Day 1
Welcome to the Mother City
Land, private transfer, settle in. Then a fourteen-course African tasting dinner at GOLD Restaurant with live drumming you take part in yourself.
Cape Town, South Africa · Thanksgiving 2026
Take Your Family to Africa This Thanksgiving
Eight days in Cape Town with everything planned for you. Safari, penguins, Table Mountain, and a host who has travelled 70 countries with her own kids.
22–29 November 2026
All ages welcome
Only 20 spots
From $2,499 per person
The cost of waiting
Another Year, Another Thanksgiving at Home
You have been saying you will take the family to Africa. Every year it stays a conversation, because planning it properly is a full-time job you do not have time for.
Meanwhile your children get older. The window where they will happily travel with you is shorter than it feels.
What you get
We Plan It. We Host It. You Show Up.
Your hotel, your transport, your guides, your safari, your entry tickets, your sunset cruise. Booked, paid for and confirmed before you arrive.
You book your flights. We handle everything else.
- Seven nights at a 4-star family hotel with a pool
- Private airport transfers and all group transport
- Professional local guides every day
- A dedicated coordinator on the ground
- Hosted in person by Kay, The Mom Trotter
Your host
We Know How Hard This Is to Plan
Working out how to take a family to Africa is genuinely overwhelming. Where to stay, what is safe, what a six-year-old and a sixty-year-old can both enjoy on the same day. Most families give up at the research stage.
Kay, better known as The Mom Trotter, has travelled to more than 70 countries with her children. Rooted Journeys is the US-based agency she built from that experience.
She is not sending you somewhere. She is going with you.
From our travellers
What Our Travellers Say Is Hard to Explain
Families who have travelled with us before describe the same two things. The group that felt like strangers on day one and like friends by day three. And the relief of having nothing to organise. No 6am scramble over who booked what. No arguing in a car park about directions. Someone else holding all of it, so you get to simply be there with your family.
If you have travelled with us before, you already know that feeling. Cape Town is the one that goes further. A full day on safari at Aquila. Robben Island and the cell where Mandela spent eighteen years. Standing at Cape Point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. A champagne sunset cruise under Table Mountain.
If this would be your first trip with us, this is what you are being invited into.
The eight days
What a Week in Cape Town Actually Looks Like
Day 2
Mandela’s Cell and the Top of the World
Ferry to Robben Island, guided by former inmates. Then the cableway to the summit of Table Mountain, and the pastel streets of Bo-Kaap.
Day 3
Penguins and the End of the Continent
Chapman’s Peak Drive, Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Point where two oceans meet. Then African penguins walking past you on the sand at Boulders Beach.
Day 4
Your Day, Your Way
Nothing scheduled. Quad bike the Atlantis Dunes, zipline the forest, paraglide the coastline, visit the aquarium, or stay by the pool and do nothing at all.
Day 5
Give Back, Then Celebrate
A morning volunteering in a local community, the part travellers tell us stays with them longest. Then a champagne sunset cruise from the V&A Waterfront.
Day 6
Safari at Aquila
Open-air 4x4 through Aquila Private Game Reserve. Lions, elephants, rhinos and giraffes in the open, with a ranger explaining what you are watching. Lunch included.
Day 7
Cheetahs and the Winelands
Cheetah conservation up close in the morning. Then the Cape Winelands, with wine tasting for the adults and chocolate or juice tasting for the children at the same table.
Day 8
Farewell Cape Town
A slow final breakfast, one last walk along the V&A Waterfront, then your private transfer to the airport.
The detail
What Your $2,499 Covers
Included
- Seven nights at a 4-star family-friendly hotel with pool and WiFi
- Daily breakfast
- Welcome drumming and fourteen-course dinner at GOLD Restaurant
- Robben Island ferry and guided tour
- Table Mountain Cableway
- Full-day Cape Peninsula tour, Cape Point funicular and Boulders Beach
- Full-day safari at Aquila with buffet lunch
- Cheetah Outreach conservation visit
- Cape Winelands tour with tastings for adults and children
- Sunset Champagne Cruise
- Community volunteer experience
- Private airport transfers and all group transport
- Professional English-speaking local guides throughout
- Hosted in person by Kay, The Mom Trotter
Not included
- International flights
- Travel insurance, strongly recommended
- Lunches and dinners unless listed
- Optional activities on the free day
- Personal expenses, tips and gratuities
- Passport and visa fees where applicable
Two things you cannot control
The Group Caps at Twenty
That is not a sales line, it is how the itinerary works. Small group, real access, a host who knows your name by day two. When the twenty spots are gone, the next hosted family trip is a different date and a different country.
Flights are the other one. Departure is 22 November, over the American Thanksgiving period, and fares to Cape Town climb every week between now and then.
—
Days until departure
20
Spots on the whole trip
$150
Secures your place
No payment required
Get the Full Trip Details
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Before you ask
Questions We Get Most
Is this suitable for young children?
Yes. The itinerary was built around mixed ages. There is a full free day so nobody burns out, the hotel has a pool, and the penguins at Boulders Beach are consistently what children talk about for months afterwards. At the winelands, adults do the wine tasting while children do chocolate or juice tasting at the same table.
Is Cape Town safe with a family?
You will have private group transport everywhere, professional local guides every day, and a dedicated coordinator on the ground for the whole week. The group stays at a 4-star hotel in a prime location. You are never navigating the city alone or working out which areas to avoid.
Are flights included?
No. Leaving flights out keeps the trip cost down and lets you fly from your preferred airport or use points. We will advise on arrival times that fit the group schedule.
Do I need a visa?
That depends on your passport and nationality. What applies to everyone is that your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your return date. Send us your details and the team will confirm exactly what you need.
What if I am travelling on my own?
Solo travellers are welcome and make up a real part of every Rooted Journeys group. The cap of twenty keeps it small enough that people know each other quickly.
What happens after I pay the deposit?
Your spot is confirmed and we send you everything you need: passport requirements, flight guidance, our recommended travel insurance policy, and your balance due date. The deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable, which is why we recommend arranging insurance straight after booking.
22 to 29 November 2026
Your Family in Africa, This November
Three steps. One $150 deposit. Twenty spots.