East to West Coast Tour, across the Continent, to Cape Town - 7 Days - Departing Saturdays. 

TOUR NAME : 7 Day East Coast to West Coast, Across the Continent, to Cape Town.
CODE : SCDX.
MEALS INCLUDED : Dinners & Breakfasts.
DEPARTURE : Saturday at 09:00.
DURATION : 7 Days.
ROUTING : Durban - Drakensberg - Free State - Bloemfontein - Kimberley - Northern Cape - Augrabies Falls - Namaqualand - West Coast - Cape Town.
SPECIAL NOTES : Bring insect repellent, sun block and binoculars along.
MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS : None.
DRESS REQUIREMENTS : Casual and cool, much warmer clothing from April to September, a hat.

Day 1 - Durban – Pietermaritzburg – Drakenberg Mountains.
We drive inland past Pietermaritzburg and the Howick Falls to the area of gentle pastoral beauty called the Natal Midlands. We pass through grassy plains scattered with villages and lush farmlands, where plump cattle and thoroughbred horses graze. We enter the Weenen Game Reserve for an afternoon of game viewing. Then we travel to our hotel from where you can enjoy magnificent mountain views whilst enjoying sundowners.

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DAY 2 - Drakensberg Mountains - Bloemfontein.
For the energetic, there are several walks. An early start can be rewarded with a magnificent sunrise over the unmatched beauty of the mountains. All the walks are in the lap of the famous Amphitheatre. Choose between walking to ancient rock art sites, or walks to waterfalls, caves and crystal clear streams. Late morning we commence our drive to Bloemfontein. Bloemfontein originated at a spring which, at various times, was a source of water for the ancient San people, Sotho farmers and Settlers exploring the inland from the then Cape Colony. Since then, Bloemfontein has developed into a prosperous, commercial and industrial city - the capital of Free State Province and the judicial capital of South Africa. We drive through the city with its many historic buildings, and visit the National Women's Memorial and War Museum, commemorating the Anglo-Boer War.

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DAY 3 - Bloemfontein - Kimberley.
After breakfast we drive to Kimberley, the world's diamond capital, a modern city with broad, tree lined streets and attractive parks and gardens. During the world's greatest diamond rush, hordes converged on the region and dug the world's biggest manmade hole in search of diamonds. On our city tour we visit the impressive and very interesting Big Hole Museum. Overnight in Kimberley.

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DAY 4 - Kimberley – Kahalari Desert – Upington – Augrabies Falls.
We travel further westwards towards the Kalahari Desert. We drive past sites where prospecting for diamonds, with primitive tools is still a way of life for some of the local people. Further north, we see the rich iron deposits in the Sishen mining area, before we turn west again towards Upington, a town established around a Dutch Reformed Church mission station. All South Africa's dried sultanas are processed here for export to the rest of the world. The town lies next to the majestic Orange River and the lush green vineyards and palm trees stand out as an oasis in the lunar like landscape. We reach to Augrabies Falls, the fifth largest in the world, via Keimoes where they still use waterwheels to irrigate the fields. Walks to the edge of the falls and along the edge of the ravine, are rewarding. We overnight in the reserve where hyrax, kudu, springbok, klipspringer, etc. roam the semi-desert landscape.

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DAY 5 - Augrabies Falls - Springbok.
After breakfast and a game drive, we commence on the pencil straight road to the West Coast. The vast expanses of space and silence, drought, and blazing sunshine on the arid landscape, have kept this region sparsely populated. This was the home of the San (Bushmen) and now only a few remaining families live in remote areas. We turn off to Pella, one of two places where dates are produced commercially and also the site of an exquisite cathedral built from plans found in an encyclopaedia. Our last stop before the town of Springbok, our overnight stop, is at the Goegap Nature Reserve where springbok, gemsbuck and other antelope roam freely. Depending on the rainfall, from August to October this area turns into an exquisite display of colourful flowers.

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DAY 6 - Springbok – Goegap Nature Reserve – Namaqua National Park – Lamberts Bay.
Springbok is the capital of Namaqualand and was established as a result of the copper mines in the area. We do a short city tour and drive south through Namaqualand. Flowers are prolific here during the flower season, transforming the area into brilliant colours from one horizon to the other. We drive past Garies, Van Rhynsdorp and Vredendal and reach the coast a little further west - we have made it across the subcontinent! What a welcome sight the Atlantic Ocean is! We skirt along the coastline with brilliant white sandy beaches and the flat, cold seas. The Sishen iron ore railway line runs parallel to the road and we may see the world's longest train passing us. Lamberts Bay is our overnight stop and you have the rest of the afternoon at leisure to wash the desert dust off with a cold cocktail and a stroll along the beach of this quaint little fishing village. Joined to the mainland by a pier, Bird Island is inhabited by more than 150 bird species and is renowned for its enormous congregation of Cape gannets.

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DAY 7. Lamberts Bay – St Helena – Saldanha – West Coast National Park – Cape Town.
After a hearty breakfast, we travel southwards past Elands Bay and Baboon Point (a short stop to view San rock paintings) to Velddrif, situated at the mouth of the Berg River. Pelicans and flamingos are often seen here. We visit a few small fishing villages such as Stompneus Bay and Paternoster, renowned for the rock lobster found here. Then past Vredenburg, where in the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve, the only manually operated light house in the country is situated. We visit Saldanha, South Africa'a iron ore export harbour, and Langebaan Lagoon and surrounding area which comprise the West Coast National Park. This park is internationally recognised as one of the world's great wetlands. In summer, some sixty thousand birds populate this park. We continue southwards to Cape Town and are greeted with some magic views of Table Mountain in the distance. The experience ends in Cape Town and the tour will be in your memory as an extraordinary and a once in a lifetime experience.