South Africa 2022: Cities & Safari Learn, Serve, Immerse Trip!

Johannesburg is South Africa’s biggest city. Joburg, or Jozi as some prefer to call it, is a rapidly changing city and the vibrant heart of South Africa, began as a 19th-century gold-mining settlement. Its sprawling Soweto township was once home to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.  After almost 20 years of decline and decay, the city is now looking optimistically towards the future. Infused with the history of the struggle against apartheid and abuzz with the energy of the city of gold, the city is a must-see for tourists who are looking for more than sun, sea, and “The Big Five”.

After checking into the hotel activities will include:

• South Africa Cities and Safari  tour orientation
• Depart for an afternoon at the Apartheid Museum! 
• Dinner 

Included: Bed &  Dinner

The Apartheid Museum illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid. A series of 22 individual exhibition areas takes the visitor through a dramatic emotional journey that tells a story of a state-sanctioned system based on racial discrimination and the struggle of the majority to overthrow this tyranny. The exhibits include provocative film footage, photographs, text panels and artifacts illustrating the events and human stories of apartheid. 

Then return to the hotel to refresh and relax before dinner!

You can't miss the contemporary, grey-striped facade of Holiday Inn Johannesburg-Rosebank, next to the futuristic Zone shopping center. Relax on the sunny pool deck when you arrive from O.R. Tambo International Airport, 25km (15miles) away.   

Dine on continental dishes and sample South African wines at the plush Velvet restaurant. Club sandwiches are served on the terrace by the outdoor pool, and you can sample South African wines beside the fireplace in the stylish Velvet lounge.

Activities
Breakfast 
Depart for Soweto Day Tour:                                                                                                  

• Baragwanath Hospital (the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere)
• Kliptown Mandela House Hector Pieterson Memorial & Museum
• Community Immersion: Lunch with Soweto Family & African Intercultural Afternoon Dinner
• Dinner at Nelson Mandela Square 

Included: Bed & Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Soweto Day Tour 
Visiting Soweto is the best way for families to immerse themselves in the heart of South Africa’s freedom struggle while allowing you to experience the vibrant township culture of today.  We will visit historical places, meet and connect with the local community, and at the end of the day, we will enjoy a vibrant dinner at Wandies! 

Community Immersion with Phaphama Initiatives 
You will have the opportunity to be immersed in the local community by enjoying lunch with a Soweto family and experience an afternoon of cultural exchange where you will learn the concept of ubuntu, and engage in the nuances of etiquette and communication in African culture.  

Ubuntu refers to behaving well towards others or acting in ways that benefit the community. A quality that includes the essential human virtues: compassion and humanity.
 

Activities Include:
Depart for Kruger National Park via Panoramic Route                              
Lunch (Own Accord) 
Arrive Timbavati Safari Lodge 
Dinner 

Included: Bed & Breakfast & Dinner; 

Breathtaking views, plunging waterfalls, eagles flying above you and rich history, are the kinds of things you better get used to when you visit the Panorama Route. This famous route is home to mountains, forests, and canyons.  View scenic landmarks such Bourke's Luck Potholes and God’s Window, where you can walk in the thick, indigenous mist forest that stands amongst the clouds some 800m above Blyde River Canyon.  On top of the scenic beauty and historical learnings found on the Panorama Route, you will also experience a wealth of plant and animal life in the region, including Klipspringers, Kudu, bushbuck, bush-babies, Chacma baboons, Black-Backed jackals and many species of birdlife, including resident pairs of nesting eagles that might well look you in the eye. 

Kruger National Park is South Africa’s largest game reserve and offers a wildlife experience that ranks one of the best in the world. The diversity, density and sheer numbers of animals is almost unparalleled, and all of Africa's iconic safari species – elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, rhino, buffalo, giraffe, hippo and zebra – live out their dramatic days here, along with a supporting cast of 137 other mammals and over 500 varieties of birds. It provides sanctuary for all the country’s endangered species. Terrain ranges from savanna lands to rocky outcrops and sparse forests, and visitors have the choice of game drives or guided walk safaris as a means of experiencing the park and its creatures. 

After breakfast, depart the Rosebank Holiday Inn. Our first stop is The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory is where Mandela worked from the end of his presidency in 1999 to the end of his public service in 2004. There are thousands of artifacts on display, and you can see his post-presidency office, just as he left it. 

Included: Bed & Breakfast & Dinner; Lunch is on your own accord.

Timbavati Safari Lodge is only minutes from the heart of the world-renowned Kruger National Park and offers an array of choices for adventures, activities, and Safaris. Timbavati's’ colorful and traditionally hand-painted Ndebele rondavels are nestled among glades of mature, exquisite indigenous trees, and offer en-suite, comfortable and clean accommodation in a truly African ambiance. Enjoy a braai (BBQ) in the reeded boma, under a canopy of African starlight while the calls of nearby wildlife enhance the unmatchable sense of mystery of the African bush. Game viewing on foot or in an open safari vehicle is a must for every visitor.

Activities include:

• Breakfast
• Morning or Afternoon Game Drive
• Half Day of Community Service
• Dinner

Included: Bed, Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Community Service Day with Africa Impact

You will have the opportunity to be positive role models by working with under-resourced members of the community through education, care, and support. Project details to be confirmed closer to departure based on the needs of the community and skill set of the group.

Activities include:

• Breakfast
• Half Day of Community Service
• Lunch
• Afternoon Game Drive
• Dinner

Included: Bed & Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Community Service Day with Africa Impact

You will have the opportunity to be positive role models by working with under-resourced members of the community through education, care, and support. Project details to be confirmed closer to departure based on the needs of the community and skill set of the group.

Cape Town is one of the world's most beautiful cities and a top international destination. Large numbers of tourists flock to Cape Town to enjoy this unique city, with its fascinating history, interesting culture, natural beauty, award-winning wines and laid back lifestyle of the city and surrounding area. Whether you are a serious tourist or just want to lie on the beach and enjoy life, Cape Town will satisfy your needs.

Activities include:

• Breakfast Transfer to Airport : Fly from KNP via JNN to Cape Town
• Lunch (Own Acc)
• Arrive in Cape Town, Transfer to Head South Lodge
• Dinner at hotel

Included: Transfers, Breakfast, Dinner, & Bed

The Head South Lodge boutique hotel is situated in Green Point. The accommodation that is a 6-minute walk from the Green Point Stadium, two minutes away from leading Cape Town tourist attraction the V&A Waterfront; 3 minutes from downtown Cape Town and close to Sea Point's famous restaurant district is ranked among some of the best boutique hotels in the world.

Activities include:

• Breakfast
• Robben Island
• Lunch at Eastern Food Bazaar
• District 6 Museum
• Green Market Square
• Dinner & Talk with Robben Island Ex-Prisoner 

Included: Bed & Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Robben Island Prison 

This notorious prison is located on an island 7 km (4miles) off the coast of Cape Town in Table Bay. It is where Africa’s political prisoners were kept during the colonial and Apartheid years of South Africa. This is where Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, was imprisoned on Robben Island for 18 of the 27 years he was behind bars.  

Eastern Food Bazaar 

An authentic Cape Town experience awaits at this buzzing canteen-style eatery. From Turkish kebabs to Cape-style biryanis, creamy North Indian curries and real tandoor dishes, the whole spice spectrum from Bombay to the Bo-Kaap is covered. And of course, there are lots of choices available for vegetarians. 

District 6 Museum 

District Six was a vibrant center originally established in the 19th century as a mixed community of freed slaves, merchants, artisans, laborers, and immigrants.  By the beginning of the 20th century, however, the process of removals and marginalization had begun. The museum houses an impressive collection of old street signs, photographs and stories of District Six, most of which were donated and told by former residents.   

Greenmarket Square 

Greenmarket Square is Cape Town’s best known open market where you will meet traders from all over Africa while you haggle over the price of jewelry, clothes, CDs and arts, and crafts.  The Market is also surrounded by numerous historic buildings housing coffee shops, art museums, and galleries. 

Spend an evening with Lionel Davis, a former political prisoner who served several years alongside Nelson Mandela on Robben Island. Lionel tells the story of how he and his colleagues ended up on the island and you will have a rare insider's look at life in the prison, as well as his interactions with other political prisoners who served time for their involvement in anti-apartheid government efforts. 

Activities include:

• Breakfast 
• Chapman’s Peak & Cape Point 
• Lunch (Own Acc.) 
• Boulders Penguin Colony 
• Dinner at Victoria & Albert Waterfront 

Included: Bed & Breakfast, & Dinner

Cape Point Nature Reserve   
Cape Point lies at the south-western tip of Africa and is in the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve within Table Mountain National Park, which forms part of the Cape Floral Region, a World Heritage Site. The ‘Point’ was treated with respect by sailors for centuries. By day, it was a navigational landmark and by night, and in fog, it was a menace beset by violent storms and dangerous rocks that over the centuries littered shipwrecks around the coastline. This narrow stretch of land, dotted with beautiful valleys, bays, and beaches, contains a mix of extraordinarily diverse and unique fauna and flora.
 

Boulders Penguin Colony
Boulders Penguin Colony in Simons Town is home to a unique and endangered land-based colony of Afri-can Penguins. This colony is one of only a few in the world, and the site has become a popular international tourist destination.
 

V&A Waterfront
Set against a backdrop of magnificent sea and mountain views, in the heart of Cape Town's working harbor, the V&A Waterfront has become South Africa's most visited destination. There you will find exciting shop-ping and entertainment venues intermingled with imaginative office locations, world-class hotels, and luxury apartments.

 

Activities include:

• Breakfast
• Langa Township Bicycle Tour
• Lunch
• Depart for half-day of community service
• Cape Malay cooking class & Dinner

Included: Bed & Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Langa Township Bicycle Tour  

This socially responsible Bicycle Tour in Langa, is a new take on township tours, providing guests the opportunity to meet and interact with the local community from a bicycle seat. A local qualified guide will escort guests around the township, visiting interesting places, and explaining Xhosa customs.

Langa, meaning sun, was established in 1927 and is one of the oldest townships in South Africa. It was a focal area for much of the resistance against the apartheid government and as such has a rich – if often turbulent – history.

It is well known for its cultural offerings, its warmth and sense of community, and a wide array of offerings available to visitors. Our tour takes in the streets, sidewalks, and sometimes, homes of Langa. The tour includes lunch at a local township restaurant that serves delicious authentic South African food.  We attempt to give you a "slice of life" experience of this warm and vibrant neighborhood. 

Cape Town Service Half Day with African Impact 

You will have the opportunity to be positive role models by working with under-resourced children in the community through a literacy and soccer exchange, care, and support. Project details to be confirmed closer to departure based on the needs of the community and skill set of the group. 

Standing in the kitchen of a Malayan woman, you will be taught how to make your very first Malaysian dish. Jasmina is a Cape Malay woman who resides in the Bo-Kaap, Cape Town. She will guide you through the process of cooking a traditional Cape Malaysian dish - step by step!  And then you will sit down to enjoy the dinner that you have prepared!

About the Bo-Kaap

It may be one of the most photographed areas of the Mother City, but brightly painted houses and quaint cobbled streets aren’t the only reasons to visit the Bo Kaap. This part of Cape Town is packed full of history and culture.

The earliest development in the Bo Kaap area was undertaken in the 1760s by a chap called Jan de Waal. Subsequently, the area became known as Waalendorp. It has also been known as the Malay Quarter, the Slamse Buurt, and Scotcheskloof. Translated from Afrikaans, Bo Kaap means ‘Above the Cape’.

During apartheid, the Bo Kaap was subject to the group areas act.  In the 1700s, political exiles, slaves, and convicts were sent to the Cape by the Dutch from India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the Indonesian Archipelago. Although not technically correct, these individuals and their descendants became known as Cape Malays. Many of them eventually settled in the Bo Kaap. In the mid-twentieth century, the Apartheid government, under the Group Areas Act of 1950, declared the Bo Kaap a Muslims-only area and forced people of other religions and ethnicity to leave the area. This case was unique because, during this time, most working-class (and non-white) people in South Africa were being moved away from the cities.

The Bo Kaap is home to the country's oldest mosque. Construction on the Auwal Mosque in Dorp Street began in 1794, making it the oldest mosque in South Africa. However, Muslims were only allowed to practice their religion in public from 1804. The mosque was built on land belonging to a freed slave called Coridon van Ceylon, whose daughter, Saartjie van den Caap, inherited and donated the land. Abdullah Kadi Abdus Salaam, also known as Tuan Guru, was the mosque’s first imam. Tuan Guru was imprisoned on Robben Island for political reasons. While he was there, he wrote an entire Quran from memory. This Quran is available for viewing at the Auwal Mosque.

Activities include:

• Breakfast
• Depart for half-day community service
• Lunch
• Table Mountain Return to Head South Lodge
• Djembe Drumming & Dinner at GOLD Restaurant

Included: Bed & Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Cape Town Service Half Day with African Impact 

You will have the opportunity to be positive role models by working with under-resourced children in the community through a literacy and soccer exchange, care, and support. Project details to be confirmed closer to departure based on the needs of the community and skill set of the group.

Table Mountain 

Without a doubt, Table Mountain is the icon that makes Cape Town instantly recognizable. Rising up over 1000m above sea level, it’s a symbol, a playground, a spiritual retreat, and a big drawcard for tourists. So intertwined with the identity of Cape Town is Table Mountain that a visit to the city isn’t complete without having walked or taken the cable car to the top. 

Celebrate your time in South Africa on this last evening in Cape Town! Enjoy a vibrant one-of-a-kind experience of all things African. A unique culinary experience and interactive traditional entertainment in the heart of Cape Town at GOLD. A typical evening at GOLD Restaurant starts off with an interactive drum circle.  After pounding the skins of the drums, you can soothe your hands in a traditional hand washing ceremony as you are led to your table for a culinary adventure that will transport you from Table Mountain to Timbuktu.

After breakfast depart for Cape Town International Airport via Johannesburg for your international flight home.  Or extend your stay in southern Africa with a visit to Chobe National Park in Botswana.

Learn more about the Chobe National Park Optional Extension

Much more than a traditional tour operator, Global Family Travels’ mission is to “Learn, Serve and Immerse” through community-based travel programs.  In partnership with non-profit organizations and schools, we offer family-friendly and sustainable travel experiences in support of education, gender equality, access to clean water, preservation of local cultures, conservation and economic growth, all of which foster cross-cultural understanding and global citizens.  

Our trips include a unique mix of cultural and educational activities, homestays and participation in local service projects aimed at improving the lives of people in the communities we visit.    
 
Expect to expand your family circle when you embark on a Global Family Travels trip!  Visit our website for more information: Global Family Travels

Learning themes unique to this tour include:  

• Learn about the effects of apartheid through the first-hand experiences of the people of District Six, Johannesburg, and Soweto.
• Learn and appreciate the concept of ubuntu & engage in the nuances of etiquette and communication in African culture.  
• A visit to Robben Island, including dinner with an ex-prison warden who guarded Nelson Mandela.

Highlights include

• Your family will have lunch with a local Soweto family to learn more about how the community struggled against apartheid and what life is like today.
• Take in the sights of Cape Town and surrounding areas, learn about the culture and participate in a community service project. 

Families will have the opportunity to experience the customs and culture of the Xhosa people while taking a socially responsible bicycle tour around Langa Township!

Other immersive experiences unique to this tour:

•  Walk through the streets of the ex-slave community of Bo Kaap while learning about the Malay people. You will interact with local people and participate in a Cape Malay cooking class.
• Get to know "The Big 5" on safari and participate in a community service project in Kruger National Park. 

Safari! About The Kruger National Park Area!

Learn about the history of safari and get to know "The Big 5" while visiting Kruger National Park.    Participate in several eye-opening game drives, including a walking safari to take you up close and personal to the animals. Kruger National Park is South Africa's largest game reserve and offers a wildlife experience that ranks one of the best in the world. The diversity, density, and sheer numbers of animals are almost unparalleled, and all of Africa's iconic safari species – elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, rhino, buffalo, giraffe, hippo, and zebra – live out their dramatic days here, along with a supporting cast of 137 other mammals and over 500 varieties of birds. It provides sanctuary for all the country's endangered species. Terrain ranges from savanna lands to rocky outcrops and sparse forests, and visitors have the choice of game drives or guided walk safaris as a means of experiencing the park and its creatures. 

The health and safety of Global Family Travels’ travelers, community partners, colleagues and guides are of paramount importance to us. To mitigate and manage the risks associated with COVID-19, we have adopted COVID-19 Health and Safety guidelines, which were developed in collaboration with the Adventure Travel & Trade Association (ATTA) and Cleveland Clinic, as well as the Washington State’s public health policies. You can find more detailed information on our website COVID-19 and Travel.

Global Family Travels’ customers will have peace of mind when they choose to travel with us and know that their health and safety are backed by flexible booking conditions. Please refer to the "Tasks" outlining specific details for the health and safety protocols for destination and itinerary. Please also visit our Booking terms and Conditions for the specifics of your personal trip page.

These critical health and operational measures ensure that we can continue to offer tourism experiences with community partners and suppliers in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about these protocols or your trip and thank you for helping to keep yourself and fellow travelers, host community and guides safe!