On this trip we visit some great places, enjoying the Karoo and beautiful landscapes, people and do a bit of stargazing.

Day 1: Sunday 09 February

Guest will be picked up from their homes, and transferred to OR Tambo airport.  Time for the pickup, transfer and flight will be confirmed closer to the date. It will be around 07h30. Depart on the domestic flight around 10h00, from Johannesburg to George.

Enjoy the flight to George, where your host will be waiting for you on arrival around 12h00. Depart from the airport on a scenic drive towards Prince Albert. We travel over the scenic Outeniqua Mountains, through Oudshoorn and De Rust before arriving in the beautiful Prince Albert valley. Here we then check into the Saxe Coburg Guesthouse for the first 2 nights of stay. Relax and enjoy the beautiful gardens.    

Day 2: Monday 10 February

The day is set aside to travel along the most scenic and finest mountain passes in the Karoo, which is the Swartberg pass. This 27 km untarred road winds up to a summit at 1583 metres above sea level, with breathtaking views on every turn. The pass descends into the valley close to the famous Cango caves. After visiting the caves (if still open to the public), we will again return to Prince Albert over the same pass, but this time in the opposite direction. In the afternoon, guest will have time to visit the museum, and explore the town on foot.   

Day 3: Tuesday 11 February

Today we are travelling to one of the most well - known town of the Karoo, namely Sutherland. We travel through parts of the Greater Karoo towards Matjiesfontein. We stop at this historical town to visit the wonderful museum and Victorian village. After enjoying lunch at the village, we continue in a northerly direction towards Sutherland. See how the landscapes continuously changes, and travel through the spectacular Verlatenkloof Mountain Pass. Guest will be surprised by the variety of changing landscapes and farms found along this route. On arrival in Sutherland, we check into the Kambrokind Guesthouse for next two nights. The guesthouse is centrally located to the town centre, and we start exploring the town on foot.

Day 4: Wednesday 12 February

During the morning, we will participate in an informative tour of this modern facility.  After the tour, we explore some of the other attractions of the area. In the evening we participate in a stargazing experience. This is a very informative session, including an initial presentation and DVD to understand the basics of astronomy, followed by stargazing through telescopes.  

Day 5: Thursday 13 February

Today we leave this lovely town, and travel back towards main road and Laingsburg, where we visit the Flood Museum. We then travel in an easterly direction to the charming town of Beaufort West. We explore this hidden gem of the Karoo, and also visit the Chris Barnard Museum complex. We travel to the outskirts of the town, and check into the Lemoenfontein Guest Farm for two nights.  From the veranda guests will have a lovely view of the big spaces of the Karoo, as well as the high mountains surrounding the farm. Relax and enjoy the beautiful gardens, and the traditional farm dinners in the evenings.   

Day 6: Friday 14 February

The region has a beautiful National park, and today we will be visiting the Karoo National Park. Be surprised by the variety of animal you will see here, the beauty of the open spaces, and who knows, we may even come across some of the recently introduced Kalahari lions.  After lunch at the park, we make our way back to the farm, for some time to relax.  

Day 7: Saturday 15 February

Sadly we start leaving the Karoo behind us on the route back home. We continue through the Great Karoo, and travel via Richmond and Hanover towards Colesberg, where we will enjoy lunch. We continue on the last leg of the day towards Bloemfontein, where we visit some of its attractions.  We check into the Dias Guesthouse, situated in the quiet suburbs of town, for our last stay on tour.

Day 8: Sunday 16 February

We travel via Bloemfontein and Kroonstad towards Johannesburg. Guests will be dropped off at their home in the afternoon.