Map of South Africa

Exceptional Rate: 7 Night Bush and Beach Package

Enjoy three nights in The Bush House in the malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve in the North West Province of South Africa & four nights at Urban Chic Hotel in heart of Cape Town’s city centre.

  

Rate: R 8050 per person sharing for SEVEN nights! Single supplement rates and Children rates are quoted on request, please advise whether you need these.

This package is available for bookings up to 31 August 2011.

The rate includes:

1.       Welcome drinks at the lodge

2.       3 Nights luxury accommodation – The Bush House

3.       Teas and coffees during your stay – The Bush House

4.       All meals – The Bush House

5.       Free Internet access – The Bush House

6.       Mobile phone signal available – The Bush House

7.       Two professionally guided game drives into Big Five territory daily (+/- 3.5 hours each) – The Bush House

8.       Free game drive drinks (local wine, beer, spirits, mixers) – The Bush House

9.       Return Airport transfers from Cape Town International Airport – The Urban Chic Hotel

10.   4 Nights luxury accommodation – The Urban Chic Hotel

11.   Breakfast daily – The Urban Chic Hotel

12.   Free Internet access – The Urban Chic Hotel

The Lodge offers 6 double en-suite bedrooms, all part of the main lodge. The lodge is of an informal style where guests are encouraged to kick off their shoes and unwind.

 

Game drives are conducted daily at sunrise and late afternoon with sundowner drinks in the bush. Each drive lasts about 3.5 hours where you get to encounter Africa’s animals in their own territory on their terms. Get up close and personal with Africa’s Big Five.

On to Cape Town, the Mother City, guests are collected at Cape Town International Airport for a shuttle to Cape Town’s CBD. Check-in at Urban Chic hotel and take in the glorious views of the city and the world famous Table Mountain.

Rooms are spacious and beds ultra-comfortable. Your private en-suite bathroom is stocked with bathroom amenities and bath towels. Daily servicing is included. 24-Hour security and reception staff are also on duty.

Complimentary internet access throughout the hotel allows you to keep in touch with those at home.

The hotel is situated in Cape Town’s Long Street, the bustling and cosmopolitan heart of the city. A mere 5 minute drive and you’re in the V&A Waterfront, 5 – 10 minutes to the Cable Car for an aerial view of Cape Town, the famous beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton, Robben Island, and the Cape Peninsula.

You’ll enjoy four nights at Urban Chic hotel with a delicious, filling buffet breakfast daily.

Travelling time from Johannesburg to Madikwe Game Reserve is approximately 3.5 hours by road. There is a scheduled Federal Air flight that flies in and out of the Reserve daily. Should you wish to charter a plane to suit your own time frame this can be arranged through Madikwe Charters.

Road transfers can be arranged from within South Africa and from Botswana. These can be booked at an additional cost through our reservations. We can also assist you with Car Rental rates should you wish to self-drive.

View The Bush House online: http://www.theholidayzebra.co.za/ListingDetail.aspx?ListingId=486

View Urban Chic Hotel online: http://www.theholidayzebra.co.za/ListingDetail.aspx?ListingId=153

For reservations, please contact:

Tel: +27 722 88 3366

Email: info@theholidayzebra.co.za

Wild Safaris in Mpumalanga Province

Experience wildlife safaris and nature encounters in the Kruger National Park and Blyde River Canyon.

Mpumalanga is a lush, land-locked province, filled with deep ravines, verdant valleys, crystal-clear streams, magnificent waterfalls and plenty of wildlife.

It is found north-east of Gauteng, and shares a long border with Mozambique. It forms the heartland of South Africa’s classic safari territory, and is comprised of the Lowveld and the Highveld.

The Lowveld is restricted to broad valleys below 1000m above sea level; the Lowveld is what many people consider to be the ‘real’ Africa. In this low-lying subtropical climate, broad-leafed and thorn trees co-exist happily in relatively open woodland, interspersed with long grass, and of course, game. In the far north it gets hotter and the vegetation changes to Mopane woodland.

In the very northern part of the country, huge baobab trees dominate the landscape. Much of the Kruger National Park falls into this biome. However, the division between the Bushveld and the Lowveld is somewhat blurred.

The rivers here tend to be broad and slow moving and may consist of no more than a few unconnected pools at the end of the dry season, which is when wildlife congregates around the few water sources making it a good time to view them.

The Highveld, as its name suggests, is situated at a higher altitude and is much cooler than the Lowveld. On the opposite site of the Drakensberg to KwaZulu-Natal, it consists of rolling grassland with many wild flowers and pretty streams. Much of the area has been cultivated as pine plantations, but there are still some pockets of indigenous forest. Trout fishing is very good in the dams and streams in the Dullstroom and Lydenberg areas.

The mighty Kruger National Park is the principal tourism feature of the province, a vast wilderness region larger than the country of Israel. The Kruger National Park forms an elongated stretch of wilderness, from the southern border town of Komatiepoort into the Limpopo Province, right up to South Africa’s northern border with Zimbabwe. Roughly half of the Kruger National Park falls within Mpumalanga and half into the Limpopo Province.

The northerly Limpopo regions are drier and more arid than the dense Bushveld of Mpumalanga, which s hotter and humid. Animals move at will through the various biospheres. And this reserve is world renowned for having the greatest diversity of species in Africa – more than 140 mammal species, 500 bird species and more than 300 different tree species, including baobabs, marulas and mopanes.

Accommodation the Kruger National Park ranges from clean campsites to very comfortable and luxurious game lodges. The private reserves on its borders are, without exception, very luxurious. Exclusive lodges offer outstanding accommodation, five-star food, evening “braais”, or barbeques under African skies and night game drives led by experienced game rangers.

The province is very fertile and there are many huge plantations growing produce ranging from avocado pears to citrus, which has made “agri-tourism” popular. There are also hundreds of thousands of hectares of timber plantations in the province, making driving around the region extremely enjoyable.

Mpumalanga is also home to part of the great Drakensberg range, a magnificent canyon called Blyde River Canyon, which is the third largest and only green canyon in the world.

  

This system of canyons and escarpments is responsible for one of the world’s most breathtaking views from a place known as “God’s Window” on the very edge of South Africa’s shield-shaped interior plateau. The Blyde System includes another famous site called “The Three Rondavels”, with magnificent views.

The painted geometric patterns of Ndabele homes and their beaded traditional clothes can be seen at villages such as the Botshabelo Historical Village.

Must-Do’s While in Mpumalanga:

View the Big Five

Enjoy the amazing scenic beauty

Visit Pilgrim’s Rest

Hiking, biking and trout fishing

The Noordhoek Villa – Exclusive Luxury Accommodation for up to 12 Guests

Are you looking for a comfortable, luxurious, stylish, spacious, homely, and welcoming property for your holiday accommodation? This is one of the first short-term holiday rental properties to be listed in our database of over 500 properties around South Africa, and it offers guests exceptional value-for-money.

This completely refurbished Cape Dutch holiday villa offers double-volume living areas, tremendous outdoor space and expansive views of the sea and beach, mountains and protected Wetlands. The property also offers 24-hour high-tech security systems bringing you additional peace of mind. The beach is not within walking distance but is a mere 3 minutes drive away. Fish Hoek beach is less than 10 minutes drive away.

Okay, so 12 people under one roof sounds like a lot to me, but there’s so much space available, you could easily find a quiet spot on the property and go unnoticed for a few hours. And it’s not just one roof but two as the main house offers 4 double bedrooms (all with own private en-suite bathroom) and there is a separate full self-catering double-storey cottage offering 2 bedroom (both with own private en-suite bathroom too), large kitchen, dining area and lounge just a few steps away from the Villa. So that’s 8 guests in the main house and 4 guests in the separate luxury cottage - more than enough space for everyone.

The owners live in the United Kingdom, and there is a dedicated 24-hour property manager who lives 10 minutes drive away. The property is available for short-term holiday lets throughout the year. The Holiday Zebra is on stand-by 24/7 too if things aren’t up to your expectations, and we’ll sort it out for you.

What we really like the property is that it is situated in a lovely location on the apex of Sea Cottage Drive in Noordhoek. The property offers peaceful views of the Noordhoek Protected Wetlands Area, a beautiful tranquil view of the 11 km stretch of beach in the distance (watch the ships go by day and night), and mountains all around. Wake up to a different view every day! You won’t want to leave.

Secondly, Cape Dutch architecture is like taking a step back in time. The property however offers all the modern comforts you would expect from a 21^st Century home – heated infinity swimming pool, spacious outdoor entertainment areas, and wooden decks with BBQ facilities, complimentary wireless internet access, and gourmet chef’s kitchen with modern appliances and fittings.

Thirdly, you’re not in the hustle and bustle of the city or Camps Bay, so you really get away from it all, while still being just 30 minutes out of the city centre and 45 minutes from Cape Town International Airport.

Noordhoek is a rural, peaceful and safe neighbourhood situated on the greater Table Mountain National Park at the foot of the most beautiful scenic drive in the world – Chapman’s Peak which offers access to Hout Bay and the city centre. A large shopping centre is located an easy 2 minute drive away from the property with every convenience you could want – clothing, groceries, coffee shops, take-aways, cinema, and petrol / gas station, pharmacy and doctors offices.

The property is serviced twice a week, bath and beach towels are provided, and bathroom amenities, tea, coffee, milk, bread, wine and flowers are provided too.

For entertainment, guests can bring their own laptop as an internet router is available, a large flat screen TV, Sky TV and Sky Sports, DVD / VHS player, iPod docking station, CD player, Radio and MP3 players are provided.

Private Chef services can be arranged, and there are many local craft shops, coffee shops, restaurants and pubs at the Noordhoek Village or near the beach at the Red Herring Trading Post.

Local attractions include the penguins at Boulders Beach, historic Simon’s Town, golf, tennis, horse riding on the beach, hiking trails through Silvermine Nature Reserve, surfing and sea kayaks, seasonal whale and dolphin watching, Cape Point and the scenic Chapman’s Peak drive to Hout Bay.

Rates are from R 5300 for low season, R 6300 for mid season and R 7300 during peak season. Rates are charged per night for full exclusive, private use up to 12 guests. Rates are subject to change and are currently under review. For up to date rates, please contact info@theholidayzebra.co.za or call +27 722 88 3366.

To view this property on our website, please use Web Ref # 76 on www.theholidayzebra.co.za