Down to earth holidays

Description

If you're on holiday in the Cape and want to see wildlife, the best region to do it is around Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The area around Cape Town and the Winelands, and even along the Garden Route simply doesn't have the same kind of wildlife options.

About 45 minutes from Port Elizabeth is Addo National Park and the private reserves of Shamwari and Amakhala amongst others.  It is the Amakhala Game Reserve which we have used for this mainly wildlife holiday.

Why Amakhala? Well, it's got the big five (elephant, lion, rhino, leopard and buffalo), and offers some of the best wildlife viewing in the Cape region. It also has some fabulous places to stay, and it has great fair trade credentials.

During your three days here you will have a game activity each morning and afternoon/evening. This will be either a game drive or walk, river cruise or night drive, or you can even go fishing or canoeing. Of course you can always just sit by the pool, relax and watch the birds too!  All your meals and selected drinks are included.

Before you head for your wildlife experience, we will take you on an amazing half day journey in Port Elizabeth. The Real City Tour is an award-winning and  visionary tour. You will be guided by a local guide who will take you to see the old and the new Port Elizabeth, including some places which tourists could never previously see. You could meet local artists, visit the oldest township in South Africa and its community-run school (which you directly help by your visit), and generally come away with a better idea of what this area of Africa is really like.

Detailed Itinerary

1. DAY 1: Arrive in Port Elizabeth. If you're flying in you will be collected at Port Elizabeth airport, and if coming by train we'll meet you at the station. You'll be taken to you hotel where you can relax for the rest of the day.
2. DAY 2: This morning your guide will collect you and take you on a Real City Tour of Port Elizabeth.
   In the afternoon, you'll be transferred to Amakhala Game Reserve in time for the afternoon game drive. The transfer is only about 45 minutes.
3. DAYS 3-4: Game viewing in Amakhala Game Reserve. Game drives, night drives, walks, river cruise, fishing or canoeing.
4. DAY 5: After the morning game activity you will be transferred back to Port Elizabeth. Continue your onward arrangements. 

Is it for you?

This is perfect for anyone wanting to see wildlife in the Cape region. All services are very comfortable and guiding is excellent.

Best times to go

Any time, but the best weather is from about October to March.

Getting there

You can either arrive here by plane or there is a train from Cape Town (departs Cape Town on Fridays 1430, arrives Saturday 1600). You might also have chosen to take our Garden Route section before this, in which case, you'll be arriving by car from Plettenberg Bay. If you want to return to Cape Town after the trip, you can either fly or there is a train on Sundays 8am, in which case you'd need another night in Port Elizabeth (about £40 B&B).

Responsible Travel

How your holiday helps:
Amakhala funds a conservation centre which promotes environmental awareness and education of local and international students. The lodge we use in Amakhala has been accredited by the FTTSA (Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa).  It contributes to a collective fund for education and helps staff through training, HIV/AIDS counselling and testing. The lodge also supports local community suppliers such as a sewing business and candle making business.
The Real City Tour in Port Elizabeth is also accredited by the FTTSA and is a past global winner of the prestigious Responsible Travel Awards. It is run by the tourism arm of the Calabash Trust which helps many township development projects such as an education trust, food provision, cultural exchange and furniture provision. Many of the tour guides come from the township and were previously unemployed. The company has a policy of buying local goods.
Slow Travel: If you want to link this trip to another, consider using the train to get to either Cape Town or Durban. We can help you book this and it’s a fun way of travelling.

Carbon Offsetting :
For every client we take on holiday we plant 10 indigenous tree saplings. This is used as a poverty alleviation and biodiversity scheme as well as helping with carbon offsetting. Click for more details …

Giving to grassroots projects:
Our registered charity, The Tribes Foundation, is currently raising funds for a project in South Africa. The kindness of strangers can make a big difference, so if you’re a travel philanthropist considering donating to a worthwhile charity, please consider backing this excellent community project.

The Calabash Trust is a charity based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It works with poor communities based in the urban townships of Port Elizabeth. While the primary focus is nutrition and education, they also engage in job creation and skills training.

We will shortly have a page with photos of the school on www.the-tribes-foundation.org.

Shop ethically:
If you support buying fair trade, ethical and organic goods, please take a look at our online ethical shop for books, maps, travel gadgets, first aid kits etc before you travel. This is also a great place to find organic goodies and handmade crafts, many made in the countries and areas that we visit.

FOR MORE GENERAL DETAILS ABOUT OUR RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL PRINCIPLES, CLICK HERE.

Comments

I took a film crew from Wish You Were Here on the real City tour. They were all profoundly moved by their experience even though they had travelled widely.
A Marks, Tribes

Amakhala was excellent and exceeded our expectations.
Mr & Mrs J Smith

Trip Code: SA3

Validity: 1-3-09 to 31-10-09

Individual Trip Dates & Prices

2+ people can take this holiday on most days of the year, subject to availability. Please call us to check availability.

1 Jan-31 March 09 : from £800 pp.
During April 09 : from £625 pp.
1 May to 31 Aug 09 : from £550 pp.
1 Sept to 30 Nov 09 : from £875 pp.

Pricing notes: 

• Prices are based on twin share, excluding flights.
• We can also arrange this trip for more than 2 people, so please ask for prices.
• Please ask about child rates (if available) and single supplements.
• Exchange rate fluctuations may affect these prices (see our Booking Conditions).

Price: 1 Jan-31 March 2009 - £800 pp. During April 09 - £625 pp. 1 May to 31 Aug 09 - £550 pp. 1 Sept to 30 Nov 09 - £875 pp. Based on two sharing, not inc international flights. Note: exchange rate fluctuations may affect these prices.

Duration: 5 days

Included
Pick up and drop off from/to airport or railway station; 1 night hotel (B&B) in Port Elizabeth; 3 nights (full board) in Woodbury Lodge in Amakhala (including two game activities per full day); half day Real City Tour; transfers to/from Amakhala.

Not Included
Dinner on day 1, lunch on day 2, drinks (though some are included at Woodbury), tips, insurance, visas, items of a personal nature.