an event managers whistle-stop tour: Planning an incentive in South Africa

I can think of worse ways to spend a Friday night, but this one involved sipping champagne in preparation for a luxurious business flight with South African Airways! With a direct flight taking approximately 11 hours from London a night time flight is the best, there is no fear of jetlag with a time difference of only one hour.

On arrival to Cape Town, we were whisked in to the air by helicopter for our first glimpse of beautiful Cape Town and the iconic table mountain. After a quick dip in the pool at the beautiful One & Only Cape Town resort, we enjoyed ‘sun downers’ before heading out for dinner on the beautiful Victoria & Albert Waterfront.

The next morning, a few fuzzy heads were cured with an exhilarating ride to Lions Head by Harley Davidson before heading to Table Mountain by cable car. Lunch was served at the beautiful Grande Roche with plenty of delicious South African wine.

The next day, we said goodbye to Cape Town and made our way to Kruger Mpumalanga airport where we continued our journey on to the incredibly luxurious and exotic resort of Sabi Sabi deep in the South African Bush land. Here we were treated to a spectacular evening game drive under a dramatic electrical storm and were lucky enough to witness the incredibly rare siting of a Cheetah and her 5 cubs feeding in the wild.

Over the course of the next two days we were spoilt with masses of rare animal sightings including lions, leopards, zebras, rhinos and even a friendly local elephant at the very entrance of our unique home – Bush Lodge.

Johannesburg was our last stop with the newly renovated Four Seasons as our home for the night. The next day we escaped the city for a trip to diverse SOWETO with a peep inside Nelson Mandela’s house followed by chowing down on our last South African feast before heading back to the airport – London bound.

There are too many highlights to mention from this incredibly unique experience but special thanks has to go to the staff at The One & Only Cape Town for allowing the midnight handstand pool competition to go ahead (!), the extremely knowledgeable tracker and ranger duo with their tireless effort to show us the ‘Big Five’ at the Sabi Sabi resort and the ridiculously comfy bed at the Four Seasons Johannesburg!

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