Small Group Classic Tour
South Africa Odyssey Small Group Classic Tour
Fourteen days from Johannesburg to Cape Town: the Panorama Route and Kruger, eSwatini and Zululand, a flight to Gqeberha for the Garden Route, Hermanus, Stellenbosch and three nights in Cape Town. Maximum ten guests.
The journey
The whole country, north to south
The first week is the Kruger & the Kingdoms itinerary: Johannesburg, Mac-Mac Falls and Hazyview, the Panorama Route, a dawn open-vehicle safari in the Kruger National Park, the Kingdom of eSwatini and Zululand. On day seven a short flight (not included) takes you from Durban to Gqeberha, where the Garden Route begins: dinner in Storms River village, Tsitsikamma National Park, Knysna and a lagoon-side dinner, the Outeniqua Transport Museum, Dolphin Point in Wilderness, an ostrich farm and lunch in a 1902 Victorian manor house, and the Cango Caves.
Then Route 62 and a rural farm school near Barrydale, Hermanus on the whale coast, Stellenbosch, and three nights in Cape Town — a free day, dinner at the home of a local family, and a full day on the Cape Peninsula to Cape Point and the Boulders Beach penguins — before your transfer onward.
Scheduled small-group departure (minimum 2, maximum 10 guests). Accommodation is as named or a similar standard; the exact hotel is confirmed at booking. Two guests travel in a sedan; three to ten guests travel in a 13-seater vehicle.
YOUR JOURNEY AT A GLANCE
A journey through the experience
-
Met at OR Tambo International Airport and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free — an optional Soweto and Apartheid Museum tour at your own cost. At 19h00 the group meets at reception for a briefing. — Accommodation: Protea Hotel Balalaika (4-star) or similar · About 35 km
-
A long drive into the Lowveld past Waterval Boven and Sabie, with a visit to Mac-Mac Falls. Arrive in Hazyview in the late afternoon. — Meals: breakfast, dinner · Accommodation: Hippo Hollow Country Estate (3-star) or similar · About 440 km
-
The Blyde River Canyon and the Three Rondavels, Bourke's Luck Potholes and God's Window (weather permitting). — Meals: breakfast · Accommodation: Hippo Hollow Country Estate or similar · About 320 km
-
Early coffee, then an open-vehicle game safari with a packed breakfast — the Big Five and the park's birdlife — including a presentation on the park's anti-poaching dog unit. Afternoon at leisure; an optional afternoon open-vehicle drive at your own cost. — Meals: breakfast · Accommodation: Hippo Hollow Country Estate or similar · About 120 km
-
Into the Kingdom of eSwatini for an interactive cultural experience with lunch, the Ngwenya glass works, and a night in the Ezulwini Valley with dinner at the hotel. — Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner · Accommodation: The Royal Villas (4-star) or similar · About 310 km
-
The Swazi candle factory, then south into Zululand. Optional, at your own cost: an afternoon open-vehicle safari in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi. — Meals: breakfast · Accommodation: Anew Hotel Hluhluwe (3-star) or similar · About 360 km
-
An early breakfast and the drive to the Durban area for the flight to Gqeberha (flight not included; the early-afternoon sector is recommended). Met on arrival, then west along the Garden Route to the Tsitsikamma for dinner in Storms River village. — Meals: breakfast, dinner · Accommodation: Tsitsikamma Village Inn (3-star, village room) or similar · About 430 km
-
Tsitsikamma National Park and Storms River Mouth (weather permitting), Mungo textile mill in Plettenberg Bay, then Knysna and the Eastern Head for the Knysna Heads (weather permitting). Dinner at a lagoon-side restaurant. — Meals: breakfast, dinner · Accommodation: Rex Hotel (4-star) or similar · About 100 km
-
The Outeniqua Transport Museum in George, Dolphin Point in Wilderness, then over the Outeniqua Pass to Oudtshoorn for an interactive tractor tour of an ostrich farm, lunch in a 1902 Victorian manor house on the farm, and a guided tour of the Cango Caves. — Meals: breakfast, lunch · Accommodation: Hlangana Lodge (4-star) or similar · About 210 km
-
Optional, at your own cost and subject to availability: an early-morning meerkat safari (weather permitting). Then through the Little Karoo to Barrydale for a visit to a rural farm school — time in the classroom with the children and teachers, when the school is open — and via the Tradouw Pass and Swellendam to Hermanus on the whale coast. — Meals: breakfast · Accommodation: Auberge Burgundy Boutique Hotel (4-star) or similar · About 365 km
-
The coastal road to Somerset West and on to Stellenbosch, with free time in its oak-shaded streets, then to Cape Town. — Meals: breakfast · Accommodation: The President Hotel (4-star) or similar · About 160 km
-
A free day. Optional, at your own cost: Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch, or Robben Island and the anti-apartheid heritage tour. In the evening, dinner at the home of a local family — a three-course home-cooked South African meal and conversation about life here. — Meals: breakfast, dinner · Accommodation: The President Hotel or similar · About 20 km
-
A full day on the Peninsula: Sea Point, Hout Bay, Cape Point, and back via Simon's Town and the penguin colony at Boulders Beach (entrance at your own cost) and Fish Hoek. — Meals: breakfast · Accommodation: The President Hotel or similar · About 200 km
-
Time for the V&A Waterfront or last sightseeing at your own cost, then a transfer to the airport, harbour or station for your onward journey. — Meals: breakfast
What’s included
- 20 meals: 13 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 5 dinners (drinks excluded)
- 13 nights' accommodation, including porterage
- Air-conditioned touring vehicle, including toll fees
- Professional English-speaking tour guide
- Entrance fees as listed in the itinerary
- Bottled water
What’s not included
- Flight and departure tax, Durban to Gqeberha (day 7)
- Boulders Beach penguin colony entrance (day 13)
- Meals and drinks not listed
- Optional excursions
- Items of a personal nature and gratuities beyond those listed
- Travel insurance
Before you travel
Good to know
- Departs
- Sunday (scheduled 2027 departures — ask us for the dates)
- Group size
- Minimum 2, maximum 10 guests
- Start / end
- OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, to Cape Town
- Minimum age
- 12 years
- Visas
- The tour crosses into eSwatini. Check whether your nationality needs a visa for eSwatini before you travel.
- Flight
- The Durban–Gqeberha flight and departure tax on day 7 are not included; we can arrange the recommended early-afternoon sector for you.
- Accommodation
- Protea Hotel Balalaika (1) · Hippo Hollow Country Estate (3) · The Royal Villas (1) · Anew Hotel Hluhluwe (1) · Tsitsikamma Village Inn (1) · Rex Hotel (1) · Hlangana Lodge (1) · Auberge Burgundy Boutique Hotel (1) · The President Hotel (3) — or similar
- Farm school
- The Barrydale school visit depends on the school being open (it closes 1–12 January, 20 March–5 April, 26 June–19 July, 23 September–4 October and 9–31 December 2027)
TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE
The Spurwing difference
We create experiences that go beyond the surface — connecting you to people, places and stories that matter. With deep local knowledge and a passion for authentic travel, we help you see South Africa differently.
- Authentic experiences
- Small groups, big impact
- Responsible tourism
- Trusted by travellers