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South Africa's Kruger & Cape Town: Hike, Bike & Kayak tour
Cape Town Kruger National Park South Africa's Kruger & Cape Town: Hike, Bike & Kayak Trip

South Africa's Kruger & Cape Town: Hike, Bike & Kayak

Intrepid Travel Premier
Has very high quality customer experiences and demonstrated commitment to responsible travel practices. read more
4.6 . Excellent
94%
Travel Style: Array Mixed
Physical Level: All or most of day hiking or biking, hills included. Moderate
Lodging Level: Mid-range budget with accommodations ranging from comfortable lodges, guesthouses, and homestays to three star hotels. Value (3*)
11 days
From: $ 2,326 $ 211 / day
Checking price

Overview

Highlights (Bullets)

  • Enjoy the Greater Kruger region on foot with both game and bush walks and encountering wildlife along the way.
  • Try to spot the Big Five in Kruger National Park on a full day game drive in 4x4 safari vehicles
  • Kayaking in the waters off Cape Town is a great way to encounter Cape Fur Seals and the penguins of Boulders Beach
  • Rise early for an unforgettable hike up the iconic Table Mountain of Cape Town. Enjoy spectacular panoramas over the "City Bowl" before catching the cable car back down.
  • Enjoy a Cape Malay cooking class in Bo-Kaap.
  • Bike through the picturesque Stellenbosch winery region and stop in at wineries to sample their wares.

Short Description

Hike, bike and kayak your way through South Africa, starting in Johannesburg and finishing in beautiful Cape Town. On the way you'll drive and walk through Kruger National Park in search of its famous inhabitants, explore the waters and beaches of Cape Town by kayak, climb Table Mountain for spectacular views and cycle up and down the Cape Peninsula and Stellenbosch's wineries. NEW UPDATES FOR 2019 This trip will be discontinued in 2019 due to low demand. For a similar itineraries please refer to our Kruger & Cape Town by Plane, Cycle Cape Town and Winelands or Garden Route Adventure.

Style Small group tour
Spend most of the time outdoors. Common trip themes and activities include cycling, hiking, kayaking, whitewater rafting.
Itinerary Focus Active
Mid-range budget with accommodations ranging from comfortable lodges, guesthouses, and homestays to three star hotels.
Lodging Level Value (3*)
Flight & Transport Inclusions N/A
Start City Johannesburg
End City Cape Town

Destinations

South Africa

Attractions & Cities Visited

Kruger National Park Table Mountain

Activities & Interests

N/A

N/A
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Itinerary

Day 1 Johannesburg

Sawubona! Welcome to Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city. You'll meet your fellow travellers at a 6 pm welcome meeting, but there are no other activities planned before then so feel free arrive early and explore the city. The Apartheid Museum is an essential visit to learn about South Africa's 20th-century history, then why not spend some time in one of Jo'burg's hip neighbourhoods like Braamfontein or Newtown. After tonight's meeting your leader will suggest a traditional steakhouse for dinner so you can get to know your fellow group members.

Day 2 Greater Kruger National Park

Strap in for what may be a long travel day but is also the start of a truly great adventure. Drive from Jo'burg to the Greater Kruger National Park region (approx. 8 hours), arriving at camp in time for a late lunch. After some time to settle in, head off on a late afternoon/evening Big Five game drive in open 4x4 vehicles in a private game reserve. Sundowner drinks are enjoyed at one of the waterholes before continuing our game drive into the night. You'll return to camp for a traditional South African meal eaten around the fire. Located in the greater Kruger, your camp is wonderfully intimate, with limited camping tents. Tents include stretcher beds, mattresses, sleeping bags and linen. The camp is situated on the grounds of a lodge that offers a comfortable lounge, swimming pool and WiFi.

Day 3 Greater Kruger National Park

The group is up early today to venture into the Kruger National Park itself, one of the largest game reserves in Southern Africa and home to over 500 species of bird, 100 species of reptile and a whole bunch of mammals including the Big Five: rhino, leopard, lion, elephant and buffalo. It all kicks off as soon as you enter the park as the group heads into prime game viewing areas, hopefully catching the animals at their most active before the heat of the day kicks in. A late breakfast will be eaten at a picnic spot inside the park, while lunch will be at your own expense at a group of restaurants within the park. The rest of the day will be spent viewing game, bird watching and kicking back with the animals at all the waterholes en route. Return to camp in the late afternoon for an evening spent relaxing and chatting with your leader and fellow travellers about just how ridiculously good today was.

Day 4 Johannesburg

Rise early and take the optional walking safari with a qualified field guide within the private game reserve. Keep your nose to the ground and learn to use animal tracks to search for elephant and lion as well as rhino, which the area is known for monitoring and keeping safe. Just remember to lift your eyes every now and then or you'll miss it all. Return to Jo'burg for a free evening – your leader can help with suggestions on where to eat and drink.

Day 5 Overnight Train

This morning you'll transfer to the station for a scheduled departure at 12.30 pm. Your destination is Cape Town and your transport the Shosholoza Myel train, which will take approximately 26 hours. You'll travel in a tourist class sleeper cabin, a 4-berth compartment that converts to bunk beds at night. This is a great opportunity to relax, read and play cards on an otherwise active adventure. Watch the scenery change as you pass through arid Karoo, traverse the Hex River Pass and pass through the beautiful winelands shadowed by towering mountains just outside of Cape Town.

Day 6 Cape Town

Arrive in Cape Town, South Africa's lively and beautiful port city sitting under the watchful eye of Table Mountain. The evening is free once you've checked into your private room at a hostel, and your leader will be on hand to suggest some ways to spend the time. Perhaps take a short walk to the famous Long and Bree streets for dinner and a locally brewed beer.

Day 7 Cape Town

This morning you'll tackle the hike up Table Mountain, an essential Cape Town experience. You'll be rewarded for your glute-busting efforts with panoramas over Cape Town and the Atlantic, and with spectacular views of Lion's Head, Signal Hill and the City Bowl. Save your legs by taking a cable car for the return journey to the city and enjoy the rest of the afternoon at your leisure. There are plenty of optional activties available here, like jumping on the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus to explore the city further, visiting the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront or brushing up on your history by catching a ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned before the fall of Apartheid. In the evening, the group will head to Bo Kaap, formerly known as the Malay Quarter, for a cooking class (and dinner, naturally).

Day 8 Stellenbosch

Begin the day with a morning kayak to visit the penguins of Boulders Beach. Paddle out past the leviathans resting in the civilian and naval harbours and if you're lucky, you may well encounter a number of Cape fur seals along the way. On your return, the group will take a short drive to Stellenbosch for a free afternoon. This is a buzzing university town known for its lovely architecture, tree-lined streets and lively bar and restaurant scene. And did we mention it's also a world-famous wine region? Perhaps take a walk through town after checking into the hotel, or stop into one of the cellar doors for a wine tasting.

Day 9 Stellenbosch

It's a stellar morning in Stellenbosch as you jump on a mountain bike for a cycling tour of the region's vineyards. This is arguably South Afria's most famous wine region and is known for its cabernet and Bordeaux-style blends, while also being the birthplace of pinotage – the love child of pinot noir and cinsault. You'll visit three estates over the course of the morning and cover a distance of approximately 10 kilometres. Please remember that it gets hot in the summer and the combination of cycling, sunshine and wine can easily lead to dehydration. Be sure to carry sunscreen, water and a hat to wear when you're not modelling a very stylish helmet. Enoy a free afternoon on your return, either taking it easy, furthering your wine exploration or tucking into a delicious meal at one of the many restaurants.

Day 10 Cape Town

The focus today is on experiencing Cape Peninsula's natural beauty as you leave the winelands behind (approx. 55 km or one hour). The option is there to jump on a bicycle and visit the historic navy suburb of Simon's Town, pass the penguins at Boulders Beach, cycle the East and West coasts and meander through the Cape Point Nature Reserve. Your efforts will be rewarded with a platter lunch at the picturesque Cape Point Vineyards, which have commanding views over the Atlantic Oceann. The ride is a bit more challenging than yesterday's – it's approximately 40 km in total – but you'll be riding road bikes on sealed roads. Alternatively for those who prefer a more leisurely cycle there is the 3 hour (approximately 12km) Beer & Bikes tour. The tour will introduce you to some of the best brews Cape Town has to offer while cycling through the vibrant CBD, stopping to visit a pub, a traditional brewery and beer garden along the way. After the ride is complete, return to Cape Town and perhaps celebrate this adventure with a farewell dinner down at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a popular working harbour with restaurants, bars and cinemas.

Day 11 Cape Town

This trip comes to an end after breakfast and you're welcome to leave at any time.

Availability

Checking price
Price From $ 2,326
Price Per Day: $ 211 per day
Checking price

4,320 Intrepid Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings

94%
4.6 out of 5 (100+ reviews)
Excellent 3,248
Great 675
Average 140
Disappointing 77
Terrible 180
Value
4.6
Guide
4.6
Activities
4.6
Lodging
4.6
Transportation
4.6
Meals
4.6

South Africa's Kruger & Cape Town: Hike, Bike & Kayak

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Company Reviews

Sardines in a can

3.0
Details
Value3.0
Guide3.0
Activities3.0
Lodging3.0
Transportation3.0
Meals3.0
Love adventures but the size of the cabins on our trip to the Cyclades Islands are extremely cramped . We have three mature adults in one cabin with no space to move and no space to hang or store anything ( including wet towels ).
If any of us had been physically inflexible or overweight we could not have coped with the sleeping arrangements . It is impossible to sit on the top bunk and even turning over in bed requires considerable planning .
An adventure does not mean cutting back on basic essentials …
In our view there were too many people in too small a space .
Two complete strangers were also asked to sleep together in an extremely small double bed , which meant that one of them decided to sleep on deck or in the living space .
The only redeeming factor was our Skipper who is professional, friendly , informative and skilled .
I would recommend this trip if the numbers were reduced .
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I feel totally cheated

2.0
Details
Value2.0
Guide2.0
Activities2.0
Lodging2.0
Transportation2.0
Meals2.0
I feel totally cheated. Just finished the Spain and Portugal 14 day trip. The itinerary does not match the actual experience and is I feel deliberately miss leading. When I says a “local bus” and an approx 3 hour journey the reality is a 6 hour trip door to door in the middle of the day. You miss valuable time at the actual destination in favour of being jammed in a bus with dozens of people traveling on a freeway with nothing worth seeing at all. The bush are not even express so you stop in the industrial outskirts of a number of towns and even the airport. By the time you finally reach the destination you are tired and frustrated. I want my money back. It’s a cheap experience that you pay a lot of money for.
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Have not even started and not impressed

2.0
Details
Value2.0
Guide2.0
Activities2.0
Lodging2.0
Transportation2.0
Meals2.0
Booked a premium tour to Israel and paid in full. Once I paid Intrepid changed the tour, not because of operational or safety reasons but on the basis of previous customers feedback. We asked them to keep the tour as it was advertised originally and they suggested we ask our group to see if we can persuade them to go to the original destination once we had arrived in Israel which is simply ridiculous and then I complained so they offered my money back. Not exactly the best resolution now that I already paid for my flights and booked time off separately. Hopefully the tour will be better than my experience so far.
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No help when things go wrong (seriously ill on trip)

1.0
Details
Value1.0
Guide1.0
Activities1.0
Lodging1.0
Transportation1.0
Meals1.0
Unfortunately, Intrepid is a company I would recommend being wary of. They are fine as long as everything is going ok, but if anything goes wrong? Don't expect any help or decent customer service. I made the mistake of booking two trips, and both times I ran into problems:

Trip 1- I was taken very ill while in Vietnam and had to drop out of the tour. I had no help from the guide- no help with getting to a doctor (I don't speak Vietnamese and was too ill to get out of bed anyway), he didn't even assist with arranging a hotel room.

Trip 2- I've had to cancel an upcoming (2024) trip, but haven't received the refund despite phoning the customer service line several times. The people I talk to are nice, but don't seem to be able to actually get anything done. They just suggest waiting a bit longer- not sure how long they think is acceptable to hang on to someone's money really.
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Check for other companies offtering the same trip

3.0
Details
Value3.0
Guide3.0
Activities3.0
Lodging3.0
Transportation3.0
Meals3.0
I would think carefully before doing business with Intrepid Travel again. In May I went on 2 one-week guided cycle tours in France with Intrepid. They were both great cycles and I enjoyed the cycling very much. However, I had several complaints about the company and some of the guides (not all of them).
Once I had paid for my trips, it was very difficult to get in touch with Intrepid to ask a question.
During the trips, several times I was told something one day only to have the info change without any good reason. The guides need proper training about dealing with the heat. Some of use suffered from dehydration and heat stroke and the guides were quite flippant about it. I was told that the guides would not leave anyone behind, but it happened several times.
There was one guide (a trainee) who really took some of the pleasure out of my cycle tour. She spoke to me with a tone used for a child. This tone and her attitude to me almost bordered on harassment.
I went on a third cycling tour with a different company after my 2 with Intrepid and it was much better than my experience with Intrepid.
As the demand for ebikes rises, tour companies such as Intrepid need to increase their fleet of ebikes. They also don’t need to charge the huge amount to rent these ebikes. We only want to rent them, not buy them. As the cost of ebikes comes down, if should reflect in the rental price.
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Ecuador guide Eitel made the tour…

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
Our Ecuador guide Eitel made the tour exceptional! He has encyclopedic knowledge of Ecuador and Latin America. Because he has traveled the world, Eitel placed this information within contexts that we could appreciate. That says a lot because we were a diverse group of travelers. The experience deepened my appreciation for the country's marvelous people, history, cultures, and resources.
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Details

Group Size

Small Group - 24 max

Maximum Number of People in Group: 12

Accommodations

Hotel (2 nights),Guest House (2 nights),Camping with facilities (2 nights),Private room hostel (3 nights),Overnight train (1 night)

Guides

On this trip you will be accompanied by 2 crew members - Group Leader, and Driver

Additional Information

Finish point

  • Once in Cape Town
  • 73 Kloof Street
  • Gardens
  • Cape Town
  • 8001
  • SOUTH AFRICA

Trip ID#:

intrepid-UBXT

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