** LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE.
MAKE YOUR RESERVATION NOW! **
WBGO's 2024 Trip to South Africa
The Soul of South Africa:
Music, Heritage and Wildlife of the Rainbow Nation
February 15-27, 2024
Join WBGO Host Lezlie Harrison and Wayne Winborne, Executive Director of The Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University and WBGO's Jazz Ambassador, on an adventure to South Africa exclusively created for WBGO.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu dubbed his beloved South Africa “the rainbow nation” because of its political, historical and ethnic diversity. WBGO’s Trip to South Africa will connect you with what Archbishop Tutu found so very compelling.
Your trip commences in Johannesburg, the vibrant commercial capital with a thriving arts and music scene. You’ll walk the streets of Soweto - an incubator of the civil rights movement in South Africa, from where Nelson Mandela began his quest for freedom.
You’ll experience a few nights in the famous Pilanesberg Game Reserve, in a luxury lodge. While there you’ll have the opportunity to encounter the ‘Big 5’ (lion, buffalo, elephant, leopard and rhino) – picture taking only(!), on your daily safari drives with your professional ranger and tracker.
In Cape Town, enjoy two nights of nightly music specially curated for this group, visit the Cape of Good Hope, savor the wines in Stellenbosch, take a cable car to the top of Table Mountain and enjoy the local Cape Malay cuisine...Plus more special, unique experiences created, exclusively, for WBGO's travelers.
We hope you will join us on this memorable trip with Lezlie Harrison and Wayne Winborne. And, since space is limited, we encourage you to make your reservation by reserving online.
Trip Highlights:
- Experience the culture and heritage of the ‘Rainbow Nation’.
- Go on a safari adventure to spot the Big 5.
- Savor the cuisine and wines of South Africa.
- Enjoy 2 nights of private jazz concerts specially curated for the group.
- Visit the most south-western point of Africa and gaze out at the Atlantic from the top of Table Mountain.
Your Trip Hosts:
Lezlie Harrison,
WBGO Host of Come Sunday
Lezlie Harrison, vocalist extraordinaire, is always in a state of development, always raising the bar higher, pushing the limits of her God-given vocal gift. As a vocalist, she is both bold and subtle in her approach to the music she loves. Her vulnerability attends to the fragile matters of our collective human experience, while her optimism inspires us to rise above any of life's tribulations, to rejoice. Whether taking on a classic Jazz tune, Blues, Gospel, Soul, tracks from the American Song Book, or an original composition, Ms. Harrison imbues each note, each line of a song with her very own styling and personalized delivery.
She carries that over to her regular spot on WBGO, the global leader in Jazz radio, where she is a regular curator and presenter, revealing the love and pride with which she regards America's music. A permanent fixture on the New York and global Jazz scene, Lezlie Harrison is among the three founding members of New York's world-renowned JAZZ GALLERY that includes the late Dale Fitzgerald and trumpeter Roy Hargrove.
On occasion Lezlie lends her regal presence to the stage as an actress, bringing to those endeavors, the same organic sensibility that she brought to the runways and photo studios of Paris some years a back. A product of two contrasting communities -- New York and North Carolina, Lezlie Harrison has been shaped by both and educated by her global experience.
Wayne Winborne,
Executive Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies & WBGO Jazz Ambassador
Wayne Winborne is the Executive Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University. He’s a jazz record producer with extensive relationships with artists and producers throughout the genre, an historian and advocate, as well as a respected lecturer about jazz. This past June Wayne travelled to South Africa where he met with musicians, producers, the regional minister for arts and culture. In partnership with the Mayor of Cape Town, he is planning a series of joint programs and cultural exchanges. Mr. Winborne brings his passion, knowledge and relationships about and within the South African music and cultural scene to share with those traveling on the WBGO Joy of Jazz trip.
See Map
Download Brochure
Reserve Online
[B- Breakfast L- Lunch D- Dinner]
Day 1- February 15- Depart New York-JFK
Depart New York JFK in the evening (QR702, etd 7:50pm)
Day 2- February 16, 2024- Transit in Doha
4:50pm- Arrive Doha.
Transit to connecting Qatar flight to Johannesburg (QR1363)
Day 3 – February 17, 2024- Arrive Johannesburg
2:05am- Connect to QR1363 to Johannesburg.
9:40am- Land in Johannesburg. Meet and greet and transfer from Oliver Tambo International Airport to Sandton Sun Hotel.
Check into your rooms and the rest of the day at your own leisure. Evening hosted welcome dinner at the hotel.
Overnight: Sandton Sun Hotel (Dinner)
Day 4 – February 18, 2024- Johannesburg City Tour, SOWETO, Apartheid Museum
Breakfast at leisure.
Departure on full day touring, inclusive of Apartheid Museum, Soweto (Hector Petersen Memorial and Vilikazi Street).
Lunch in SOWETO.
Late afternoon return to the hotel. Explore the many restaurants that are around the hotel complex and Mandela Square area.
Overnight: Sandton Sun Hotel (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 5 – February 19, 2024- Cradle of Humankind
Visit the Cradle of Humankind and Sterkfontein Caves. This tour offers those wanting to experience the birthplace of life, a first-hand experience. The Cradle of Humankind is one of eight world heritage sites in South Africa boasting 13 excavation sites that’s recognized worldwide. The first Hominid Fossil was discovered in 1924. Visit the Maropeng (meaning “returning to the place of origin”) Museum and witness how we evolved into the people we are today, discover some of the extinct species of animals that went extinct in the last century and see how humans are busy destroying the earth in real-time. Our tour continues to the Sterkfontein Caves, one of the richest and most productive Palaeo-anthropological sites in the world that forms part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Amongst the most remarkable findings to have been made by numerous world famous scientists within the Cradle of Humankind is the famous Mrs. Ples, the first complete Australopithecus skull to be discovered and more recently, “Little Foot”, a 4.17 million-year-old almost complete ape-man skeleton that was discovered in the same caves.
Overnight: Sandton Sun Hotel (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 6 – February 20, 2024- Pilanesburg Game Reserve
Breakfast at leisure and check out.
Transfer from Sandton Sun to Pilanesburg Game Reserve and check in to your accommodations.
Evening game drive.
Dinner enjoyed in the restaurant upon return from the evening game drive.
Overnight: Ivory Tree Game Lodge (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 7 – February 21, 2024- Pilanesburg Game Reserve
Morning at leisure to enjoy the lodge facilities 5-star services.
Late afternoon departure on an evening game drive.
Boma dinner on return to the lodge (inclusive of limited beverages and entertainment).
Overnight: Ivory Tree Game Lodge (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 8 – February 22, 2024- Arrive Cape Town
Early morning safari and departure to Oliver Tambo International Airport.
Check in for the flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
Meet and greet and Cape Town International Airport, and transfer to the Cullinan Hotel.
Overnight: The Cullinan Hotel (Breakfast)
Day 9 – February 23, 2024- Community visit, Bo-Kaap, Table Mountain
Breakfast at leisure.
Private ferry to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for over two decades. Note that this visit is weather dependant.
Return to the mainland and enjoy a Cape Malay lunch in Bo-Kaap followed by a walking tour of this brightly painted neighborhood that were once homes of the Muslim population. Today, this neighborhood is becoming gentrified, but the vibe remains.
Afternoon return to the hotel. The rest of the evening is at your own leisure.
Attend a private jazz concert specially curated for the group.
Overnight: The Cullinan Hotel) (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 10 – February 24, 2024- Cape Town City Tour
Tour of Cape Town. On a clear day from the summit of Table Mountain you get spectacular views of the City, its Waterfront, Camps Bay, the majestic Hottentots Holland Mountains to the East and the mountains of the Cape Peninsula all the way down to Cape Point to the south. The Table Mountain cableway, a must for all visitors to the Cape (weather permitting), boasts revolving floors, giving passengers a 360 degree view. After descending the mountain, you will depart on a tour of the “Mother City” taking in Signal Hill – where the Noon Day Gun is fired at midday.
Overnight: The Cullinan Hotel (Breakfast)
Day 11 – February 25, 2024- Cape Peninsula Tour
The tour includes a scenic drive along the Atlantic Coast with stop sat Boulder’s Beach (penguin colony), Chapman’s Peak and finally the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point Nature Reserve with its variety of fauna and flora. The reserve is one of the world's largest breeding grounds for tortoises and is nothing short of a spectacular sight with its stone cliffs, fynbos, beautiful bay and beaches. It is a natural wonderland.
Evening farewell dinner and private jazz concert/ musical evening.
Overnight: The Cullinan Hotel) (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 12 – February 26, 2024- Cape Winelands and Departure
Breakfast at leisure. Depart for a half day visit to the renowned wine lands of Stellenbosch. Sample some wine, enjoy a lunch and soak in the beauty of this area that makes it so famous. Transfer to the airport for your evening flight home (QR1370, etd 7:10pm) via Doha.
(Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 13 – February 27, 2024- Arrive U.S.
Arrive JFK Airport (eta 2:45pm).
** LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE. MAKE YOUR RESERVATION NOW! **
$7,795 per person (double occupancy)
$8,995 per person (single occupancy)
Payment Schedule:
$1,995 per person non-refundable deposit due immediately to guarantee your participation.
Balance due: December 18, 2023. Payments can be made by check or wire transfer. Balance payments by credit card will incur a 3.5% processing fee.
Inclusions:
- Your WBGO Hosts.
- Round-trip economy fare from New York JFK Airport (JFK)
- All local transportation on a fully guided basis.
- 9 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 4 dinners, 1 private wine tasting.
- Luxury accommodations.
- Safari game viewing with professional rangers and trackers.
- All day excursions and entry fees indicated above with a professional guide.
- Full time local tour director.
- 2 nights of private jazz concerts curated for the group.
A note about the 2024 Cape Town Jazz Festival: The 2024 Cape Town Jazz Festival has been postponed indefinitely. Please be assured that WBGO, Immersion Journeys and their partners will make are making alternative arrangements for private concerts specially curated for the group to ensure a special musical experience similar to what was arranged for the 2023 trip, after the 2023 Festival was cancelled at the last minute.
Exclusions:
- Beverages.
- Travel insurance (recommended. Please contact Immersion Journeys.)
- Laundry.
- Telephone, fax, WiFi.
- Tips/ gratuities to guides, drivers, porters, hotel and lodge staff.
- All other incidentals not mentioned above.
Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate.
Due to the nature of the areas we will be visiting, this program involves some walking on uneven terrain or up and down stairs that may be steep and/or without handrails. Accommodations will be in luxury properties, but note that they are located in remote locations in the bush, operating under challenging natural conditions (weather systems and animal movement) and may not offer all the amenities that city based luxury hotels often provide. All city tours will be in a luxury coach and safaris will be in 4x4 specially equipped safari vehicles often over bumpy and dusty terrain. Every effort will be made to ensure your comfort however it will be the responsibility of the guest to discuss any concerns you may have with the tour operator. Please consult with your doctor regarding this trip, its length and location and share this brochure with them.
