Our 2011 Tour schedule will be released shortly. You can get information on the tour program from previous years itinerary below.

Earth’s spirit does not discriminate. It resonates in all matter. Although the tuned human being is conscious of others’ spirit, we’re often deaf to the subtle messages that fellow products of creation send. Indications are that plants, animals, rocks and even open space – having witnessed bold events through the millennia - convey frequencies or messages. If we would only learn to listen to the ancient, this communication could provide desperate answers.

This tour provides a journey to and self searching of the essence and soul of plants, man and nature through rich interaction with some of the most prolific biomes and landscapes, and interpretation by masters in their field.

Set amongst the majestic backdrop of the Flower Kingdom of ‘Fynbos’ (‘South’ tour) the Tour program is as follows:

‘The fairest Cape’: Cape Town, Table Mountain, Cape Peninsula, Fynbos, Whales and San (‘Bushman’) art & myth.

August 19: Cape Town

Guests arrive in Cape Town. Accommodation, Airport transfer and/ or Day tours are participants’ own arrangements. We recommend that you book these through the Choice Tours office, as it will streamline departure arrangements for tomorrow.

Day 1, August 20: Cape Town !

Upon departure from your Hotel, the fascination starts, with a full day excursion of vibrant Cape Town, Table Mountain (one of the four Giant beings to protect the Earth – Credo Mutwa) and the stormy Cape Peninsula, “particularly lovely in Spring, when the countryside is strewn with a patchwork of wild flowers” – Readers Digest Illustrated Guide to Southern Africa.
Cape Town prides itself in kick ass local fair, and Dinner will be a musical African affair!

Overnight Grand Daddy Hotel or similar.

Day 2, August 21: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens & V &A Waterfront
Every moment spent among this mind blowing selection of Plants and Trees is truly spiritual, nature and self exploring bliss. This time of year, this Royalty of Botanical Gardens is at its ‘most luxuriant’. 4 000 of the 18 000 species of pants of southern Africa are cultivated here, which covers 560 hectares. The Tour will arrive early, and energetic guests can take the adventurous walk up Table Mountain from here, upon prior arrangement.

After lunch (own arrangement), depart and transfer to the V & A Waterfront, for an hour or two’s exploring of one of Africa’s most famous harbours, boasting magnificent aquarium, hotel, restaurant, entertainment and shopping developments.

Overnight Grand Daddy Hotel or similar.

Day 3, August 22: Whale birth season !

Two hours’ travel out of Cape Town goes by in 10 minutes, much too fast, as the diverse landscape provides a feast for the eye. Across the Hottentots Holland Mountains and into the Overberg lies the idyllic seaside town of Hermanus with its ‘champagne air’ , one of the Whale capitals of the world. Southern Right whales spend the season here calving. They can be easily spotted off shore, or junkies can board a boat, to get closer. This time of year, Humpbacks whales and Bryde’s whales also frequent this coast.
The afternoon is spent at leisure for this rewarding pursuit.

Overnight Auberge Burgundy Hotel or similar.

Day 4, August 23: Protea & Koue Bokkeveld

The morning belongs to an enlighting visit to a Flower Farm, set amongst a tapestry of diverse farmland, where a number of Fynbos species are grown, for local and international distribution.
Time permitting, a visit is made to a wine farm, for Q&A sessions with authorities on the topics of Biodiversity (a bold new initiative among wine farmers) and Cape honey Bees, and how these impact on Wine farms, Fynbos and Eucalyptus.
In the afternoon, the tour follows the winding, up’and’down route to the Koue Bokkeveld (Cold Goat veld). Though it’s early Spring, have warm clothes handy !

Day 5, August 24: Bushman heritage

“San Rock art provides a remarkable insight into the complex spirituality and religious beliefs of a people that once inhabited large tracts of southern Africa...in the mountainous regions that fringes the central plateau the walls of caves and rock shelters serve as ‘canvasses’ for paintings” (South Africa’s top sites SPIRTUAL – Philip Harrison)

“It is astonishing how in this late hour, they burn within the aubergine shadows of cave and overhang of cliff and krans, and what power they still possess to provide an almost unbearable nostalgia for the vanished painter and for the spirit that possessed him.” (The lost world of the Kalahari – Laurens van der Post)

The morning is spent on high ground, exploring, with local Guides/ Rock art interpreters, this extreme southern reaches of the Cedarberg, with its wealth of San rock art and extraordinary rock features, with a chance (permission dependent) the ‘Birthing passage’, or ‘birthing channel’, allegedly in principal not asimilar to the aboriginal peoples of Australia. This spiritual passage was relatively recently identified by the owner of Klein Cedarberg Lodge, in the presence of an Australian anthropologist.

In the afternoon, (far) off the beaten track overland travel with endless space and tough country for man and animal, brings our tour to the northern reaches of the Cedarberg, rugged country of dry Mountain Fynbos, wild flowers, caves and rock formations that grip the imagination. Rare bonuses include the unique species of animal life, the endemic Cedar tree, snow Proteas and red Disas. In the late afternoon, arrive at the sanctuary of Bushmans kloof, champions of the protection of the Clanwilliam Cedar, host property of the ‘Symphony of Flowers’, custodians of San rock Art, and conservationists of the unique aminal species of, amongst others, Cape Mountain Zebra, Bontebok, Grey Rhebok, Bat eared Fox, Cape Fox, Caracal, Cape Clawless Otter, Aardwolf, Aardvark and Cape Leopard. The 150 bird species on the reserve include African Fish Eagle and the Sunbird.

‘Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Retreat, located 270 kilometres from Cape Town, is a 5-star ecological oasis, uniting luxury and nature, providing the ultimate wilderness experience. A sanctuary to many endangered species of fauna and flora and unique for over 130 San Bushman rock art sites. Bushmans Kloof is a proud member of Relais & Chateaux and is recognised as one of South Africa's Natural Heritage Sites.’ – Bushmanskloof website

Overnight Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Retreat.

Day 6, August 25: Cedarberg Rock formations, Wild flowers and Nature Safari

Relax in the lap of comfort while enjoying the extraordinary treasures of this retreat, during which you can spend encounters with specialists in the fields of earth and nature offerings in this amazing region.

Overnight Bushmans Kloof wilderness reserve and retreat.

Day 7, August 26: West Coast treasures/ Spring flowers

The windswept Cape West Coast is known for its quaint, romantic bays with traditional white washed houses, Fish & Lobster industries, fantastic variety of Birds, Wild Flowers deep cultural ambience, Fossil sites (best known 5 million year old fossils) and Langebaan Lagoon.

Today the Tour follows a route through both inland and coastal parts of the region, until it reaches the town of Langebaan. Once arrived, guests enjoy a one of a kind culinary feast at Die Strandloper, a seafood ‘lapa’ (restaurant on the beach), or similar.

In the afternoon, we visit the 30 000ha West Coast National Park, host to it’s own unique selection of wild flowers, namely an endemic 80 of the odd 1 200 species of flowering plants in the Cape Fynbos kingdom, making an ‘unforgettable display’. It’s also a birdwatcher’s paradise, and to spot 100 species in a day is not uncommon. Views from the Postberg section, open only August and September for flower viewing, is awe inspiring, and a visit is made to the lovely stretch of beach where ‘Eve’s Footprint’ was discovered, one of the earliest signs of human existence on the planet.

Overnight The Farmhouse, on the banks of the Lagoon, or similar.

Day 8, August 27: Darling/ Cape Town

After paying last respects to the turquoise waters of the Lagoon, we join the Spring flower junkies on a part of the Darling Wildflower route. Around Darling, ‘wildflower jewell’ of South Africa, the veld is a ‘seasonal kaleidoscope of beauty’, with plant species of the Renosterveld and Sandveld. With a bit of luck, we hit the ‘Voorkamerfest’ in Darling, a event boasting local and international talent, performing in the houses of the towns folk, in front of small audiences.

This afternoon, Transfer to Cape Town.
Guests will transfer to their respective starting points of subsequent arrangements, i.e. flying Home, or to participate in our ‘North’ tour: ‘Savannah & Safari’, starting on Sunday, 30 August. Accommodation in either Jo’burg or Cape Town is Optional Extra.

Day 9, August 28: Own arrangements/ Optional extra activities/ tours Cape Town/ Jo’burg

Own arrangements. Guests who will be participating in our ‘North’ tour: ‘Savannah & Safari’, follow flight arrangements to Johannesburg. Airport Transfers (one each in Cape Town and Jo’burg) are included.

Optional extra Day or ½ day tours are available in both cities, e.g. Cape Town: Wine tours; Township/ Informal settlement tours; Robben Island or Johannesburg: Cradle of Humankind; Gardens/ Botanical Gardens; Apartheid museum; Lion Park; Special interest excursions.

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