DAY 01 SYDNEY ✈ ISTANBUL

Meet at the Sydney Airport to board a flight to Istanbul.

DAY 02 ISTANBUL

Arrival at Istanbul International Airport. Reception and transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.

DAY 03 ISTANBUL 

Breakfast. Day off. Accommodation. Possibility of taking the optional guided excursion (not included – with additional cost) with lunch at a typical food restaurant “BOSPHORUS TOUR”. Departure to contemplate the spectacular panorama of the Golden Horn from Pierre Loti Hill; visit of the Cathedral of Saint George, main patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church and seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, recognized as the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians; We continue to the Suleiman The Magnificent Mosque, designed by the Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan and which has the largest dome of all the mosques in Istanbul; We head to the Spice Bazaar, a place with special charm for its color and aromas, the place par excellence to purchase teas, herbs, nuts, typical sweets and of course spices; We culminate with a tour through the Bosphorus, the strait that divides the city between Europe and Asia, we will appreciate the wonderful views of the Ottoman fortresses, palaces, villas and the bridges that connect both sides of this city.

DAY 04 ISTANBUL 

Breakfast. Day off. Accommodation. Possibility of taking the optional guided excursion (not included – with additional cost) with lunch in a typical food restaurant “JOYAS DE CONSTANTINOPLE”: Enter the historic center of the city, where you can observe the variety of vestiges of the different empires that They shaped the current Istanbul: the imposing Topkapi Palace, residence of the sultans and main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire; Hagia Sophia with its majestic Byzantine architecture and mix of Christian and Islamic religious elements; the Roman Hippodrome, the center of social life in Constantinople for thousands of years; the Blue Mosque with its more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles brought from Iznik; the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world and where haggling is a tradition.

DAY 05 ISTANBUL 

Breakfast. Day off. Accommodation.

DAY 06 ISTANBUL 

Breakfast. Check out at 12:00 hrs. At the indicated time, transfer to the airport to take a flight to Johannesburg.

DAY 07 ISTANBUL ✈ JOHANNESBURG

At the indicated time board the flight to Johannesburg. Arrival and Reception. Welcome to Johannesburg, the city of gold. On the panoramic city tour after arrival we will see Houghton city centre, Mandela House, Rosebank, Sandton, later transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.

DAY 08 JOHANNESBURG

Breakfast. Day off. We suggest taking the optional excursion (with additional cost) GOLD REEF TOUR TO THE GOLD MINE, SOWETO AND THE APARTHEID MUSEUM. After breakfast, we leave for Soweto, the largest slum in South Africa and where the first uprisings against the administration began. of Afartheid. Soweto is the most famous slum in South Africa and is spread over a large area. It is also the center of uprisings against the racist regime. In 1955, the Freedom Proclamation was read in Liberty Square. Here it is possible to see people of all incomes and cultures. There is the Soweto House where Nobel Prize winner Nelson Mandela lived for many years, the houses where Archbishop Tutu lived, the Regina Mundi Catholic Cathedral and the monument built for the student uprisings of 1976.
After this tour, where we witness the real Johannesburg, we move to Gold Reef City. Golf Reef is the mine with the most gold in Johannesburg. The entire city was built and expanded around this mine. A total of 1.4 million tons of gold have been extracted from here so far. Although there is gold at much deeper depths, this mine was closed because it was expensive to descend below 4,000 meters. While there were three farms in pre-gold Johannesburg, Johannesburg has now become the largest cosmopolitan and wealthy city in South Africa. We begin the tour of Gold Reef City by explaining Johannesburg’s golden past. We continue our tour with visits to the houses of former miners, these houses were used from the 19th century to the mid-20th century. We go down to the 226 meter mine, learn how gold is extracted and then move on to the room where the gold is poured. After this wonderful experience, free time for lunch.
Then, we move to the Apartheid Museum and witness the inhumane practices carried out during the period when racial discrimination policies were in force. Return to the hotel after the tour. Accommodation.

• Gold Reef City is closed on Mondays.
• The Apartheid Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

DAY 09 JOHANNESBURG

Breakfast. Day off. We suggest taking the optional excursion (with additional cost) CONSTITUTIONAL HILL AND PRETORIA TOUR, After breakfast, we will move to Constitution Hill, where we will witness recent history, but its history is almost as old as that of Johannesburg and it was actually built on the ruins of the old castle. We tour this complex, which was used as a segregated prison and converted into a museum. Nelson and Mimi Mandela, Albertina Sisulu and Oliver Tambo are just some of the thousands of prisoners serving here.
We then continue towards the capital Pretoria. Among the places to see on our Pretoria Tour are the Voortrekker monument, an architectural masterpiece built in memory of the migrations and victories of the Dutch in the 19th century, Church Square, Union Buildings, Paul Kruger’s house and other important streets and monuments. from the city. We will have lunch in Pretoria. At the end of the tour, we return to our hotel. Accommodation.

DAY 10 JOHANNESBURG – PILANESBERG

Breakfast. We will immediately leave for the Pilanesberg National Park. Our trip will take 3 hours in total. We will do the Lion Park Tour on the way. In Aslan Park, we can see animals such as lions, white lions, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, merkats and hyenas up close, we can enter the lion cages, pet the lion cubs and feed the giraffes. Later, we will be able to enter the lions’ cages with safari vehicles and photograph them up close. We will then continue our journey towards our hostel in Pilanesberg. Transfer to the hotel for check-in. Later we will go to the safari to enjoy the sunset. Return to hotel, dinner and overnight.

DAY 11 PILANESBERG

At the indicated time, meeting in the lobby to leave for the safari, on our photography safari tour, we invite you to the wildlife with its mysterious and fascinating beauties. We will be invited to the daily life of various wild animals that live in a natural environment with volcanic formation among the mountains of the Pilansberg National Park, where we will have the opportunity to spend unique hours full of unforgettable memories in the middle of nature during our trip, with safari vehicles convertibles. During our trip we will have the opportunity to see lions, leopards, elephants, buffalos and rhinos, which are defined as the Big Five, as well as 350 species of birds, 65 reptiles and hundreds of different animal species. Return to the hotel for breakfast and rest.

Later we headed to Sun City. We will explore The Lost City in Sun City and we can swim in artificial waves at Water World, go to the shopping and entertainment center and try our luck at the Casino. After having lunch here, we will return to our hotel. In the evening we headed to the other safari to watch the sunset. Dinner and accommodation. 

DAY 12 PILANESBERG – JOHANNESBURG – ISTANBUL

Breakfast. Check Out. We will leave our hotel heading to Johannesburg. Lesedi is a cultural village where you can see up close the lifestyles, dances, customs and traditions of the black tribes living in South Africa. At the beginning of the tour, the history of black cultures is explained with a video presentation, then you split into small groups and enter areas showcasing the home life of the Zulu-Xhosa-Basotho and Pedi tribes. Afterwards we can enjoy African cultural dances. We will have our lunch with traditional African food at Lesedi Cultural Village. At the indicated time, transfer to Johannesburg airport to board the flight to Istanbul. Night on board.

DAY 13 ISTANBUL 

Arrival and waiting time until Check In time. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.

DAY 14 ISTANBUL ✈ SYDNEY

Breakfast. Check Out 12:00HRS. At the indicated time, transfer to the airport to board the flight to Sydney.

–THIS ITINERARY MAY BE CHANGED DUE TO ROAD CONDITIONS, WEATHER, OTHER UNFORESEEABLE ASPECTS OR AVAILABILITY AT THE TIME OF BOOKING.

–THE ORDER OF SERVICES MAY CHANGE.