Experience South Africa
Significant Feast Days
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13-Day Itinerary
Day 1 Depart from home for your South African cultural adventure*
Day 2 Arrive in Cape Town, transfer to your accommodation, and enjoy a free afternoon and evening to settle into your new locale
Day 3 Depart to Robben Island in Table Bay, and enjoy a tour of Kirstenbosch gardens after lunch
Day 4 Travel to Table Mountain, enjoy a Cape Canopy Tour in the picturesque Elgin Valley near Grabouw
Day 5 Take a day trip to the !Khwa ttu San Culture & Education Centre
Day 6 Journey to Namaqualand where you are immersed in a native cultural experience, spend the night in Leliefontein cultural camp
Day 7 Spend the day in Leliefontein and enjoy a short visit to the beautiful Namaqua National Park
Day 8 Travel to Springbok and Concordia for 2 days of volunteer work at a local organization in need of helping hands
Day 9 Spend a second day in service to a local organization in Springbok and Concordia
Day 10 Depart for the Orange River for two days of rafting and camping on the Richtersveld section of the river
Day 11 Enjoy a second day of rafting and camping on the Orange River
Day 12 Travel back to Cape Town, enjoy a free late afternoon and evening in the city
Day 13 Depart Cape Town for home
Mass will be celebrated daily.
Specific locations and events within the itinerary are subject to change depending on actual travel dates.
*Flights from/to the United States will require 15 days of travel, due to time zone changes and the length of flights to/from Cape Town.
Day 2 Arrive in Cape Town, transfer to your accommodation, and enjoy a free afternoon and evening to settle into your new locale
Day 3 Depart to Robben Island in Table Bay, and enjoy a tour of Kirstenbosch gardens after lunch
Day 4 Travel to Table Mountain, enjoy a Cape Canopy Tour in the picturesque Elgin Valley near Grabouw
Day 5 Take a day trip to the !Khwa ttu San Culture & Education Centre
Day 6 Journey to Namaqualand where you are immersed in a native cultural experience, spend the night in Leliefontein cultural camp
Day 7 Spend the day in Leliefontein and enjoy a short visit to the beautiful Namaqua National Park
Day 8 Travel to Springbok and Concordia for 2 days of volunteer work at a local organization in need of helping hands
Day 9 Spend a second day in service to a local organization in Springbok and Concordia
Day 10 Depart for the Orange River for two days of rafting and camping on the Richtersveld section of the river
Day 11 Enjoy a second day of rafting and camping on the Orange River
Day 12 Travel back to Cape Town, enjoy a free late afternoon and evening in the city
Day 13 Depart Cape Town for home
Mass will be celebrated daily.
Specific locations and events within the itinerary are subject to change depending on actual travel dates.
*Flights from/to the United States will require 15 days of travel, due to time zone changes and the length of flights to/from Cape Town.
About South Africa
Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa, home to the South Africa parliament, and the capital of Western Cape Province. It is a world-class cosmopolitan city with numerous sites of historical significance. The Cathedral of Cape Town is St. Mary's. Formally known as St. Mary of the Flight into Egypt, the church has a history that reaches back more than 165 years to its founding in 1851.
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 Photo by Schavda
Robben Island is located in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "Seal Island." Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, flat, and only a few meters above sea level as a result of an ancient erosion event. Robben Island is where political prisoners were held before the fall of apartheid, including Nelson Mandela, Kgalema Motlanthe, and Jacob Zuma, former Presidents of South Africa.
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 Photo by Ritus
Table Mountain is the most iconic landmark in South Africa. A flat-topped mountain overlooking the city, Table Mountain is featured in the Flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. Although the mountain boasts more than 350 trails to the summit, most visitors choose to take a relaxing cable car ride to the top where stunning views of Cape Town await!
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Cape Canopy Tour is located in the Elgin Valley near Grabouw and the Hottentots Holland mountains in the Cape Nature Reserve. Visitors will go on a zipline adventure through the pristine nature of the area, enjoying a bird's-eye view of stunning panormas.
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The !Khwa ttu San Culture & Education Centre offers a unique introduction into the world of the descendants of the first indigenous people of southern Africa. The San themselves take visitors on a journey into their history, traditional knowledge, skills, languages, customs and current affairs. The Centre is located in the Cape Floral Kingdom, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and includes various trails, game drive, a museum, and a restaurant.
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 Photo by Andrew Hall
Leliefontein means 'lily spring' after the natural spring that is the reason for the town's origin. The town started out as the kraal of a Nama chief, then it became a Methodist mission village, and was known as a 'colored reserve' during the apartheid years. Now, the historical village is at the heart of the town, where cooking, dancing, and lodging is provided by local women in an immersive cultural experience. Visitors to the Leliefontein cultural camp will sleep in a traditional Matjieshut and eat in a traditional “kookskerm” cooking shelter.
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 Photo by Winfried Bruenken
Namaqua National Park presents a tapestry of brilliant colors, unfolding enticingly along its winding roads. During early August and September, the dusty valleys of Namaqualand are carpeted with wildflowers. With its winter rainfall, Namaqualand is home to the richest bulb flora of any arid region in the world and more than a 1 000 of its estimated 3500 plant species are found nowhere else on earth. The rigorous climate has created a myriad of life forms superbly adapted to their specific habitat. Fields of flowers, star studded nights, quiver trees, enormous granite outcrops, and the icy Atlantic are but a few wonders that await the visitor to what is truly God's playground.
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The Orange River's Richtersveld section stretches from Noordoewer towards the Fish River confluence. It is 680km (approx. 425 miles) due north from Cape Town, and 1300km (approx. 810 miles) from Johannesburg - and worth every kilometer! The Richtersveld National Park, through which the river runs, is one of the largest mountain deserts in the world. More than half of the plants here are native to the region, and support a wide variety of fascinating animal and insect life. The banks are lined with willow and ebony trees which provide shade and shelter to river rafters, and form a green band of life through the orange splendor of this semi-desert.
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