Classic Cape, Blue Train and Kruger Safari

Arrive at the airport where included VIP lounge access will leave you feeling rested for your overnight flight to Cape Town. 

Arrive into Cape Town where a private transfer will bring you to your hotel at the V&A waterfront. Here, among a host of designer boutiques, trendy bars, street food markets and fine-dining restaurants, you'll base yourself for four days of exploration. Begin with a private Cape Town tour and trip to Table Mountain's lofty summit where sweeping views of the Cape Peninsula put into perspective the sheer beauty of Cape Town's magnificent natural setting. An optional tour includes Robben Island, the notorious prison where Nelson Mandela was held captive for 18 years. Then, perhaps head out to visit one of the city's townships to see how these once culturally deprived settlements have bounced back from years of oppression under the apartheid regime. 

A private transfer will brings you north to the Winelands' town of Stellenbosch whose Cape Dutch architecture and stunning mountain frame sets the scene for two days of optional tours and tastings in South Africa's preeminent wine region. But, sampling the produce is just half the fun of a stay in a region that promises everything from gourmet dining experiences to scenic walks and mountain bike adventures. Enjoy it all from your luxurious base of Oude Werf. Located on the site of the country's first church – hence its name 'Old Churchyard' – its poolside gardens and elegant rooms are effortlessly relaxing.

Return to Cape Town early this morning to before boarding the Blue Train in the early afternoon, settling into your butler-served suite before taking afternoon tea in the Lounge Car. Then, as night falls, you'll settle down to a wine-paired gourmet dinner before heading off to bed. The following day, you'll wake to a delicious breakfast and views of South Africa's bucolic interior as you head towards Kimberley for an afternoon tour of its mining museum and the chance to peer over the edge of the famous Big Hole – a vast open-pit diamond mine thought to be one of the largest ever dug by hand. At the tour's end, you'll return to the station to be greeted with a glass of sherry, engraved with the Blue Train logo; it's yours to keep as a memento of your visit. Finally, back on board, you'll enjoy another sumptuous dinner as you head on towards Pretoria.

Enjoy a final breakfast in the dining car or in the privacy of your suite before your arrival into Pretoria around noon where a private transfer will whisk you to your city-centre hotel. The remainder of the day is free to explore South Africa's handsome capital, where avenues lined with jacarandas lead to elegant old houses and the bars and restaurants have an altogether more Afrikaner feel to those of the city's more cosmopolitan neighbour, Johannesburg.

Stay: Castello di Monte (Superior)

Leaving Pretoria, you'll take a private transfer to Johannesburg Airport for a flight on to Hoedspruit, gateway to Kruger National Park. On arrival you'll be met for a further transfer to the wilds of the Motswari Private Game Reserve, part of the Timbavati Nature Reserve, which shares an open border with Kruger. Here, amid the vast bushveld, you'll find your exclusive game lodge where elegantly appointed, en-suite bungalows look out to private-veranda views of the reserve. Then, across four memorable days, you'll join expert guides and trackers as you head out on included nature walks and game drives in search of the Big Five, returning each time to gourmet dining and refreshing, swimming-pool dips.

After a final early-morning game drive, your South African adventure comes to an end. Transfer to Hoedspruit Airport in time for your flight to Johannesburg and onward to the UK, arriving home on day 16.