Only a few more hours and we will be on our way! I am busily packing bags of clothes donated by individuals to take to the orphanage. South Africa is seven hours ahead of us and it is just about day-break there. The forecast for touchdown in Johannesburg is 76 and sunny!! The forecast of NYC at the same time is 33 and snowing!! Did I mention sun for Johannesburg?

Here's a detailed itinerary of our tour. You can know what we are doing and when. Enjoy! Stay tuned for pictures tomorrow prior to departure.

-bp

Friday, January 7, 2011

Depart John F. Kennedy Airport – New York City (Tee Shirt)

South African Airways Flight 204 [Check-in: 8:30a.m.]

Departure 10:40 a.m.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Arrive Johannesburg International Airport – Republic of South Africa

8:45 a.m.

Transport to Holiday Inn - Sandton

Approximate Arrival – 10:00a.m.

Welcome Reception and Check-In

Lunch on your own

12:30 pm Depart Hotel for Safari Experience

Pilanesburg National Reserve

The Pilanesberg National Park was opened in 1979, and is known as the largest game resettlement project in the history of South Africa. In the early eighties more than 6000 animals from other game parks were resettled here.

The Park borders on the entertainment complex of Sun City, and is 55 000 hectares in extent. It is almost perfectly circular as the area comprises of a 1200 million year old volcanic relic of four concentric circles with a small lake in the centre. This very scenic terrain lies in the transition zone between The Kalahari and The Lowveld, where both types of vegetation are found here.

It lies amongst the only significant hills in the area which rise skywards out of the flat highveld plain. The Pilanesberg is the highest peak towering 600 meters above Mankwe Lake, which sits in the heart of the ancient volcano.

Due to the shape, this area was recognized as being the perfect site for a National Park with its’ tall sides creating natural boundaries. The Park today, has the majority of Southern Africa’s animal species within its’ boundaries, including all of the big five, (Lions, Elephants, White and Black Rhinos, Buffaloes, Leopards) as well as Zebras, Hyenas, Giraffes, Hippos and Crocodiles. Over 300 bird species were counted, making the Pilanesberg a perfect area for bird watching.

10:00pm Depart Sun-City for Hotel

Overnight at Holiday Inn - Sandton

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Buffet Breakfast in Hotel+

8:30 a.m. Departure for Church in Kwa-Thema

12:00 p.m. - Rosebank Rooftop Shopping Experience

Lunch on your own at Rosebank Mall

5:00 p.m. Depart for Airport

Dinner en Route

8:15 p.m. Transfer Flight to Cape Town – Late Night Arrival (Tee Shirt)

Overnight at the Protea Fire & Ice Hotel

1 October 2008: Protea Hotel Fire & Ice in Cape Town won Best New Hotel Development at the TBCSA 2008 Hospitality Investment Awards. The award recognizes advancements made in hotel development that introduce new standards and practice that have set new benchmarks in the industry.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Buffet Breakfast in Hotel+

8:30 a.m. Assemble for Departure

8:45 a.m. Depart Hotel for Walking Tour of Historic Cape Town & Victoria and Alfred Waterfront

Footsteps to Freedom (9am-12pm)

Historic Cape Town is a small, compact area ideal for walking. We will be lead by a carefully selected tour guide who is passionate about the city and its history. The guide is specially trained to share the story of the people of Cape Town. A few places we will visit:

The Grand Parade, the place where the Dutch ships first landed and where they built their fortifications – the first barriers between the Europeans and the indigenous people. This is also the site of significant gatherings, of protest, public executions and celebrations like Mandela’s freedom!

You will see where slaves were bought and sold, where they worked and where they slept not 50m form the only church permitted in Cape Town for one and a half centuries.

Company’s Garden – today slave descendants enjoy the same garden their forebears tilled and tended 350 years ago.

The District Six Museum – This museum provides a comprehensive historical recap of the painful consequences of apartheid.

Government Avenue – At this site, we will hear about the three South Africa Nobel Prize winners; Mandela, DeKlerk and Tutu. All three worked in this historic area.

Greenmarket – We will experience the center of African energy in Cape Town, up close and personal – something that you just can’t do from a bus.

Victoria and Alfred Waterfront

On September 17, 1860 Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria’s second son, tipped the first load of stone to start construction of the breakwater for Cape Town’s harbor. Alfred Basin could not handle the increased shipping volumes and subsequently a larger basin, the Victoria Basin was built. The V&A Waterfront derives its name from these two harbor basins around which it was developed. The Waterfront Company was announced in November 1988 with a mandate to develop the historic harbor as a mixed use area, focusing on tourism and commerce with the continuing operation of the working harbor.

Shopping –

- Victoria Warf Shopping Centre features over 400 specialty shops, major retail outlests, food merchants, curio stores, craft workshops and barrows.

- Alfred Mall features over 15 specialty shops and boutiques, a restaurant and coffee shops.

- Clock Tower Centre features a state of the art tourism center as well as an eclectic selection of cultural stores and restaurants.

- Red Shed Craft Workshop offers a unique interaction between shoppers and those making the wares.

Restaurants –

There is a large range of places to eat and drink throughout the Waterfront, from fine dining to informal take-away outlets. Most restaurants have a superb view of the harbor and many have alfresco tables and chairs on the wharfs and platforms.

Dinner and night time entertainment on your own at the V & A Waterfront

Overnight at the Protea Fire & Ice Hotel

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Buffet Breakfast in Hotel+

8:30 a.m. Depart Hotel

9:00 a.m. Robbin Island Tour

12:00 noon Lunch at V & A Waterfront

6 p.m. Visit to Table Mountain via Cable Car (weather permitting)

Table Mountain is a sandstone plateau rising up above the Cape Flats. The top is approximately 3km wide, and at its highest point, Maclears Beacon, rises to 3560 feet (1085m). Over the centuries it has become one of

South Africa

's most famous landmarks. The steep cliffs and rocky outcrops of the mountain play home to a number of plants and animals. The mountain is home to approximately 1470 species of plants; more than the entire British Isles! Complimenting this vast array of flora is a stunning range of fauna, some, like the Table Mountain Ghost Frog, being found in no other place in the world.

“Once in a Lifetime” - Sunset View from Table Mountain

Table Mountain Summit Restaurant Dinner Buffet+

Mid-Evening Return to Hotel

Overnight at the Protea Fire & Ice Hotel

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Buffet Breakfast in Hotel+

Departure Time – To Be Announced

Journey to Cape Point (The Southernmost Point on the African Continent)

Brief History - Bartholomeu Dias, the Portuguese seafarer, was the first to sail around the Cape. This was in 1488. On his return voyage – which must have been particularly stormy – Dias stopped at the south-western tip of Africa, and named it Cabo Tormentoso, or Cape of Storms. King John of Portugal later gave it the name Cabo da Boa Esperança, or Cape of Good Hope. Another Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, rounded the Cape on 22 November 1497 on his way to

India

. The journeys of these explorers led to the establishment of the Cape sea route. This meant more regular sailings around the tip. It also indirectly to led to a number of casualties along these unpredictable shores. Today, shipwrecks and stone crosses bear testimony to the treacherous and challenging historic sea route.

Overnight at the Protea Fire & Ice Hotel

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Buffet Breakfast in Hotel+

**MORNING ON YOUR OWN**

Shopping
Spa
Pool
Relax in Room
Golf
Tennis
Local Site-seeing

11:15 am Assemble for Departure to Airport (Tee-Shirt)

*More time has been allotted for loading the anticipated extra luggage. This does not mean that you have until 12:00 to load your luggage.

11:30 Depart for Airport

1:50pm Flight to Johannesburg International Airport

Airport Check-In, Customs, VAT Refund, etc.

6:20 p.m. Depart Johannesburg

South Africa Airways Flight #207

Friday, January 14, 2011

Arrive Dakar Yoff International Airport – Senegal West Africa 12:50 a.m.

(Approx. 7 hour Flight)

Senegal

is one of the most diverse countries in Africa and yet remains relatively little known to American travelers. A stable democracy, friendly people, bearable climate and an efficient communication system combine to make this one of the most accessible of African nations.

Senegal’s capital, Dakar, is the largest and most cosmopolitan city in West Africa. It is where French businessmen and Japanese tuna-canning operatives rub shoulders with representatives of every African culture of the region. The result is a vibrant, crowded metropolis best regarded as the gateway to Senegal rather than

Senegal

itself. With the luxury of LeMeridien President Hotel, Dakar is an excellent starting point for our first-time tour participants.

A 20 minute ferry ride from the Port of Dakar takes us to Goree Island, once a focal point for the Atlantic slave trade and the original settlement from which Dakar developed in the middle of the last century. It is estimated that over 20 million slaves passed through this point. To stroll through the streets of Goree is to experience the volatile history of this region first hand. Buildings 200 years old, including the original Slave House, seem to transport you to another era. There is the Historical Museum, housed in an old fort, and the Museum of Marine Life, as well as charming cafes along the beach.

For residents of Dakar, Goree is not just an historical site but a day out from the city and their presence breathes life into the old buildings and atmospheric streets.

Less than an hour’s drive east of Dakar is the Pink Lake, where minerals suspended in the water turn it literally pink at certain angles of sunlight. The lake provides a habitat for a breathtaking number of wading birds such as flamingoes, egrets and spoonbills.

Transport to LeMeridien President Hotel

Hotel Check-In (Approximately 2 am)

Overnight at the Protea Fire & Ice Hotel

Breakfast – 7am+

Visit to local Mamadou Diagne Elementary school – approximately 8am (if available)

Shopping at Local Market

Transport to Port of Dakar – Ferry to Goree Island 12:00 p.m.

+ Afternoon Tour of Slave House at Goree & Door of No Return.

+ Late Lunch at Goree Island

+ Two-hour Walking Tour

+ Shopping and Sight-seeing On your Own

+ Sunset/Evening Departure to Dakar via Ferry – 5:00 p.m.

Dinner on your own at Hotel

*Please try to get most of your packing done this evening.

Overnight at LeMeridien President Hotel

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Buffet Breakfast in Hotel+

Depart Hotel for Pink Lake (Lac Rose) 10:00 a.m.

Lunch at Pink Lake Region

Tour of Lake Region & Dunes via 4 x 4 Off-Road Vehicles

Shopping Opportunity en Route to/from Pink Lake

Arrival from Pink Lake Excursion

Dinner on your own at your leisure at hotel or cityscape.

11:30pm Assemble for Departure to Airport

12:00 a.m. Depart for Airport (Tee-Shirt)

*More time has been allotted for loading the anticipated extra luggage. This does not mean that you have until 11:30 to load your luggage.

3:30 a.m. Flight to New York JFK Airport

Airport Check-In, Customs, etc.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Arrival 7:40 a.m. JFK International Airport

+ - Meals Included

Out of Africa Tours - Cape Town January 2011

Saturday, January 8, 2011

We're Here!