Depart from New York or Washington, DC for your flight to Cape Town, South Africa via Johannesburg on South African Airways.

Upon arrival at Johannesburg International Airport you will go through immigration and clear customs, re-check your bags and then proceed to the Domestic Terminal for your onward flight to Cape Town. Then upon arrival at Cape Town Airport you will be met by a Lion World Tours representative and transferred to your hotel.

After breakfast depart for your Cape Peninsula Tour. See for yourself how this spectacular southern tip of Africa became known as the 'Fairest Cape'. You will travel through the pristine beaches of Camps Bay, Clifton and Llandudno - currently the hottest real estate in the world - to Hout Bay, a functioning harbor and heart of the local crayfish industry (optional Seal Island cruise, time permitting).

After a stop for lunch (own account), it's on to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and its scenic viewing point. The spectacular sea and mountain views are reason enough to make the 41 mile trip from Cape Town. Amid the rocky landscape - home to mountain zebra, eland and ostriches - blooms magnificent Cape flora.

Continue along the coastline to the beautiful Boulders Beach where you can sit among a colony of penguins. Our last stop is the naval port of Simonstown, the country's third oldest European settlement.

Return to your hotel in the late afternoon this evening.

After breakfast you will make your own way to the jetty at the Clocktower in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Here you will board the ferry for your Robben Island Tour.

For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 8 miles from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here that rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society.

During the apartheid years Robben Island became internationally known for its institutional brutality. The duty of those who ran the Island and its prison was to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. Some freedom fighters spent more than a quarter of a century in prison for their beliefs.

Those imprisoned on the Island succeeded on a psychological and political level in turning a prison 'hell-hole' into a symbol of freedom and personal liberation. Robben Island came to symbolize, not only for South Africa and the African continent, but also for the entire world, the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity. Today, you will be escorted around the Island by an ex-political prisoner, and given insight into the past and how the human spirit triumphs.

Later this afternoon you will be at leisure to visit Table Mountain (weather permitting). You will make your own way to Table Mountain, which is well-known for its spectacular views. The new revolving cable cars give stunning views over Cape Town. Once on top, there is time to wander around and take photographs from the numerous viewing decks around. Take a look at the curio shop, take a walk around to the different viewpoints, or you may want to stop for refreshments. After making your descent you will have the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

After breakfast at the Hotel, the remainder of the day is at leisure to visit the fabulous stores and restaurants at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, or possibly take an optional Wine Tour.

This morning you will have an early transfer to Cape Town Airport for your flight to Johannesburg, South Africa on South African Airways. Upon arrival at Johannesburg International Airport, you will then be transferred to your hotel.

The Michelangelo Hotel, a member of "The Leading Hotels of the World", is the perfect complement to Sandton's exclusive central business district. With its signature Renaissance architecture, elegance and service excellence, The Michelangelo makes a lasting impression from the moment you arrive. Forming an integral part of Renaissance styled Nelson Mandela Square, the five star Michelangelo Hotel reflects the architecture and design of the Square. A majestic dome in glass and steel tops the entrance lobby atrium rising eight stories. Scenic elevators overlook the atrium with its arches.

After breakfast you will be taken on a half day Soweto City Tour. You will travel to Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnship), the largest black residential area in South Africa; see a fascinating contrast to Sandton and Rosebank in the northeast. This "city within a city" consists of 50 suburbs and essentially acts as a labor reservoir for the greater metropolitan area of the Witwatersrand. In many ways, the story of Soweto is the story of South Africa.

The tour includes all of the major points of interest, such as Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Baragwanath taxi rank, Freedom Square, Hector Pietersen Memorial and Nelson Mandela's former home.

After breakfast this morning you will be transferred from the Michelangelo Hotel to either Bakubung Bush Lodge or the Cascades Hotel in Sun City via the Lesedi Cultural Village including a show and traditional lunch.

Lesedi is a multi-cultural African village, set amongst the pristine bushveld and rocky hills less than an hour's drive from the city of Johannesburg. The village consists of a number of different homesteads or traditional villages: the Xhosa, with their beautiful thatched homes and red blankets; the Zulu with their fighting sticks and cozy beehive huts; the Pedi, with their courtyards and rhythmic drums; and the conical straw hats and sturdy mountain ponies of the Basotho. Guests experience a traditional welcome upon arrival, guided cultural walkabout through two of the four homesteads, traditional song and dance and traditional lunch.

This morning is a very early start as you take part in an open vehicle game drive before breakfast.

Pilanesberg National Park is home to the gargantuan shapes of Africa's giants - elephants, rhino and buffalo. If you're fortunate, you may catch a glimpse of the stealthy leopard or lion, stately King of the bush. This is wild country indeed, yet is malaria-free.

Spend the afternoon relaxing at the Lodge or Hotel, book another optional game drive or if you are staying at Bakubung Bush Lodge, you can visit nearby Sun City. There is a huge range of sporting and leisure facilities at Sun City: floodlit tennis courts, horseback riding, nature trails, lawn bowls as well as jet-skiing, parasailing, windsurfing, water-skiing, and sunset cruising.

The Valley of the Waves offers an astonishing selection of activities, from surfing on 7 foot high waves to the relaxing Lazy River ride. Sun City is also home to one of the largest casinos in the Southern Hemisphere.

After breakfast you'll be transferred by road back to Johannesburg Airport. Upon arrival in Johannesburg you will connect for your ongoing flight to Washington or New York on South African Airways.

Arrive home with a lifetime of memories!



JUNE & JULY NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA