Fabulous Ladies Wine, Diamonds & Safari Tour: South Africa 2027
22 May – 1 June 2027
Small Group. 100% Women.
This tour has a maximum of just 12 guests. This is wine travel like you’ve never experienced it before.
Insider Access
On this tour you’ll explore the culture, taste the wines and meet the people of the region no one else gets to - with our insider access.
Fully Escorted
You have the same wine expert tour leader with you from start to finish - ensuring your needs are looked after every step of the way.
We don't leave anything out
There's no surprises and no hidden charges. When we say something is included, it's included! So all you need to do is relax & enjoy.
The journey every wine-loving woman should take at least once.
If you’ve ever wanted to explore the incredible winelands of South Africa and experience the thrill of safari this is the fabulous journey you’ve been waiting for.
Our Fabulous Ladies’ Wine, Diamonds & Safari Tour of South Africa is BACK for 2027! There is genuinely no other wine touring experience like this anywhere else in the world. Over eleven days you’ll go from the buzz of Cape Town, through the historic Cape Winelands spending time with some of South Africa’s top women in wine, stopping in at South Africa’s most famous diamond producer and then finishing at a private game reserve on the wild edge of the Eastern Cape.
From the moment you arrive onto the African continent, you’ll be looked after every step of the way. From your VIP meet and greet at Cape Town airport and private airport transfer through to the very last goodbye at the end of safari, you’ll be fully escorted for this tour and will never have to think about a thing. (Except which wine you want poured next into your glass!)
Throughout the journey you’ll be staying at designer, boutique 4-star and luxury 5-star accommodation, including Richard Branson’s own wine estate resort and our very own luxury, big five safari camp where there’s only us and no other guests!
As always, this is a small group of just 12 (max) wine and travel loving women, with the kind of insider access you simply couldn’t get anywhere else. And you’ll be fully hosted for the entire journey from start to finish by our FLWS founder, Jane Thomson OAM.
Every winery visit is built on a genuine relationship, so at every stop it’s the winemaker or owner herself welcoming you in and pouring her wines. Giving you her time and helping to make your experience in South Africa something you’ll never forget.
Here’s a taste of what’s in store:
- Four nights at Mont Rochelle, Sir Richard Branson’s spectacular five-star wine estate in Franschhoek
- Three nights at a five-star safari camp we’ve booked out exclusively, so it’s just our group with the whole place to ourselves
- Three nights in the stylish, design-led Canopy by Hilton on Kloof Street, right in the buzz of the city, moments from its best restaurants, bars and galleries.
- A glass of premium local sparkling (Cap Classique) at a private gathering on the summit of Table Mountain with the whole city at your feet, then a guided eat-and-sip walk through Cape Town
- A spectacular wild-food feast by Veld & Sea – a multi-course meal foraged, cooked and paired for you from the coast and mountainside around you
- Delaire Graff, the Jewel of the Cape Winelands, with its art, blooming gardens and Africa’s premier diamond boutique
- Private visits and tastings with South Africa’s leading women in wine, each pouring her own wines and sharing her story
- Incredible dinners at some of the finest restaurants on the continent, including FYN, Rust en Vrede and Chefs Warehouse (which are regularly listed in the World’s Top 50 Restaurants)
- See the Big-5 in the wild on safari, at a private game reserve on the Eastern Cape (which is also Malaria-free)
Why Our Tours Are Truly Different
This isn’t just a wine tour. It’s something far rarer.
Across eleven days, from the Cape vineyards to the wild Eastern Cape, wine is our way in… and the doors it opens are what make it unforgettable. These are private experiences arranged just for us: tastings you’d never get on your own, long lunches in the vines, and welcomes from the women who make the wine themselves. Getting these sought-after women in the room on the right day takes months of quiet coordination.
The company is every bit as considered. These tours are created for our FLWS community, so you’re never thrown in with a group of strangers. Every woman travelling is one of us. You might arrive not knowing a soul, but you’re among your people from the very first glass, and plenty of firm friendships start right here.
But wine is only the thread. It pulls you from bubbles at the summit of Table Mountain to a food-and-wine walk through the Mother City, from the diamonds of Delaire Graff to a private game reserve, booked out for us alone, where the days end with sundowners under African skies. This is South Africa through its wine, food, landscapes and wildlife all at once – the kind of trip you simply couldn’t get anywhere else. That’s the difference: real access, to a part of the world most people only ever read about.
The Essentials
+ - Tour Itinerary
Wine, Diamonds & Safari: South Africa – The Itinerary
11 days / 10 nights · 22 May – 1 June 2027
Over eleven days we travel from the buzzing Mother City through the historic Cape Winelands and out to the wild Eastern Cape, meeting the women shaping South African wine today. You’ll taste in private cellars and on mountainside terraces, dine at some of the finest restaurants on the continent, and meet one remarkable woman in wine after another, each of whom has personally set aside her day to be with you.
We do this the way we always do: small group, exclusive access, and a pace that’s full but never frantic. Wine and food are the thread that ties it all together, but this tour is just as much about history, natural beauty, wild landscapes and wonderful company.
Please Note: While we fully expect the program to run as described, wineries, venues, hosts and timings can shift with the season, with availability, and with the rhythm of harvest. Any change will be of equal quality and character, and the spirit of the tour will always remain the same.
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Day 1: Saturday 22 May 2027 · Cape Town
Welcome to Cape Town! You’ll be met in the arrivals hall with a VIP meet-and-greet, whisked through the airport formalities and driven to your hotel, the stylish Canopy by Hilton on Kloof Street, your home for the next three nights. Settle in and enjoy the late afternoon at leisure.
This evening your South African adventure begins in style. We gather for welcome drinks on the rooftop of The Silo, the landmark hotel perched above the V&A Waterfront, before being escorted to the Wisdom Room for a beautiful food-and-wine paired private welcome dinner. There’s no better place to raise a first glass together!
Accommodation: Canopy by Hilton, Kloof Street
Meals included: Dinner
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Day 2: Sunday 23 May 2027 · Constantia & the Cape Peninsula
After breakfast we set off for the Constantia Wine Route, the oldest wine-growing corner of the Cape, with more than three centuries of winemaking behind it — and, wonderfully, a growing number of women now at the helm of its estates. It’s a lovely full-circle moment when you remember that the very first person to own land here was a woman: Catharina Ras, granted the farm now known as Steenberg back in 1682.
At Steenberg we’re welcomed by Carryn Wiltshire and Simone Haikney for an executive tasting in the private cellar, where you’ll sip the estate’s celebrated 1682 Pinot Noir Cap Classique alongside a flight of flagship wines. From there we cross Ou Kaapse Weg towards Cape Point to meet Roushana and her team for something truly special: a Veld & Sea wild food experience. Across five courses you’ll taste the season itself — herbs gathered from the mountainside, seaweed foraged from the coast, edible flowers picked from the garden — all paired with local wines and wild sodas, while the foragers and chef share the story behind every dish.
If time allows, we’ll slip away to a quiet beach to visit an African penguin colony, well away from the crowds, before making our way back along the spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive. Then the evening is yours – we’ll happily point you towards the Time Out Market at the Waterfront, where fourteen kitchens from some of the city’s best chefs sit under one roof.
Accommodation: Canopy by Hilton, Kloof Street
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
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Day 3: Monday 24 May 2027 · Cape Town
You may want to keep breakfast light this morning, because you’ll be eating your way through Cape Town before the day is done! We begin at the top, ascending Table Mountain by cable car (weather permitting) to take in those famous views from every vantage point. At the summit we toast the city below with a glass of superior Cap Classique, chosen for us by Caroline of Caroline’s Fine Wines.
Back down in the heart of the city, we meet our specialist guide for a walking journey told entirely through food and drink. This is Cape Town seen through her flavours and her people: traditional treats, artisan producers, local wines and the stories behind them, with plenty to taste at every stop. This is lunch for the day, and then some.
Tonight we dine at FYN, one of the most celebrated restaurants on the continent and a regular on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, for a food and wine pairing that lingers long in the memory.
Accommodation: Canopy by Hilton, Kloof Street
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 4: Tuesday 25 May 2027 · Hemel-en-Aarde and Franschhoek
This morning we check out and set off for the Cape Winelands, a short and beautiful drive from the city. Our first stop is the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden near Stellenbosch, where more than sixty of the artist’s bronzes are set along kilometres of paths winding through indigenous fynbos – a wild, contemplative kind of beauty.
We carry on over the mountains into the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, one of South Africa’s great cool-climate regions. At Hamilton Russell Vineyards we’re hosted by Talita Engelbrecht, alongside Berene Sauls of Tesselaarsdal – whose own label is one of the most heart-warming stories in South African wine – for a tasting and a relaxed farm-style lunch. In the afternoon we visit Hasher Family Estate to meet winemaker Natasha Williams, the talent behind her own label, Lelie van Saron.
Tonight we check into the stunning Mont Rochelle, our home for the next four nights, and dine in-house at MIKO.
Accommodation: Mont Rochelle, Franschhoek
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 5: Wednesday 26 May 2027 · Franschhoek
A gentler day, and a welcome one. Franschhoek is a sleepy, gorgeous little town made for meandering. Wander the main street, browse the galleries, book a treatment at the spa, or simply do nothing at all with a glass in hand. In the evening we head out together for a late dinner at Protégé, where refined, flavour-packed cooking meets an easy, unfussy kind of fine dining.
Accommodation: Mont Rochelle, Franschhoek
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
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Day 6: Thursday 27 May 2027 · Cape Winelands
Today is the one the name of this tour promises. We start at Bartinney Estate with winemaker Ronell Wiid for a Cape Fynbos and Wine tasting – a multi-sensory experience that changes the way you taste, and a lovely nod to the estate’s work conserving the Cape’s extraordinary biodiversity.
A short drive brings us to Delaire Graff, the Jewel of the Cape Winelands. Two estate ambassadors will walk you through gardens in permanent bloom, past sculptures and works from Laurence Graff’s personal collection of South Africa’s finest contemporary artists. There’s time to step inside the Graff boutique – Africa’s first – where the diamonds are every bit as dazzling as the setting. Then a tutored tasting on the terrace, wrapped in mountain views, with platters of local cheese and charcuterie.
In complete contrast, the afternoon takes us to Stellekaya, a boutique cellar right in the middle of Stellenbosch, to meet Jane Lello and Rose Kruger and taste the noble red varietals they do so well. Dinner tonight is at Chefs Warehouse at Maison, a relaxed, contemporary Winelands table with all the warmth of an old friend who happens to cook beautifully.
Accommodation: Mont Rochelle, Franschhoek
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 7: Friday 28 May 2027 · Cape Winelands
A leisurely start, then off to Jordan Wines near Stellenbosch for a guided walk through the cellar and the winemaking, followed by a picnic lunch out among the vines. From there we visit Mitre’s Edge to meet winemaker Lola Nicholls, whose family-run boutique winery has focused on red wines and Bordeaux-style blends since the late nineties.
Our final night in the Winelands is a memorable one. We dine at Rust en Vrede, set in the estate’s original cellar – now a historic monument turned elegant dining room – for one of the great wine-paired dinners in the Cape.
Accommodation: Mont Rochelle, Franschhoek
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Days 8 – 10: Saturday 29 – Monday 31 May 2027 · Eastern Cape
After breakfast we say goodbye to the Winelands and fly from Cape Town to Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), where we’re met and driven out to Kariega Private Game Reserve. Here, at the beautifully secluded luxury camp Settlers Drift, the pace changes entirely.
Your days settle into the wonderful rhythm of safari. Early coffee before a morning game drive, when the animals are at their most active, with a refreshment stop out in the bush. Back to the lodge for breakfast and a lazy midday siesta, or a nature walk if you’re feeling active. Afternoon tea, then out again for the senset drive and that great safari ritual: sundowners in hand as the light turns golden. Evenings are spent together over dinner, swapping the day’s sightings, sometimes around an open-air boma fire.
Everything here is included – all your meals, selected drinks, and your game drives and activities. Three nights simply to be present in the wild and experience the true Africa.
Accommodation: Kariega Settlers Drift (fully inclusive of all meals and snacks)
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Day 11: Tuesday 1 June 2027 · Homeward bound
One last morning game drive and breakfast before we check out and make our way back to the airport for the flight to Cape Town. From here you’ll either connect to your international flight home, or carry on with your own South African plans. Whatever comes next, you’ll leave with a heart full of memories, a new circle of wine-loving friends, and a serious love for South Africa.
Bon voyage!
+ - Tour Price & Inclusions
A travel experience of this calibre is never the least expensive choice, and that’s exactly as it should be. Every part of this tour is chosen without compromise and it will only run in this current form once. No two tours are ever the same! So you will be only one of 12 people to EVER experience it. Our tours are a considered investment, and the women who travel with us regularly will tell you it repays itself many times over.
Tour Price:
- Twin Share AUD $23,995 per person
- Single AUD $28,995 per person
Please note a ‘willing to share’ option is not available. To book twin share you must already have someone booking this tour with you to share with.
Tour Dates: 22 May – 1 June 2027
Starts: Cape Town, South Africa
Finishes: Cape Town International Airport, South Africa
What’s included:
- Fully escorted by Jane Thomson OAM for the entire duration
- 3 nights, 4-star boutique accommodation at Canopy by Hilton Kloof Street, Cape Town
- 4 nights’ luxury 5-star accommodation at Mont Rochelle Hotel & Vineyard, Franschhoek
- 3 nights’ luxury 5-star tented suite accommodation at Kariega Settlers Drift, Kariega Private Game Reserve
- Airport transfers on arrival
- VIP Meet and Greet services at Cape Town International Airport
- Hotel porterage
- Touring and activities as per the itinerary
- Meals and wine as per the itinerary
- Return economy class flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth
- Fully inclusive safari at Settlers Drift
- Private transport throughout
- Local English Speaking guide for days 1-8
- Taxes
NOT INCLUDED:
Airfares and departure taxes; transfers unless stated in the itinerary; items of a personal nature; phone calls; passport and visas; laundry or tips not covered in the itinerary. Personal transport; excess baggage; security and government taxes; travel insurance (which is mandatory).
Meals not specifically mentioned in the itinerary; additional beverages (unless specifically described). Optional excursions or activities that may be offered but are not included in the tour price. Spa treatments and any items not specified. Any alcoholic beverages before/after/during meal (other than those indicated). Any changes you choose to make during your trip.
Terms & Conditions: Your confirmed booking indicates you have therefore read and agreed to the Terms & Conditions
+ - Your Accommodation
Across eleven days in South Africa, you’ll settle into a carefully curated collection of character-filled places to stay – each chosen for where it sits and how it feels. It’s never just a bed for the night!
In Cape Town, three nights at the Canopy by Hilton on Kloof Street, a stylish, design-led base right in the buzz of the city, moments from its best restaurants, bars and galleries. In the Cape Winelands, four nights at Mont Rochelle, Sir Richard Branson’s five-star wine estate in Franschhoek – a thatched, hilltop hideaway set among its own vines, with grandstand valley views and two of the area’s loveliest restaurants right on your doorstep.
And out in the Eastern Cape, three nights at Kariega Settlers Drift, a five-star, luxury safari camp we’ve booked out entirely for our group. Secluded on the banks of the Bushmans River and reached by a scenic boat transfer, it’s all-inclusive and utterly wild – the whole camp, just us, for three unforgettable nights.
+ - Important Information
A minimum of 8 guests is required for this tour to depart. The maximum number of guests is 10. If minimum numbers are not reached, we will discuss this with you well before departure to finalise how to proceed i.e. re-quote with less participants or cancel the departure. If we cancel the departure your tour deposit will be refunded.
We do not refund deposits for any other reason than we cancel the departure. Should this happen an admin fee of $200 per person will be retained.
Travel Insurance is compulsory for you to travel on this tour to protect against cancellation due to unforseen circumstances.
Once full payment is received the price is guaranteed. Until that time, the price is subject to change. This is standard practice and occurs because the tour has been converted to Australian Dollars and may be subject to currency fluctuations. It hardly ever happens! (We’ve only done it once in 12 years of touring.) But you need to be aware that it could happen.
Please also note that sometimes things happen beyond our control causing the advertised itinerary to change without notice. Please be assured that any changes will be of the same quality as the replaced visit or experience wherever possible.
Please do not book your flights until we confirm the departure.
Please ensure you check SmartTraveller for the latest destination travel advice and consult your health professional regarding any vaccination requirements prior to travel.
Guests are required to provide complete and accurate passport details by the specified deadline in order to secure internal flight tickets. Failure to provide this information may result in additional costs or inability to confirm services.
Payment Terms
Deposit: A $4000 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your booking.
Deposit is by a payment link via the booking form to secure your spot. Visa or MasterCard are accepted. Merchant fees are applied at this time to the deposit payment.
All payments are processed by E-way – a secure payment gateway that is certified to stringent levels of certification.
Second Payment: A second payment of $5000 will be due once the tour departure is confirmed.
Please note additional interim payments may be required due to meet supplier terms and conditions.
Final payment: The balance (final payment) is required by 15 March 2027.
If you cancel your booking after paying your deposit, cancellation fees will apply. These include the loss of your non-refundable deposit, any unrecoverable third party costs and a AUD$750 cancellation processing fee. No refunds are available for cancellations made within 12 weeks of departure.
Dietary Requirements & Fitness Level
As part of your booking, you will be asked to provide detailed information regarding any special dietary requirements. These must be advised at the time of booking, as we are unable to accommodate last minute requests. Please note that dietary requirements and preferences are treated differently. All information will be passed on to our suppliers, however we cannot guarantee all requests can be accommodated.
A reasonable level of fitness and mobility/stability is required for this tour due to uneven terrain, cobblestones, cellar access and more.
PLEASE NOTE: Travelling Divas are our Australian-based travel partners for this fabulous tour. You will be taken to their website to complete your booking. It’s super easy! And you know we only work with the best. (We bring the wine, they do the hard stuff. Because travel ain’t easy.)
About Your Fabulous Host
Your incredible journey is led by Jane Thomson OAM — the founder of The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society. She’s an award-winning wine communicator, community builder, experienced tour host, and the creator of small-group wine tours designed especially for women who want insider access, meaningful connection, and genuinely memorable experiences.
Jane has spent more than a decade championing women in wine through her work with Australian Women in Wine (which she also founded), and she brings that same passion to every Fabulous Ladies Wine tour — introducing you to the women behind the wines, curating the moments you can’t Google, and making sure you feel looked after from the very first toast to the last goodbye.