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Mission Vision Tours t/a
Embrace SA Tours CK 2003/035913/23
P O Box 111, Paarl, 7620, Western Cape, South Africa embracesatours@mweb.co.za www.embracesouthafricatours.com Tel +27 – 82 5524 082 Office +27 - 82 8383 298
TOUR BROCHURE South Africa – A Beautiful Mix for 60+ 12 day/11-night tour Arrive Cape Town Friday March 1st, 2019 Depart Johannesburg Tuesday March 12th, 2019
Over the past 17 years Embrace South Africa Tours develop a 12 day/11-night 4-star tour which people just love and enjoy tremendously. We call it: “South Africa – A Beautiful Mix”, as you as visitor will experience so many parts of South Africa in all its beauty and splendor! We are very excited to offer this tour in March 2019 specific for travelers in the age group 60+! Enjoy the amazing scenery of Cape Town, visit the Cape Winelands, venture along the Cape Whale Coast, explore Johannesburg and Pretoria and spend two days on a 4-star Game Lodge - all in style! You will start your tour with a 5-night stay in the heart of the V&A Waterfront which brings you into the heart of Cape Town’s No 1 tourism activities. We will take you to see all the heritage and scenic sights that you have read about in books and brochures. Hotel accommodation is in the 4-star Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge (Marriott group).
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From here on we move to the Cape Winelands area for two nights where you will visit the wine routes and the Cape Whale Coast We leave the Cape behind and stay over in the Johannesburg area where you will have the opportunity to visit the best sites of South Africa’s recent history: visit the Apartheid Museum and Soweto, where Nelson Mandela lived. On the last two days of your tour we take you to the 4-star Mongena Lodge where you will experience the African wildlife and bush at its best. There are plenty opportunities for safaris and bush walks.
WE CATER FOR DIFFERENT GROUP MEMBERS • • • •
For single travelers For couples For a group of friends For your local book club or Bible Study Group
You will see why we call it: “South Africa – A Beautiful Mix” when you go through the itinerary and click on the links to read more about all the exciting experiences.
INFORMATION 12 day/11-night tour One of our tour directors travels 24/7 with the group although we will have expert guides at the different sites. Group size: Minimum 12 / Maximum 30 Meals included: Breakfasts 11 Lunches 8 Suppers 8
DATES Arrive Cape Town Friday March 1st, 2019 Depart Johannesburg Tuesday March 12th, 2019
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PRICE (EXCL AIRFARE) $2,450 double occupancy $3,050 single occupancy
ITINERARY Friday - Night one Arrive Cape Town International Airport. Table Mountain. Signal Hill. Cape Town orientation sightseeing tour. Hotel.
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We will welcome you with open arms and friendly smiles at Cape Town International airport! (If you fly out of JFK New York the previous day, with a connecting flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, you will arrive approx. 13h00) You will be welcomed by a Marimba band with drum players and singers! Welcome to South Africa. Light lunch – serve on the bus We drive directly to Table Mountain and take the Cable Car (vernacular) to the top of the mountain and back. You will have at least an hour to breathe in the beautiful views and explore the hiking trails on top of the mountain. We do a short stop on top of Signal Hill, before we explore the central district of Cape Town on a sightseeing tour Welcoming supper Accommodation: Protea Breakwater Lodge, V&A Waterfront, (Part of the Marriot Group) [lunch and supper included]
Saturday - Night two Greenmarket Square. Chapman’s Peake Drive. Simon's Town. Penguins at the Boulders. Swim in the Indian Ocean. Cape Point Nature Reserve and Cape of Good Hope After breakfast at your hotel we leave for the African Craft and Gift market at Greenmarket Square. Here you can meet artists from different parts of Africa. Make sure you take time to visit with them and take your time to buy traditional souvenirs. You are welcome to bargain with the artists and vendors. We leave the city and drive to Simon’s Town via Chapman’s Peak Drive, where you will have time to visit the African Jackass Penguins. Penguin Colony – the Boulders Simon’s Town Since the water will be warm you may be interested to swim in the Indian Ocean! Lunch: Seaforth Restaurant After lunch we visit the Cape Point Nature Reserve, which includes beautiful sites like the Cape Point Light House and the Cape of Good Hope. Supper: Evening free. Go out on your own for supper at the V&A Waterfront. Accommodation: Protea Breakwater Lodge, V&A Waterfront, (Part of the Marriot Group) [breakfast and lunch included]
Sunday - Night three Township experience. Meeting with community leaders at JL Zwane church in Gugulethu. Church service. Township lunch. Afternoon township tours. Today the group visit J L Zwane Church in the township Gugulethu. We meet with leaders and activists in the HIV/Aids campaign an hour before the morning service starts. We attend the morning church service and meet with community leaders afterwards. Lunch will be with Wanda Guma at the traditional restaurant in Langa, Lelapa
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After lunch Wanda Guma, our tour guide will take us on a very insightful tour of Langa- and Gugulethu Townships. You will get the opportunity to meet the people and have a cappuccino in the first coffee shop in a black township. Supper (own account) Accommodation: Protea Breakwater Lodge, V&A Waterfront, (Part of the Marriot Group) [breakfast and lunch included]
Monday - Night four Robben Island on-site tour. District Six Museum. Breakfast at your hotel Today we take the boat to Robben Island. It will be an emotional day since you will “experience� the atrocities of the apartheid system of the Nationalist government and the role that leaders like Nelson Mandela played to fight for the freedom of the South African people. We explore the island and join an ex-political prisoner that will show the group the prison.
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Lunch After lunch we visit the District Six Museum in the area where the forced removals took place in the 1970’s. Noor Abrahams, who lived in District Six, will take the group on a guided tour. Afterwards we will drive through the area of former District 6 Supper Accommodation: Protea Breakwater Lodge, V&A Waterfront, (Part of the Marriot Group) [breakfast, lunch and supper included]
Tuesday - Night five Day free to explore Cape Town and the V&A Waterfront. Evening: - Pan-African cuisine at GOLD Restaurant Breakfast at your hotel You have the morning and afternoon free to explore Cape Town and the V&A Waterfront on your own. There are so many options. One of the exciting possibilities is to take the Hop On Hop Of bus and visit places like Kirstenbosch, Hout Bay, and Groot Constantia Lunch (own account) Evening: Pan-African cultural experience at GOLD Restaurant and an opportunity to learn to play the African drum. Accommodation: Protea Breakwater Lodge, V&A Waterfront, (Part of the Marriot Group) [breakfast and supper included]
Wednesday - Night six Visit to the Cape Winelands. Visit Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch Breakfast at your hotel. Today the group explore one of the most beautiful regions in South Africa, namely the Cape Winelands. We will stop at the second oldest town in South Africa, Stellenbosch where we learn more about the history and taste some of the best wines of the region. Lunch in Stellenbosch (own account) Our next stop is Franschhoek where you will get the opportunity to see the vineyards and visit the wine farms with the Franschhoek Wine Tram. This is truly a very exciting experience! We also visit Paarl where you will do your own wine blending and try a food and wine-pairing! Supper – typical South African BBQ Accommodation: Laborie Estate, Paarl [breakfast and supper included]
Thursday - Night seven
7 Explore the Cape Whale Coast. Hermanus Breakfast at your guest house Today we explore the Cape Whale coast with a visit to Hermanus. Our first stop is at Stony Point Nature Reserve, which is home to one of the largest successful breeding colonies of African Penguin in the world. Located in the quaint coastal town of Betty’s Bay in the Overberg, the Stony Point Nature Reserve is home to a unique colony of African Penguins. They offer the public the chance to see these wonderful flightless birds up close, via the boardwalk through the colony, which allows the public to observe the penguins go about their daily activities in their natural habitat, without disturbing or disrupting them. Our next stop is Hermanus. Watch out! You may spot a few whales in season (June until November) along the coast. Boat ride to do whale watching – from June until November Lunch in Hermanus (own account) Explore the quaint town of Hermanus or take a walk on one of the many walking trails along the beach
8 Drive back to Paarl via Franschhoek Supper Accommodation: Laborie Estate, Paarl [breakfast, supper included]
Friday - Night 8 Check out of the guest house. Fly from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Visit Nkosi’s Haven, the orphanage for children whose parents died from HIV/AIDS. Maropeng Hotel. Breakfast at your guest house. Check out Today we leave Cape Town and make our way to Johannesburg. Our flight leaves at 10:00 from Cape Town International to O R Tambo Johannesburg. When we arrive in Johannesburg we make our way to Nkosi’s Haven Lunch at Nkosi’s Haven. Meeting with Gail Johnson, founder and director of the orphanage Interacting with the children at Nkosi’s Haven Drive to the Maropeng Hotel at the Cradle of Humankind Supper (own account) Accommodation: Maropeng Hotel [breakfast, lunch and supper included]
Saturday - Night 9 Cradle of Humankind Museum Experience. Sterkfontein Caves and the Soweto Tour encounter Breakfast at Maropeng Hotel After breakfast we visit the Cradle of Humankind Museum and the Sterkfontein Caves Lunch: Robby’s Restaurant - Soweto Soweto is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships. Wikipedia During the afternoon we do a Soweto tour with our famous tour guide Queen Malefane. We will stop at Regina Mundi Church, The Church first wrote its name in South Africa's history books during apartheid, when it opened its doors to anti-apartheid groups and provided shelter to activists. It was during the June 16, 1976 student uprisings, protesting students fled to Regina Mundi from Orlando Stadium to escape the police's bullets and teargas canisters. The police followed the students into the church, firing live ammunition and damaging the marble altar and crucifix. Bullet holes are still visible in the church ceiling and damaged marble stand provide tangible evidence of the violence of these police raids and the ensuring rush to evacuate the building.
9 Hector Peterson Museum, visit Vilakazi Street where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu once lived and the FNB soccer stadium where the finals of the 2010 Soccer World Cup were played. Return to Maropeng Hotel Supper Accommodation: Maropeng Hotel [breakfast, lunch and supper included]
Sunday - Night 10 Apartheids Museum, Afternoon Game Drive Mongena Lodge Breakfast at Maropeng Hotel. Check out Today we take our time to visit the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg
10 The Apartheid Museum opened in 2001 and is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story.A series of 22 individual exhibition areas takes the visitor through a dramatic emotional journey that tells a story of a state-sanctioned system based on racial discrimination and the struggle of the majority to overthrow this tyranny. For anyone wanting to understand and experience what apartheid South Africa was really like, a visit to the Apartheid Museum is fundamental. The museum is a beacon of hope showing the world how South Africa is coming to terms with its oppressive past and working towards a future that all South Africans can call their own. Lunch After lunch we make our way to the Mongena Game Lodge where we will be staying for two nights. Afternoon Game Drive at Mongena Lodge The 4-star Lodge offers a Big 5 bush safari and is a favorite for local and international guests who wish to see the Big 5 on a Game Drive or bush walk. Lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, leopard, cheetah, zebra, hippo, crocodile, giraffe, all antelope species, warthogs, aardvark, brown hyena, aardwolf and splendid birdwatching makes for excellent game viewing in the distinctive African bush. Game Drive lasts about 2 and a half to 3 hours. Supper Accommodation: Mongena Lodge [breakfast and supper included]
Monday - Night 11 Mongena Lodge. Morning Game Drive. Bush Walk, After Game Drive, Boma Braai Breakfast Mongena Game Lodge The 4 star rated Mongena Game Lodge is conveniently situated 35 km from Pretoria on the N1, in the malaria free north–western section of the Big 5 Dinokeng Game Reserve, a mere 40 Minutes from Pretoria and 1.5 hour drive from OR Tambo International Airport and Johannesburg. Mongena Game Lodge offers a spectacular African Bush safari & game drive experience for local and international visitors. Morning Game Drive Mid-morning Bush Walks (in froups of 8) The bush walk is one of a kind. In a small group of just 8, with a trained game ranger you walk deep into the bush to explore nature by foot. Now is the time to focus on the plentiful birdlife, different trees and plants. You will see animals passing by. The ranger will tell you more about all the species. A bush walk normally takes about 2 hours Lunch Relax around the pool Afternoon Game Drive Supper Boma Braai. You are invited to sit around the fire and enjoy the atmosphere of a real South Africa BBQ (braai)
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Tuesday - Day 12 Pretoria/ Tswane visit. Short stop at the Union Buildings. Freedom Park. OR Tambo International Airport Breakfast at Mongena Lodge. Check out Visit the Union Buildings in Tswane. We explore the statue of Nelson Mandela (short stop) Our group conclude their South African Tour with a visit to Freedom Park in Pretoria Freedom Park celebrates South Africa's heritage. It is a centre of knowledge aimed at deepening the understanding of the nation. It strives to accommodate all of the country's experiences and symbols to tell one coherent story. Freedom Park is a national and international site that celebrates the ideals of liberty, diversity and human rights. Freedom Park is a cultural institution housing a museum and a memorial dedicated to chronicling and honouring the many who contributed to South Africa's liberation. The museum aims to preserve and narrate the story of the African continent, and specifically South Africa, from the dawn of humanity, through pre-colonial, colonial and apartheid history and heritage, to the post-apartheid nation of today. It is a long walk, spanning some 3.6 billion years. Lunch at the Blue Crane Restaurant in Pretoria We end our “South Africa – A Beautiful Mix” adventure with a tour of the world famous attraction in Johannesburg The World of Beer. Take a tour of the SAB World of Beer, and you’ll quickly discover why it has twice been named the number one tourist attraction in South Africa. This intriguing, entertaining and interactive journey explores the rich history of beer, uncovering the important role it has played culturally, socially and economically across space and time. We have to say our final goodbyes and wish you all a very safe journey with high hopes that you will return soon. We drop you off at O R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at 16:00. Flight back to your home destination [breakfast and lunch included]