What follows is a proposed itinerary. Please peruse and any suggestions will be welcome. There are good reasons for the early starting times, as I hope you will see. The themes for each day come from the book "Frontiers" by Mostert.
| DAY ONE: | "THE DAY OF THE TWO SUNS" |
| 6h15-7h00 | Nahoon Point nature Reserve. The African Genesis The rocks of Gondwanaland. The cradle of mankind. Our common destiny and humanity. The first human foot prints. Sunrise over the Indian Ocean. |
| 8h00-9h00 | Morgan's Bay. Breakfast at the Morgan Bay Hotel Trip to the cliffs above Double Mouth. The wide and terrible ocean. The sea route around the Cape. First clashes of cultures. Shipwrecks and castaways. The story of the Sunburnt Queen. |
| 9h30-10h00 | Pont across the Kei to Seagulls Hotel. The Grovenor. The Kei Mouth diamonds. British War Ship sails up the Kei. Tea. |
| 10h00-12h00 | Xhosa medicine. A visit to the sangoma. Xhosa mythology. The great cattle killing—A visit to the pools of Nongqawuse |
| 12h00-13h00 | Lunch at Seagulls Hotel |
| 14h00-16h00 | Moordenaarskop. 4x4 extreme drive to the summit. The third line of defence. The 9th War Of Dispossession and the sun sets on the Xhosa Kingdom. Observe the sun low in the sky from the summit looking towards the Amatola, our next destination. The incident on the mountain. Tea. |
| 16h30-17h00 | Site of the Battle Of Draaibosch and where the first V.C, was won in Africa. |
| 17h30 | Overnight: Matopa Lodge on the Kubusie River. |
| DAY TWO | "THEIR STRONGEST HOLDS" |
| 6h15-7h15 | Breakfast |
| 7h15-8h15 | Game drive |
| 8h40-9h15 | Magwali Missionary Village. The role of missionaries in South Africa, the story of Rev Tiyo Soga Visit to craft centre. |
| 10h00 | Stutterheim. The German settlers. |
| 10h00-11h00 | The Kologa forests and the Gubu area. Tea. The African Forests, birds, animals trees and shrubs. The British soldier in the Wars of Dispossession: training, dress, discipline. The Xhosa warrior and Xhosa warfare, weaponry, beliefs and norms. |
| 11h30-14h00 | The War of Hintsa, the War Of The Axe and the War Of Mlanjeni. Keiskammahoek, St. Matthew's Mission, The flight of the Nivens. The battle of the Boma Pass, Ngqika's grave, and the Burnshill wagon disaster site. The second line of defences: Fort Cox, Fort White, the Battle of Amalinda Site, Bailie's grave. The Shrine to the Xhosa Nation. The Red Hill Pass and the Sandile Dam. Lunch en route. |
| 14h00-15h00 | To Hogsback via the Wolf River Road. The Xhosa homestead: kraals, wood piles, circumcision, sexual mores and norms, economic structures, spiritual worlds and general lifestyle. |
| 15h00-16h00 | Walk to the Madonna and Child Waterfall. Flora, fauna and the Tolkien connection. Tea. |
| 16h30-17h00 | Lookout over Kat river valley and Winterberg. Watch sun set. |
| 17h15 | Visit St Patrick's on the Hill Church |
| 17h30 | Overnight Arminel Mountain Lodge. |
| DAY THREE | "THE LAND IS DEAD" |
| 7h30-8h30 | Breakfast. Arminal. |
| 8h30-9h30 | Short walk to the Swallowtail Falls. |
| 9h40-10h30 | Guided tour of the Eco Shrine—The bigger picture. Tea. |
| 10h40-11h40 | Depart Hogsback to Thymie Valley massacre sites and the Maqoma Route.The story of the Christmas Day Massacre. The Kat River Dam. Seymour and the military routes to Fort Michel. |
| 12h00-12h30 | Fort Armstrong and the tragedy of the Kat River Settlement. Sir Andries Stockenstrom; a man before his time. Dr Phillip and Rev Reid. |
| 12h30-13h30 | Lunch at the Katberg Hotel. |
| 14h30-15h30 | Fort Beaufort. The Battle Of Fort Beaufort. The linkages with the First Line of defence through the Fish River Valley and the 'middle wars of disspossession'. |
| 16h00-16h30 | Bedford. A country tea. A visit to the ruins of Maastrom, the home of Stockenstrom, burnt to the ground by colonists because of his liberal views. |
| 17h00 | On the fringe of Xhosaland . The Slagtersnek region and the first Three Wars of Dispossession. The trekboer. |
| 17h30 | Witmoskloof Wagon Site. Overnight. The life of the trekboer. |
| DAY FOUR | "WHERE CREAKING WAGONS CUT TRAILS INTO THE EARTH." |
| 6h30-7h30 | Breakfast at the wagon site. |
| 8h00-9h00 | Cradock. A Frontier Town. Warm up in the Mineral Springs. |
| 9h00-10h00 | A journey across the vlaktes of the Great Karoo. The wagon trail. The vastness of Africa and geological perspectives. Tea. |
| 10h00-10h30 | Tarkastad.centre of big game hunting in South Africa. The taxidermist. |
| 11h00-13h00 | Wildskutberg 4x4 extreme trip to the top of an amazing ancient volcano. Lunch in the heart of the mountain..Game viewing en route. |
| 14h00 | Queenstown. Queens College; an English style school in Africa. |
| 15h30-16h30 | Old Thomas River. The station without a railway line! High tea at the English style pub. |
| 17h30-18h00 | King William's Town; old capital of British Kaffararia and once the seat of the Governor Sir Harry Smith. |
| 19h00 | East London. |
| Total Cost: | $636.00 |
| ACCOMMODATION: | Includes dinner, bed and breakfast. I have made provision for those who would require single rooms. Once I have exact figures, I might have to adjust slightly. |
| Night One -----Matola Lodge | R500.00 This includes a game drive which is simply part of the package. |
| Night two------Arminel Mountain Lodge | R400.00 |
| Night three----Witmoskloof wagon Site | R400.00 |
| Plus contingency for folk not sharing | R300.00 |
| Total cost of accommodation | R 1600.00 per person |
| TRANSPORT; | Includes the hire of a 21 seater 4x2 Sprinter, petrol, rate for extra km@ R7.00 per km and insurance |
| Total cost of transport | R1026.00 per person ( the insurance costs have not yet been confirmed. This is an estimate) I will come back to you later with details of how the hire of the vehicle works.) |
| LUNCHES/TEAS (4 lunches, 8 teas, 1 breakfast) | R510 per person. |
| GUIDING/ADMIN FEE | R233.00 per person |
| ACCOMMODATION/GUIDE&DRIVER | R210.00 per person |
| DRIVERS FEE | R133.00 per person |
| ENTRANCE FEES&SITE GUIDE | R150.00 per person |
| CONTINGENCY FUND (for emergency services and any increase of costs, such as fuel, 7% of total cost ) | R270.00 per person |
| GRAND TOTAL | R4132.00 per person( this works out at R1032 per day all inclusive ) OR $636 |