Luxury Western & Eastern Cape

Thirteen nights from Cape Town through the Winelands to a Big Five reserve in the Eastern Cape, with the price quoted on application.

The Eastern Cape reserve at the end of it is malaria-free, which is what makes a trip of this kind workable for travellers who would rather not take prophylactics, and it holds the rare Cape mountain zebra alongside the better-known animals.

Three nights at the One&Only open it in Cape Town, with Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope, the Slave Lodge, Muizenberg, the seals at Kalk Bay, penguins and paddleboarding at Boulders Beach, and a private helicopter flip over the city. Franschhoek follows for three at Le Quartier Francais, with the wine tram hopping between Cape Dutch estates three hundred years old. Oudtshoorn comes next for two in the Klein Karoo, the ostrich capital of the world, with a day at the Cango Caves, the largest show cave system in Africa, and the Swartberg. Plettenberg Bay follows for two on its headland, with whale watching by boat, before the Eastern Cape and Shamwari.

The rental car from Franschhoek onwards, private transfers in Cape Town, the named properties with Shamwari all-inclusive, the helicopter flip, economy flights from London and UK airport lounge passes are all included; the Table Mountain cable car, the Cape Point funicular and some lunches are not, and the Cango Caves lunch is worth confirming. The price is given on application. No wildlife sighting can be promised, at Shamwari or on the whale boat. The southern winter from May to October suits the game viewing and the whale season on the Garden Route coast, while the Cape is at its best between October and April, which is a trade-off worth discussing before dates are fixed.