Signature South Africa | Wild Coasts & Winelands

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 Experiences:

• 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

Signature Day: Experience our distinctive Signature Day, choosing between 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 1852 Karoo homestead offering elegant suites, rose gardens, and family-run hospitality, 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

Sustainability and Impact

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.

Is this trip for you?

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.

Prebooking activities: An immersive adventure of your choice awaits on the Signature Day. All you need to do is prebook the activity at least 60 days before departure through our Signature Collection travel experts. Additionally, an optional walking tour can be booked if you arrive early on Day 1.

Vaccinations and Health

South Africa

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, rabies and tuberculosis. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you’re arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Malaria prophylaxis is essential if travelling in the greater Kruger area; seek advice from your doctor or travel clinic about which tablets to take. The rest of South Africa, including the Garden Route, has a low risk of malaria.

Dengue fever, a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes, is also a known risk in places visited. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so we recommend taking the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Visa

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.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas 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.

Food & Drink

This journey is designed to deepen your connection to the country through its food and drink.

This journey reveals South Africa through its ingredients, regional stories and the people who shape them.
In Cape Town, refined dining in historic spaces introduces the city’s layered influences. Along the peninsula, coastal-foraging specialists reframe your understanding of wild flavour. In the winelands, Fynbos becomes a lens into scent and terroir, while the Karoo offers farm-to-table rituals rooted in resilience and tradition. By the Overberg coast, seafood, potjiekos, seasonal vegetables and simple desserts anchor a warm final evening together.

Weather

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.