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

On arrival at Johannesburg’s Oliver Tambo International Airport’s Central Terminal Building/Terminal B, collect your luggage and then clear customs and immigration. You will be met and assisted to check-in for your domestic flight to Cape Town.

On arrival at Cape Town Airport you will be met by a Lion World Tours representative and transferred to your hotel.

Perched on the very edge of the Atlantic Ocean, with the magnificent Table Mountain and Twelve Apostles Mountain Range as a backdrop, this luxurious hotel, harmoniously blends with the natural beauty of its surroundings and serves as the perfect setting for gently restoring harmony to body, mind and soul.

The hotel offers an exceptional array of facilities; a garden and rock pool; mountain picnic trails; two restaurants; live entertainment in the Leopard Room Bar & Lounge and a 16-seater cinema. Azure Restaurant features South African inspired international cuisine and enjoys superb sea-views. The award-winning Sanctuary Spa is a haven of tranquility in an underground cavern; indigenous aromatic essences envelop your senses as you choose your indulgence - whether you are pampered with special treatments such as hydro, aroma and color therapy or relax in the great outdoors in one of the recently refurbished gazebos overlooking the ocean and surrounding fynbos.

The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa is a member of the Leading Small Hotels of the World and is associated with exceptional, discreet hospitality and immaculate attention to detail. Each room is individually designer-decorated with understated elegance. The hotel is a natural choice for discerning travelers. This evening we suggest dining at the award winning Azure Restaurant.  

Accommodation: Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa ~ Luxury Room

Enjoy a full English breakfast at Azure Restaurant with a wide selection of cereals, fruits, yogurts, pastries, cheeses, cold meats on offer as well as a hot buffet. Of course, for the more indulgent, why not enjoy a few oysters and a little bubbly!

At approximately 09:00 am, accompany Executive Chef Roberto de Carvalho to the unique Cape Malay Quarter in Cape Town to meet the locals and purchase the special spices used in the Cape Malay Dishes. Then return to the hotel and spend the day with Roberto preparing the various Cape Malay dishes. Eat what you have cooked!!

Enjoy dinner at your leisure if you are still hungry and enjoy a Champagne tasting in The Conservatory with the Twelve Apostles Sommelier Luvo Ntezo.

Accommodation: Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa ~ Luxury Room (B,D)

Today you will depart your hotel for a full day Cape Peninsula Tour and Table Mountain Tour.

The tour starts early with a visit to Table Mountain, which is well known, for its spectacular views. After making your descent you will start the rest of your tour with a drive along the Atlantic Ocean en route to Hout Bay. See for yourself how this spectacular southern tip of Africa became known as the 'Fairest Cape'. Drive past the pristine beaches of Camps Bay, Clifton and Llandudno to Hout Bay, a functioning harbor and heart of the local crayfish industry.  Drive to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Continue along the coastline to the beautiful Boulders Beach where you visit a Penguin colony. The last stop is the naval port of Simon's Town, the country's third oldest European settlement. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Accommodation: Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa ~ Luxury Room (B)

Enjoy a full English breakfast at Azure Restaurant.

Accompany Executive Chef Roberto de Carvalho for a walk on the Fynbos-clad landscape followed by a lesson in the versatility of Fynbos. Forage for this natural wild vegetation, pick your own plants and use them in an interactive cooking demonstration with Chef Roberto preparing some popular South African inspired dishes.

After all that hard work, you can sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labor over a three course menu complemented with the renowned wines from Bouchard Finlayson Wine Estate and hosted by Roberto, inclusive of a Sommeliers Choice Flight of Wines (wine-tasting experience with three different wines per person).

Return to the comfort of your room and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Suggested optional Helicopter ride over the Waterfront. The hotel offers complimentary scheduled transfers to Camps Bay and the V&A Waterfront between 08:00 am and 08:00 pm.

Accommodation: Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa ~ Luxury Room (B,L)

This morning you will check out of your hotel and take a half day Winelands Tour.

Escape to the beauty and tranquility of the Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch winelands. Visit a winery on a well-known estate, to sample wines of merit. 

While South Africa's fertile valleys are world famous for their crisp white and classic French-style red wines, the Winelands area is also a treasury of rustic beauty and sprawling estates shaded by giant oak trees. The backdrop of the Hottentots Holland Mountains, the white gabled Cape Dutch homesteads and the oak-lined streets and lanes all blend in to give this place a charm that will not be quickly forgotten. See some of the wine estates that were developed by early settlers who produced the wines sought after by Napoleon, Bismarck and royalty such as Edward VII. Stop for a wine-tasting on an estate, where you will have the opportunity to purchase some of the wines. Lunch in one of the many fine restaurants in either Franschhoek or Stellenbosch (own account). 

Visit another winery in the Stellenbosch region and purchase a selection of wines to enjoy during your holiday in South Africa.  Remember that many of the local restaurants allow you to bring your own wine of choice and charge a minimal corkage fee – what better reason to select a few bottles of your favorite wine! 

You will then check into Le Quartier Français. Fifteen elegantly decorated en-suite bedrooms enter onto the rose filled central courtyard and swimming pool. This secluded country retreat is situated in the picturesque village of Franschhoek, the heart of the Cape Winelands. This award-winning hotel and restaurant boasts the mouthwatering combination of ultimate luxury, country hospitality and sublime cuisine. Situated within the town itself, the hotel offers guests the opportunity to partake in the atmosphere, charm and quaintness of the historic village.

Accommodation: Le Quartier Français ~ Luxury Room (B)

Today after a wonderful breakfast, prepare to depart from your hotel for the Bread and Wine Restaurant.

You will be joining the bread-making experience at Bread & Wine restaurant on the Môreson Wine Farm which begins at 09:30 am.

On arrival you will receive your very own apron, recipe book and ingredients. Hands-on, with a bit of guidance you will make four different types of dough – focaccia, olive oil brown, sourdough and soda bread. You get to fill, twist and shape different breads. While your breads are baking, we send you off to taste the wines. By now you have worked up an appetite and lunch will be served with some of your very own baked breads with more wine to be had.

Your day at Bread and Wine will end around 02:30 pm - 03:00 pm when you will return to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon and the evening at leisure.

Accommodation: Le Quartier Français ~ Luxury Room (B, L)

Check out of your hotel in the Winelands and transfer to Cape Town Airport for your scheduled flight. On arrival at Kruger Mpumalanga Airport you will be transferred to Lion Sands River Lodge where you will spend the next two nights.

Lion Sands Private Game Reserve is situated in the southern portion of the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, adjacent to the Kruger National Park. The only private reserve to have access to the perennial Sabie River,  Lion Sands River Lodge is nestled under a canopy of trees dating back almost 800 years, faces due east catching the sun as it rises over the Kruger National Park. The Lodge is about spirit, warmth, nature and relaxation. The Lodge is comprised of a private lounge, bar, two swimming pools, wooden viewing decks, a river island deck, health spa, gymnasium, curio shop and an indoor and open-air dining area. Staff here has fine-tuned the art of creating a home-away-from-home atmosphere – South African hospitality at its best!  Each air-conditioned thatched bedroom with en-suite bathroom, outdoor and inside shower and wooden viewing deck, are decorated in a contemporary African-style.

This afternoon you will depart on an open vehicle safari through Africa’s great animal kingdom in search of amazing wildlife.

Accommodation: Lion Sands River Lodge (B,L,D)

This morning you will depart on an early morning game drive. On your return indulge in a leisurely breakfast and then spend the day enjoying the peace and tranquility of your surroundings.

Later in the day you will join Chef Malcolm to prepare three different types of Potjies: Venison, Beef and Chicken. In South Africa, Potjiekos literally translated "food of a small pot", is a stew prepared outdoors, over an open fire, in a traditional round, cast iron, three-legged pot. The pot is heated efficiently using small amounts of wood or charcoal.

Traditionally, the recipe includes meat, vegetables, starches like rice or potatoes, all slow-cooked with Dutch-Malay spices, the distinctive spicing of South Africa's early culinary melting pot.

Some ingredients will already be prepared and some prepared by yourself. While the Potjies are progressing, the Chef will explain the history of the Potjie Kos, the different stages and different styles of making a good Potjie. This will all take place in the Boma area around the center fire. Each guest will be given a Lion Sands Apron and Chefs hat together with recipes that have been prepared for dinner.

End off the evening with enjoying your Potjie cooked meal.

Accommodation: Lion Sands River Lodge (B,L,D)

Take one last game drive before you depart to capture sight of any game that you may not have seen.

You will then be transferred to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport for your scheduled flight to Johannesburg.

After a marvelous tour and an experience of a lifetime, you will leave with wonderful memories of what this beautiful country has to offer. (B)

On arrival at Johannesburg’s Oliver Tambo International Airport you will bid farewell to South Africa and depart on your international flight back to the USA on South African Airways.

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

PLEASE NOTE:
*Prices are per person based on double occupancy accommodations and include fuel surcharges. Government taxes, departure fees and September 11th Security Fee of USD $155 are additional and payable prior to departure.

The rate of USD $4,350* is valid for departures on  March 16th and April 13th, 2010.
The single supplement fee is USD $1,600.