PAINTING HOLIDAYS
 in
SOUTH AFRICA
 
Discover a painting holiday in South Africa where you can be guaranteed exciting painting results in the bush

Find picture perfect landscapes to paint under the tutelage of a professional artist to realise your creative abilities

The Beach and Bush are wildlife Painting Tours covering painting trips at the beach and bush locations read all about it here:

Day 1
You arrive in Durban where you will be met by me and your guide. You will transfer to your hotel – a 4 star hotel in the Umhlanga region in a nice comfy bus.

For the afternoon – enjoy a bit of leisure time to find your feet and Look around, maybe Sketch the lighthouse

In the evening you will meet your tutor/artist, Gill and enjoy a chat and dinner together  

Day 2
After breakfast we will depart for iSimangaliso Wetland Park (formerly St Lucia) – a world heritage site situated on the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal
En route you will enjoy the scenery which will begin to inspire you with the wonderful opportunities that await you
Lidiko lodge where you will stay is a quaint little guest house. In the afternoon you'll take a delightful boat cruise which will offer great photographic opportunities for some future works and also for planning your painting. You should see hippos, crocodiles and incredible bird life.
Something a bit different for you to look forward to is Lunch which will be served on the boat.
Your first painting session has been planned for the afternoon, which will take the form of a workshop under the thatch gazebo at the Lidiko Lodge
Dinner will be at your leisure at one of the nearby restaurants 

Day 3
Today we have a day of art planned, We have selected an excellent site near the estuary, with sea views, estuary views, and wonderful bird life.
Make our self comfortable and under the guidance of your tutor begin to enjoy painting under African skies!
We won't even interrupt you as lunch will be packed  

Day 4
After breakfast you will have some time in the morning to complete your paintings under the gazebo before departing for Shakaland –

a glorious site with true Zulu Culture which you will learn about and also have a great opportunity to create wonderful paintings.
On arrival you will go on an educational tour of the village. While you are walking around I'm sure you will mark a spot where you will want to return to to do some painting later on! Get to know the people and after the village tour – you will get an opportunity to begin to work in this unique Zulu environment.
Dinner will be at Shakaland followed by a vibrant show of Zulu dancing. Finally you can go to sleep in a traditional style Zulu "beehive"

A cultural trip etched in your memory

Day 5
After a leisurely breakfast you will have time to complete your sketches before departing for Isandlawana in the heart of the Anglo Zulu Battlefields. En route we'll stop somewhere nice for lunch and will arrive mid afternoon at our lodge on a hill in an incredible setting overlooking Isandlawana.You will be eager to catch the afternoon light during your afternoon of painting with Gill on hand for advice. Dinner will be at this stunning lodge

Day 6
After breakfast the local specialist storyteller-guide will meet with you and begin to tell you the emotional story of great battles from this area
You will then be taken onto the actual battle site to listen to the tale of the Isandlawana battle and then move onto Rorkes Drift where the battles continued.
Lunch will be a picnic here after which it will be time to take out your paints and begin your next piece in the tranquility of this site
Later in the late afternoon you can enjoy a good position on the patio of the lodge and prepare another painting of this area overlooking the local village below and the hill of Isandlawana

Look at the WOW of painting possibilities here

Day 7
After this most enjoyable visit today you will be departing for Zintulo a most beautiful 5 star lodge and a true safari experience.
You'll arrive in time for lunch after a very welcome. After lunch we'll waste no time before departing on your first game drive and where you can begin to enjoy the magic of the real African bush.
As the sun sets you'll enjoy sundowners in the bush listening to the animals before returning to the lodge for dinner.

Day 8
Today starts with an early game drive and then a morning of painting with the guidance of your tutor, Gill– wait till you see this painting spot - too die for as the youngsters say!
Later lunch will be served on the expansive deck and for the afternoon you can enjoy another game drive to search for the Big 5!

Day 9
Today is departure day – however you do have a morning to enjoy the magic of the African Bush and take up the opportunity to paint this magical scenery.
Game drives are available – but a bush walk could be a good idea to spy on the smaller creatures

If you are staying for the 12 Day

Day 10
Today we leave Zintulo which you might have thought was a good end to a holiday but we shall make our way to the second World Heritage site The Magnificent Drakensberg Mountains
This is a lovely journey with picturesque scenery and after a delightful lunch stop at Howick Falls
We'll arrive at your home in the mountains, the Sani Pass hotel which is well located with magnificent views of the berg and easy access up to Lesotho.
You can spend the afternoon enjoying your surroundings.

Day 11
Today starts with getting comfortable in a favoured location to paint this incredible range of mountains always an artists delight.
Lunch will be around the pool with an afternoon at leisure to enjoy the walks or just sit and soak up the vistas.

Day 12
A full day up the pass is planned today. You will travel in 4x4 vehicles. It's a great photographic and cultural opportunity for future paintings!
You'll learn about the people of Lesotho and look into their primitive lifestyle.
Lunch will be in the highest pub in the world before returning to the hotel mid afternoon for a session of painting

Day 13
Today is departure day – however you do have a morning to relax before departing for Durban and your flight home 

*Itinerary could change dependent on weather conditions

What a finale to a stunning painting trip  

For More Information
 
Book This Vacation

877 848-7477
 
or
 
painting@bestsingletravel.com

Art Travel in 2009

	February 7 - 14 February 7 - 18 --------------- March 7 - 14 March 7 - 18
	March 7 - 14 March 7 - 18 ---------------- April 18 - 25 April 18 - 29
	May 16 - 13 May 16 - 27 ---------------- June 13 - 20 June 13 - 25
	July 25 -August 1 July 25 - August 5 ------------------ August 22 - Aug 29 August 22 - Sept 2
	Sept 12 - Sept 15 Sept 12 - Sept 23 ------------------ Oct 10 - Oct 17 Oct 10 - Oct 21

THE VACATION DIRECTOR

Sally Wilkinson your holiday director used to be a teacher but  moved to South Africa and wanted to share her lovely new home with people she knew would enjoy it's beauty as much as she does - Painters! To make these awesome holidays possible she has partnered up with a really good art tutor and artist, Gill, and the best tour guide in the province, Cindy.

THE TOUR OPERATOR

Cindy de Vries is our tour operator with 20 years experience, she is renowned for the concern she shows her client's. Cindy and her team always take the greatest precautions to maximize safety and comfort.Cindy has done us proud finding fascinating locations for you to paint in as well as sourcing activities especially suited to artists, and to top it all some great places to sleep at night!

THE TUTORS

Not any old artist would do for us. We wanted someone who can impart some of our history, culture and environment as well as enriching your holiday creatively. We got all and more with Gill Van Wyk who is an artist with an honors degree and a tutor with 15 years experience. Gill will take you step by step through the process of sketching and painting in an easy to follow, cheerful manner. She is artist, teacher, Zulu linguist, art historian and Zulu cultural art student - Wow!

WILDLIFE YOU COULD SEE

The private conservancy where you will stay has excellent game viewing throughout the year. It is a Big 5 conservancy with game in abundance; there are elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard, giraffe, hippo, rhinoceros, zebra, and antelope of all kinds plus a vast range of our 400+ variety of birds. As anywhere in the world, and especially here, the wildlife is wild and there are never any guaranteed sightings! But we do our best.
Is it possible to see the Big Five in a day? You would be very lucky indeed to see lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros in a single day, as with all wildlife watching you can never guarantee sightings of any animal but we will do our best to see as much as possible.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

All accommodation as stated - Luxury twin/double en suite rooms
All meals as stated
All painting tuition, excursions and talks
Services of your professional artist throughout
Airport pick-up and drop-off
All transport in a luxury 7-seater (based on 6 guests) or 15-seater (based on 15 guests) vehicle.
All guide fees
Fuel and toll fees
All entry fees
Cultural village Tour – all inclusive of show and traditional meal
Hippo cruise
All SA government taxes including VAT
All tourism and conservation levies
Our administration charges
PLUS
On arrival a very comprehensive traveling artists pack will be given to you containing:

• A4-Sketchbook 200g x 20 sheets
• 5 sheets 300 gms artboard (w/colour paper)
• A5- spiral Visual diary
• Pack a soft pencils and
• A Staedtler pencil rubber
• Cotmans MINI set with 8 half pans
• 4-Synthetic Sable paint brushes sizes 3,5,8 & 10
  

If you want you can simply leave the paints and brushes behind after your holiday and we will arrange for them to be used by rural artists afterwards or you can roll them up and take them home
Other Supplies you will be able to use:Drawing boards, Water containers, Kitchen towel and Masking tape
Chairs, and Umbrellas
PLUS
A Surprise special gift at our Welcome dinner

VISITORS PACK

Many people only have a hazy idea of where South Africa is and what it’s like in this country. To find out a bit more download the VISITORS PACK here for free