This new addition to our tour schedule combines South Africa's extraordinary diversity of birds, mammals and flowering plants with its equally appealing wine culture which goes back 360 years.
On the southern tip of Africa lies a strip a unique evergreen, heath-like shrubland known as Fynbos, a term derived from the Dutch word Fijnbosch which, when literally translated, means "fine or delicate bush." Fynbos forms part of the Cape Floral Kingdom which is the smallest of the world's six Floristic Kingdoms and the only one contained in its entirety within a single country. Despite being the smallest of the floristic kingdoms, it is the richest per unit area, with ,more than 9000 species. On this tour we will not only enjoy the Proteas, Ericas, and Pincushions of the Fynbos but also the spectacle of hundreds of flowering annuals and bulbs from the west coast and southern karoo regions of the Cape.
Fynbos is just one of many distinctive habitats in South Africa, and for this reason the country's avian variety is equally, diverse with no fewer than 100 endemic and near-endemic bird species, along with two endemic families, the Sugarbirds and Rockjumpers. We will look for both these families plus many other Cape endemics before heading straight into the profusion of tropical bird species found in the north-eastern parts of South Africa.
The Mediterranean-type climate of the Cape region, with its cold, wet winters and hot, dry summers, along with its well-drained soils and coastal influences of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, makes this region ideal for the cultivation of vineyards. The first bottle of wine in the Cape was produced as far back as 1659 by its original governor, Jan van Riebeeck. With an established wine culture, South Africa is one of the top ten wine-producing and exporting countries in the world, and its wines are up there with the finest in the world. There will be at least four wine-tasting sessions on this tour plus a fine selection of top South African wines on offer during all evening meals.
South Africa also possesses some of the best safari destinations on the continent, and no visit to the country would be complete without experiencing Africa's iconic mammals in their natural environment, including Elephant, Lion, Rhino, Leopard, Buffalo, Giraffe, and Zebra. We have selected the best wildlife regions of Kruger to maximize our chances of experiencing great wildlife encounters, and within the adjacent conservation areas sightings of big cats are almost guaranteed.
To sum up, this tour combines the enjoyment of experiencing the scenic splendor, the floral magic, the avian diversity, and the spectacular wildlife of South Africa, all over a good glass of wine!
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