The Lost Two Signature South Africa Safari

Days 2–3: Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge, Sabi Sand Nature Reserve

After breakfast, a private transfer will collect you from your hotel and deliver you to the terminal for your short domestic flight to Skukuza, the gateway to the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve. On arrival, a dedicated lodge transfer will be waiting to take you directly to Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge, your home for the next two nights.

Set deep in the bushveld and overlooking a productive waterhole and open plain, Bush Lodge is one of southern Africa’s most storied safari properties, with over 40 years of history and a well-earned reputation for exceptional wildlife and warm, personalised hospitality. The lodge’s 25 luxury suites are generously proportioned and beautifully appointed, blending eclectic African décor with all the comforts of a five-star retreat.

The Sabi Sand’s fenceless boundary with Kruger National Park means wildlife moves freely and in extraordinary numbers. Mornings and evenings are spent in open safari vehicles with expert guides, tracking the Big Five through some of Africa’s most game-rich terrain. Leopard sightings here are legendary, and few reserves on the continent can match the frequency and quality of encounters. Guided nature walks add yet another dimension to the experience, bringing the smaller, often-overlooked wonders of the bushveld into sharp focus.

Days 4–6: Tanda Tula Safari Camp, Timbavati Private Game Reserve

After one last morning game drive, you’ll check out of Bush Lodge and be met by a private vehicle for the transfer north to the Timbavati Private Game Reserve, a journey of approximately three and a half hours through the South African lowveld, with the possibility of roadside wildlife along the way.

Your destination is Tanda Tula Safari Camp, a recently and completely revamped property that has emerged from its rebuild as one of the Timbavati’s most compelling addresses. Positioned on the banks of the Nhlaralumi River, the camp’s seven spacious safari suites and two family suites are dotted amongst ancient trees, each with a private deck and plunge pool overlooking the dry riverbed. It is intimate, elegant, and entirely in harmony with its surroundings.

The Timbavati is one of South Africa’s premier Big Five destinations, covering 130,000 acres of unfenced wilderness that flows seamlessly into Kruger. It is also the only known place in the world where white lions carry their extraordinary recessive gene, and while a sighting is rare, it is certainly not unheard of here. Game drives and guided walking safaris are conducted with strict conservation protocols, keeping vehicle numbers low and the experience genuinely wild.

Tanda Tula is owner-run, deeply committed to conservation and community, and has a warmth and authenticity that truly sets it apart. These three nights are likely to be among the most memorable of the entire trip.

Days 7–11: Victoria & Alfred Hotel, Cape Town

This morning a private transfer will collect you from camp and take you to Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport, where you’ll board your domestic flight to Cape Town, one of the world’s great cities and a destination that consistently stops travellers in their tracks. On arrival at Cape Town International Airport, a private transfer will be ready and waiting to take you directly to your hotel.

Your base for the next five nights is the iconic Victoria & Alfred Hotel, sitting right in the heart of the V&A Waterfront. Originally built in 1904 as a North Quay warehouse and converted into a luxury hotel, the property carries with it a wonderful sense of history and old-world character. Its 94 beautifully appointed rooms are spread across three floors, each one facing either the lively Piazza, the ever-busy Alfred Basin, or the magnificent Table Mountain. It is the kind of hotel where the location alone is worth the stay, with boutiques, restaurants, and the energy of the waterfront right on your doorstep.

Cape Town offers an almost overwhelming array of experiences, and these five nights give you the freedom to explore at your own pace, with private transfers on hand to get you wherever you’d like to go. Ride the cable car to the summit of Table Mountain for panoramic views stretching from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. Explore the colourful Bo-Kaap neighbourhood and its Cape Malay heritage. Take a ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. Or venture further afield to the Cape Peninsula’s dramatic coastline, where penguins waddle along Boulder’s Beach and the road winds to the very tip of the African continent.

The restaurant scene alone could fill five nights, as Cape Town consistently ranks among the world’s finest dining cities, and staying at the V&A Waterfront puts you right in the middle of it all.

The restaurant scene alone could fill five nights, as Cape Town consistently ranks among the world’s finest dining cities.

Days 12–13: Le Petit Manoir, Franschhoek

For the final chapter of your South African journey, a private transfer will carry you approximately 75 kilometres east of Cape Town into the breathtaking Franschhoek Valley, and into one of the most beautiful small towns on the African continent.

Franschhoek, meaning “French Corner,” was settled by French Huguenot refugees in the late 1600s, and their winemaking legacy endures magnificently today. The main street is lined with galleries, artisan food producers, chocolate shops, and some of the country’s most celebrated restaurants. The surrounding mountains are spectacular, the light is golden, and the pace of life is exactly what the end of a great adventure calls for.

Your home here is Le Petit Manoir, a newly renovated five-star boutique hotel of just ten suites, located right on Franschhoek’s main street. Your Luxurious King Suite features a private balcony with pool views, a freestanding bath, a fireplace, and every thoughtful detail you’d hope to find at this level of accommodation. Breakfast is included each morning, and the property’s restaurant, bar and deli mean you need never venture far. Though with the Franschhoek Wine Tram, scenic mountain trails, and world-class wineries on your doorstep, you almost certainly will.

On your final morning, a private transfer will take you on the scenic drive back to Cape Town International Airport, where your South African adventure draws to a close, full of memories that will last a lifetime.