South Africa | Conservation and Culture with California Academy of Sciences

Depart on your flight in the morning.

Arrive in Cape Town in the evening. After clearing customs and immigration, meet your guide and transfer to the hotel. Check-in is available beginning at 3 pm.

The morning is at leisure to rest after your long flight. After lunch, attend a program orientation, and then set out on a tour of Cape Town. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Begin the day traveling along Cape Town's Atlantic Seaboard to Hout Bay, a unique fishing harbor with magnificent views of the mountains and beach. Here, board a cruise to Seal Island to see brown fur seals gathering by the thousands. En route, take in the beautiful scenery of Cape Town's coastline. It is also possible to see birds like Cape and Bank Cormorants and Lesser Black-backed, Kelp, and Hartlaub's Gulls. Once back on dry land, continue along Chapman's Peak, one of the world's most breathtaking coastal drives, to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point, the meeting point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Board a funicular and ride to the cape's lighthouse for a panoramic view. Then, have lunch at Two Oceans Restaurant. In the afternoon, head to historic Simon's Town, a village with intricate Victorian architecture, a naval base, and a large penguin colony at beautiful Boulders Beach. African Penguins inhabit 27 different locations on the continent, and Boulders Beach is one of the few places to view them on the mainland, as most of these sites are inshore islands. The penguins are protected by the non-profit Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) to ensure that their populations remain strong. Wooden walkways allow visitors to observe the penguins in their natural habitat.

This morning, take a cable car to the top of Table Mountain for gorgeous views of Cape Town and the Atlantic Seaboard, followed by an afternoon visit to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, with lunch at its cafe upon arrival. Founded in 1913 with the express intention of preserving endemic flora, Kirstenbosch is currently managed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute and considered one of the great botanical gardens of the world. In addition to its ethos of research and conservation, the garden showcases a wide variety of the unique plant life of the Cape Flora (also known as fynbos), which includes sugar bushes, pincushions, and heaths. Plants from all the diverse regions and biomes of southern Africa are also grown at Kirstenbosch, including a near complete collection of cycads. Over 125 species of birds have been recorded here, including sugarbirds, sunbirds, and a resident Spotted Eagle-Owl. Naturally, butterflies, mammals, and amphibians make their home here as well; the critically endangered Table Mountain ghost frog has even been recorded at this site. After leaving Kirstenbosch, head to SANCCOB's seabird rehabilitation center to learn about their efforts in rescue, rehabilitation, and research in support of seabird species like the endangered African penguin. This evening, dinner is on your own to take advantage of leisure time at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

Say farewell to the scenic coast of South Africa and journey into the country's northeast for your safari adventure. This morning, check out of the hotel and fly to Hoedspruit, near Blyde River Canyon and Kruger National Park. Upon arrival, after collecting your luggage, visit the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a wildlife education and rehabilitation facility. This center rescues abandoned, injured, and poisoned wildlife and releases them back into the wild after rehabilitation. Some rescues are unable to be released and become permanent residents of the Center, where they serve as ambassadors for conservation education. Notably, the Center operates a Serval breeding project, which has reintroduced 160 servals into areas where they had once been extirpated. Afterward, travel to Moholoholo Lodge in the foothills of the northern Drakensberg escarpment, the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment that features an ensemble of major steep slopes across southern Africa, which boasts stunning views over Moholoholo and Mariepskop Mountain.

Start the day with an early morning bush walk. After breakfast, depart for the Karongwe Private Game Reserve, a 22,000-acre property that is home to the Big Five - lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo, as well as a wealth of other species. Across its 21 national parks, South African National Parks' (SANParks) initiatives include energy efficiency programs, poaching reduction, environmental education, school partnerships, sustainable resource use, and rural development. Later, set out on a sunset wildlife viewing drive, and then return to the lodge and have dinner.

At 5:15 am, depart from the lodge with breakfast boxes in order to enter Kruger National Park as soon as the Phalaborwa gate opens at 6 am. Please note that time durations are estimated, as they will vary in accordance with wildlife sightings. In addition to the Big Five, keep a watchful eye for hippos, crocodiles, cheetah, giraffes, zebras, a variety of antelopes, and a number of endemic bird species. Go on a morning wildlife viewing drive in open safari vehicles, stopping for a visit at the Elephant Museum. Here, learn about elephant evolution, biology, and behavior, in addition to research and conservation efforts to protect these gentle giants. The driving distance is approximately three hours. In the evening, have dinner at the lodge.

Today, meet with a local community followed by more wildlife viewing drives.

Bid farewell to the Reserve with one final morning wildlife viewing drive. Then, travel approximately 3 hours to Mdluli Lodge, located in the southwest area of Kruger National Park. The lodge is a luxury tented accommodation and sustainable tourism initiative in partnership with the local Mdluli community. En route, visit the majestic Blyde River Canyon, regarded as the largest green canyon in the world due to its lush subtropical foliage that encompasses more than 1,100 square miles of protected land. Enjoy breathtaking views of geological wonders like Bourke's Luck Potholes and God's Window. After check-in at Mdluli Lodge, embark on a sunset wildlife viewing drive on Mdluli private concession, accompanied by a skilled ranger. Since this is a Big Five reserve, encountering lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalos is possible, as well as smaller species like nyala antelope and vervet monkeys and around 350 bird species. After a guided bush walk, enjoy the luxury amenities of Mdluli Lodge at an additional cost.

Enjoy a full day to experience the iconic African wildlife in Kruger National Park, from the Big Five to an abundance of antelope. Go on early morning and afternoon wildlife viewing drives with a skilled ranger to spot a diverse range of animal species. Enjoy lunch at the lodge in between the two excursions.

After an early morning wildlife-viewing drive and breakfast, depart for Hoedspruit and your flight to Johannesburg. You will be met and assisted with check-in for your international flight home.

Today, arrive back in the U.S. Welcome home!