Bushveld & Battlefields
Discovering Mpumalanga, Isandhlawana, Rorke’s Drift and Spioenpok
Day 1 Fly overnight on Turkish Airlines from London Heathrow to Johannesburg via Istanbul or direct on British Airways.
Day 2 Drive to South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, viewing the Union Buildings, historic Church Square and imposing Voortrekker Monument. Overnight at the 4-star Court Classique Hotel.
Day 3 Travel to the ‘Province of the Rising Sun’, Mpumalanga via the Panorama Route and Blyde River Canyon and unspoiled gold-mining village of Pilgrim’s Rest, proclaimed a National Monument in 1986. Stay two nights at the 4-star Hippo Hollow Country Estate, Hazyview.
Day 4 A full day of open vehicle gameviewing in the Kruger National Park.
Day 5 Travel southwards to the mountain kingdom of Swaziland. Enjoy a cultural show at Matsamo Cultural Village, view a local homestead and visit a sangoma (traditional healer). Overnight at the 3-star Forester’s Arms Country Hotel in the beautiful Swazi Highlands near Mbabane.
Day 6 Continue into KwaZulu-Natal and enjoy a cruise on the St Lucia Estuary. Overnight at the 3-star Elephant Lake Hotel, St Lucia.
Day 7 Drive to the battlefields of Isandhlawana and Rorke’s Drift. Visit the Talana Museum in Dundee which displays the events of the Anglo Boer War (1899-1902) and is the site of the first set piece battle in Natal. Spend two nights at the 3-star Sandford Park Resort near Bergville and the Drakensberg Mountains.
Day 8 A visit to Spioenkop, the scene of one of the bloodiest of the four battles to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith from the Boer forces in 1900 with time to walk up. Continue to Ladysmith to visit the siege museum.
Day 9 Return to Johannesburg and transfer to the airport for the overnight flight to London via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines or direct on British Airways.
Day 10 Arrive Heathrow in the morning.
Extension - Istanbul
Stay three nights in the great capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. A two-day programme of sightseeing includes the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, St. Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar and a Bosphorus cruise. The 4-star President Hotel is close to the Grand Bazaar and the Sultanahmet old town district. Part of the Best Western group with restaurants, coffee shop, a terrace with views over the city, bar, pool (heated in winter). health club, jacuzzi and 204 air-conditioned rooms with private facilities, hairdryer, mini-bar and satellite TV. Breakfast daily with two lunches and one dinner also included.
Extension – Cape Town
Fly to Cape Town for seven nights at the 4-star Townhouse Hotel including two specially commissioned private tours of Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope.
