Depart on Delta in the morning.

Arrive in Cape Town in the evening. After clearing customs and immigration, meet your guide and transfer to the hotel. Check-in is available beginning at 3 pm.

The morning is at leisure to rest after your long flight. After lunch, attend a program orientation, then set out on a city tour. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at the innovative and award-winning Greenhouse Restaurant, one of South Africa's finest.

Begin the day traveling along Cape Town's Atlantic Seaboard to Hout Bay, a quaint fishing harbor with magnificent views of the mountains and beach. Here, board a cruise to Seal Island, to see Cape fur seals gathering by the thousands. En route, take in the beautiful scenery of Cape Town's coastline. You may also see birds such as Cape and Bank Cormorants and Lesser Black-backed, Kelp, and Hartlaub's Gulls. Once back on dry land, continue via Chapman's Peak, one of the world's most breathtaking coastal drives, to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Cape Point, the meeting point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Board a funicular and ride to the cape's lighthouse for a panoramic view, then have lunch at Two Oceans Restaurant. In the afternoon, head to historic Simon's Town, a village with charming Victorian architecture, a naval base, and a large penguin colony at beautiful Boulders Beach. African Penguins inhabit 27 different locations on the continent; as most of these sites are inshore islands, Boulders Beach is one of the few places to view them on the mainland. The penguins are protected by the non-profit Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) to ensure that their populations remain strong. Wooden walkways allow visitors to observe the penguins in their natural habitat. Return to the hotel for dinner.

This morning, take a cable car to the top of Table Mountain for gorgeous views of Cape Town and the Atlantic Seaboard, followed by an afternoon visit to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden with lunch at the cafe on arrival. Founded in 1913 with the express intention of preserving endemic flora, today Kirstenbosch is managed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute and considered one of the great botanical gardens of the world. In addition to its ethos of research and conservation, the garden showcases a wide variety of the unique plant life of the Cape Flora (also known as fynbos), which includes sugar bushes, pincushions, and heaths. Plants from all the diverse regions and biomes of southern Africa are also grown at Kirstenbosch, including a near complete collection of cycads. Over 125 species of birds have been recorded here, including sugarbirds, sunbirds, and a resident Spotted Eagle Owl. Naturally, butterflies, mammals, and amphibians make their home here as well - the critically endangered Table Mountain ghost frog has even been recorded at this site. After leaving Kirstenbosch, head to SANCCOB's seabird rehabilitation center to learn about their efforts in rescue, rehabilitation, and research in support of seabird species like the endangered African penguin. Dinner is on own to take advantage of leisure time at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

Say farewell to the scenic coast of South Africa and journey into the country's northeast for your safari adventure! This morning, check out of the hotel and fly to Hoedspruit, near Blyde River Canyon and Kruger National Park. Upon arrival, after collecting your luggage, transfer to Moholoholo Lodge in the foothills of the northern Drakensberg escarpment, with stunning views over Moholoholo and Mariepskop Mountain.

Begin the day with a visit the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a wildlife education and rehabilitation facility. This center rescues abandoned, injured, and poisoned wildlife and releases them back into the wild. Some rescues are unable to be released, and instead are permanent residents of the Center, where they serve as ambassadors for conservation education. Notably, the Center operates a Serval breeding project, which has reintroduced 160 servals into areas where they had once been extirpated. After the visit, depart for the 36,000-acre Abelana Private Game Reserve in the Phalaborwa Limpopo region of Kruger National Park. One of the largest game reserves in Africa, Kruger inaugurated South Africa's national parks system in 1926, and today is the best place in the country to see "The Big Five" - lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo. Across its 21 national parks, SANParks' initiatives include energy efficiency programs, poaching reduction, environmental education, school partnerships, sustainable resource use, and rural development. Check in at Abelana River Lodge, located along the Selati River and owned in partnership with the local Mashishimale community ("abelana" means "to share amongst each other" in the local Northern Sotho language. Set out on a sunset game drive, then return to the lodge and have dinner.

At 5:15 am, depart from the lodge with breakfast boxes in order to enter Kruger National Park as soon as the Phalaborwa gate opens at 6:00 am. Please note that time durations are estimated, as they will vary in accordance with game sightings. In addition to the Big Five, keep a watchful eye for hippos, crocodiles, cheetah, giraffes, zebra, a variety of antelope, and a number of endemic bird species. Go0020on a morning game drive in open safari vehicles, stopping for a visit at the Elephant Museum. Here, you'll learn about elephant evolution, biology, and behavior, in addition to research and conservation of these gentle giants. Driving distance is approximately three hours. Return to the lodge for lunch. This afternoon, go on a game drive at Abelana Game Reserve followed by a talk on rhino conservation and breeding. Kruger is home to the world's largest concentration of rhinoceros, but still vulnerable to poachers. Dinner is at the lodge this evening.

This morning, meet with the Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit, a predominantly female ranger team founded in 2013 with the purpose of protecting wildlife in South Africa. The unit also engages with local communities to educate on the benefits of rhino conservation. Take part in a game drive activity followed by an afternoon session on migration plans with a local veterinarian in Kruger.

Bid farewell to Abelana Game Reserve with one final morning game. Then, transfer to Mdluli Lodge, located in the southwest of Kruger National Park (approximately three hours). The lodge is a luxury tented accommodation and sustainable tourism initiative in partnership with the local Mdluli community. After check-in, embark on a sunset game drive on Mdluli private concession, accompanied by a skilled ranger. Since this is a Big Five reserve, encountering lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo is possible, as well as smaller species like nyala antelope and vervet monkeys. The birding checklist includes 350 species. After a guided bush walk, enjoy the luxury amenities of Mdluli Lodge (at own cost).

Enjoy a full day to experience the iconic African wildlife in Kruger National Park, from the Big Five to an abundance of antelope. Go on early morning and afternoon game drives with a skilled ranger to spot a diverse range of animal species. Enjoy lunch at the lodge in between the two excursions.

After an early morning game drive and breakfast, depart for Hoedspruit and your flight to Johannesburg. You will be met and assisted with check-in for your international flight home.

Today arrive back in the U.S. Welcome home!