Journeys · South Africa · Zimbabwe
The Cape & the Smoke That Thunders
Cape Town, the Garden Route, the Sabi Sand and Victoria Falls. Three flavours of South Africa and one thunderclap of Zimbabwe — golf at the country's best, safari at its most refined.
Highlights
- Two rounds on the famous Links course at Fancourt Golf Estate
- A round at Leopard Creek Country Club on the edge of the Kruger
- Walking safari in the Sabi Sand private game reserve
- A long-table seafood lunch on the wild West Coast
- Sunset over Victoria Falls — the Smoke that Thunders
Best months
Mar · Apr · Sep · Oct · Nov
A sunrise round on the Links at Fancourt, no other players in sight, your caddie quietly explaining the lines.
What's on the card — and where you'll sleep
The golf on this journey
- Steenberg Golf Club
- The Links at Fancourt (×2)
- Fancourt Montagu
- Leopard Creek Country Club
- Elephant Hills Golf Course
Where you'll stay
- Ellerman House, Bantry Bay — Cape Town & the Peninsula, 3 nights
- Fancourt Hotel, George — The Garden Route, 4 nights
- Royal Malewane, Thornybush — The Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, 4 nights
- The Victoria Falls Hotel — Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 3 nights
Every property is hand-picked from our register of fifty-two — none paid for, none reciprocated. See the options for this region →
Where you go, and why
Cape Town & the Peninsula
Wake beneath Table Mountain in one of the most beautiful cities on earth. Ride the cableway to the summit, drive the cliff-hung road to Cape Point where two oceans argue, and meet the penguins at Boulders Beach. Your opening round is at Steenberg Golf Club, laid among Constantia vineyards planted in 1682 — wine with serious history poured fifty metres from the 18th green. While you play, the non-golfers in your party explore Kirstenbosch's famous gardens or snorkel a golden kelp forest with a private guide.
STAY Ellerman House, Bantry Bay
The Garden Route — Fancourt Golf Estate
Fly an easy hour east to George and settle into Fancourt, South Africa's most celebrated golf estate, wrapped by the green wall of the Outeniqua Mountains. Two rounds await on the Links — the Gary Player masterpiece consistently rated the No. 1 course in the country — plus a gentler day on the estate's Montagu or Outeniqua courses. Between rounds: whale-watching boats from Plettenberg Bay, oysters in Knysna's lagoon-side taverns, and the spa for anyone whose swing needs forgetting.
STAY Fancourt Hotel, George
The Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve
Now the wild. A private reserve on the Kruger National Park's unfenced western edge, famous for the closest leopard viewing in Africa. Dawn and dusk game drives with a tracker on the bonnet, a morning on foot learning to read the bush, and dinners under more stars than you knew existed. The golf clubs come too: one unforgettable round at Leopard Creek Country Club, where hippos grumble in the Crocodile River below the 16th green and the 18th finishes on an island.
STAY Royal Malewane, Thornybush
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Finish at one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Victoria Falls — Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Smoke that Thunders — is twice the height of Niagara, and you'll feel its spray on the rainforest walking trail long before you see it. Cruise the Zambezi River at sunset with elephants on the bank, take high tea at the grand Victoria Falls Hotel, and close the trip at Elephant Hills Golf Course, a Gary Player design where warthogs trim the fairways and the Falls' spray column rises on the horizon behind your final drive.
STAY The Victoria Falls Hotel
Every journey is a starting shape, not a fixed product — add nights, swap lodges, bring the Gallery. Guide price per person sharing, excluding international flights; confirmed precisely in writing before you commit.
Asked before you booked
How much does The Cape & the Smoke That Thunders cost?
Guide price is from US$11,900 per person sharing, excluding international flights. For an exact figure, use the Price a Private Version tool — adjust the nights, rounds and experiences and our quoting engine returns your private price, checked by a specialist, usually within one working day.
How many rounds of golf are on this journey?
6 rounds are built in — Steenberg Golf Club, The Links at Fancourt (×2), Fancourt Montagu, Leopard Creek Country Club and more. Every round can be kept, swapped or dropped when you price your private version.
Can my non-golfing partner come?
Absolutely — this is the heart of how we design. While the golfers play, the Gallery programme runs parallel experiences (game drives, spas, wine, walks, markets), and everyone reunites for lunch or sundowners. Non-golfers never sit out a day.
When is the best time to take this journey?
Best months are Mar · Apr · Sep · Oct · Nov. We will be honest about the trade-offs of any month you are considering — every season has its version of this trip.
Where will we stay?
Exact, named properties at every stop — on this journey: Ellerman House, Bantry Bay, Fancourt Hotel, George, Royal Malewane, Thornybush, The Victoria Falls Hotel. Every property is hand-picked from our register; none paid for, none reciprocated.
Do I need a visa for South Africa?
Most UK, US, EU, Canadian and Australian passport holders get a free visitor visa on arrival for stays up to 90 days. We confirm the current rules for your nationality when you book.
Is there malaria on this trip?
Cape Town, the Winelands and the Garden Route are completely malaria-free. The Kruger lowveld carries a low seasonal risk — we will advise on simple precautions — and if you prefer zero risk, we can route your safari to malaria-free reserves like Madikwe, Shamwari or Gondwana instead.
What is the weather like for golf?
The Cape plays best from October to April — long, dry summer days. The Kruger and the highveld are at their best for safari in the dry winter months, May to September. Most of our South African journeys work year-round; we will time yours to what matters most to you.
Tell us how you want to feel when you come home.
We'll build the wild, and the golf, around that — and nothing else.
Design your safari Speak to us