascades Hotel in Sun City (B, L)

This morning is a very early start as you take part in an open vehicle game drive before breakfast.

Pilanesberg National Park is home to the gargantuan shapes of Africa's giants - elephants, rhino and buffalo. If you're fortunate, you may catch a glimpse of the stealthy leopard or lion, stately King of the bush. This is wild country indeed, yet is malaria-free.

Spend the afternoon relaxing at the Lodge or Hotel, book another optional game drive or if you are staying at Bakubung Bush Lodge, you can visit nearby Sun City. There is a huge range of sporting and leisure facilities at Sun City: floodlit tennis courts, horseback riding, nature trails, lawn bowls as well as jet-skiing, parasailing, windsurfing, water-skiing, and sunset cruising.

The Valley of the Waves offers an astonishing selection of activities, from surfing on 7 foot high waves to the relaxing Lazy River ride. Sun City is also home to one of the largest casinos in the Southern Hemisphere.

Accommodation: Bakubung Bush Lodge (B, D) or
Cascades Hotel  in Sun City (B)

After breakfast at the lodge, you will have the morning at leisure to pack all the wonderful souvenirs you have acquired from this incredible country. Later you will bid farewell to South Africa, as you will be transferred to Johannesburg Airport for your international flight back to the USA on South African Airways. (B)

Arrive in New York or Washington, DC with a lifetime of memories!