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The Travel + Leisure World's Best Safari - Micato Safaris
Tour Type: Sights & Safaris - South Africa, Zambia
Days: 12
Group Size: 2-24
Dates: 9/12/2010, 9/26/2010, 10/10/2010, 10/24/2010, 11/7/2010, 11/21/2010, 12/5/2010, 12/19/2010, 1/2/2011, 1/16/2011, 1/30/2011, 2/13/2011, 2/27/2011, 3/13/2011, 3/27/2011, 4/10/2011, 4/24/2011, 5/8/2011, 5/22/2011, 6/5/2011, 6/19/2011, 7/3/2011, 7/17/2011, 8/7/2011
Highlights:
A superlative safari featuring hotels and safari lodges from Travel & Leisure’s “Best of” list. Experience impeccable service, stunning sights and wildlife while traveling through Cape Town, Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, and Singita Private Game Reserve.
Summary: For seven consecutive years, Travel+Leisure magazine has awarded this tour operator "World's Best Tour Operator & Safari Outfitter." This particular safari encompasses the best of the best. And, each year, the itinerary changes according to which properties have been elected to the coveted list of hotel winners. This year, the No. 1 ranked hotel in the world (not just in Africa) is a safari lodge, Bushmans Kloof, Sabi Sabi Game Reserve (No. 3 in the world), and the celebrated Singita Game Reserve (No. 6 this year, but No. 1 last year). Cape Town's Twelve Apostles, a jaw-droppingly beautiful new addition to the list at No. 12, completes this exceptional itinerary. It seems that some of the most splendid escapes in the world can be found in the most wild and unforgettable lands.
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Prices from:
$13,980 to $14,480
View: Rates
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Itinerary - In Brief
Itinerary - Detailed
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 your adventure.
Day 2:
Cape Town
You'll be met the airport for your transfer to the Twelve Apostles Hotel, ranked the No.1 City Hotel in Africa/Middle East and No.12 in the world. There is so much to love here—the indulgent Sanctuary Spa (voted No. 1 in Africa), walking the wilderness trails of the Table Mountain National Park and the sophisticated comfort of your luxurious room. While the serene coastal scenery might make you forget, you are just a short car ride—or even shorter helicopter hop!—to the sophisticated center of Cape Town.
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 and the surprising penguins of Boulders Beach. Back at the hotel, enjoy a dip in the heated infinity pool overlooking the ocean or the secluded rock pool overlooking the mountains before heading out for drinks and dinner. Tonight, you are welcomed to the home of Micato’s Cape Town hosts, enjoying a delightful taste of local hospitality.
Days 4-6:
Bushmans Kloof / Cederberg Mountains
You leave the city behind for remote mountain landscapes and ancient plains—and for the peerless experience of staying at the No.1 World’s Best Hotel. Truly, Bushmans Kloof is special. A national heritage site, it offers your first taste of game viewing, but even more dramatically, the rock art of the ancient San Bushman people. Home to the world’s “largest open-air art gallery,” there are over 125 rock art sites, some dating back ten thousand years. To view the paintings in their original setting is practically a spiritual experience. The luxury rooms here include custom-designed furniture and a private patio overlooking the landscaped indigenous gardens. In addition to winning the World’s Best Award, Bushmans Kloof has won numerous wildlife conservation awards and been recognized as a top ecolodge. It’s no wonder this stunning property has delighted celebrities such as the Thatchers, Bransons and Caines. Combined with botanical walks, river and bush trails, bird watching, nature hikes, organic garden tours, botanical tours, archery, canoeing, croquet, fly-fishing and more, Bushmans Kloof is an ecological oasis richly deserving of its No.1 World’s Best triumph.
Day 7:
Cape Town
You return to the incomparable Twelve Apostles, where you will enjoy the finer points of staying in a highly-ranked oasis. Perhaps you'll watch a film in the private 16-seat cinema, or simply savour a glass of wine—selected by the hotel’s award-winning sommelier-while watching the breathtaking Atlantic sunset from your private terrace.
Days 8-9:
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…you'll know you’ve arrived in the heart of old Africa. 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 about conservation and entertain with tall tales. These congenial companions are also our hosts in camp, joining you for cocktails, dinner and leisure time.
Days 10-11:
Singita Private Game Reserve
Wildly effusive praise has been lavished on Singita—and for excellent reason. Yes, the game viewing is terrific and the rangers are hugely informative, but what renders travelers 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'll spend the days in peaceful pursuits: at the pool, a walking safari, birdwatching around camp, 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.
Day 12:
Johannesburg / Home City / Optional Victoria Falls Extension
The Travel+Leisure World’s Best Safari draws to a reluctant close. You fly to Johannesburg and connect to homebound flights tonight.
Optional Extension to Victoria Falls (Day 12-16): The grand cascade of Victoria Falls compels you to linger in this corner of the world. Stay overnight in Johannesburg on Day 12 and hop a flight to Victoria Falls the next day. For two days and two nights, you'll be mesmerized by the shimmering veils of mist, viewpoints, cataracts, gorges, footpaths, rainforests and orchids. Take to the skies on the Flight of Angels and float along the Zambezi sipping sundowners. Your hotel, the Royal Livingstone along the banks of the river, is equally enchanting. You depart on day 15, connecting in Johannesburg, arriving home on Day 16.
Notes:
Included:
All meals; bottled water and soft drinks at every meal and in safari vehicles, and local beers and wines in most Southern African bush lodges; all gratuities; Karibuni Africa Welcome Kit (pre-stamped postcards included); special lectures and presentations; safari hat; full-time concierge service based in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Nairobi and available twenty-four hours a day via mobile phone (for shopping, private car, dining reservations, etc.); transfers to/from airports in Africa; high calibre field staff of safari directors, tour leaders and drivers; state-of-the-art safari vehicles with stocked ice chests, binoculars for each traveler, library of field guides, and guaranteed window seat for every travelers; complete pre-tour documentation.
Not Included:
International airfare; internal airfare, Cape Town / Johannesburg / Sabi /Singita / Johannesburg ($1,655 per person); cost of obtaining passports, visa, travel insurance; excess baggage charges; items of a personal nature such as drinks, laundry, communication (calls, faxes, emails, etc.); international airport departure tax (to be paid in US dollars or acceptable foreign currencies); deviations from the tour; gratuities to safari directors; tour leaders, drivers, rangers and trackers are at your discretion.
Sample Airfare from New York:
Economy Class from $1,050
Business Class from $4,200
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