Signature South Africa Winelands & Wild Shores

Overview

Trace a journey through sculpted landscapes, regional produce, and meaningful encounters

This is South Africa at its most sensory: ocean air, wild coasts, and regional flavours. Led by your handpicked Signature Guide, begin in Cape Town, then follow the southern edge where wind-shaped shorelines give way to vineyard-clad slopes and the vast stillness of the Karoo interior. Along the way, reconnect with wild flavours alongside coastal foragers, join marine specialists on a sea safari, and shape your own story in Hermanus on our distinctive Signature Day. This is South Africa revealed through those who know it best — shared slowly, thoughtfully, and with purpose.

Venture to the very heart of each destination on our Signature Collection, where every journey is shaped by our unrivalled local connections and insider expertise. Step beyond the ordinary with private invitations, rare encounters, and experiences few will ever share. So when someone says, “I’ve been there,” you’ll simply smile, knowing you’ve experienced it differently.

Signature Day: Experience our distinctive Signature Day, choosing between immersive optional activities such as a township-led cultural encounter, coastal wildlife exploration to see whales, or a guided wine journey through Hemel-en-Aarde

Signature Stay: Stay at Rosenhof Country House, a restored Victorian homestead in the Klein Karoo, part of this trip’s refined accommodation portfolio

Signature Guide: Let your handpicked Signature Guide lead you to the country’s soul — sharing their home, heritage, and heart

Key Information

Travel Style: Signature
Activity: Culture
Activity Level: Easy & Moderate
See our Activity Level Guidelines to check if this holiday is right for you.
Trip Code: LSG
Ways to Travel: Guided Group, Signature
Countries: South Africa
Carbon Footprint: 87.5kg CO2e per person per day

Signature Exclusive Inclusions

Elegant, hand-picked accommodation (7 Premium nights). Signature Stay in Rosenhof Country House, a restored 1852 Karoo homestead
All breakfasts, five lunches and five dinners, featuring restaurants that capture the authentic cuisine of South Africa
Named Signature Guide with outstanding knowledge and guest satisfaction
Complimentary transfers on arrival and departure, plus comfortable transport throughout (private vehicles)
Gratuities for local support staff so every detail of your journey feels effortless

Positive Impact

We donate to our Foundation and rewild 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller. Find out more about how our adventures support nature and people to thrive.

Don't Forget To

Request a single room if required, purchase travel insurance and arrange any visas and vaccinations.

Signature Experiences

Signature South Africa | Winelands & Wild Shores

Search for wild produce with coastal foraging experts, identifying edible seaweeds and plants before sharing an ocean-inspired lunch together

Explore indigenous Fynbos flavours inside a botanical cellar, guided by a culinary specialist, before a renosterveld walk and experimental tapas lunch

Join a private stargazing session with expert astronomers to navigate Southern Hemisphere constellations

Cruise the waters of Dyer Island with marine experts, observing whales, dolphins, seals, penguins, and sharks within a protected ecosystem

Itinerary

First Destination: Cape Town
Next Destination: Hermanus

Accommodation:Canopy by Hilton Cape Town Longkloof
Meals included:Dinner

Accommodation:Canopy by Hilton Cape Town Longkloof
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:WedgeView Country House & Spa
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:Rosenhof Country House
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation:Rosenhof Country House
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:Whale Rock Luxury Lodge
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:Whale Rock Luxury Lodge
Meals included:Breakfast

Accommodation:Harbour House Hotel
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Cape Town
Next Destination: Hermanus

Our journey begins in Cape Town, fondly known as the Mother City, where a private transfer brings you to Canopy by Hilton Longkloof, in the Longkloof neighbourhood beneath Table Mountain.

Those arriving early may join an optional storytelling walk from mountain ridge to sea, tracing Cape Town’s layered histories with an award-winning travel writer (available to prebook on request).

As evening draws in, we gather for a welcome reception and dinner at Aubergine restaurant, set within the former home of Sir John Wylde, the first Chief Justice of the Cape of Good Hope. In this historic property, built in 1830, we enjoy seasonal dishes, South African wines, and moments to connect with each other – a taste of things to come.

Accommodation:Canopy by Hilton Cape Town Longkloof
Meals included:Dinner

Follow the curve of the Cape Peninsula along Chapman’s Peak Drive – widely regarded among the world’s most scenic coastal roads – to the Cape of Good Hope. A guided walk on the Lighthouse Keeper’s Trail traces cliff-edge paths shaped by wind, sea, and stories of shipwrecks and beacons.

Signature Experience: Explore the coastline through its wild flavours alongside expert foragers, stepping into the intricate world of intertidal rock pools. Learn to identify native seaweeds and coastal plants, gaining insight into their nutritional value, medicinal properties, and nuanced culinary uses. Afterwards, settle in for an ocean-inspired lunch, where the day’s foraged finds are thoughtfully prepared and shared together.

Return to your hotel for time to unwind, with dinner at leisure.

Accommodation:Canopy by Hilton Cape Town Longkloof
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Leaving Cape Town, we journey into the Cape Winelands, where open valleys and distant peaks signal a slower rhythm.

Signature Experience: Step inside a botanical cellar to experience the distinctive flavours of South Africa’s indigenous herbs from the Cape Floristic Region. Guided by a culinary Fynbos specialist, explore rare botanicals and their refined culinary expression, then walk the surrounding renosterveld before sharing an experimental tapas lunch that honours these ancient plants and their enduring vitality.

Continue to Stellenbosch, where we check into our accommodation, before heading out for an evening at Webersburg Wine Estate, where a private cellar tour reveals the story behind the wines before a traditional braai served alongside expertly matched vintages. Surrounded by the beauty of the Cape Winelands, this is an authentic celebration of South African food, wine and hospitality.

Accommodation:WedgeView Country House & Spa
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a relaxed start, we travel into the semi-arid landscapes of the Klein Karoo, where we settle into Rosenhof Country House, our Signature Stay, a historic Karoo homestead transformed into a five-star boutique hotel.

Signature Experience: After dinner at the hotel, enjoy a private stargazing session with expert astronomers, using specialised telescopes to observe Southern Hemisphere constellations and deep-sky highlights. Surrounded by the stillness of the semi-desert, the Klein Karoo is a place where the night sky comes alive.

Accommodation:Rosenhof Country House
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Today reveals the Klein Karoo through those who shape it. Begin on a fifth-generation mixed farm near De Rust, where the owner shares how resilient farming has evolved to sustain land, livelihoods, and community.

Continue through Meiringspoort’s dramatic gorge for a short walk to its waterfall, then pause in Klaarstroom for coffee and conversation with local hosts.

Lunch unfolds in Prince Albert, accompanied by traditional riel dancers, before crossing the Swartberg Pass, its winding gravel road opening onto vast mountain horizons and fynbos-rich slopes. The day closes with a Karoo-led dinner, celebrating regional flavours and hospitality.

Accommodation:Rosenhof Country House
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Leave the Karoo and travel toward the coast, arriving at Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa and the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

After a seafood lunch near the lighthouse, a guided walk along the Rasperpunt Trail reveals the highlights of Agulhas National Park: shoreline fynbos, sweeping coastal views, and the Meisho Maru Shipwreck.

Tracing the coastline through a series of historic villages, we reach Hermanus and check into Whale Rock Luxury Lodge, our home for the final few nights of the journey.

Accommodation:Whale Rock Luxury Lodge
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Today is your Signature Day, where you can select an authentic, curated experience to connect deeply with South African culture. You could:

Join a specialist guide in Zwelihle township, meeting local entrepreneurs and artists, with tastings of home-style dishes and traditional brews (9am-12.30pm)
Trace the Hermanus coastline on a private guided tour, combining seasonal whale watching, penguins at Stony Point, and walks through botanical gardens. (9am-5pm)
Follow the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley with a local wine guide, tasting cool-climate pinot noir and chardonnay before a leisurely lunch among the vines (9am-4pm)
Take a whale-watching boat trip, led by a whale specialist, with close-up marine encounters and expert interpretation (a private boat operates for our group) (3pm-5.30pm)

Dinner this evening is at leisure.

Accommodation:Whale Rock Luxury Lodge
Meals included:Breakfast

Signature Experience: Join marine specialists to cruise around Dyer Island – nicknamed the Serengeti of the Sea for its rich marine biodiversity and breathtaking wildlife spectacles. With our expert guides, we have the chance to encounter the Marine Big Five – whales, dolphins, penguins, seals, and sharks – while also learning from a penguinologist how research and rescue efforts protect African penguins, now critically endangered, within this complex marine ecosystem.

Return to Hermanus with time to rest or browse local galleries, before we gather at Fisherman’s Cottage for a farewell dinner this evening. Here, chef Michael Broughton leads an interactive and elevated potjiekos session before sharing the meal together, with dishes inspired by the Overberg coast.

Accommodation:Harbour House Hotel
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a last breakfast, the morning is yours to linger. Stroll the cliff path one final time or enjoy a slow coffee as you reflect on coastlines, farms, and cellar doors now stitched into memory.

When you are ready, your airport transfer returns you to Cape Town International Airport for onward flights. This chapter may close, but South Africa’s shores and winelands remain ready to welcome you back.

Alternatively, open a new chapter of discovery by speaking to your Signature Collection travel expert about extending your stay.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

Accommodation

Experience the best of South African hospitality

Every aspect of the Signature Collection is meticulously planned to take you deeper into the destination. That means your accommodation is a refined showcase of local hospitality, whether you’re staying in a pioneering luxury hotel or enjoying privileged access to a characterful stay designed to fully immerse you in the local culture.

Below are the accommodations we use on this adventure:

Cape Town: Canopy by Hilton Longkloof (nights 1-2)

Canopy by Hilton Longkloof

Practically equidistant between the city centre, Table Mountain cable car and V&A Waterfront, this modern retreat occupies an ideal location for exploration. When you’re not out discovering the best of Cape Town, relax in your contemporary room, make use of the fitness centre, or drink and dine at ONGETEM restaurant, helmed by acclaimed South African chef Bertus Basson.

Stellenbosch: WedgeView Country House & Spa (night 3)

Signature South Africa | Winelands & Wild Shores

Embrace South Africa’s country house life with one night on this private estate in the heart of the Cape Winelands. Run by Dave and Anouk Bakker and their team, this 18-room property is a welcoming retreat with views stretching over vineyards and to the Stellenbosch mountains. There are plenty of welcoming facilities too, including a pool, a bistro-style restaurant, an expansive garden and a spa.

Oudtshoorn: Rosenhof Country House (nights 4-5)

Signature South Africa | Winelands & Wild Shores

Our Signature Stay is a Victorian homestead in the Klein Karoo, transformed by the Barrow family into a refined, five-star boutique. Here, the rose gardens after which the property is named lead to individually designed rooms, while other amenities include a wellness centre with a gym, sauna and dipping pool. There’s also a fine-dining restaurant serving traditional Karoo cuisine from a menu that changes daily to incorporate the freshest produce.

Hermanus: Whale Rock Luxury Lodge (nights 6–8)

Whale Rock Luxury Lodge

Finish our adventure with three nights at Whale Rock, a contemporary retreat with a home-from-home feel. Unwind in the green gardens, have a dip in the pool or take a short walk to the Cliff Path, from where you may spot southern right whales during the season (July to November).

Enhance your stay: Personalise your experience with curated room upgrades and additional nights tailored to your travel plans.

Essential Information

We have graded this trip Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page.

Driving times: The longest travel time takes place on Day 6 (approximately 4hr 15min). Day 4 also includes a longer journey (around four hours total). All other transfers are under two hours and travel by private vehicle throughout.

Signature Day: Select from a curated menu of optional experiences to create a day that is personal to you or choose to slow the pace and enjoy the facilities of your accommodation. Simply prebook your chosen experience at least 60 days before departure through your Signature Collection travel expert. Additionally, an optional walking tour can be prebooked if you arrive early on Day 1.

Please note, some optional activities may have a minimum number of participants required to operate. If minimum numbers are not reached by 60 days prior to travel, you will be contacted and offered an alternative optional activity.

As with all adventures in the Signature Collection, we take care of your arrival and departure transfers, allowing you to fully relax and immerse yourself in the local culture.

Arrival airport: Cape Town (CPT)
- Your adventure begins with a welcome reception at 6pm on Day 1 at our first accommodation.
Departure airport: Cape Town (CPT)
- Your adventure concludes after breakfast on the final day.

Complimentary arrival and departure transfers are included between the airport and the tour’s designated start and end hotels on the first and last day of your tour. If you book additional pre-tour or post-tour nights at the designated start or end hotel through Exodus, your complimentary transfer will also be valid for those arrival and departure dates.

Additional charges may apply for transfers on different dates or to and from alternative hotels within the same city. To ensure arrangements can be made, complimentary transfers must be requested through your Signature Collection Travel Expert at least two weeks before your tour departure date.

South Africa

Travellers from the UK, US and most (though not all) EU states normally do not need a visa to enter South Africa. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Compulsory online declaration form: Tourists entering or leaving South Africa must complete a declaration form online, typically submitting no more than 24 hours before departure from the country from which you are travelling. This requirement does not apply to passengers transiting through South Africa, provided they remain within the designated transit area. For more information or to complete your form, please visit the Customs Online Traveller Declaration portal.

Some local governments provide guidance on what entry requirements their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/south-africa
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/south-africa
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-africa/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthAfrica.html

Please note, all travellers to South Africa who require a visa need at least two consecutive blank pages in their passport (ie a left- and right-hand page) to enable an entry visa to be issued.

Additionally, any child under 18 travelling to South Africa needs to be in possession of an unabridged birth certificate with the names of both parents. If a child under 18 is only travelling with one parent, they will also have to have an affidavit, no less than three months old, from the absent parent confirming the child can travel with the other parent; a court order granting full legal guardianship of the child; or a death certificate of the deceased parent.

This journey is designed to deepen your connection to South Africa through its food and drink. Taste indigenous Fynbos botanicals with a culinary specialist, forage for seaweeds and coastal plants before an ocean-inspired lunch, and share a traditional braai with matched wines in the Cape Winelands. In the Klein Karoo, regional flavours are shaped by farming families and local hospitality, while the coast brings fresh seafood and cool-climate wines. The journey concludes with an interactive potjiekos dinner led by chef Michael Broughton, drawing on the flavours of the Overberg. Where meals are not included, your Signature Guide will be on hand with considered recommendations, whether you choose to dine together or enjoy the evening at your own pace.

South Africa’s southern regions experience broad seasonal shifts:

Summer (Dec–Feb): Warm days, cooler evenings by the coast and long light ideal for coastal walking.
Autumn (Mar–May): Crisp mornings in the winelands, mellow afternoons for vineyard visits and mountain passes.
Winter (Jun–Aug): Cooler temperatures, occasional rain, and peak whale-watching along the Hermanus coastline.
Spring (Sept–Nov): Fresh breezes, blooming fynbos and comfortable walking conditions.

Each season brings its own atmosphere, shaping light, colour and the pace of the days.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

We also weave Signature Legacy moments into your itinerary, so the positive impact of your trip lasts long after your stay. These are moments to remember which help people and nature thrive, ensuring you build a harmonious, positive connection with the places you visit.

On this journey, you can:

Walk the shoreline with a specialist guide, identifying edible seaweeds and responsible harvesting. An experience that deepens understanding of coastal ecosystems through taste, touch, and observation.
Visit Hermanus’ Zwelihle township with a local guide, gaining insight into daily life. Meet makers and small business owners, share home-style dishes, and hear first-hand stories shaping the community’s future.
Learn directly from conservation specialists at Dyer Island and the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary. Observe penguin behaviour and see how rescue and rehabilitation work is helping protect this critically endangered species.