You'll be met at the airport and transported to our hotel for the evening.

After breakfast, we'll depart Johannesburg for Motseng, our lodge for the next three nights. After unpacking and settling into rooms, we'll enjoy our first South African lunch. A brief hike may offer glimpses of giraffes, zebras, warthogs, impalas, and more. You'll sure tick of your first new life bird.

This morning you can choose to sleep in, or take part in an early-morning birding hike. We're almost certain to see giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, warthog, and many impala. Bird targets include Violet-backed Starling, Pygmy Kingfisher, African Fish Eagle and many more. Tonight, we'll hop on an open-air safari vehicle for our first game drive. 

This morning will start with another game drive. After breakfast, we'll take a hike on one of the property's numerous trails. At Lindani, we need not fear any animals that might attack humans. The wildlife roams freely on the 8,000-acre reserve and taking pictures of game animals can be challenging while on foot!

This morning we'll board our shuttle for the drive back to Johannesburg and board our flight to Cape Town. As we approach the city, you'll see why it's considered one of the most beautiful in the world. We'll enjoy a short stroll from our Cape Town hotel among the many nearby eclectic shops. Overnight Cape Town Lodge or similar. 

We'll depart for wine country on a tram that will visit vineyards in Franschoek, Stellenbosch, and more! This eight-hour journey will take us deep into the gorgeous wine regions of South Africa, which produces some very high-value wines.

The coastal waters off Hermanus are home to a spectacular range of marine wildlife, but the only way to enjoy truly up-close views is by boat. On this private wildlife cruise, spot humpback whales, dolphins, and more in their natural habitat with your guide. Spin through the seaside villages of Betty's Bay and Kleinmond—with round-trip travel from your Cape Town hotel included—and experience the best of the South African coast.

We'll visit Kirstenbosch Gardens to enjoy the fantastic plantings, along with colorful birds that are commonly spotted like Malachite, Southern Double-collared, and Orange-breasted Sunbird. After an early lunch, we'll take a boat trip to Robben Island to see the prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 16-years.

 This morning we'll depart early for the jaw-dropping West Coast National Park. We're almost certain to see Greater and Lesser Flamingoes. The excellent guides from Fangs and Feathers know the birds of the park extraordinarily well, and where elusive game like bontebok, serval, mountain zebra, and others might be spotted. 

Today will be an all-day tour of the Cape of Good Hope. We'll also stop to enjoy the African Penguin colony that frequents this area. Bird targets include the endemic Cape Sugarbird, Redwinged Starling, and Ostrich. This park offers vistasunparalleled by anywhere in the world.

We'll fly back to Johannesburg before embarking on a four-hour shuttle to Jaci's Safari and Tree Lodge. This five-star lodge sits on the banks of the Limpopo River (Rudyard Kipling fame). After settling in, we'll enjoy a late afternoon safari drive in our first big-five reserve (elephants, rhinos, Cape buffalo, leopard, and lion). Madikwe is known as one of the best reserves in which to spot African wild dog. Bird sightings will include Lilac-breasted and Purple Roller, Woodland Kingfisher, Pin-tailed Whydah and more.

We'll rise prior to sunrise and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea before heading out to the African bush. Sightings can be frenetic on the eastern end of the reserve. Which animal will be your favorite? We're virtually guaranteed of seeing elephant and rhino today. Perhaps we'll also spot a Martial Eagle or Pale-chanting Goshawk.

After another morning game from Jaci's we'll transfer to the five-star Impodimo Game Loge on the western end of Madikwe Game Reserve. How long the drive takes depends largely on how much game we stop to enjoy. This evening, we'll take another game drive. By now, you will have seen much of the game offered by this magnificent reserve. Our tracker and guide will work hard to get us new sightings.

You'll be comfortable with the routine by now: fantastic game drives with breaks for high tea and meals. You might also want to take advantage of the hide (blind) that puts you within an arm's length of game that visits there regularly. Our guide and tracker will work hard to get us game that has proved elusive to this point. Overnight Impodimo Game Lodge 

Today will mark our last day offering two game drives. By now, we likely will have seen hundreds of elephants, numerous rhinos, cape buffalo, several prides of lions, and perhaps a leopard enjoying the protection of a tree while consuming a kill. Our bird sightings will be numerous. Overnight Impodimo Lodge 

You can choose to have a "lie-in" or awaken for one last morning safari drive. After a late breakfast, it will be time to depart for Johannesburg. The drive takes roughly four hours and we'll arrive at Tambo Airport in plenty of time to catch our late evening flights back to the United States.  

Your two-day journey home will end today.