5 Facts about Nature Activities

1. Shark Cage Diving: The only way of truly experiencing and understanding these often misunderstood Great Whites, is to get right up close and personal with them. From the boat, you can observe them on the surface as they feed. Or, if you are more daring, why not dive down to them in a cage and watch them swim freely within their natural environment.
   
   
2. Whale Watching: The Southern Right Whale annually swims into our harbours, between June and November, in order to give birth and mate. South Africa can boast of having the best land-based whale-watching in the world and the centre of this whale route is a small town called Hermanus. From here, you can take a boat and enjoy a closer view of these magnificent aquatic mammals.
   
   
3. Dolphin boat viewing in Plettenberg Bay: Plett, lies along the East Coast – Known as the Garden Route. The water is warmer here; hence they are more frequented by dolphins and whales than the West Coast. From Plett, it is possible to take a boat and go view the dolphins as they swim, fish and leap about in your wake.
   
   
4. Baboon Walks: Our specialised two or three hour walking tours will take you through the mountain fynbos until we encounter the baboons in their home territory. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit and watch these fascinating animals as they eat, play and socialise around you. Qualified guides ensure your safety and enjoyment of this unique experience.
   
   
5. Big Five Safari: The “Big Five” refers to Africa’s greatest wild animals - Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo and Rhino - often hunted for their trophy-value. A Safari usually refers to a game drive or overland experience, in which you view the wild animals in their natural habitat.

5 Days: The Bay Hotel, Camps Bay - Cape Town

Situated within the midst of Camps Bay’s cosmopolitan cafes and nightlife hub, The Bay Hotel is situated between the Twelve Apostles Mountain Range and Camps Bay Beach and is only about ten minutes from the Cape Town city centre. All the rooms, decorated in muted tones of taupe and white, offer awesome views of the Mountain or the Sea and are both spacious and intimate. Whether sojourning in Cape Town on holiday, or on business, you will feel the benefit of the efficient, sophisticated and discreet five star services. Within the Bay Hotel there are restaurants, bars, a wellness centre as well as events and conference facilities.

3 Days: Lanzerac, Stellenbosch – Winelands

Situated within the Jonkershoek Valley, right by the second oldest town in South Africa – Stellenbosch – and surrounded by the Heldeberg Mountain Range, Lanzerac offers a five-star and historic centre for business and leisure. In 1692, the Dutch East India Company governor, Simon van der Stel, granted this land to a man called Sergeant Isaac Schryver and called it Schoongezicht. Over the Years the Farm was renamed, Lanzerac, and is now owned by Nicky and Steve Fitzgereld and it has prospered ever since.

2 Days: Rovos Rail – Cape Town to Pretoria

Established in 1989, the five-star Rovos Rail consists of two classic trains of twenty coaches each and one Edwardian thirteen-coach train. Many of the coaches date back to 1911 and were shipped over from Europe at the beginning of the 20th-century. Rovos Rail has painstakingly sought out these coaches from all over South Africa and have restored them from their often derelict states in order to recreate the luxurious wood-panelled and fully equipped Edwardian/ Victorian ambiance. On these trains, you will traverse the scenically beautiful route from Cape Town to Pretoria in exquisite accommodation and be offered culinary excellence.

3 Days: Lebombo Lodge: Singita, Kruger – Safari

Situated within the South-East part of the Kruger National Park – one of the most famous safari reserves in the world – and near the Mozambique border, Lebombo offers splendid and remote five-star luxurious isolation. Singita’s philosophy is to work with local communities and develop environmentally-friendly tourism in order to preserve our wildlife heritage. Lebombo does this by melding the natural beauties of the environment within its cutting-edge contemporary décor: such as, wide open spaces and open air, slatted wood and bleached branches. The glass wall design was inspired by the wild eagle nests in the area, which overlook the splendid views afforded by the Lebombo mountain range and the N’Wanetsi and Sweni Rivers. The Kruger prides itself on having the best collection of animal life, including the Big Five.

Suggested Activities: www.actionafrica.info

Pearl Valley Golf Club, Paarl - Winelands

www.pearlvalley.co.za

Shark Cage Diving:

Full Day Tour: This tour includes:

• Pick up and scenic transfer to the White Shark Lodge
• A Full Continental Breakfast
• Day on the ocean with Diving  and Viewing of Sharks
• Lunch on board
• Afternoon tea and return drive  to collection point

Wine, Chocolate, Cheese and Olive Tour

Full Day Tour: Enjoy a day that celebrates the culinary delights of the Cape’s oldest wine regions. Guides are flexible and attentive to your favourite tastings.

Highlights:

• Cheese Tasting
• Chocolate Tasting
• Wine Tasting
• A relaxed Lunch in the winelands
• Olive tasting
• A scenic meander though the picturesque wine regions of the Cape

Suggested Full Day Cape Peninsula Tour: Includes Kayak and Side-Car Tour

10h30: Transfer

• You will be fetched from your accommodation and transferred to Cape Point.
• This coastal drive will take about 45 minutes.
• At Cape Point there is a funicular that takes you to the lighthouse and a restaurant at the bottom in which you can enjoy refreshments.

12h00: Side-Car and Kayaking

• You will be fetched from Cape Point and taken in these side-cars to Simons Town
• Here, your kayaks will be waiting for you.
• Look out for whales en route.

13h00: Kayaking Simonstown Waterfront

• On arrival in Simon’s Town, you will paddle out to sea and make your way to Boulders Beach - Cape Town’s only African Penguin colony.
• While here, you should look out for the Cape Fur Seal and the Southern Right Whale

15h00: Kalk Bay

• Side Cars will then transfer you to Kalk Bay
• Here, you can bar-hop and explore the eclectic shops and restaurants.
• Why not take a stroll through the harbour and look out for dolphins in the surf.
• A great restaurant is the Harbour House or alternatively Polana Bar, underneath Harbour House, which looks out to sea and has an excellent ambience and funky interior.

17h00 - 18h00: Return

• Finally you will be met at a pre-arranged meeting place by the Cape Side Cars and taken back to your accommodation

www.actionafrica.info

Featured Restaurant:

La Colombe – Constantia Uitsig

"A dish has to be understandable and have bold flavours.  From that I build it and add textures and presentation.  I’m always tweaking and refining to find a dish’s full potential." Luke Dale-Roberts: Chief

Uitsig is one of the estates found along the Constantia wine route that originally belonged to Simon van der Stel’s estate, Groot Constantia, in the early 17th-century.
La Colombe, is a 120 seat restaurant that perfectly interweaves the stunning Constantia Valley’s scenic beauty, the superb world-class estate wines and the exceptional palate-stimulating culinary expertise of the imaginative and innovative chief, Luke dale-Roberts. The menu blends flavours that are both classic and modern as well as possessing a hint of Asian exoticism.

La Colombe is known for its excellent food, wine and service as well as its charming and relaxing ambiance.

www.constantia-uitsig.com