ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
6-Day Cape Town & Franschhoek Escape

South Africa - Fly-in safari

6-Day Cape Town & Franschhoek Escape

Duration
6 days
Countries
South Africa
Suited to
2-8 guests
Pricing
From USD 3,980

The journey

Updated on 23 August 2026

This is the Cape at its most classic, built on two hotels with genuine personality. The Mount Nelson has been Cape Town's pink landmark since 1899, nine acres of gardens at the foot of Table Mountain with an afternoon tea that survives every fashion. Three nights here cover the essentials at an unhurried pace: the cableway when the tablecloth of cloud lifts, the peninsula loop past Chapman's Peak to the Cape of Good Hope and the Boulders penguins, and the V&A Waterfront with the Zeitz museum's carved atrium. Then it is 50 minutes east over the mountains to Franschhoek, the valley the French Huguenots planted in 1688, now South Africa's food capital. Mont Rochelle, Sir Richard Branson's 26-room hotel and working wine estate, looks down the whole valley from the slopes of the Klein Dassenberg. The wine tram rattles between tasting rooms below, the village's restaurant mile holds several of the country's best tables, and the hotel's own cellar pours its Little Rock range on a terrace built for long afternoons. Summer, October to April, is prime; winter brings fires, truffles and the valley's best rates.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Arrival in Pink

Twenty-five minutes from the airport, the Mount Nelson's palm-lined drive delivers you to a hotel that has been receiving travellers since 1899. Gardens first, then the pool, then the four o'clock institution: afternoon tea under the chandeliers. Evening options start with a sundowner on the hotel's own lawn and improve from there.

Stay 2

The Peninsula Loop

Your private guide runs the Cape's headline day: Chapman's Peak Drive bolted to the cliffside, the Cape of Good Hope where the currents collide, lunch by the harbour in Simon's Town and the Boulders Beach penguin colony waddling through its afternoon. The return leg rounds the mountain in time for a swim before dinner.

Stay 3

Mountain and Waterfront

Go up early: the cableway's rotating car reaches Table Mountain's summit in five minutes, and the morning light on the city bowl repays the alarm clock. The afternoon splits between the V&A Waterfront, the Zeitz MOCAA's carved grain-silo atrium, and Bo-Kaap's painted terraces, with the hotel's gardens holding the last hour before dinner.

Stay 4

Over the Pass to the Valley

The transfer takes the scenic line through Stellenbosch and over the Helshoogte Pass, dropping into Franschhoek's amphitheatre of vines. Mont Rochelle looks down the full length of the valley; check in, taste the estate's Little Rock range on the terrace, and walk the ten minutes into the village for the first of its serious dinners.

Stay 5

The Wine Tram Day

Franschhoek's open-sided tram solves wine touring at a stroke: hop off at Grande Provence for the gallery and the tasting room, at La Motte for its museum and shiraz, wherever the route and appetite argue. Lunch happens at whichever estate catches you at one o'clock. The evening is the village's restaurant mile, booked ahead by the concierge.

Stay 6

Valley to the Airport

A final breakfast over the vines, perhaps a last walk up through Mont Rochelle's own rows with the valley's morning mist burning off below, then the 55 minute transfer to Cape Town International for onward flights. Six days, two of the Cape's great addresses, and a strong argument for coming back in the opposite season.

Safari highlights

  • Three nights at the Mount Nelson under Table Mountain
  • Two nights at Mont Rochelle above Franschhoek
  • Cape Point, Chapman's Peak and the Boulders penguins
  • The Franschhoek wine tram
  • South Africa's best restaurant valley
  • A private peninsula day with driver-guide

What is included

Included

  • 5 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Road transfers Cape Town Airport-Mount Nelson, Mount Nelson-Mont Rochelle and Mont Rochelle-Airport
  • Breakfast daily at both hotels
  • A private full-day Cape Peninsula tour with driver-guide
  • Franschhoek wine tram tickets with tastings
  • A tasting of Mont Rochelle's own wines
  • Government taxes and VAT
  • 24-hour local concierge support

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Visas and entry permits
  • Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
  • Lunches and dinners beyond stated inclusions
  • Table Mountain cableway and attraction entry fees
  • Gratuities for drivers, guides and hotel staff
  • Items of a personal nature and telephone calls

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 6-day Cape Town and Franschhoek trip cost?

From USD 3,980 per person sharing, rising to about USD 4,680 in the peak summer season, which makes it the most accessible luxury itinerary we offer in South Africa. It includes five nights with breakfast at the Mount Nelson and Mont Rochelle, private transfers, a private full-day peninsula tour, wine tram tickets and a Mont Rochelle tasting. International flights are excluded.

Why stay in Franschhoek rather than Stellenbosch?

Food, mostly. Franschhoek concentrates more acclaimed restaurants per street than anywhere else in Africa, from long-standing icons to the new wave, all within a walkable village. The wine tram solves the tasting-and-driving problem by rail and rope, hopping between estates like Grande Provence and La Motte. Stellenbosch is a easy half-day trip over the Helshoogte Pass if you want both.

What is the Mount Nelson like?

A living institution: painted pink for peace in 1918, wrapped in nine acres of gardens under Table Mountain, and still the address where Cape Town celebrates. Rooms mix Victorian bones with fresh Belmond interiors, the pool sits in the gardens' palm shade, and the afternoon tea, scones to a century-old standard, remains the city's most contested booking at four o'clock.

When is the best time to visit the Cape?

October to April for beach weather and long evenings, with December to February the busy height of it. February to April adds harvest in Franschhoek's vineyards. May to September is the green season: rain comes and goes, but the Nelson's fires are lit, the valley does truffles and slow menus, whales arrive in False Bay from June, and rates drop by a third.

How far is Franschhoek from Cape Town?

About 50 minutes by road over the Du Toitskloof shoulder or an hour via Stellenbosch and the Helshoogte Pass, which is the prettier route and the one your transfer takes. The valley works either as this itinerary runs it, a two-night finale, or reversed as a soft landing after the long-haul flight, with Cape Town's pace saved for the end.

Are international flights included?

No. International flights to and from Africa are excluded and booked separately. Cape Town International handles direct services from London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and the Gulf hubs, and the transfer from Mont Rochelle back to the airport runs about 55 minutes, so even a mid-morning departure only costs you one last valley breakfast.