South Africa · 9 nights

Mountain, Vines, Big Cats

The journey.

An overnight flight lands in the morning. Nothing scheduled on day one, and Table Mountain fills the entire windscreen on the road in.

Table Mountain first thing, because the cloud comes in by noon and the cable car closes for wind more often than anyone admits.

Chapman's Peak, Cape Point and the penguins at Boulders, close enough to hear them, with Kirstenbosch on the way back.

An hour out of the city into the mountains and the vines, and a tasting where the winemaker pours it himself.

A flight to the reserve and straight into an afternoon drive. The first impala, and then the realisation that nobody stops for impala.

This is what you came for. A leopard in a marula tree with the light going, in the reserve that shares an unfenced border with the Kruger.

Whatever yesterday did not give you. Four nights is the minimum that makes the big cats likely rather than lucky.

Coffee in the vehicle at six, with the bush waking up around you, and one more morning drive before the flight back.

Back to the city for a final night so you fly home rested rather than straight off a game drive.

One last look at the mountain from the aircraft window.

• Singita Ebony, Londolozi and The Silo Hotel among the choices

• Two game drives a day with a ranger and tracker, every bush day

• All meals and drinks at the safari lodge

• Table Mountain tickets held flexibly for the first clear morning

• The Cape peninsula and a winelands day, both with a private guide and driver

• South African visas prepared end to end, and all internal flights

Every day and every hotel here has alternatives, with live pricing as you choose: https://packages.tripn.in/south-africa-mountain-vines-big-cats