From Full Color to the White Lion

Welcome to the Mother City. Upon arrival at Cape Town International Airport, you will be met and assisted through customs before being driven to the celebrated One&Only Cape Town. Perched on the vibrant V&A Waterfront, this urban sanctuary offers a thrilling base from which to explore the city.

Take the afternoon to settle into your Marina Table Mountain King Room, where floor-to-ceiling windows frame the iconic granite peak. Enjoy a welcome drink on arrival and perhaps head to the Vista Bar & Lounge to watch the clouds spill over the mountain as the city lightens up for the evening.

Today is a full-day private exploration of the Cape Peninsula. Begin at the coastal village of Hout Bay before navigating the breathtaking Chapman’s Peak Drive. Continue to the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve to witness the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Later, visit the famous penguin colony at Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town. Your journey concludes with a walk through the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, set against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. It is a day of dramatic coastal scenery and iconic wildlife, returning to the One&Only for an evening at leisure.

Dive into the cultural heart of Cape Town with a private city tour. Start in the historic Bo-Kaap neighborhood, known for its neon-colored houses and the Auwal Mosque, dating back to 1794. This experience is heightened by a taste of authentic Cape Malay cooking in a local home.

Sample traditional curry, roti, and koesiesters while learning about the heritage of this vibrant community. The afternoon is yours to explore the shops of the Waterfront or relax at the One&Only’s private Spa Island, a lush sanctuary tucked away on its own manicured island.

Trade the Atlantic breeze for the valley mists as you are driven to Babylonstoren in the Franschhoek Winelands. This 300-year-old working farm is a masterpiece of Dutch Cape heritage and sustainable agriculture. After check-in, settle into your One Bedroom Garden Cottage with its private en-suite bathroom and elegant farm aesthetic.

Spend your afternoon exploring the 15-acre formal garden, inspired by the Company’s Garden of Cape Town. Enjoy a glass of the estate’s own wine on your arrival and perhaps take a guided farm walk to understand the seasonal rhythms of this agricultural sanctuary.

Enjoy a full day of immersion in the Babylonstoren lifestyle. Options abound: join the daily stretch and breathing sessions, bake bread with the farm’s bakers, or take a cellar tour and wine tasting. For the adventurous, cycling and rowing on the farm dam provide a peaceful way to see the estate.

For dinner, we recommend a seat at Babel, the estate’s five-star restaurant, where the menu is dictated entirely by what was picked in the garden that morning. It is a day to relax and explore at your own pace, surrounded by the dramatic amphitheater of the Drakenstein Mountains.

A private transfer carries you back to Cape Town for your flight to the Kruger region, followed by a charter flight to the Phinda Airstrip. Welcome to the &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, a 28,555-hectare wilderness known as ‘Seven Worlds of Wonder’ for its unique diversity of ecosystems.

Settle into your suite at Phinda Mountain Lodge, where the deck offers sweeping views of the Lebombo Mountains. Enjoy your first afternoon game drive as the sun begins to dip, searching for the reserve’s famous cheetah population and the iconic Big Five before returning for a gourmet dinner under the stars.

Phinda is a masterclass in biodiversity. With morning and afternoon game drives, you will navigate through rare sand forests and lush savanna. Beyond the Big Five, this reserve is a stronghold for the endangered black rhino; track these ancient mammals on foot with an expert ranger or join a guided nature walk to understand the smaller miracles of the bush.

Between drives, enjoy a creamy cappuccino on the lodge deck or ask the chef for one of their famous, sticky chelsea buns. The exclusive traversing rights ensure that your sightings are private and immersive, providing a front-row seat to the intricate drama of the African wilderness.

Board a charter flight to the Ngala Airstrip, crossing into the world-renowned Timbavati region. &Beyond Ngala Safari Lodge shares an unfenced border with Kruger National Park, allowing wildlife to roam freely across 14,700 hectares of private land. Settle into your romantic, thatched cottage tucked under a canopy of mopane and tamboti trees.

The lodge exudes a nostalgic, classic safari ambience with historic memorabilia throughout. This afternoon, join your ranger and tracker for your first drive into this big-game heartland, where large prides of lions and herds of elephants are frequently encountered across the riverine woodland landscape.

Your final full day of safari is a deep immersion into the Greater Kruger ecosystem. Ngala is home to more species of large mammals than almost any other African reserve. With exclusive traversing rights, your drives are intimate and unhurried, focusing on high-quality sightings of the Big Five and beyond. A guest highlight: sighting the elusive wild white lioness — one of only a few in existence anywhere on Earth.

Enjoy a midday massage in the tranquil sala or relax by the rim-flow pool overlooking the riverine woodland. Tonight, celebrate your journey with an African feast in the open-air boma, where the sounds of the night provide a visceral soundtrack to your final evening in the South African bush.

After a final sunrise game drive and breakfast, you will be transferred to the airstrip for your charter flight to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. A member of the &Beyond team will meet you airside to assist with your luggage and escort you through to your onward check-in.

As you leave the Mother City and the Bushveld behind, you carry with you the triple-crown memories of the Kingdom: the light over Table Mountain, the flavors of Franschhoek, and the roar of a Ngala lion. Your South African pilgrimage concludes, but the rhythm of the continent stays with you.