Private Escorted Tour - South Africa and Mozambique ULMZ02

Personal Highlights:

• A fresh sea breeze through your open French doors of your waterfront Cape Town hotel
• Touring and tasting the Winelands with a vineyard lunch
• A walking safari topped off with brunch under shade trees
• A helicopter transfer to your exclusive resort on the Indian Ocean
• A Butler to attend to your every need at your ocean front villa

Day 1 Depart USA

Your adventure begins as you depart the USA bound for South Africa and arrive in Cape Town the following evening.

Day 2 Arrival in Cape Town

Upon your evening arrival in Cape Town you will be met by your guide and escorted to your hotel which is situated on its own wharf at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, rebuilt from the city's old docklands. After checking in, you head for your room to get rested for the adventure ahead.

Day 3 Exploring the Cape Peninsula

After breakfast, your driver will pick you up for a full day tour of the Cape Peninsula. You head south and, following the Atlantic coastline, you visit the seaside towns of Hout Bay and Camps Bay. After lunch you traverse Chapman Peak Drive and Table Mountain National Park before ending up at the Boulders Penguin colony. This evening you enjoy dinner at the hotel, situated on the waterfront and considered one of Cape Town's finest restaurants.

Day 4 Touring the Winelands

East of the city lies the heart of the South African wine industry since the 16th Century. The three main towns in the area are Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. You will visit each town and taste some of the local wines and enjoy a vineyard lunch. You will spend the evening at a delightful hotel located in Franschhoek where you have a chance to explore the town before enjoying a delicious dinner accompanied by the appropriate wines.

Day 5 Mozambique and Gorongosa

In the morning you are transferred to the airport for the flight Beira in Mozambique. You will be met by your guide who will take you to the reserve taking you from the city limits, through classic Mozambican towns of decreasing size, past roadside villages and eventually into the park itself. Upon arrival at the camp you are welcomed by the staff, given a cold drink and fresh face towels. After a chance to relax in your tent you will head out into the reserve. After a couple of hours of cruising along the edge of the game-rich floodplains with large sweeping herds of waterbuck, reedbuck, impala and hartebeest not to mention warthogs your afternoon game drive halts at a small grove of palms where a cocktail is served as the sun goes down. After sunset your guide resumes the drive with a spot lit introduction to the nocturnal animals of Gorongosa. Returning to camp you see that dinner has been set up under large pod mahoganies in the middle of a riverside tree forest.

Day 6 A Walking Safari and the Water Wonderland at Songue

After breakfast your guide will take you on a walking safari. Animals encountered on this walk include waterbuck, oribi, wildebeest, warthog, bushpig, civet, grey mongoose, honey badger, yellow baboon, samango monkeys, water monitors, impala, lion, elephant, hippo and crocodile. This walking experience ends with a riverside picnic lunch under the shade of a large mahogany tree, after which you will be left to relax in a shaded hammock or on your enormous comfy bed for the warmer part of the day. After a break you take a leisurely drive to Songue, a water wonderland filled with every imaginable water bird, mammal and reptile. Watch as juvenile fish eagles hone their fishing skills, whilst storks and herons pluck fish from the muddy shallows. After a sunset cocktail you head back for camp looking out for Gorongosa's famous lions. After a chance to freshen up back in camp, the day is brought to a somewhat gastronomic end with a four course dinner served under the stars on the banks of the Msicadzi River.

Day 7 The Villagers of Vinho

After a blissful night's sleep you are awoken with the smells of fresh coffee. This morning begins with a guided walk up the Msicadzi River whose year-round pools attract much game and wildlife. After a moderate walk you arrive at a small pan for a much-appreciated brunch and the chance for a siesta. In the afternoon, take a gentle stroll into the Vinho village. This is no ordinary "village tour "but rather serves as an opportunity for you to interact with and enjoy the company of the lively folks from Vinho. On the way back you can stop at a viewpoint on the banks of the Pungwe River to take in the sunset with a customary ice cold sundowner before heading back to camp. After dinner a short presentation will be made of the aspects of the restoration project at Gorongosa. This will provide insight into why the park was once referred to as Africa's finest national park and how it can be again.

Day 8 The Diverse Ecosystem of Gorongosa

After breakfast you take a walk to a lagoon filled with all manner of exotic birdlife; over one hundred different types have been sighted at this water point within one hour. After time at the lagoon you are met by your vehicle and taken to brunch under the shade of a nearby forest grove. In the afternoon you take an extended drive through some of the spectacular scenery that makes up the rest of Gorongosa; baobab savannahs, giant Abidas and mixed palm forests are all home to a host of wildlife from the large herds of elephants and buffalo through to the secretive suni and nyala. After a welcome sundowner on the banks of Lake Urema, a spot-lit night drive brings you back to camp where a lantern lit dinner awaits.

Day 9 From the Bush to the Beach

This final morning is one of lazing in and enjoying the game and birding that makes its way in and out of the camp in the course of the day. A hearty English breakfast rounds off your Gorongosa experience, before your guide accompanies you to the bush airstrip where your helicopter is waiting to take you to your deluxe resort located on the Indian Ocean. Azura is the country's first luxury 'eco' boutique retreat. Built entirely by hand by the local community and operated in partnership with them, it has just 14 villas, each with their own infinity pool and designed for both pampering and barefoot escapism.

Days 10- 12 Do It All or Nothing at All

A kaleidoscope of color greets you above and below the ocean. Magnificent reefs for diving and snorkeling, home to the turtles that nest on the island's outer shores. Migrating whales, dolphins, and the elusive and protected dugong ply these waters, along with marlin, sailfish and tuna to tempt the sports fishermen. On land, towering sand dunes give way to indigenous bush abundant with local flora and fauna, an interesting variety of birdlife, as well as the odd crocodile or two at the lakes. The island's local people make for fascinating cultural encounters, and the starry night sky is quite magnificent to behold. Guests will receive a free land rover island drive, sunset dhow cruise, and 15 minute refresher massage on arrival. All meals and refreshments are included as is a butler to meet your every need.

Day 13 Return to the USA

In the morning your will board your helicopter for the flight to Vilanculos where you board your connecting flight to the USA.

Day 14 Arrival in the USA

You arrive back in the USA today.

Available Year Round