Highlights of South Africa's Winelands

Experience Overview

Experience the premier wine region in South Africa on a full-bodied exploration packed with fun, adventure and, yes, excellent wines. With the expert guidance of a local tour leader, you’ll explore the vineyards and mountains outside Cape Town on foot, e-bike, funicular, kayak and even on the iconic wine tram! Of course, there’s plenty of time to indulge your inner oenophile, stopping in historic wine estates, while our base for the adventure, the Protea Hotel Dorpshuis in Stellenbosch, provides a place to relax and unwind.
Profile
— Accommodation: 6 Classic nights (Protea Hotel Dorpshuis & Spa Stellenbosch) — Travel by private minibus
At a Glance
— Accommodation: 6 Classic nights (Protea Hotel Dorpshuis & Spa Stellenbosch) — Travel by private minibus
Trip For You
This trip is graded Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us. Itinerary: To maximise your enjoyment of the adventure, the tour leader may change the order of the days, ensuring the best possible conditions and weather for the activities. Legal note: All group members joining this tour are asked to sign an indemnity form at the start of the trip. It’s a requirement of the South African Tourism Service Association, of which our local supplier is a member. As a client of Exodus Travels Ltd, your rights under the Package Travel Regulations (1992) are unaffected, and Exodus remains liable for the actions of our sub-contractors.
Eating Drinking
Food on this trip is very similar to the kind of food you are used to at home, though there may be the opportunity to try local meats such as ostrich, kudu or eland. Vegetarians and vegans can be well catered for on this trip – please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests so our local team can be well prepared.
Transportation
We use a minibus for this trip, while also kayaking, cycling and taking the wine tram to extend our explorations.
Joining Instructions
Key information Start hotel: Protea Hotel Dorpshuis & Spa Stellenbosch, 22 Dorp St, Stellenbosch, Cape Town, 7599 Phone: +27 21 883 9881 Recommended arrival time: You can arrive at any time today. There will be a welcome briefing around 6pm in the evening. Airport: Cape Town International Airport (CPT) Getting to the start hotel The start hotel is approximately 35 minutes’ drive from the airport. We provide one group transfer from the airport to the hotel, which you can join at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the transfer times or to arrange a private transfer. Flying via Johannesburg If you are travelling on flights via Johannesburg, please note that you will need to collect your baggage in Johannesburg, even if your bag has been checked all the way through to Port Elizabeth (and even if you are told you do not need to pick it up). After collecting the bag, you are required to clear customs, and you should then drop it off at the bag drop for the onward flight. This only applies to the outbound flight – you do not need to do this at the end of the trip on the return flight. Catching your return flight There’s one group transfer to the airport, which you can join at no extra cost. Please speak to your sales representative for the time of the transfer. If the group transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative.
Weather Information
Summer is from October to April and the average daytime temperature is 25C-30C (77F-86F). The average night-time temperature is 10C-20C (50F-68F). Winter is from May to September and average temperatures are colder. In general, however, the Cape Town climate is quite mild. Summer is typically dry and warm, but the southeasterly wind can blow up to 43mph (70kph) at least a few times a month. This helps to cool things but can be a little unpleasant if one is walking in exposed areas. Most of the rainfall is in winter but it is frontal rain off the Atlantic. Therefore, it can rain solidly for two days, and in between there will be warm, sunny days. It is fairly common to experience tabletop clouds on the higher mountains. Our programme is flexible enough to accommodate any major changes in weather and still make it enjoyable.
Spending Money
For meals not included, dinners cost on average 340-510 rand (US$20‐US$30) per person and lunches are around 135-220 rand (US$8-US$13). For other incidentals, allow about 170 rand (US$10) per day.
Tipping
Our local staff are paid fairly for their work; however, tipping is part of the culture in South Africa. For suggestions on how much to tip, we recommend: Tour leader: 180 rand (US$10) per dayDrivers: 100 rand (US$5.50) per dayHotel staff: 80 rand (US$4.50) per dayRestaurants: 10% of the bill

Highlights