We are thrilled to announce this exciting collaboration between OLLI at Eckerd College and Nanda Journeys—a thoughtfully curated travel experience that brings education to life through cultural immersion and meaningful connection. This South African journey is a celebration of learning beyond the classroom, blending moments of discovery, conversation, and community. One of the highlights of this extraordinary program is our full-day experience along the Garden Route—an enchanting and less-traveled region of South Africa—where OLLI participants will spend time with local members of the University of the Third Age. These peers, similar in age and spirit, share a passion for lifelong learning, culture, heritage, and history. From the Cradle of Humankind to stories of Mandela’s legacy, from intimate wildlife encounters to unforgettable meals shared with local communities, this journey is an invitation to connect deeply with the soul of South Africa. 

Culture Heritage & History

- Discover the origins of humanity at the UNESCO World Heritage site “The Cradle of Humankind.” 

- From Mandela's home in Soweto, to a talk from his former jailer turned friend, learn about Madiba’s World. 

- Explore the darkest years in South African history to its shining democratic achievement at the Apartheid Museum.

 - Participate in an Ochre workshop at Origins Centre, Wits University.

Get into the Soweto groove via a tuk-tuk.

Conservation and Wildlife

- Explore Pilanesberg National Park, known for Big 5 game viewing in a malaria-free environment and just a short 2.5-hour drive from Johannesburg. 

- Marvel at the diversity of the wildlife on afternoon and sunrise games drives with your rangers.

- Encounter the perilously endangered African Penguin at one of only 3 mainland-based breeding colonies and meet with SANCCOB, a non-profit dedicated to their survival. 

- Sit down in conversation with conservationists Steve and Perry Dell in Pilanesberg 

Community Connections & Service

- Spend the day with members of The University of the 3rd Age as they share their community and favorite local spots, topics and activities in their magnificent ‘Garden Route’ town. 

- Enjoy the quintessential South African meal and social practice – a ‘Braai’ (fire barbeque) - hosted by the U3A community.

- Join a local community project using music to keep kids safe.

- Talk with Antoinette Silthole, the sister of Hector Pieterson who lost his life in the ’76 Soweto youth uprising, at ‘Lebo’s’ a community hub in Soweto.

- Visit Bo-Kaap, the only area in the city of Cape Town where the Cape Malay were not evicted during Apartheid. 

- Meet Palesa Musa while visiting Constitution Hill and hear about her incarceration in its former prison at age 12.

- Get stuck in at ‘Food Jams’ cooking up a feast with your fellow travelers.

For questions relating to this journey, please contact Nanda Journeys.

Call 888-747-7501 Ext 1 or Email info@nandajourneys.com and mention the program title OLLI at Eckerd College South Africa Journey.

OLLI at Eckerd College Study Travel is pleased to partner with Nanda Journeys who shares our philosophy that study travel isn’t just for our undergraduate students. We carefully create exclusive opportunities for you to get out of the classroom and travel with fellow lifelong learners. Our programs provide you with new perspectives and new friends. You’ll return home richer for the experience. 

You can trust Nanda Journeys and OLLI at Eckerd College to handle the details for you. This is what we do, and we take pride in arranging quality programs with attention to the specifics that leave you to free to soak up the educational programming being shared, focus on the scenery, enjoy fabulous meals, and spend time getting to know your fellow travelers. 

Nanda Journeys has been taking groups to South Africa for more than 25 years and has been working with the same local professional partners who not only know the expectations for a Nanda Journey program, but they also always exceed them! You will be in front of subject-matter experts, artists, entrepreneurs, and others with whom they have built trusted relationships. You will hear from the “best of the best” and the engagement will be priceless. 

Nanda Journeys works with many OLLIs to create custom travel opportunities, and they have worked closely with OLLI at Eckerd College Study Travel program, which is designed entirely around YOU! We have years of experience delivering excellent programs, listen to our members and take your feedback into consideration, and together, we’ve worked hard to customize this program to maximize the relevance for our Eckerd community of lifelong learners. 

This exploration of South Africa is open to lifelong learners of any age. We welcome multigenerational and other family groups! Please note that one member of the household must be affiliated with the College as an Alumni, OLLI or ASPEC member, Faculty or Staff, to participate. But don’t worry, it’s super easy an inexpensive to join OLLI and you will gain access to other member-only benefits. Visit OLLI.eckerd.edu to learn more.

Depart from home today for your international flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. International Flights are an additional expense which Nanda Journeys is happy to assist you with. Flight recommendations will be provided approx. 120 days before travel. 

With a dynamic fusion of African, European, and Asian influences, South Africa is a place of vibrant cultural diversity. Years after its emergence from apartheid, the nation has become a fascinating mix of history and modernity, of ancient traditions and new ideas. 

Upon arrival at Johannesburg International airport, you will meet your South African guide. Transfer to the hotel for check-in and overnight. Dinner service should be provided on your flight or available for purchase at the hotel.

Johannesburg is currently the largest city in Southern Africa with more than six million people and urbanization at 97%. It is a city of contrasts with wealthy suburbs and commercial centers alongside informal settlements, Indian bazaars and African muti (medicine) shops, where traditional healers dispense advice and traditional medicine. 

The Southern Sun Katherine Street hotel, set around its lovely garden and pool, is a pocket of tranquility with easy access to the best of Sandton. Rooms feature air-conditioning, tea and coffee facilities, a mini fridge, an electronic safe, space to work, and a sleek en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower.

Overnight: Southern Sun Katherine Street (or similar)

Included meals: N/A

After breakfast (provided daily), take part in an orientation and welcome briefing. This comprehensive briefing covers an introduction to your local staff, some historical background, and current information on South African society and economy.

Immediately following, the group will embark on an exploration of the darkest years in South African history at the Apartheid Museum. Likened to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., this haunting museum takes you into the beating heart of the struggle for freedom and its glorious triumph in 1994.

Lunch will be provided at a local community hub, ‘Lebo’s’, where you’ll meet and hear from Antoinette Sithole. She will share insights into the uprising and the role her brother played in sparking the 1976 youth movement to end Apartheid.

Following, explore the massive South Western Township (Soweto) of Johannesburg by tuk-tuk. It is the biggest city in South Africa and heart of the Freedom Struggle. In Kliptown, pay a visit Freedom Square, a place where the Freedom Charter was adopted as the guiding document of the Congress Alliance. In Orlando is the famous Vilakazi Street, which has been home to two Nobel peace prize winners and the Hector Pieterson Memorial, the site of the student uprisings of ’76. 

Enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant this evening. 

Overnight: Southern Sun Katherine St (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

This morning, visit Constitution Hill comprising the historic Old Fort, apartheid-era Women's Jail and notorious Prison Number Four, and the custodian of South Africa’s democracy, the Constitutional Court. This holistic tour explores the precinct’s complex history, its mutations through time, the injustices to which its inmates were subjected, and the intentional design of the “ConCourt”, together framing why the court’s presence in this place is so meaningful. A special part of your morning will include meeting Palesa Musa, who was incarcerated here at age 12, who will share her story. 

Lunch will be on your own this afternoon. 

This afternoon you’ll participate in a hands-on lecture and Ochre art workshop at the Origins Center, University of Witwatersrand. Understand ancient ochre use in Africa and learn about ancient hunter-gatherer lifeways. Grind your own powder and make your own ‘ancient art’. Ochre use dates to 300 000 years ago in the archaeological record and by 100 000 years ago Homo sapiens around South Africa were using this material regularly.

Enjoy a sumptuous meal tonight at Nelson Mandela’s former sanctuary, his Presidential Mansion now turned into a boutique hotel and fine dining restaurant.

Overnight: Southern Sun Katherine St (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Following breakfast, you will spend an entire day discovering the origins of humanity at the UNESCO World Heritage Site The Cradle of Humankind. “The Cradle is an archaeological treasure trove ... the richest source of evidence anywhere for understanding our human origins,” Professor Lee Berger, renowned paleoanthropologist and National Geographic Global Explorer.

Expert archeologists will guide you for this exclusive program. You will be transported by open safari vehicle through the pristine highveld and bushveld landscape of the Greater Cradle Nature Reserve to two of the world’s most famous fossil sites – Gladysvale and Malapa. These active dig sites, which are not accessible to the public, continue to yield hominin and animal fossils of international scientific importance. The tour includes a visit to the reconstructed Royal Kraal on the film set where Shaka iLembe, the 12-part TV series on Shaka Zulu, was filmed in 2023. The reserve is home to over 20 animal species, including leopard, brown hyena, sable antelope, eland, blesbok, giraffe and kudu, and more than 230 bird species.

Following lunch nearby (for own account) continue to the Pilanesberg National Park just in time to enjoy dinner and your first bush sunset and sparkling night sky. 

Bakubung Bush Lodge has much to offer and is situated at one of the reserve gates for your convenience. They have a shuttle that runs to Sun City which is nearby (resort and casino area). They have onsite tennis, cricket, and volleyball along with a spa, internet lounge, and a pool.   

Overnight:  Bakubung Bush Lodge (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Dinner

As the animals prefer to feed during the cool temperatures of early morning, you’ll venture out early to witness the life of the bush in the gentle light of the dawn via an open vehicle. A packed breakfast will be provided by the lodge for your adventures. Your guide can help you spot some, or all, of the Big Five: lion, Cape buffalo, rhinoceros, leopard, and elephant along with the delightful giraffe, zebra, and other wildlife. The knowledgeable game rangers will share their extensive knowledge of the fauna and flora with you throughout your safari, providing you with the richest possible experience.

After lunch at the lodge, join Steve or Perry Dell who will share their conservation insights with you. As Park Ecologist and stalwarts of the Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust, they have over 20 years of hands-on experience to share. You’ll start to grasp what it takes to protect African wildlife and wild spaces and how critically important these efforts are to the ongoing survival of the region’s abundant but vulnerable wildlife, particularly the heavily poached rhinoceros. 

Bakubung Bush Lodge blends modern day luxuries with an African wildlife experience. On-site facilities include a summing pool, gym, spa, wi-fi, tennis, wildlife center, Boma (fire-pits, outside dining) and several bars and restaurants. Bakubung Bush Lodge, fondly translated as “Place of the Hippo”, has all you need for a relaxing and immersive stay.

Dinner will be at the lodge this evening. 

Overnight: Bakubung Bush Lodge (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Rise early today to enjoy a sunrise game drive with your ranger in an open safari vehicle. This is the prime viewing time of day as the reserve’s endemic species are at their most active in the cool morning hours. Your guide can help you spot some, or all, of the Big Five along with entertainers like the warthog and hyena.

Optional: Hot Air Balloon ride (additional expense). Pilanesberg is the only National Park in South Africa where you can enjoy this breathtaking activity. 

Stop for lunch (own expense) before flying to George and transfer by bus to your next destination on the Garden Route. 

A magnificent stretch of coastline along the south-eastern shore of South Africa, extending from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to the Storms River in the Eastern Cape. The name comes from the verdant and ecologically diverse vegetation encountered here. Ten nature reserves embrace the varied ecosystems of the area, as well as unique marine reserves, home to soft coral reefs, dolphins, seals, and a host of other marine life. Various bays along the Garden Route are nurseries to the endangered Southern Right Whale which come there to calve in the winter and spring (July to December).

Relax at your hotel where dinner is on your own. Protea Hotel Knysna Quays is set on the waterfront area facing the warm Indian Ocean. They boast wonderful facilities, including a heated outdoor pool, wellness therapist, free internet service and a unique dining experience with four restaurants to choose from.

Overnight: Protea Knysna Quays (or similar) 

Included meals: Breakfast

Today will be spent with community members of U3A Knysna. This chapter of retiree life-long learners was started in 2001 and now enjoys a membership of over 500. Course offerings vary but currently offer classes like geology, philosophy, photography skills, writing skills, life studies, birding, local interest outings and book clubs.

Knysna is 500km east of Cape Town on the banks of a magnificent estuary in an area of superb natural beauty known as ‘The Garden Route’. It boasts mountains, ancient natural forests, beaches and the ocean. It is home to the colorful Loerie Bird and the unique Knysna Seahorses.

This is the day that you’ll really connect with your South African peers, as they welcome you into their community and share a true ‘slice of life’. Social and active and curious, this bunch of locals reflect the warm spirit of South Africans. It is fitting, then, that you’ll also meet with a community activist running a kid’s intervention program teaching music and making wood marimba instruments.

Lunch and dinner are part of your day with the townsfolk, with the dinner being the most quintessential South African meal – a ‘Braai’. More than a meal, this is a social custom as friends gather to cook over the fire and unwind and enjoy each other’s company.

Overnight: Protea Knysna Quays (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast, head back to George Airport for your flight to the southern city of Cape Town.

Blossoming out of the oldest port in southern Africa, in a broad bay at the foot of Table Mountain, Cape Town is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities on earth. It is edged by white-sand beaches and is an eclectic mix of colonial history and urban chic. Cape Town’s Mediterranean look and feel attracts visitors from around the world, and it was the first place in South Africa to be settled by European traders and religious refugees causing the displacement of indigenous people.

Lunch will be on your own this afternoon. 

If the weather permits, you will have the opportunity to ascend Table Mountain via a revolving aerial cable car this morning. This iconic symbol of Cape Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site offering stunning views of the entire Cape Peninsula, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Cape Town, and the harbor.

Check in at the Cape Milner Hotel. In the heart of Cape Town, the hotel offers an eclectic mix of contemporary boutique and old-world charm. This modern property has a convenient location and state of the art facilities including a 24-hour reception, gym, pool, spacious lounge and more. Guest rooms have air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, complimentary tea/coffee making facilities, hairdryer and a mini-safe. 

They have dinner options or restaurants nearby for this evening (own account).

Overnight: The Cape Milner (or similar) 

Included meals: Breakfast

This morning visit Bo-Kaap, the only area in the city of Cape Town where the Cape Malay community were not forcibly removed under Apartheid. The historic area, that became home to many Muslims and freed slaves after the abolition of slavery, showcases local Islamic culture, heritage, and community in the heart of the city. 

Continue to Oranjezicht City Farm Market, “OZFM”, a cheerleader for community farming and artisanal culture in Cape Town. Organic and regenerative produce as well as locally sourced fresh produce is at the heart of the market. There is a wonderful mix of food stalls selling cooked and raw dishes for all palates and preferences – from carnivores and chocoholics to vegans and diabetics. Take a tour of global flavors, from Africa and Europe to the East and West and try something new at this “glorious multicultural cookout” while you hang out with locals in Cape Town's cosmopolitan meeting place.

Lunch will be on your own this afternoon with some free time to explore along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and its many shops. 

This evening, enjoy a home hosted meal and hear from Christo Brand (pictured below far left) Nelson Mandela’s former jailer turned friend and employee 

Overnight: The Cape Milner (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Home Hosted Dinner

Spend the day exploring the length & breadth of the Cape Peninsula to the Cape of Good Hope (Cape Point) in Table Mountain National Park. Stop to see the rare African penguins in their natural surroundings at Boulders Beach. 

Hear from representatives of SANCCOB about their conservation efforts to protect this endangered species and other threatened sea birds. The African Penguin faces extinction in the wild by 2035 if more is not done to curb the current rate of population decline. The crisis is driven primarily by their lack of access to prey, for which they must compete with the commercial purse-seine fishery which continues to catch sardine and anchovy in the waters surrounding the six largest African Penguin breeding colonies. SANCCOB, together with BirdLife South Africa, have taken a crucial step to legally challenge the decision taken by the office of the Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment on the closures to fishing around key African Penguin breeding colonies. 

Enjoy lunch at the Black Marlin, perched above the rocky shores between Boulders and Cape Point. 

On the way back to town, stop to take a walk through the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens to see some extraordinary indigenous plants endemic to the Cape Floral Kingdom.

Dinner is on your own this evening, perhaps wander back to the vibrant Victoria and Alfred Waterfront where there are a variety of dining options. 

Overnight: The Cape Milner (or similar) 

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Enjoy a leisurely start to your day with some free time to explore the Waterfront with lunch on your own today.

This afternoon, head out to the winelands. South Africa is globally renowned for its distinctive wines. Visit The Constantia Valley, the oldest wine producing region in the southern hemisphere with an uninterrupted history of winemaking since 1685. The Constantia Valley wine-route consists of ten wine farms, each with their own distinctive heritage and premium wines. The Valley stretches up the south-east slopes of the Table Mountain National Park and is just a 10-minute drive from Cape Town’s city center. The area is steeped in history and is home to some of the best examples of Cape Dutch architecture. The largest wine estate, Groot Constantia, is home to Simon Van der Stel’s original manor house museum and is an excellent example of this architectural style. The wine farms are perfectly positioned between the Table Mountain range with its glorious Floral Kingdom and the coastal False Bay area allowing for a perfect micro- climate which produces world class wines distinctive in character and style.

This evening, engage in a collective cooking effort with your fellow travelers at “Food Jams”. The concept of Food Jams was developed whilst the founder was studying jazz music in Cape Town. Aware that the best way to learn was to “jam” together with other musicians, she expanded the idea to cooking. 

Overnight: The Cape Milner (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Dinner 

Fly back to the U.S. today with arrival the following morning on July 2, 2026. The morning is yours to explore independently and prepare for hotel check-out. 

Lunch is on your own this afternoon with meal service provided on your international flight home this evening. 

Included meals: Breakfast 

 Arrive back in the US this morning to connect to your flight home 

Review and download Booking Terms & Conditions HERE

Wednesday July 1, 2026

Say goodbye to South Africa and make your way to the airport this morning. Check in for your flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

You’ll be greeted in the arrival hall in Victoria Falls (or just outside the door) for your private airport-hotel transfer.

Enjoy some free time this afternoon after hotel check-in and freshen up for your sunset boat and dinner cruise. Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the calm waters of the Upper Zambezi River. Soak in the sights and sounds of the river ecosystem, which often includes the interaction of hippo’s, crocodiles, elephants, fish eagles and the artful kingfisher birds.  Look out for the tiny heads of little terrapins (turtles) poking out of the surface. The cruise is a great chance to watch a variety of wildlife from the uninterrupted vantage point of the water, not discounting the wonder of a glowing African sunset.

Overnight: 4 Star Vic Falls Safari Lodge https://victoria-falls-safari-lodge.com/

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Thursday July 2, 2026

After breakfast at the hotel, your local guide will also introduce you to their culture, both past and present, with their own stories and illustrations while exploring the village food markets, craft markets and historical sites.  The Zimbabwean sculptors are remarkable, as are the weavers and bead workers – you’ll have time to wander the expansive markets showcasing their activity and products.  Visit the Traditional African Craft Village where intricate beadwork and woodcarvings are produced.  You will have time to grab lunch on your own.

This afternoon embark of a day of guided exploration of Victoria Falls nature in Victoria Falls National Park, which surrounds the Falls themselves, you will follow winding paths through a rainforest abounding with subtropical birds, butterflies, and foliage. This tour is part history, part geology, part anthropology, part biodiversity...a fascinating mix of topics against the most dramatic backdrop!  Experience up close why Victoria Falls is called “smoke that thunders.”

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge: On a plateau overlooking the Zambezi National Park, the 72-room sunset-facing Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is located just 4km from the majestic Victoria Falls and offers a unique wildlife experience. Renowned for its views over a wildlife-rich waterhole, visited by herds of elephant, buffalo and kudu, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge has been voted the country’s Best Safari Lodge/Resort Hotel for 25 years by the Association of Zimbabwe Travel Agents. Built of thatch and timber, the lodge rises several levels, giving the impression of a vast open-plan tree house, with the central area featuring the award-winning MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant, the famous Buffalo Bar, a two-tiered swimming pool and a fitness center.

• Swimming Pool: A two-tiered swimming pool with a sundeck overlooking the bushveld. 

• Vulture Culture Experience: A complimentary educational activity conducted daily at 1:00 PM, offering insights into vulture conservation. 

• Nature Walks and Hide Visits: Opportunities to explore the surrounding bush and observe wildlife up close. 

• Complimentary Shuttle Service: An hourly shuttle from 7:45 AM to 9:45 PM to the town center, local markets, and the Victoria Falls Rainforest.

Victoria Falls is one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world and is fondly known by the locals as "Mosi-oa-Tunya" or "the Smoke that Thunders".  While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is classified as the largest, based on its width of 1,708 meters (5,604 ft) and height of 108 meters (354 ft), resulting in the world's largest sheet of falling water.  It is roughly twice the height of North America's Niagara Falls.  David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary, and explorer is believed to have been the first European to view Victoria Falls in 1855. Visitors have been awed by the falls ever since and it is one of the sought after tourist destinations in southern Africa, and one of the key adventure activity centers of the subcontinent.

Enjoy some free time with dinner provided at the hotel.

Overnight: 5 Star Vic Falls Safari Lodge

Included meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Friday July 3, 2026

Your guide will pick you up for an early departure to Chobe National Park which is located across the Botswana border, 100km west of Victoria Falls. Established in 1968 (Botswana's first National Park), Chobe National Park is one of Africa’s most iconic and wildlife-rich parks.

 It's especially famous for having the largest concentration of elephants in the world—estimates often exceeds 120,000 elephants. Chobe is named after the Chobe River and is 4,500 square miles.  Chobe’s diverse landscapes support an incredible range of wildlife; you'll visit the dry hinterland and the Chobe Riverfront known for large herds of elephants, especially in the dry season (May–October).

Lunch is included in the trip (all beverages for own account), and you'll return before sunset to Victoria Falls for a celebratory dinner at The Boma. 

Enjoy dinner at The Boma, above the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. This night will convey the full spirit of Zimbabwe!  Enter the boma to the sound of marimbas and drums, marvel at the energetic dancers during dinner and then let your inhibitions go by joining in the infectious interactive drumming at the end.  Acapella singing, food from the fire, the brightness of traditional fabric and beads, and sharing local customs all contribute to a meal experience unlike any other and one you’ll never forget.

Saturday, July 4, 2026

Say farewell and check out of your hotel today. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Johannesburg and onward home with an arrival on July 5th.  Allow 3 hours to clear customs for flight back to the US.

Included meals: Breakfast

Inclusions:

-  Flights from Cape Town to Victoria Falls and back to Johannesburg

-  Private transport with driver/guide for daily content and airport transfers

-  5 star hotels

-  Activities and meals as mentioned

-  Water for travel/activity days

-  Pre travel support and 24/7 support during travel in USA and South Africa with emergency numbers

Exclusions

- Alcoholic beverages

-  Meals not mentioned

-  Items of a personal nature

-  Gratuities & porterage