South Africa: Discovering Cape Town

Meet up with your group at a pre-selected location at your home airport. Once everyone has arrived, check your bags and go through security as a group. From here you will board your flight and depart for your international flight to South Africa. This first day is counted as a full day of travel because the standard travel time to this destination exceeds 12 hours. This may change depending on your departure location.

Flight Details: Rustic Pathways will be happy to book your flight as an add-on service.

Land at Cape Town International Airport, and meet your program leaders. Head to your accommodations, settle in and then join the group for an orientation. Get your first taste of local cuisine during a “Welcome to Africa” dinner. Wrap up the evening by enjoying the local culture during a drumming lesson and live music and entertainment show.

Overnight: Hotel, Cape Town

Head out for a walking tour of one of South Africa’s capital cities. Get an introduction to the local culture, history, geography, and food. Visit Company’s Garden – South Africa’s oldest garden that was created to replenish ships rounding the Cape. Taste locally grown rooibos tea, rusks, and milk tart. After lunch, travel to the once racially segregated Bo-Kaap district, known for its bright colorful homes. Enjoy an interactive cooking lesson, making local Cape Malay dishes.

Overnight: Hotel, Cape Town

Hop in a van to drive to the coastline. Watch an African penguin colony at Boulders Beach, where you can relax and swim. Explore underwater as you snorkel in the Great African Kelp Forest or in Hout Bay with the seals. Then head to the Cape of Good Hope, the furthest southwestern point in Africa. The day includes a spectacular coastal drive along Chapman’s Peak, with views of the Twelve Apostles Mountain Range.

Overnight: Hotel, Cape Town

Learn about local needs from the Amy Foundation, as you provide service at one of the school gardens in a local township. See why school feeding programs are a vital component of South Africa’s food security measures for children. After working in the garden, play sports with children from the school and enjoy spending time with them.

Overnight: Hotel, Cape Town

Get ready to work up a sweat as we hike up Table Mountain with a qualified mountain guide. Take in the views of the Cape Floral Region along the way. At the top, enjoy a delicious picnic lunch and then take a cable car down the mountainside. Relax after your trek with an option to visit the V&A Waterfront for some shopping.

Overnight: Hotel, Cape Town

Start your day with a journey to Elgin Valley amid the mountains outside of Cape Town. Check your bravery as you zipline over fynbos shrubland and view the mountainscapes. After lunch, head back to Cape Town for a program wrap-up. At the end of each program, students join in the Rustic Ties ceremony, reflecting on their experiences and talking about how to apply the lessons they’ve learned in their own worlds.

Overnight: Hotel, Cape Town

If you are leaving this day, say goodbye to your new friends and the beautiful country of South Africa. Depending on your departure time, you may have time for last-minute shopping or a quick beach visit before heading to the airport.

Head home with memories you’ll cherish for a lifetime. Or, if you are continuing on for the add-on Safari portion of the program, prepare for 4 days of wildlife adventure!

This optional safari is available for an extra per-person fee.

Depart from Cape Town to travel to the Garden Route Game Lodge, overlooking the Langeberg Mountain Range. Arrive in time for lunch and head to a balcony to search for wildlife. Hop aboard a safari vehicle for your first drive looking for the African “big five” – lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and African buffalo. Spot giraffes and other wildlife along the way.  Enjoy more safari drives on the following days, experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime animal adventure. On day three, stop for lunch in Mossel Bay and a swim in the Indian Ocean before returning to Cape Town. Spend your last morning enjoying one more breakfast in South Africa before heading to the airport after an unforgettable safari experience.