The 28-acre Lilliesleaf farmstead served as the headquarters of the African National Congress and Umkhonto we Sizwe (the ‘Spear of the Nation’) until a security police raid in 1963, which led to the trial and imprisonment of the organisations’ leaders, including Nelson Mandela. Visits to the awardwinning site and Johannesburg’s moving Apartheid Museum will provide the historical background to today’s democratic South Africa. Return to Lesedi for a second evening.

Following an early breakfast, bid farewell to Lesedi and journey into Mpumalanga, the awe-inspiring ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ bordered by the vast Kruger National Park. Journey via the famous Panorama Route, one of Africa’s most scenic drives, with highlights including preserved ‘gold rush’ town Pilgrim’s Rest, and mountain passes overlooking Blyde River Canyon. Gaze in wonder at the view from ‘God’s Window’, and take in the strange rock formations of the ‘Three Rondavels’ and the colourful sandstone outcrops of ‘Bourke’s Luck Potholes’. Arrive at the overnight hotel close to the Kruger Park, in time for a dip in the pool before dinner.

Begin the day early and drive the 15 minutes to Africa’s oldest wildlife conservation area, home to the world’s greatest concentration of wildlife species in their natural habitat. Enjoy a full-day game drive, with a packed picnic breakfast and the chance to buy lunch at a rest-stop, and from your opentopped vehicle and with luck you might encounter impala, wildebeest, giraffe and zebra, and the ‘Big Five’ of lion, rhino, elephant, leopard and buffalo. Following the drive, exit the Park and drive to the nearby Unyati Safari Lodge for a two-night stay.

Enjoy the chance to rest and relax after the past few days’ adventure, perhaps taking a dip in the pool or simply enjoying the sunshine. Optional activities will include a bush walk on a private reserve, a sunset nature drive or even a return into the Kruger Park.

Today you’ll cross the border into the tiny Kingdom of Swaziland, a former British Protectorate still boasting a colonial feel with traditional heritage, and the friendly, warm Swazi welcome for visitors. En-route, you’ll stop at curio shops and cultural centres, before continuing on into Kwazulu-Natal and an overnight stay at a wonderful hot springs resort. Enjoy a therapeutic soak before dinner.

Join a specialist battlefields guide who will introduce you to the tumultuous history of the Zulu Wars, and to the battlefields of Isandlwana and, most famously, Rorke’s Drift, the latter immortalised in the 1964 movie Zulu. A fascinating day includes lunch, before you head to the hotel in time for dinner.

An early start this morning sees you return to Johannesburg airport and a flight south to bustling, friendly Port Elizabeth’. Upon arrival, meet your tour manager for the next few days and transfer to your overnight hotel. A hugely popular beach-resort, modern ‘P E’ still offers glimpses of Victorian grandeur, with plenty of options should you wish to dine out this evening.

Begin your journey along the famously scenic Garden Route to Knysna, pausing at the Storms River Bridge, overlooking the verdant Tsitsikamma forest, and perhaps dipping your toes in the Indian Ocean at colourful Plettenberg Bay. Knynsa, your base for the next two nights, brims with seaside character and charm. Take an optional cruise across the lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, perhaps drive to Western Head for spectacular views and enjoy dinner at a wide choice of restaurants.

This morning, visit the world-renowned Cango Caves, with their stalactites and stalagmites, formed over millions of years. You’ll then head to Oudtshoorn, the ‘Ostrich Capital of the World’, in the heart of the ‘Little Karoo’ plain. The world’s strangest, largest and often most valuable bird has been farmed here for 130 years, first for its plumage and more recently for its high-protein, low-cholesterol meat. Enjoy a taste at an included lunch, after which you’ll return to Knysna for a second evening.

Bid farewell to Knysna and head along the Garden Route to the Atlantic coast town of Hermanus, a famed whalewatching centre from July to November. Pause at Stony Point for a glimpse of its penguin colony, before heading into the beautiful, verdant Cape Winelands region, for an overnight stay in a hotel overlooking the Stellenbosch mountains.

Enjoy today’s tour of rolling vineyard-covered hills and valleys dotted with villages built in ‘Cape Dutch’, Edwardian and Art-Deco styles. After exploring Stellenbosch, you’ll call at Franschhoek, the culinary capital of the Western Cape, and scenic Paarl, at the foot of a towering granite outcrop. During the tour, enjoy a tasting and the opportunity to purchase some wines, before you make the unforgettable journey across the Western Cape to Cape Town, one of the world’s most beautifully located cities, for a last three-night stay. Enjoy a first evening, perhaps enjoying the delights of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, with its complex of shops, theatres, bars and restaurants.

On a last touring day, weather permitting, take the Chapman’s Peak Drive, one of the world’s most thrilling coastal roads, into the Cape Point Peninsula. See treacherous Cape Point, in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Boulders Beach, with its colony of Jackass penguins, and after a lunch stop in Simon’s Town, overlooking False Bay, make the journey back into Cape Town and a second evening.

Today is free to rest and relax and enjoy the city, perhaps wandering through the historic Bo-Kaap district of Dutch colonial houses, strolling through the horticultural paradise of The Company’s Gardens, catching a catamaran to infamous Robben Island, former ‘home’ to Nelson Mandela, or making an unforgettable ascent of Table Mountain, taking in the panorama from a rotating cable car as it climbs to the summit, with its stupendous views of the city and beyond. Enjoy a last evening in Cape Town.

Early this morning, you'll transfer to the airport to check in for your flight to Victoria Falls Airport. You'll arrive at your hotel before lunch, leaving you plenty of time to begin discovering this iconic destination.

Spend three glorious days exploring, and enjoying the facilities at your hotel. Enjoy your first sight of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World – Victoria Falls – on an included tour. Take a lazy sunset cruise along the languid Zambezi, and sip a cocktail on deck as the light fades, the birds come home to roost and the wildlife on the river (with luck, you’ll see hippos and crocodiles) settles down.

Today you'll fly back to Johannesburg from Livingstone, and connect to your overnight flight home.

You'll arrive home, today, at the end of a wonderful South African holiday.