Cape Town & Garden Route Voluntour 14D/13N

Cape Town Airport Pick-up and South African BBQ - Saturday (D)

On arrival in Cape Town Airport you will be transferred to your accommodation, where you will be welcomed by our friendly staff and checked into your room. Cape Town offers a diversity of cultures, cuisines, activities and landscapes. With the picturesque backdrop of of Table Mountain, the coastal city of Cape Town lies at the southern tip of South Africa. Also the gateway for most trips to South Africa, Cape Town, known as the Mother City, lives up to her name by being the mother of all holiday destinations. From history and culture to adventure and scenery all found within the city, you are sure to experience multiple breathtaking adventures here in the Motherland. Your hostel is a mere 5 minute walk from the beachfront, boasting fabulous restaurants, bars, shops, public transport, as well as the beautiful white beaches.

In the evening you get to fill up on a delicious traditional South African BBQ – Called a Braai; while you meet up with other travellers from all parts of the world. Afterwards, you can roll down to the local bars and pubs where you can spend the rest of the night at leisure.

Cape Town Walking Tour - Sunday (B)

Start the day with breakfast at your accommodation and then meet with one of the hostel staff member that will teach you about the bus system before you head out to discover Cape Town City Center. Once you get to the city, you have two options to choose from:

Walking Tour: Do a walking tour visiting historical sites like the Castle of Good Hope and the Grand Parade. Learn about life under apartheid in South Africa at the Parliament Buildings and the District Six Museum. Shop for African arts and crafts in Greenmarket Square and St George’s Mall.

The Hop On Hop Off bus tour: Board this topless bus that takes you to all the sites you need to see, such as Camps Bay, the V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain… all from the comfort of your seat!

After your choice of morning activity, endless options await you for an afternoon at your leisure. Return to Table View and join the staff, guests and locals in one of the beachfront restaurants - all within rolling distance from the hostel where you will be spending the night.

Volunteer Program - Monday (B/L/D)

Start volunteering today. You will spend the next days helping in the settlements with disadvantaged children who come from extreme poverty. Volunteer work may include helping the children with homework, English, lesson plans, administration, developmental activities or the vegetable garden.

Volunteer Program - Tuesday (B/L/D)

We aim to provide local communities with education, youth development, sports development and skills that will enable them to help themselves rise above their disadvantaged backgrounds and upbringings. To bridge the gap between marginalised communities by providing local NGO’s with the tools, information and knowledge needed to provide a better level of education to their beneficiaries. To bring new skills to a community that otherwise would not have access with the assistance of volunteers.

International and local volunteers provide a vital role in our projects, without them we cannot exist. The only funding that we receive for the projects comes from the volunteers or sponsors. All funding received is used on day to day programs for material, meals etc. The project also benefits largely from the physical help that the volunteers give, without the volunteers helping in the classrooms, painting buildings or helping in the aftercare, we would not be able to run these projects.

Volunteer Program - Wednesday (B/L/D)

We aim to operate sustainable projects that develop the local community. Our goal is to achieve this through:

- Supporting education and training (computer literacy, swimming, dance, sport, etc.)

- Renovations and building projects that uplift the community

- School and classroom assistance

- Volunteers are placed in pre-schools in disadvantaged communities. No experience is necessary and volunteers can have the joy of watching a child learn and helping them through the process.

Volunteer Program - Thursday (B/L/D)

The Western Cape, where the program is based, is a very culturally diverse area of South Africa. There is a large integration of the underprivileged with the wealthy. The main cultures that you will be working with are Xhosa or Afrikaans South Africans. Most of these children can speak English, yet their home language may be Afrikaans or Xhosa. The homes they live in are often built from scrap metal and second-hand wood, usually they do not have running water in their homes. Forty percent of the families in these areas lack a male head of household and the children often have no one to monitor their educational progress or after-school activities. The children we work with live in the nearby township or settlement in Cape Town, known as Du Noon and Wolwerivier.

Due to lack of funding there is very little physical education provided to the children in the pre-schools and primary schools, this can create physical and mental developmental issues. For this reason, in the mornings we assist Educare Centers in the local township by providing fun games and lessons to children from the age of 3 to 7 years old. In the afternoons we work with children from the age of 10 to 15 years old, developing important skills and teaching valuable life lessons through adventure sports activities. This is a very important part of the program as alcohol and drug abuse is common in the townships where they live, and at this age they are especially susceptible to recruitment by local gangs.

Volunteer Program - Friday (B/L/D)

Last day of your volunteering. Bid farewell to your new friends that will last a lifetime.

Free Day and Optional Activities - Saturday (B)

You can spend the day relaxing on the beach or go on an adventure like shark-cage diving, skydiving or sand boarding. For other options on what you can do head over to reception or check out our activities below (Own expense). After your free day you will arrive back at the backpackers where you can share your stories from the past few days over dinner and a drink with the other guests. If you want to, venture off to explore Table Views nightlife.

Shark Cage Diving: See the Great White Shark face-to-face in its natural habitat. The experienced and specialised crew in Gansbaai will take you to “Shark Alley”, the prime spot for shark cage diving.

Free Day and Optional Activities - Sunday (B)

Another free day is available to do things at your own pace. Relax before a busy roadtrip ahead, fill the day with adventure, or go and taste delicious cuisine at one of the many great restaurants we have in the Cape (own expense).

Depart on Garden Route Roadtrip and Wilderness Lagoon Canoe Tour - Monday (B)

Grab a bite to eat before getting collected at the hostel for the next part of your exciting journey. Pick ups are usually very early, so be sure to set alarms. Important: You should pack all your belongings as you will be on the road for the next few days, and only return to us for one night before your departure. Feel free to chat to our reception desk about storing any extra luggage that you may not wish to take with you.

It’s an early start today as you depart towards the Garden Route. Drive through mountain passes and fertile micro-climates with enchanting vineyards and rolling farmlands, and make a stop at Riviersonderend to try the local home-baked pastries like the milk tart. Arrive in Albertinia and continue towards Wilderness, a beautiful national parks. Canoe on the Wilderness lagoon and watch the bird life as you glide over the water.

For those that savour a great night's sleep, tonight's end destination – the coastal towns of Sedgefield or Knysna – promises just that. In keeping with the pace in these parts, it’d be an outrage not to sip sundowners as you watch the sun sink below the watery horizon. Sedgefield is one of the most sublime coastal destinations in South Africa. It is one of many small towns which punctuate the celebrated Garden Route coastline, but it stands apart because of both its awesome, friendly vibe and wealth of surrounding natural assets. Your accommodation is situated just 80m from Myoli beach’s white sandy shores, provides the perfect base from which to explore the myriad of attractions in the region.

Sedgefield to Jeffreys Bay, via Knysna and Tsitsikamma National Park - Tuesday (B)

Have breakfast before hitting the road for the next part of your onwards journey to Jeffreys Bay. Travel to the holiday town of Knysna. Take a quick drive to the Knysna Heads, where the sea crashes below the massive sandstone cliffs – a great photo opportunity. Next is the ultimate adventure activity on this tour – the world’s highest bungee bridge jump at 216 mts high. This optional activity (at extra cost) is a must do for anyone who wants that rush of adrenalin.

Next, travel to the tranquil Tsitsikamma National Park where you can explore the marine reserve with its unique combination of dramatic coastal and forest landscapes. Walk along forest trails to a suspension bridge and find a quiet spot from where to absorb this beauty.

Go back to the road and drive towards the seaside town of Jeffreys Bay – the surfer’s paradise.

Addo Elephant National Park Game Drive and Jeffreys Bay - Wednesday (B)

Wake up early and transfer to the Addo Elephant National Park, which was proclaimed in 1931 to provide a safe haven for the few wild elephants that survived government-sponsored culling in the early 20th century. Today the elephants reached their hundreds, thanks to the efforts of the National Parks Board and a unique vegetation type – subtropical thicket, or valley bushveld. Go on a game drive where your expert guide will help you spot the Big 5: elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo (or Big Seven if you count the great whites and seasonal southern right whales in Addo’s marine section).

Return to Jeffreys Bay and spend some free time. You can go shopping at J’Bay’s surf village, learn to surf, try sand-boarding, or go horse-back rising at a nearby secluded beach.

Transfer to Oudtshoorn - Klein Karoo Ostrich Farm and Cango Caves Tour - Thursday (B)

Leave the ocean behind and head inland towards the Klein Karoo. Once you arrive in the country town of Oudtshoorn, take a quick tour of an ostrich farm and learn more about the world’s largest bird. From here, visit the Cango Caves – an illuminated wonderland of subterranean magic and mystery, with passageways and chambers meandering far below. You can choose between the Heritage Tour -if you want to take it easy- or the Adventure Tour -if you want more action-

Later you can go for a 4x4 game drive at Buffelsdrift Private Game Reserve for a possible sighting of resident rhino and giraffe (not included and depending on availability).

Orphaned Elephants and transfer back to Cape Town via Route 62 - Friday (B)

Start the morning with an unforgettable experience: an optional stroll with rescued elephants in Buffelsdrift Private Game Reserve. An expert guide will teach you about the orphaned elephants, where you will interact with these huge and lovable creatures. Feel the texture of their rough skin; scratch behind their ears, and even get a gentle trunk hug too.

Make your way back to Cape Town along South Africa’s famous country road, the Route 62. Modelled after America’s Route 66, but with a distinctly local flavour. Route 62 is more than just burgers and beers, farm stalls or small country towns, the highway is also the longest wine route in the Western Cape. Oenophiles will be in their element with a wine pit stop to sample wines en route to Cape Town.