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Day 1 – Depart via South African Airlines for your direct non-stop overnight flight from JFK, New York to Johannesburg, SA. ( Times to be announced.)
Day 2 – Arrival to Johannesburg where you will go through customs and passport control. Then transfer to your domestic flight to Cape Town. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Rest of day at leisure to relax and rest up from your flight. Overnight: Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel.
Day 3 – Our tour of South Africa begins with a visit to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. We begin with a boat trip across Table Bay to arrive to the island where we will visit the infamous Maximum Security Prison and meet with an ex-political prisoner.
We will explore the Murray’s Bay Harbour precinct attractions, formerly a political prison and a leper colony before that, this historic landmark was recently established as a museum and national monument. Experience the conditions of incarceration – view Nelson Mandela’s maximum security prison cell (Cell 5) and see the lime quarries. In the one, hard labor was served, in the other prisoners discussed strategy, freedom and the future. This well-preserved landmark is a monument to the triumph of freedom, dignity and determination over humiliation and oppression. Lunch at Liziwe’s in Gugulethu (included) During the Apartheid era black South Africans were not permitted to live in the city of Cape Town, and many people were removed from areas such as District Six to Guguletu, Nyanga and Langa. Overnight: Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel B/L
Day 4 – T
his morning we drive to the city center taking us past famous landmarks such as the Castle of Good Hope built in 1666 and City Hall. As we follow the city’s main thoroughfare, Adderley Street, we will see St. George’s Cathedral, the Anglican Diocese of Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We will pass the Company Gardens and the Malay Quarter [also known as the Bo-Kaap] which means “Above Cape” because of its location up against the slopes of Table Mountain. In the early 18th century, thousands of slaves from Java, Ceylon and other Far Eastern regions were brought to Cape Town. After slavery was abolished, their descendants, known as the Cape Malay’s, settled here.
Our route then leads us to Kloof Nek and the magnificent Table Mountain. We’ll ascend to the top [weather permitting] by the revolving cable car. Here, we’ll see wild flowers and the famous silver tree, and marvel at a birds-eye view of the city and its beaches. On a clear day it is even possible to see Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on one side and Cape Point on the other. Descend from the Upper Cable-way station to your awaiting vehicle and then proceed to Cape Malay Lunch (included). Afternoon free for shopping at Greenmarket Square and V&A Waterfront. Overnight: Southern Sun Waterfront B/L
Day 5 – We begin the day with a scenic drive along the Atlantic coast, passing through the cosmopolitan suburb of Sea Point and Camps Bay with its glorious views of the Twelve Apostles, part of the Table Mountain range. We’ll continue to the
fishing village of Ho
ut Bay, one of Cape Town’s best-kept secrets. Here there is an option to take a short boat trip to Duiker Island (on own account & time permitting) to view the Cape Fur Seals, which inhabit the island. From here we travel to the Cape Point Nature Reserve, comprising over 17,300 acres of indigenous fauna and flora. The majestic coastline offers drama worthy of being called “Nature’s Greatest Show.” We’ll be able to see the union of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans (as per legend), and may even feel the brisk wind that is dubbed the “Cape Doctor” for its presumed curative powers.
Following the coastline along False Bay, we’ll return to Cape Town by way of Simon’s Town, where we visit the Penguin colony at Boulders Beach, Fish Hoek fishing village and Muizenberg. Before our return, we’ll stop at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens for a short walking tour of the beautiful gardens. We return to Cape Town, passing the University of Cape Town, Rhodes Memorial and the Groote Schuur Hospital. Overnight: Southern Sun Waterfront B/L
Day 6 – Late morning we say goodbye to Capetown and transfer to the airport for our short flight to Johannesburg. Upon arrival, we will be met and transferred to our hotel and check in to our rooms. Overnight: Crown Plaza The Rosebank B
Day 7 – This will be a day full of emotions as we tour Soweto. A fascinating glimpse of bustling neighborhood life of two Nobel Prize winners’ previous residences; the Hector Peterson Memorial; Regina Mundi Church and Freedom Square; Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and various community development projects. Soweto is so well known largely because of the pivotal role it played in the anti-apartheid struggle through the 1976 student uprisings. It has also been the home of some of our greatest leaders i.e. Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Tutu during the height of their political activity.
We will lunch at a local restaurant before spending the afternoon at the Apartheid Museum. The museum, opened in 2001, is acknowledged as the per-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story. A series of 22 individual exhibition areas takes the visitor through a dramatic emotional journey revealing the state-sanctioned system based on racial discrimination and the struggle of the majority to overthrow this tyranny. Overnight: Crown Plaza The Rosebank B
Day 8 – For anyone wanting to understand and experience what apartheid South Africa was really like, a visit to the Apartheid Museum is fundamental. The museum is a beacon of hope showing the world how South Africa is coming to terms with its oppressive past and working towards a future that all South Africans can call their own. Overnight: Crowne Plaza The Rosebank Hotel B/L
Day 9 – We begin today’s visit with Constitutional Hill which tells the story of South Africa’s turbulent past and its extraordinary transition to democracy. This National Heritage site has witnessed a century of South Africa’s history. From British soldiers who fought with the Boers at the turn of the century, to the youth caught up in the Soweto Uprising, to the dawn of democracy and the building of South Africa’s Constitutional Court, From our visit Constitution Hill has witnessed it all.
From our visit, we will learn about the injustices of South Africa’s past while observing the process by which freedom was won and is now protected. Exhibitions and guided tours have been designed as an interactive experience, offering visitors the opportunity to participate in the building of Constitution Hill. Continue to Lilies Leaf Farm, situated in residential Rivonia, the insightful and interactive museum experience honors South Africa’s remarkable heritage and the impressive trajectory of South Africa’s sociology-political past.
Once the headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC and the Congress Alliance, Liliesleaf holds a position of esteem among struggle landmarks in South Africa. Visitors to Liliesleaf will experience a first-hand account of the events and circumstances leading up to the infamous raid of the Rivonia farm, as well as insights into some of the revolutionary personalities who helped to shape South Africa’s democracy.
Afternoon at leisure for shopping at the African Market at Rosebank Mall, walking distance from the hotel. Tonight we will enjoy a farewell dinner to reflect on all we have seen and learned this last week. Overnight: Crown Plaza The Rosebank Hotel B/D
Day 10 – Enjoy your breakfast and spend the rest of the morning at leisure. Feel free to do last minute shopping or visit a few of the sites in Johannesburg. Late afternoon transfer to Johannesburg airport for your overnight return flight to New York. Times will be announced. B
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