13-Day Running Adventure in South Africa

Arrive in time to see the sun setting on the Waterfront, where you’ll meet your fellow travelers and Event Director - for drinks, a welcome presentation to brief you on the adventures ahead, followed by dinner. We’re staying right on the Waterfront, where you can enjoy the wealth of bars, shops, and sightseeing activities. There is plenty to see and do in Cape Town, so if your schedule allows, spend some extra days in the city to explore all this wonderful city has to offer.

Our first full day starts with the stunning coastal drive past the 12 Apostles and over the epic Chapman’s Peak Drive. We’ll arrive in Noordhoek, which means North corner, the setting for the first run of our South African adventure. Cape Point Vineyard is nestled in a mountain amphitheater, with views down to the miles long expanse of Noordhoek Beach. There will be some sneaky climbs to earn these views, a taste of things to come in South Africa. Talking of taste, after our run we’ll get to try some of the wines with a picnic lunch on the estate.

In the afternoon, we head to Cape Point for a scenic walk visiting two iconic landmarks - Cape Point Lighthouse and the Cape of Good Hope! Then, it's off to view the delightful African Penguins at Boulders Beach, the only penguin species found on the African continent.

Tonight, the Waterfront is your culinary playground, for a truly world-class dining experience on your own or with some new travel friends.

When in Cape Town, it feels like Table Mountain is always quietly watching over you. So, this morning, we’re venturing out to climb to the Table via Platteklip Gorge and look down on the city and sea below. This climb is challenging, all the more reason to take breaks and enjoy the experience.

We will have lunch on the bus on our way to our next adventure. This time, we’re going surfing at Muizenberg Beach, which holds the Guinness World Record for most surfers on a single wave! Muizenberg is the ideal place to be introduced to surfing. We'll get a lesson and spend time practicing in the waves. If you prefer to just enjoy the beach, you can do that too, or take a walk on the seaside path to the St James tidal pool.

After heading back to the hotel, we’ll meet up again in the evening for a dinner extravaganza at the restaurant. We’ll enjoy 13-dishes from across the African continent, accompanied by a live djembe drumming show, which we will learn and drum along.

Rise and shine! We will have a packed breakfast and are hitting the road early! We are going on the Langeberg Meander. Langeberg means Long Mountain, and we will drive through a long mountain to get there, literally! Our route takes us through the Cape Winelands and into the 2.5 mile long Hugenot Tunnel! We’ll emerge to stunning peaks either side as we make our way past more wine farms to the Langeberg. We are going to run through vineyards and working farms, before getting to sample the produce of the region. We'll get a true South African culinary experience as we taste our way through wines, cheeses, olives, snails...ice cream, the list goes on! All produced right there in Langeberg.

Then onwards to the Garden Route and our next destination, Kynsna. A quaint and historic coastal town surrounding the lagoon that enters the sea through the infamous Knysna Heads. After checking into our hotel on the waterfront our adventurous day continues as we board the Featherbed Paddle Cruiser, for dinner exploring the lagoon and getting a sense of the run that awaits us tomorrow.

This morning we'll enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before climbing aboard for a scenic boat ride to the Featherbed Nature Reserve. There we'll enjoy a short but dramatic run up to the views from the Western Head, before dropping down to the cave at the water’s edge. We’ll follow the path along the side of the lagoon, before finishing at a private beach where we can swim in the open waters!

Our coastal adventure continues with a hands-on oyster shucking experience, before settling in for a beautiful buffet lunch including some of the oysters we've prepped!

We will return to Knysna on the ferry, before the short drive across to Plettenberg Bay. Drinks on the hotel rooftop await, with views over the bay from Robberg Peninsula in the West, past Bloukrans in the East - our playgrounds over the next few days . After sundowners, a relaxed evening with dinner at the hotel.

Today is a higher adrenaline day! We're starting off with a 12km forest run to take us into the lush Harkerville Forest and down to the cliffs overlooking the ocean.Then it's time to don harnesses for a ziplining excursion that will have you flying high over the stunning gorge that opens to the sea!

Tonight we'll balance out the last few busy days with a free evening. Enjoy the hotel amenities or head out for a quiet dinner on your own, there are a number of options within a short walking distance of our central hotel.

Our morning hike in the Robberg Nature Reserve takes us high above the coastline, down to the beach and even around an island. Robberg means ‘seal mountain’, and seals you will most definitely see from the cliffs that you walk, there are 6000 of them in the marine protected area.

After lunch and a beach swim, we'll charter a boat out to the seal colony that we looked down on a few hours before! Grab a snorkel, dive in for the once in a lifetime opportunity to swim with the Robberg seal colony.

Today let's run through pine forests and look out over the bay to Robberg in the distance before approaching a nerve testing challenge. Our run finish lines up to view the 216 meter drop off the Bloukrans Bridge, where we will be taking on the world famous Skywalk. Step out onto a scenic and gravity defying walk for unparalleled views of the Bloukrans River Gorge. Our thrill-seekers can also upgrade to leap off the bridge, the world’s 4th highest bungee jump!

We’ll recover with lunch watching others bungee jumping and reliving our experience on TV’s. Then we head off to surfing mecca Cape Saint Francis, home to the South African calamari industry. We’ll enjoy sunset at Sunset Rock before beginning dinner with a fascinating talk and calamari tasting.

Greet the day with a sunrise run to wake up our bodies, before grabbing breakfast and heading on safari at Kariega Game Reserve, and our search for the Big 5 and their friends. We’ll break up our journey with a stop at a Farm stall, a local favorite. Once we arrive, we’ll settle into the safari lifestyle with a buffet lunch, before heading out for our very first game drive.

The Kariega Game Reserve offers us a family-owned stay and ethical safaris to meet the Big 5 of African wildlife - lions, leopards, elephants, hippos, and black rhinos. We’ll spend the next five days getting to know these animals in their own habitat. Plus, we’ll meet a host of other characters from zebras and giraffes to beautiful birds.

Our safari welcome will continue at the Boma dinner, where we'll enjoy our meal around an open fire accompanied by traditional singing and dancing, thanks to local performers. What a way to begin our safari!

Today is all about slowing down and being present. Instead of a run today we will relax, explore, and experience the South Africa with all our senses. Our morning and evening will be spent on game drives or river safaris, when most of the animals are active and the best sightings are possible.

When the sun is high, we’ll relax at the lodge, in our chalets overlooking the reserve or at the pool. No reason not to sign up for a spa treatment, relaxing is the order of the day. All meals at the lodge are experiences - social, sensory and culinary.

Seeing wildlife from a vehicle isn’t enough for us - so this morning we’ll head onto the reserve for an epic morning run among the wildlife! Spot antelope, giraffe, zebra, and more on this safe, immersive run. Don't worry, there's no dangerous game on this route.

Our stay at Kariega Reserve helps to fund the Kariega Foundation, a non-profit organization leading efforts in conservation and community development. In the afternoon, we’ll gather to learn stories about rhino poaching and the Kariega Foundation's effort to protect rhinos in the Eastern Cape. Then, we'll visit the Bushwillow school for a community sports day!

The stories we'll hear today are both heart breaking and heart warming, as they weave a clearer picture of the community that calls this area home.

Another full day on safari. A day to focus on experiencing life in the African wild. A day to listen and learn as our rangers share their knowledge and show us how they immerse themselves into the flow of life away from bright lights and big city. The biggest lesson we can learn is how to let go of our lives back home, and truly engage with the way of life in the African bush.

On our last night together, we will gather at the Boma for dinner and a farewell celebration. There will be music and laughter as we relive our adventures of the past 12 days!

Our last morning on safari, our last chance to find an elusive animal we have not yet seen, or a chance to step away from searching and let Africa happen around us. Our time in the wild is now short, but it can stand still for a final few special hours. We’re saying treasured farewells today, and our final game drive is the perfect setting to do so.

Pack up and wrap up for the drive to the Port Elizabeth airport - homewards or onwards, the most incredible memories will be part and parcel of our journey.