Day 1:
Guest will be picked up from their homes, and transferred to OR Tambo airport. The 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 one of the Guesthouses for the first 2 nights of stay. Relax and enjoy the beautiful gardens.
Day 2:
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, we will again return to Prince Albert. In the afternoon, guests will have time to visit the museum, and explore the town on foot.
Day 3:
Today we are travelling to one of the most well-known towns 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 change and travel through the spectacular Verlatenkloof Mountain Pass. Guests 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 the next two nights. The guesthouse is centrally located in the town centre, and we start exploring the town on foot.
Day 4:
Sutherland is known for a few things, one being one of the coldest places in the country, but more significantly it is due to it being one of the darkest places. So one of the world’s most important astronomical observatories is situated here, including the South African Large Telescope (SALT). During the morning, we will participate in an informative tour of this modern facility. There are no evening tours, as this is the time the scientists are working. After the tour, we explore some of the other attractions of the area. In the evening we participate in a stargazing experience.
Day 5:
Today we leave this lovely town and travel back towards the main road and Laingsburg, where we visit the Flood Museum. We then travel in an easterly direction to the charming town of Beaufort West. Overnight at a Guesthouse in Beaufort West for two nights.
Day 6:
The region has a beautiful National park, and today we will be visiting the Karoo National Park. Be surprised by the variety of animals 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 our Guesthouse, for some time to relax.
Day 7:
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. After lunch, we continue on the last leg of the day towards Bloemfontein. We check into the Dias Guesthouse, situated in the quiet suburbs of the town, for our last stay on tour.
Day 8:
We travel via Bloemfontein and Kroonstad towards Johannesburg. Guests will be dropped off at their homes in the mid-afternoon.
