South Africa — Cape Town and the Garden Route

First night, first braai

Arrival in Cape Town

Cape Town International Airport · V&A Waterfront

• Arrival · Welcome to South Africa

  After collecting luggage, the group heads to the Airport Tourism Information Desk near the main exit, where your driver will be waiting with a TCA Tours name board for the transfer to your accommodation.

• Afternoon · Settle in, or the V&A Waterfront

  Depending on arrival time, relax at the house or head down to the V&A Waterfront for a late lunch. The harbour is home to craft markets, shops, cafés and restaurants, all under Table Mountain.

• Evening · Welcome braai

  A South African barbecue, known here as a braai, back at the house. The pace of the first day is set by your arrival time and how the group is feeling after the flight.

Caves, cats and a very high bridge

Safari & the Garden Route

Oudtshoorn · Wilderness · Bloukrans Bridge

The bungy jump, bridge skywalk, zipline and an extended elephant encounter are optional extras. Bungy jumpers must be aged 14 or over.

• Along the Garden Route

  An early start for a three-day tour along one of South Africa's most famous drives, a coastline of green forests, rivers, lagoons and mountain passes.

• The Cango Caves

  Huge chambers of stalactites and stalagmites in the foothills of the Swartberg mountains, formed over millions of years.

• Elephants, game drive and walking safari

  A guided bush walk with orphaned elephants, including a chance to feed them. A safari game drive in search of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) and a short walking safari to learn to read the bush on foot.

• Kayaking in Wilderness

  A gentle kayak tour on the calm rivers of the Wilderness area.

• Bloukrans Bridge

  Home of the 216m bungy jump from a bridge arch, one of the highest in the world. Students who would rather keep their feet on the bridge can walk out along it and take in the gorge.

Classroom morning, ocean afternoon

Giving back, then the surf

Cape Town kindergartens · Muizenberg Beach

• Morning · First day at the kindergarten projects

  The group splits into small teams of five or six to volunteer at three similar kindergarten projects, working with children aged from three months to six years. The day is full of art, songs, dance and educational games, and helping serve breakfast and lunch. Students are welcome to bring their own lesson and activity ideas to share with the local teachers.

  Volunteering runs from around 08:00 to 12:30.

• Afternoon · Group surf lesson at Muizenberg

  Muizenberg's long, gentle waves make it one of the best places in South Africa to learn. Qualified instructors teach every level, from first-timers to students who want to sharpen their skills. Transport, boards and wetsuits are included.

A table with a view

Table Mountain

Cape Town kindergartens · Table Mountain

• Morning · Kindergarten projects

  A second morning with the same children, as teams build on the first day.

• Afternoon · To the top of Table Mountain

  No visit to Cape Town is complete without the city's most famous landmark. Ride the rotating cable car or hike up, then take in the views across the city, Lion's Head, Robben Island and the Atlantic.

Eighteen of twenty-seven years

Robben Island

Cape Town kindergartens · V&A Waterfront · Robben Island

• Morning · Kindergarten projects

  A third morning of volunteering.

• Afternoon · The ferry to Robben Island

  From the V&A Waterfront, cross Table Bay to Robben Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The museum tour tells the story of the prison and of Nelson Mandela, who spent 18 of his 27 years in prison here.

Fourteen dishes and a drum

A feast of Africa

Cape Town kindergartens · City centre

• Morning · Farewell to the kindergartens

  The final morning at the projects, and a chance to say goodbye to the children and teachers.

• Afternoon · Free time

  An afternoon at the group's own pace.

• Evening · Dinner at GOLD Restaurant

  An African cuisine experience in the city centre: a 14-dish meal with each dish from a different African city or culture, a djembe drumming session and live entertainment through the night. Singing along and dancing are encouraged.

Top deck round the Cape

The Cape Peninsula

Kirstenbosch · Hout Bay · Chapman's Peak · Camps Bay

• All day · Open-top bus around the Peninsula

  A short walk to Long Street to join the City Sightseeing Mini Peninsula tour for the day. The bus stops at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, the World of Birds sanctuary, Hout Bay harbour and Camps Bay beach, and follows the cliffs of Chapman's Peak Drive, one of the world's great coastal roads.

  Buses come round every 15 to 30 minutes, so the group can spend as long as it likes at each stop.

Last look at the mountain

Departure

Cape Town International Airport

• Departure · Homeward

  Pack up and transfer to Cape Town International Airport for the flight home.