Meet your new crew. Welcome to Cape Town! Our trip starts today with your Trip Manager giving you all the deets on the days ahead. There are plenty of incredible spots nearby to grab dinner and bond with your Contiki crew before heading back to the hotel, giddy with excitement for the adventures ahead.

Cape Town, rise and shine. Ready to get going? We'll fuel up with a hearty breakfast this morning, then it’s off to the Karoo desert via the famous ‘Route 62’. An included guided tour of Africa's LARGEST show cave system. The Cango Caves are replete with cavernous halls, limestone formations, cave paintings and artefacts (which indicate they were in use throughout the Middle Ages!) How's that for a pitstop? Welcome to the ‘Ostrich Capital of the World’. After passing vineyards and mountain passes on our way, we’ll check into Oudtshoorn, say hey to the ostriches and then enjoy a delicious bush dinner (it's not ostrich don't worry.)

Good morning! Let's continue heading East towards one of South Africa's most loved National Parks: Addo Elephant. (Anyone guess which animal this place is famous for?) Our first game drive. After lunch at the main camp, it's time to set out in search of Africa's largest land mammal… Do keep your eyes peeled for lions, buffalo, and antelope too though. We'll retreat here for the night but fear not, we've got more safari adventures in the morning.

Ready for your second chance at wildlife spotting? We thought so. Cameras at the ready! Private Game Reserves in the Eastern Cape are some of South Africa's best locations to spot the Big 5 due to their diverse habitats of valleys, thickets, open plains and meandering rivers. We'll set out on an open vehicle game drive to spot wildlife before enjoying an included lunch. Then we're headed to the beautiful coastal town of Knysna exploring all the sights and activites the Garden Route has to offer (we've got two nights, here, too. Lucky us).

Sea views and river views. We’ll start today on the beach at Plettenberg Bay, catching some rays on the white sands – with the chance to spot whales and dolphins on an ocean safari. Afterwards, we’re off for a hike to Tsitsikamma, finishing up at the Insta-worthy Storms River bridge. Don’t miss your chance to try a lil' kayaking before we head back to Knysna for a relaxed evening to explore the town.

Our MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® day kicks off with a locally guided Township Tour. Home to South Africa’s most disadvantaged citizens, this tour will help you see that townships are places of great strength, courage, song, dance, and love. The best bit? All funds from this excursion help educate children in the area. After learning about the Xhosa culture and having a go at some African drums, we'll then take the stunning coastal route to Hermanus. We’ll visit the South African Shark Conservancy to learn about the country’s remarkable oceans… and the sharks that occupy them of course! A night on the town. The location? The vibey wine farm town of Stellenbosch. Soak it all up, friends. Days don't get much better than this.

Wines, views, scenery… and more wines. We’ll take it easy this morning with some free time to explore the quaint town of Stellenbosch and its markets. After lunch, it's time to explore what the area is famous for. Meandering our way to some of the finest wine farms the Cape has to offer, we’ll have a tipple (or two) and gawp at the spectacular scenery. We'll take the short drive back to Cape Town for our final night together. Final night?? Better find somewhere for an epic final meal, hadn’t we?

Deep breaths. Tearful goodbyes. That's it, our week-long adventure along the southern coast of Africa has come to an end. We'll never lose those memories though. Or the friendships. Speaking of which... anyone for Thailand?