Please log in to edit this tour.
Essence of South Africa
(9 Days – Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Cape Town, Cape Winelands, Sabi Sand Reserve safari (Singita)
This private luxury tour of South Africa is ideal for travelers wanting to experience the highlights of this incredible country. It includes private cultural and wine touring, the top luxury hotels in Cape Town and the Cape Winelands and an unforgettable safari at the best luxury safari lodge in legendary Sabi Sand Reserve.
Begin in Cape Town, one of the world’s most beautiful cities. During private touring, explore the city’s stunning landscapes, vibrant neighborhoods, fascinating history, and excellent food and wine scene. Enjoy fast-track access for the cable car up iconic Table Mountain, and walk among native fynbos plants in beautiful Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Learn about Cape Town history in evocative places such as Bo-Kaap (the Cape Malay Quarter), the Company’s Garden and the Castle of Good Hope. Browse for locally made clothing, jewelry and other treasures in top handicrafts markets. Enjoy reservations at Cape Town’s best restaurants, find a snack in the Time Out Market food hall, stop at a farmers market or have afternoon tea at the atmospheric Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel.
One day, enjoy a private excursion to the spectacular Cape Peninsula to see penguins at Boulders Beach, dramatic landscapes at Cape Point and along Chapman’s Peak Drive, and the area’s unique vegetation, which is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Depending on your interests, Artisans of Leisure can arrange additional options, such as an excursion to Robben Island, scenic helicopter flights, Jewish touring, a visit to a township, visits to the District Six Museum or the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, touring in the Constantia wine region or an excursion to the seaside town of Hermanus.
Continue to a luxurious countryside hotel in the Cape Winelands, a region of vineyards, small towns and dramatic mountains. During private touring, enjoy personalized wine tastings at some of South Africa’s premier vineyards and stop at Babylonstoren, a farming and culinary complex with whitewashed Cape Dutch buildings and lush gardens. Also visit the towns of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek to see charming historic districts, browse boutiques and dine at acclaimed restaurants according to your interests.
Fly to Sabi Sand Reserve, a private concession that borders Kruger National Park and is renowned for its diverse wildlife. Stay at Singita Boulders or Singita Ebony, the best luxury safari lodges in Sabi Sand. During morning and afternoon game drives, look for the Big Five (elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and Cape buffaloes), as well as hippos, giraffes and other animals and birds. During leisure time, perhaps indulge in spa treatments, lounge by the pool or browse the boutique for locally made crafts and artworks. Also enjoy three gourmet meals per day, accompanied by top South African wines. Walking safaris, a visit to a local community and other activities can also be arranged.
This tour can be further customized with additional destinations or activities according to your interests.
| Itinerary Overview |
| Day 1Arrive Cape TownAirport assistance through immigration. Private arrival transfer to hotel for 3 nightsDay 2Cape TownFull-day private city tour, including fast-track tickets for Table MountainDay 3Cape Town & Cape PeninsulaFull-day private excursion: Boulders Beach penguin colony, Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, Chapmans Peak DriveDay 4Cape Town – Cape WinelandsPrivate transfer to hotel for 2 nights with touring and wine tasting in Stellenbosch en routeDay 5Cape WinelandsHalf-day private tour of Babylonstoren and top wine estatesDay 6Cape Winelands – Johannesburg – Sabi Sand ReservePrivate airport transfer for flight to Johannesburg, connecting to light-aircraft flight to Sabi Sand Reserve airstrip. Transfer to Singita luxury safari lodge for 3 nightsDay 7Sabi Sand ReserveMorning and afternoon wildlife safarisDay 8Sabi Sand ReserveMorning and afternoon wildlife safarisDay 9Sabi Sand Reserve – Depart JohannesburgMorning transfer to airstrip for light-aircraft flight to Johannesburg. Airport assistance to international departure flight |
| Hotels |
| Cape Town:One&Only Cape Town, The Silo, Ellerman House or Mount Nelson, a Belmond HotelCape Winelands:La ResidenceSabi Sand Reserve:Singita Boulders or Singita Ebony |
| Cost |
| $27,895Per person (based on double occupancy) |
Booking Information >
All Artisans of Leisure tours are private and depart daily.
Please Contact Us for more information regarding the above tour, or to begin customizing your own itinerary.
The Artisans of Leisure Style of Travel:
- Private touring with your own personal guides and drivers
- Preferred rooms in the very best luxury hotels
- Firsthand, sophisticated destination knowledge and recommendations from our travel specialists
- Itineraries that are customized according to your interests and schedule
- Artisans of Leisure upgrades and amenities
- A seamless travel experience, including all logistics, skipping lines during touring whenever possible, restaurant and spa reservations, performance tickets, private airport transfers, internal transportation, VIP and fast-track airport assistance in many destinations
- Around-the-clock support in each destination during your trip
- Unique, insider travel experiences and access to the Artisans of Leisure network of experts around the world
Client Testimonials
“We had a fantastic time in Morocco! An experience we will never forget and will never duplicate. The hotels you provided were wonderful, our guide and driver were terrific, knowledgeable, entertaining and fun to be around. The country, people and culture were warm, friendly and engaging. It was truly one of the best if not the best trip we have ever taken.”
“The World team on the ground was phenomenal. They treated us like their own family. TOP NOTCH. Our Egyptologist guide was full of knowledge, bright, friendly and just went out of his way to assist us. Our driver had skill and confidence. The hotels were all spectacular. Some of our favorite sites were sites you included in our itinerary (from what I can tell, no one else knows to visit them!). We never would've have known about these sites if not for your recommendation. We can't wait to do another international trip with World of Leisure. The pre-planning, the execution, everything—this trip has been stress-free and exceptional. I can't believe we've waited this long to take a trip like this!”
“Our Greece trip was AMAZING!!!! We loved every hotel and tour. The food was delicious everywhere. We loved Israel. Our guide was unbelievable. He knew everything. We absolutely loved him. We received some incredible hotel upgrades.”
“We had a fantastic Sicily trip. It was wonderful working with you.”
“We are back from our trip to Egypt. It was absolutely wonderful in every way. Every representative along the way was fabulous – especially our Egyptologist guide. He has to be the best guide in all of Egypt. He taught us, kept us safe, and made sure we were comfortable every step along the way. We were treated like family by everyone and were taken care of in every way. The trip (which was not a vacation but rather an adventure of a lifetime) was the best of our lives.”
“Want to thank you once again. We loved Paris and the hotel. They treated us like celebrities. We are ready to start planning our next trip with World of Leisure.”
“We thoroughly enjoyed London and the Cotswolds and can't thank you enough for your attention to detail! We look forward to working with you all again soon!”
“My clients had an amazing time in the Dolomites. They said that everything was perfect. Thank you for making this very last-minute Italy trip work.”
“We had a great time in Jordan. What you organized was once again perfect. We love the blend of culture, history, beautiful nature, connecting with local people and relaxation pauses in wonderful hotels. Our guide is perhaps the best guide we ever got throughout our many travels. He is amazing in knowledge on so many issues, caring and knows when to leave space. Just perfect. Once again, a big thank you. Really well done!”
“I just wanted to say big thank you for organizing such a magnificent Dubai trip. We had the best time!! Hotels, people, food, activities, everything was wonderful. In particular, our guide. We all loved her so, so much.”
“We had a wonderful, amazing time! Our guides and drivers and experiences were all top notch in both Portugal and in France.”
“Thank you for arranging a truly fabulous England and Scotland trip—we happily could have stayed another month! Our guide was delightful and very knowledgeable. She was fantastic. The hotels and restaurants were all outstanding. A+++. Thank you again for planning such an incredible bucket list trip! We are truly so grateful.”
“We got back from Mexico and had a wonderful time. We loved the food we made with the chef in Oaxaca and the chef in San Miguel. We had great food in Mexico and I have to say, some of the best things we ate were the things we made in these two classes. They were both excellent teachers, great technique and ingredient specific teachers.”
“Everything worked out beautifully. Dubai was fantastic. Our guide was wonderful, hotel beautiful, food spectacular—we truly enjoyed. We thank you.”
“Our Colombia trip was extremely successful. We found Colombia to be a very beautiful country with a quite interesting political and cultural history. Our guides that you arranged did a very nice job of exposing us to all of that. We were particularly impressed that you were able to put together such a great itinerary on very short notice. We found all of the guides as well as the hotels and the transportation to be of very high quality. We greatly appreciate all the effort you put in to organizing it. Finally, we were very pleased with your work in putting all this together on short notice. Many thanks for helping us have a first class experience and a very memorable and enjoyable trip.”
“Our Italy and Switzerland trip was wonderful, our grandsons did not want to go home. Every one of the guides we had was amazing. The hotels were great too. We loved the watchmaking experience and all of the activities in the mountains. Looking forward to planning the next trip.”
“Thank you for organizing a wonderful Egypt trip! We had a fantastic time and our guide was amazing.”
“I had an amazing time in Vietnam. My guide was such a lovely guy. He was very personable and shared so much of his culture with me. Our trip out to Halong Bay was extra special. The trip was well put together and my guides were always present and punctual. Thank you so much for putting all this together for me!”
“We just got back from one of the best trips we've ever taken! Thanks so much for arranging the Morocco trip for us! The accommodations were fantastic! We loved all of them from Kasbah Tamadot to Royal Mansour to the tent in Sahara Desert and Dar Ahlam. They all have its own special charm and beauty. The entire trip went smoothly, and full of surprises along the way. I will definitely recommend your services to others. Look forward to the next adventure with World of Leisure.”
“Our Germany and Hungary trip was excellent. We loved spending time with the drivers and guides and learning about the history, culture, architecture, war and holocaust from their perspectives.”
“A sincere thank you for making my clients happy! The loved their Iceland tour. It's a pleasure doing business with you and hopefully we'll be working together again soon.”
“We had a wonderful time and your team synchronized everything very well. Many thanks for your professional and expert help. My granddaughter was thrilled to experience her 'dream' Italy vacation.”
“Thank you for arranging our honeymoon in Germany and Croatia! You made our trip stress-free, and the itinerary was comprehensive and clear. Thank you also for arranging experiences for us that we never would have discovered on our own! Our guides and drivers were professional, knowledgeable, and so friendly! We had such an amazing time!”
“Our Egypt trip was PERFECTION! Every detail of coordination, organization, and planning, and especially our guide's extensive knowledge, passion, and care, made the trip SEAMLESS! World of Leisure and its global network are FANTASTIC! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!”