Singles South Africa and Zambia Victoria falls upscale singles vacation and safari tour

May 27th- Depart USA En Route

May 28^th   Arrival Johannesburg
Met on arrival and transfer to your hotel Meet you singles travel guide and tour director from Erik's Adventures.

Known as the gateway to Africa, Johannesburg is a city literally built on gold. Established in 1886 when gold was struck, the city has been rebuilt four times in the past century. It started as a tent town, worked up to a tin-shack settlement, a four-storey Edwardian settlement and finally graduated as a modern city of glass and concrete skyscrapers. It's one of the youngest major cities in the world and is a mélange of African cultures. Situated high on the escarpment at just over 6500 feet, Johannesburg is a vibrant, energetic and bustling metropolis offering something for everyone.

Spend the rest of the day at leisure at Emperors Palace. Enjoy a delicious meal (own account) at one of the various restaurants with choices ranging from Asian fusion to authentic Italian food. Relish in the dazzling array of shopping choices amidst the intimate pedestrian cobbled stone walkways in the Emporium or try your hand at a game of “Lady Luck” or on one of the many slot machines. The casino, with its painted murals and frescos and magnificent stained glass domes, sets a new standard in five-star gaming.

We have selected the Mondior Concorde Hotels in Johannesburg as it is located in an entertainment complex close to Tambo International Airport and it’s safe to walk around. Here you have an option of many restaurants and even see if lady luck is on your side at the casino. One can even enjoy a live performance from a wide selection ranging from a comedian to the Russian Ballet. Do check out the web site (www.emperorspalace.co.za <http://www.emperorspalace.co.za> before you travel to see what shows are available at the time of your travel.

Overnight stay at Mondior Concorde - 3*
<http://www.mondior.com/emperorspalace/default.asp>

May 29^th Johannesburg (B)
After breakfast depart for the Apartheid Museum. The Apartheid Museum opened in 2001 and is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20^th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story.

Johannesburg has always been a crucible of cultures and peoples. A conducted tour of Soweto provides an insight into the contrasts of South Africa largest townships. The name SOWETO stands for Southern Western Township. Learn first hand about the history of this city with more than 3 million people. Visit the Hector Peterson Memorial, and other historical sites such as Freedom Square, Regina Mundi Church and the Oppenheimer Tower. Drive past Winnie Mandela and other dignitaries’ homes such as archbishop Desmond Tutu. Experience the contrast of a Shanty Town vs. Millionaire’s Row.

Overnight stay at Mondior Concorde

May 30^th Johannesburg / Livingstone - Zambia (B)
Enjoy a delicious breakfast and check out.
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Livingstone (Flight is excluded). Met on arrival at Livingstone Airport and transfer to your hotel

This afternoon depart on a Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River. (Seat in a boat basis)

Overnight stay at Zambezi Sun, Victoria Falls - 3*
<http://www.suninternational.com/resorts/thefalls/default.aspx?mainframe=fallsacczambintro.aspx&picframe=fallsbaracczam.aspx&menuframe=mainmenu.aspx%3fcmsMenu%3d3485>

May 31^st Victoria Falls - Zambia (B)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel.

Depart for Victoria Falls, a natural phenomenon and one of the seven natural Wonders of the World. Declared a World Heritage Site, the Falls are the inspiration of legends, romance and myth. Long before the Scottish missionary and explorer, Dr David Livingstone “discovered” the falls, the local Batonga people had named them Mosi-Oa-Tunya, “the smoke that thunders”.

The Victoria Falls is an immense curtain of water cascading over 325 feet. Around 550 million litres over the lip every minute, at peak flow this increases to 750 million litres. Around the Falls is rainforest sustained by the spray of the Falls with some plant species rarely found elsewhere in Zambia or Zimbabwe.

Spend the afternoon at leisure.
Overnight stay at Zambezi Sun, Victoria Falls

June 01^st   Victoria Falls / Cape Town (B/D)
Enjoy a breakfast at the hotel and check out.
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Cape Town (excluded).
Flight is routed via Johannesburg.
Met on arrival at Cape Town and transfer to your hotel

The ‘Mother City’ as Cape Town is known locally has no shortage of attractions. It’s a magnetic, multi-cultural city with an array of diverse offerings within a small, accessible area, surrounded by spectacular topography. Spectacular beaches, mountains (incredibly unique bio-diversity), hiking, water-sport, shopping centers, markets, theatres, museums, historical & cultural attractions, a first-rate waterfront, galleries, night-clubs, restaurants and an abundance of activities to suite all, are prolific in this world-class destination.

Dinner and overnight at Southern Sun Waterfront, Cape Town - 4*
<http://www.southernsun.com/SSH/VHB/25383cf8de46a010VgnVCM100000650114acRCRD/68/47>

June 02^nd Cape Town (B/D)
Breakfast at hotel
This morning depart on a full day tour of Cape Peninsula.

Take the Cable car to the top of Table Mountain (weather permitting). View what Sir Francis Drake described as “the fairest cape in all the circumference of the earth”.

Continue to the “Republic of Hout Bay”. Take a boat trip to Duiker Island, seal and sea bird sanctuary (weather permitting). In the event of poor weather you may visit “World of Birds”. See the wonderful selection of indigenous and exotic birds or go to visit Groot Constantia Wine Estate, first farm of Dutch Governor Simon van der Stel.

Continue to Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point where supposedly the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet. Visit the Jackass Penguins at Boulders, one of only two mainland breeding colonies. Visit world famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Walk the many trails to view the huge variety of indigenous trees, flowers and fynbos. Return to your hotel

The group may enjoy lunch in the Simons Town area at an additional cost. We would suggest one of the following restaurants.

Bertha's Restaurant (www.berthas.co.za <http://www.berthas.co.za>)
Black Marlin Seafood Restaurant (www.balckmarlin.co.za <http://www.balckmarlin.co.za>)
Seaforth Restaurant (www.seaforthrestaurant.co.za <http://www.seaforthrestaurant.co.za>)

This evening transfer to Africa Café. You don’t eat; you feast - communally from a succession of bowls brought to your table by a smiling waitress who explains their contents. The restaurant offers an interesting 'African Feast' with samples of foods from across the continent (included). Order as much as you like of the ones you enjoy!

Overnight at Southern Sun Waterfront, Cape Town

June 03^rd Cape Town (B/L)
Enjoy breakfast and depart for a day in the Winelands.

Visit the Afrikaans Language Monument, commemorating the survival and dynamic growth, against all odds, of this young language. Situated in the Paarl Rock Nature Reserve, you enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and valleys from the foot of the monument.

Enjoy a wine tasting at one of the leading wine estates in the area. Continue to Stellenbosch, shaded by ancient oak trees, this is the second oldest town in South Africa and the centre of the winegrowing region.

Continue to Spier Wine Estate in the heart of the Cape Winelands and set in magnificent natural surroundings for lunch, a private wine tasting and a brief history of Spier, followed by a visit by a live cheetah, and a photo for those daring enough to stroke this magnificent animal’s head. (Additional cost of US$ 12 per person to touch an adult cheetah and US$ 16 per person to touch one of the cubs).

Overnight at Southern Sun Waterfront, Cape Town

June 04^th Cape Town / Djuma Private Game Reserve (B/D)
After breakfast transfer to the airport for your domestic flight to Hoedsprut via Johannesburg. (Flights excluded)
Met at the airport and transferred to Djuma lodge.

Djuma Game Reserve named from the Shangaan word meaning ‘roar of the lion’ - is part of the world renowned Sabi Sand Game Reserve. This reserve borders on the Kruger National Park. There is no dividing fence between the two reserves and therefore Djuma’s 17,300 acre is part of the vast Kruger National Park ecosystem.

Depart on an afternoon game drive (open vehicles). Enjoy a lovely starlight night, punctuated by the calls of nightjars and owls.

Return to your hotel and enjoy a fabulous dinner under African skies
Overnight stay at Bush Lodge, Djuma Private Game Reserve - 4*
<http://www.djuma.com/gallery_B_lodge.php>

June 05^th Djuma Private Game Reserve (B/L/D)
Shortly before sunrise you are awakened with steaming coffee and rusks.

As the sun rises a magical time of the day, set off on our early morning game drive. The animals that can be seen include the ‘Big Five’. During the next three hours or so you will track and find some of the amazing animals that are to be found at Djuma Game Reserve. Soon you will be enjoying the early morning fresh air with one of the ‘Big Five’. A close encounter with one of there magnificent beast is an experience of a lifetime. Your guide is qualified and has an extensive knowledge of the savanna and its inhabitants. After the exciting morning drive sit down for a hearty breakfast.

The mid morning activities include a bush walk. During the bush walk your guide will show some of the smaller things such as animal tracks, the diverse array of insects, or even a chameleon waiting in ambush of an insect meal. An of course the birds - there are more than 200 species - are magnificent and the morning walk will introduce you to many of the species. Your guide also has an extensive knowledge of the culinary and medicinal uses of the various plants.

By lunchtime you are all ravenous and tired. You will enjoy a quiet lunch and afterwards relax in the lush gardens or around the pool, or even partake in bit of siesta. The pool at Bush Lodge is immediately adjacent to a mud wallow and it is not unusual to have an elephant having a mud bath whilst you wallow in the cool pool water!

By late afternoon assemble again for some tea and cakes and set off for the evening game drive. The game drive stops for a ‘sundowner’ drink overlooking the magnificent African sunset. The climax of the game drive is at night when a spotlight is used to find some of the more exclusive nocturnal animals such as the awesome Leopard or the cute bushbaby.

At the end of the night drive a warm, crackling fire and a sumptuous meal awaits at the lodge. Sit around a blazing fire under the endless African night sky, the brilliant Milky Way intense in the unpolluted skies is to evoke ancient memories of our ancestors who evolved in this magnificent African Savanna all those millennia ago.
Tonight enjoy a bush dinner or a Bush dinner (Weather permitting).

Overnight stay at Bush Lodge, Djuma Private Game Reserve

June 06^th Djuma Private Game Reserve (B/L/D)
Enjoy activities and game drives at Djuma Game reserve.
Overnight stay at Bush Lodge, Djuma Private Game Reserve

June 07^th Djuma Private Game Reserve / Johannesburg (B)
After a morning game drive and delicious breakfast, transfer to Hoedsprut airport for your flight to Johannesburg, where you will connect with your onward flight to USA.

End of Tour

Land Cost- $3,895 (sharing a double room)
Single supplement $899

Suggestions for Air:
It would be best to buy into our group fare for this tour which includes the domestic flights since you do want to travel on the same flights as al the others for easy coordination of transfers. The route should be USA / Johannesburg / Livingstone / Cape Town / Hoedspruit & Johannesburg / USA. Please let us know if you would like me to get you a quote

Land Cost Includes:
¶Accommodation at specified hotels (standard rooms) or similar on twin sharing
¶Meals as mentioned in the itinerary: B - breakfast, L - lunch & D - dinner
¶Transportation - luxury air conditioned coach
¶Sightseeing tours as specified in the above itinerary
¶Qualified English speaking local tour guides who will be with the group throughout the tour in South Africa.
¶For Zambian portion group will be met by a local guide for their airport transfer. A local guide will also assist the group during their excursions which will be on a seat in coach basis.
¶Erik's Adventures Singles Travel Guide and Host from USA to accompany group
¶All Transfers to and From airports

Land Cost Excludes:
¶All air tickets and taxes
¶Visa fees.
¶Tips & Gratuities
¶Extra visits and meals not indicated.
¶Optional activities
¶Items of a personal nature such as telephone calls, laundry, beverages etc.
Personal medical and travel insurance.