The Travel + Leisure World's Best Safari

Itinerary

Day 1: Depart Home City

You set off today for Cape Town, which was once again ranked one of the top cities in the world. It won’t take you long to realize why—its striking natural features and cosmopolitan wiles make it a truly remarkable place to start our adventure.

Day 2: Cape Town

Your guides meet you at the airport for your transfer to the heart of the stylish waterfront area, checking in to the Cape Grace Hotel, ranked eighth in Africa and the Middle East.

Day 3: Cape Town

A full-day tour of the stunning Cape Peninsula includes the fabled Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point of Flying Dutchman fame, Simon’s Town and the surprising penguins of Boulders Beach. Tonight, Micato travellers are welcomed to the home of your Cape Town hosts for drinks and dinner. A prominent "Capetonian" speaks on local issues of universal interest.

Day 4: Cape Town / Winelands

The civilised pleasures of wine tasting and estate touring await us in the winelands, where idyllic vineyards and grand manor houses nestle between dramatic misty mountains. At Vergelegen Wine Estate—former hosts to Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela and a number of U.S. presidents—you’ll raise a toast with vintages regularly voted best in South Africa and enjoy an epicurean luncheon. You also stroll through Stellenbosch and other quaint colonial towns.

Days 5-6: Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve

Today you fly to Sabi Sabi and prepare to be dazzled by glamorous luxury in the bush. Sabi Sabi comprises several different lodges, all differing in decor and style, but all heartstoppingly stunning.Glorious days of fruitful game viewing and sublime comfort lie ahead. Stepping out on your private deck in the pale light of the early morning, scanning the shimmering plains with a cup of strong coffee in hand…yes, you know you’ve arrived in the heart of old Africa.Game drives set out long before the dew is dry on the grass. Traversing the veld in open-top, four-wheel drive vehicles is exhilarating, and even more so in the company of rangers who regale you with bush lore, educate you about conservation and entertain us with tall tales. These congenial companions are also your hosts in camp, joining you for cocktails, dinner and leisure time.

Days 7-8: Singita Private Game Reserve

Cosseted and divinely comfortable at Sabi Sabi, you can’t imagine anything finer. But one of the very top hotels in the world, Singita, awaits you—so you set off in eager anticipation towards this fabled hostelry.Any traveller who has read about South Africa will be familiar with the wildly effusive praise lavished on Singita—and for excellent reason. Yes, the game viewing is terrific and the rangers are hugely informative, but one can almost take that for granted. What boggles the mind and renders travellers utterly speechless are the accommodations, from the nostalgic and romantic to the exotic and sexy.Where African arts and crafts merge with the avant-garde and vintage hunting lodges include glass-walled suites and theatrical Murano chandeliers. Not to mention Singita’s hidden treasure: the best bush cellar in Africa. Buried deep in the cool rock below a lodge is a stellar selection of over 12,000 premier bottles of wine.Between game drives you spend your days in peaceful pursuits: at the pool, a walking safari, birdwatching around camp, settling down with a book or video from the library, or visiting the enormously interesting local village with its school and clinic. Or, you could simply choose to enjoy the quiet of Africa from your secluded deck, mesmerised by the bubbling swarms of hippos in the river. And, you'll also enjoy the night game drives by moonlight and spotlight. As most predators are nocturnal, the game viewing is unparalleled.

Day 9: Rosebank

Another leisurely morning at Singita before our expedition takes you to Rosebank, a leafy and stylish community outside of Johannesburg. Cosmopolitan in character and rich in eclectic restaurants, shopping, cinemas and culture, your hotel is conveniently connected by covered elevated walkways to the Rosebank Mall. Those with energy to spare might want to tour the "new" Jo’burg—an historic city undergoing a cultural and artistic rebirth of exceptional proportions. You overnight at the luxurious Grace Hotel.

Days 10-11: Victoria Falls, Zambia

One of the seven natural wonders of the world, no words can prepare the visitor for the scale and splendor of this mighty cascade. And here you contentedly establish yourself in the renowned Royal Livingstone Hotel, rich in romance and colonial character. Two days in Vic Falls allows for ample opportunities to leisurely tour the Falls and its network of rainforest trails, dare yourself into the sky aboard the "Flight of Angels" or be hypnotized by a spectacular sunset on a cruise of the Zambezi. Quiet moments on the hotel’s veranda with its breathtaking river views are always fine options as well.

Day 12: Victoria Falls / Johannesburg / Depart

The Travel+Leisure World’s Best Safari draws to a reluctant close. You fly to Johannesburg and connect to your homebound flights tonight.

Day 13: Return Home

Today you change planes and continue your return home.