South Africa: Family Cape Adventure

Name: South Africa: Family Cape Adventure
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

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5.0/5 from

Family

Ways to Travel :

Family Group, Guided Group

Activity :

Family, Wildlife

Group Size :

4 - 16

Ages :

Trip Code :

FZN

From safari giants to mischievous meerkats and playful penguins, discover the really wild side of South Africa

Search for big cats, walk with penguins, meet meerkats, summit Table Mountain and explore subterranean caves. All in just 11 days. No wonder the Western Cape of South Africa is one of the top destinations in the world for a family getaway. This highlight-filled adventure encompasses the very best of the region with lots of time to encounter the extraordinary local wildlife and get into nature (including a night glamping in the Karoo with your very own wood-fired hot tub). Expect smiling faces all round and memories to last a lifetime.

Highlights

Experience the wild side of South Africa with other adventurous families
Safari through two private game reserves in search of lions and elephants
Enjoy a morning in the company of meerkats at Buffelsdrift
Ride a cable car to the top of Table Mountain for incredible views over Cape Town
Spend a night in the Karoo on a wild glamping experience with a braai dinner
Watch the antics of African penguins at Boulders Beach

Key Information

Accommodation: 10 Classic nights (9 hotels, 1 glamping)
Travel by private minibus with game drives in 4×4 safari vehicles
Optional activities, such as ziplining and kayaking, available

What's Included

All breakfasts, one lunch and two dinners
All accommodation
All transport and listed activities
Tour leader throughout

What's Not Included

Travel insurance
Single accommodation (available on request)
Visas or vaccinations

Sustainability and Impact

At Exodus, we thrive on travel, and we firmly believe our adventures should help destinations thrive too.

As a certified B Corp, we aim to take a ‘nature positive’ approach across our adventures, including carbon and waste reduction, animal welfare and support for rewilding and conservation. We also seek to contribute to local communities, providing economic opportunity and empowerment.

Learn more about our Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan, including our commitment to rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller
Read about the work of the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation.
Find out how you can travel more sustainably here.

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FZN - South Africa: Family Cape Adventure

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Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

View Trip Notes

Itinerary

Cape Town Cape Town London London

The adventure begins in Cape Town, a fun-filled seaside city underneath the flat-topped Table Mountain. Today is all about settling into the trip. If you have time, you might want to explore a little, perhaps with a walk along the buzzy V&A Waterfront. Alternatively, relax after your flight with a dip in the hotel pool.

Accommodation: City Lodge Hotel Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or similar)

We ease into the day with a relaxed breakfast before a transfer to Table Mountain, the symbol of the city and one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. A cable car takes us to the summit, where we can enjoy a sky-high view of Cape Town, Table Bay and Robben Island. We then return to our hotel and enjoy the afternoon at leisure. Cape Town has excellent shopping opportunities and many beaches (the beaches at Clifton and Camps Bay are approximately a 15 minute transfer from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront). We can also help arrange a township tour or visit to Robben Island (optional, additional cost).

The order of activities in Cape Town is flexible as being able to take the cable car to the summit of Table Mountain is weather dependent.

Accommodation: City Lodge Hotel Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

We have an early breakfast this morning and then transfer to Cape Point, a biodiverse park within Table Mountain National Park, following the scenic Chapman’s Peak drive. Upon arrival, we embark on a leg-stretching walk to the lighthouse before taking the boardwalk to the Cape of Good Hope, a walk of around three hours in total.

We then depart for a true family-favourite in this part of the world: visiting the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach. Also known as the jackass penguin, this endangered species is the only penguin found on the continent. The beach falls under the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area and plays an important part in the conservation of this species. After spending time with these cute critters, we return to our hotel.

Accommodation: Simonstown Quayside Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Post breakfast, we can walk to Simonstown harbour for an optional kayaking adventure, in which we paddle with the Boulders Beach penguins. It’s an easy two-hour trip in double-stable kayaks.

After, we relax on a scenic coastal transfer along Clarens Drive to Hermanus – there’s time for a stop at the seaside town of Kleinmond for a drink with views over the harbour. Upon arrival in Hermanus, we can chill at Grotto Beach, a wide sandy expanse with plenty of space to sprawl or take a walk along the rocky shoreline. In season (June to November), we might be lucky enough to spot southern right, humpback and Bryde’s whales from our spot on the shore.

Accommodation: Windsor Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Today is all about choosing your own family adventure with a range of optional activities (extra cost) available. Hermanus is the ideal spot for a wild adventure with whale watching (in season) by boat, kayak or from the shore. The tour leader can also walk with the group to Grotto Beach for a dip in the sea or take everyone to the Fernkloof Nature Reserve for a stroll among diverse vegetation and plant life. Alternatively, you may prefer to visit a family-friendly wine farm for a tasting experience.

Accommodation: Windsor Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, we transfer (one hour) to the town of Grabouw, where we can enjoy a thrilling tree-top canopy tour (optional). Over 4hr 30min, we journey into the mountains and strap ourselves to a series of ziplines, whizzing from platform to platform and learning more about the extraordinary nature and geology here from our expert guides. For those not joining the canopy tour, there is the option of a 3.7 miles (6km) walk in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve (where the canopy tour is located).

In the afternoon, we transfer to our resort in Montagu where we have free time to enjoy the pool. The day ends in style, with a braai (South African barbecue) in the semi-desert, known locally as the Karoo.

Accommodation: Rainbow Glen (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

We start the day with breakfast cooked by our tour leader (the kids have time to enjoy the pool) before a three-hour drive to Oudtshoorn, known as the ostrich capital of the world. After checking into our hotel, we drive to Buffelsdrift in time for lunch (not included).

At around 3pm, we enjoy a fun-for-all African experience: a bush safari. Navigating the Karoo in open vehicles, we keep an eye out for the extraordinary wildlife that lives here, including hippos, giraffes, zebras, buffalos and springboks, with our expert guide dishing out all the facts and figures.

After, we head back to our accommodation to rest and relax.

Accommodation: Kleinplaas Resort (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

We rise early today but the effort is worth it as we return to Buffelsdrift to spend time with the resident meerkats. Led by a trained ranger, we head out in a safari vehicle (hopefully seeing more of the animals we saw yesterday as we go) to the meerkat burrows, where our expert will tell us more about these fascinating, playful creatures and we can see them going about their day.

In the afternoon, we continue the adventure with a guided tour of the Cango Caves, a subterranean wonder 20m years in the making.

Accommodation: Kleinplaas Resort (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, we hop into the vehicle for a scenic transfer over the Swartberg mountain pass to Aquila Private Game Reserve. We should arrive around midday for welcome drinks and a buffet lunch (have your swimwear to hand to make use of the pool upon arrival).

It’s then time for our afternoon safari, sure to be one of the highlights of the trip. Aquila is home to lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and Cape buffalo and places an emphasis on protecting and conserving these iconic animals. The experience lasts around three hours but the memories will last a lifetime.

After, we journey into the karoo for an extra-special glamping experience. There’s a swimming pool to splash around in and each of the tents – which sleep up to five – comes with a wood-fired hot tub. To cap our night in the wild, our guide will cook up a braai dinner.

Accommodation: Karoo1 Hotel Village (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, the kids can enjoy the swimming pool as the tour leader cooks breakfast for the group. There are also short hiking trails, which you can either walk alone or with the leader. Alternatively, you can enjoy an early morning safari at Aquila Private Game Reserve (optional) to spend more time with the incredible resident wildlife.

After check-out, we complete our loop and return to Cape Town. This afternoon, we visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Set against the eastern slope of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch is often named among the top botanical gardens in the world and is home to more than 7,000 plant species and indigenous wildlife, including angulate tortoises, snakes (though you’re unlikely to see any) and 125 bird species. There is also a treetop canopy walkway that takes you through and above the trees for panoramic views of the gardens and surrounding mountains.

Accommodation: City Lodge Hotel Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

It’s our final day of the trip. Depending on your flight time, you may wish to explore Cape Town some more.

It’s then time to return home. Alternatively, if you’d prefer more time to explore this buzzing city, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.

Meals included: Breakfast

Essential Info

Is this trip for you?

This trip has been graded Activity Level 1 (Easy). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page.

Though this trip has been designed for 13 to 16-year-olds, it’s also suitable for nine to 12-year-olds. Our Family trips are aimed at children in the primary age group, so if your child is in the secondary age group, they may find it a little harder. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

Several days involve early starts to allow us to get the most from our time in South Africa. Driving is generally restricted to a few hours a day with a maximum drive time of approximately four hours.

The safaris are half-day excursions that shouldn’t last longer than five hours. Morning game drives start as early as 7am, allowing us to see the wildlife at their most active.

The longest included walk on this trip is approximately three hours over undulating foot paths and boardwalks.

Activities that could be more challenging for younger children have been made optional. This includes kayaking with penguins and zip-lining.

Legal note: All group members joining this tour will be asked to sign an indemnity form at the start of the holiday. This indemnity form is a requirement of the South African Tourism Service Association, of which our local supplier is a member. As a client of Exodus Travels Ltd, your rights under the Package Travel Regulations (1992) are unaffected, and Exodus remains liable for the actions of our sub-contractors.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Joining Instructions

Key information

Start hotel: City Lodge V&A Waterfront, Dock Rd &, Alfred St, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8012
Phone: +27 21 419 9450
Recommended arrival time: You can arrive at any time today. There will be a welcome briefing in the evening, but if you miss it the leader will update you separately
Airport: Cape Town Airport (CPT)

Getting to the start hotel

The start hotel is approximately 20 minutes’ drive from the airport. Exodus provides one group arrival transfer from the airport, which is timed to coincide with the arrival of a chosen flight from London, UK. You may join this transfer at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the group arrival transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.

If you would like further information on joining this trip, please speak to your sales representative.

Flying via Johannesburg
If you are travelling on flights via Johannesburg, please note that you will need to collect your baggage in Johannesburg, even if your bag has been checked all the way through to Cape Town (and even if you are told you do not need to pick it up). After collecting the bag, you are required to clear customs, and you should then drop it off at the bag drop for the onward flight. This only applies to the outbound flight – you do not need to do this at the end of the trip on the return flight.

Catching your return flight

There’s a group departure transfer to Cape Town airport for customers who Exodus booked onto a chosen flight to London, UK. Please speak to your sales representative if you wish to join. If the group departure transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative transfer.

Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.

Location start: Cape Town
Location end: Cape Town

Vaccinations and Health

South Africa

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, rabies and tuberculosis. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you’re arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Malaria prophylaxis is essential if travelling in the greater Kruger area; seek advice from your doctor or travel clinic about which tablets to take. The rest of South Africa, including the Garden Route, has a low risk of malaria.

Dengue fever, a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes, is also a known risk in places visited. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so we recommend taking the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Passport

Remember to check the expiration date of your passport if travelling internationally. Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after the date of your scheduled return.

Visa

South Africa

Travellers from the UK, US and most (though not all) EU states normally do not need a visa to enter South Africa. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/south-africa
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/south-africa
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-africa/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthAfrica.html

Please note, all travellers to South Africa who require a visa need at least two consecutive blank pages in their passport (ie a left- and right-hand page) to enable an entry visa to be issued.

Additionally, any child under 18 travelling to South Africa needs to be in possession of an unabridged birth certificate with the names of both parents. If a child under 18 is only travelling with one parent, they will also have to have an affidavit, no less than three months old, from the absent parent confirming the child can travel with the other parent; a court order granting full legal guardianship of the child; or a death certificate of the deceased parent.

Food & Drink

All breakfasts, one lunch and two dinners are included.

The food you’ll encounter is very similar to the kind of food you’ll be used to at home. There may be the opportunity to try meats such as ostrich, kudu or eland. Vegetarians and vegans can be well catered for on this trip – please inform us at least two weeks’ before departure of any special dietary requests so our local team can be well prepared.

One of the included meals of the tour will be a braai (South African barbecue). Braais are serious business for South Africans and should never be called a barbecue! Steaks and boerewors (a spiced sausage of beef or pork) are typically served but others options will be available.

Where meals are not included, the leader will recommend a restaurant for a group meal. Dinners can cost on average £12‐18 ($20‐30) per person and lunches from £5 to £8 ($8 to $13).

The water provided on this trip is safe and clean drinking water, normally from boreholes. It is not bottled water, however. If you would rather have bottled water then this will be at your expense, though we would encourage you to make use of the safe drinking water provided as this helps diminish plastic consumption.

Weather

South Africa’s summer is from October to April and winter is from May to September. The Western Cape is typically Mediterranean with a mild climate and can be visited anytime of year. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 9°C to 25°C and is rarely below 5°C or above 29°C. Winter months are wetter than summer months but even during this time there will be warm, sunny days. Strong winds can occur at any time of year.

TRIP

FZN - South Africa: Family Cape Adventure

Departure Date

Number Of Passengers*

Message*

To enquire about an existing booking click here

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone *

Keep me up to date with news and offers from Exodus by email.

Thank you for contacting Exodus Travels.

Find out more about how we use your data

Request a Brochure

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

View Trip Notes

Hotels and Lodges

We mostly stay in three-star lodges and guesthouses. In Hermanus, Montagu and Oudtshoorn, we assign one unit per family which will have up to three bedrooms. In Cape Town and Simonstown, families will be assigned rooms next to each other. On one night we glamp in the Karoo in permanent tented camps for a quintessential African safari experience. Tents are made of canvas and sit on wooden decking and can accommodate families of up to five people. Each tent has two bedrooms, a private bathroom, and a hot tub. In Cape Town, we are centrally located, typically close to the V&A Waterfront. Many of our other nights have great views of either a harbour, ocean or mountains. In addition to this, most properties have pools and Wi-Fi.

TRIP

FZN - South Africa: Family Cape Adventure

Departure Date

Number Of Passengers*

Message*

To enquire about an existing booking click here

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone *

Keep me up to date with news and offers from Exodus by email.

Thank you for contacting Exodus Travels.

Find out more about how we use your data

Request a Brochure

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

View Trip Notes

Zoe Gordon

Reviewed September 2024

A real adventure for the whole family

This was a jam-packed trip, taking in city life in Cape Town and experiencing the wide variety of wildlife on the coast and in the reserves. Our tour guides were friendly and informative and happily shared all of their stories and knowledge with us on the journey. There were so many highlights and our family enjoyed the changing scenery from the coast to the Karoo and everything in between. Thanks to Petro we sampled a real variety of food and drink and enjoyed trying lots of new things. We were very sad to leave and will return to explore more!

Most Inspirational Moment

There are too many to choose from! We loved seeing all of the amazing wildlife from penguins and meerkats to elephants and rhinos and everything in between. Buffelsdrift was a lovely reserve and felt less commercial than Aquila. Watching whales in Hermanus as we walked along the coast path and walking along the cliff edge at the Cape of Good Hope were amazing experiences too. Despite the chilly weather, the hot tub at the glamping site was a real treat!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Petro was amazing. She has an amazing local knowledge and seems to know everyone in and around Cape Town. She was warm, friendly and nothing was ever too much trouble, even when she was feeling under the weather. She knew all the best spots for coffee stops, lunch and dinner and her cooking was great too. Sthandiwe was fantastic too. She brought a real energy to the group and worked hard to bring the teenagers into conversations and activities. She shared lots of local knowledge with us and even organised a township tour for our family at the end of our trip. She made a real impression on my daughter - Sthandiwe is a great role model for kids!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Throw yourself into every activity - kayaking to see the penguins was hard work but unforgettable! It can get cold if you come in the UK summer, so pack a hat, gloves and warm socks for the early morning safari drive and for some of the evening activities. Bring binoculars too, so you don't miss any animals. Also, the cable car on Table Mountain shuts during the winter, so that was a bit disappointing.

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South Africa: Family Cape Adventure

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