- Royal fans who dream of traveling like the British royal family are in luck, thanks to a new travel package designed to mimic Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent tour of Africa.
- The package, from travel company Classic Escapes, is a 10-day getaway that includes stops at many of the places the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited during their royal tour.
- Pricing for the royal-inspired vacation starts at $7,395 a person and the trip is available to book through 2020.
Want to travel like a royal? While we commoners can't recreate everything about a royal tour—the meet and greets with world leaders, the stable of professional photographers documenting your every move, the galas in your honor—we can copy the basic itinerary of a royal tour.
If you've been obsessing over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal tour of Africa since it dominated headlines earlier this fall, start pinching your pennies now because travel company Classic Escapes has put together a new tour titled "In the Footsteps of the Royals" that lets travelers mimic the Sussexes' recent trip.
The 10-day tour is available through 2020 and packages start at $7,395 per person.
Here's Classic Escapes' official description of the package:
"Charming, elegant and mysterious, South Africa awaits you on an exciting journey, featuring many of the cultural and philanthropic stops the Duke Duchess made during their recent royal visit in Africa! Feel the warmth of the African sun while exploring Cape Town’s immense cache of unrivaled beauty and exotic botanical gardens, up the Cape Peninsula to the Cape of Good Hope and the endearing penguins of Boulder Beach. Explore Table Mountain and the verdant winelands, richly complemented by Dutch colonial architecture. Feel the rush of seeing Africa’s Big 5 up-close in Kruger National Park while surrounded in comfort. South Africa’s tumultuous struggle to end apartheid is on display when you visit the Nelson Mandela House and Apartheid Museum. The post extension takes you to Zimbabwe and the glorious roar of Victoria Falls. Explore and rejuvenate the soul in South Africa."
Specific, royal-approved stops on the tour include:
Cape Malay Quarter aka Bo-Kaap:
This is one of the most famous stops from Harry and Meghan's tour and one of the most direct copy cat moments on the Classic Escapes' civilian version of the trip.
You won't just get to visit and walk the streets in the brightly-colored area. The "In the Footsteps of Royals" package also includes hands-on experiences pulled straight from Harry and Meghan's trip.
Per the Classic Escapes' itinerary:
"Enjoy a hands-on, practical lesson on how to cook like a real Cape Malay ‘Auntie!’ Learn how to fold samosas and mix masala for that perfect pot of Cape Malay curry! A local woman will host you at her home, where you will not only learn secret cooking techniques, but also get an insight into daily life in Bo-Kaap, and will indulge in a mouth-watering traditional meal."
The Woodstock Exchange:
Described as "the creative heart of Cape Town, filled with galleries, studios, street art, and artsy types galore," this is where Meghan stepped out for the Ladies Who Launch event to meet with female tech entrepreneurs during the tour.
The Justice Desk:
Another ripped-from-the-royal-tour moment you get on the trip? A visit to the Justice Desk, an NGO in the township of Nyanga in Cape Town. The Justice Desk empowers local people to understand and defend their human rights, by educating, training, fighting for and equipping young people and vulnerable groups in human rights, justice, and advocacy.
Harry and Meghan were famously photographed dancing with locals during their visit to the Justice Desk.
Johannesburg:
The trip also includes a day in Johannesburg to learn about South African history at the Mandela Family Museum, the Apartheid Museum, and Hector Peterson Square.
Of course, you almost definitely won't get a personal audience with Nelson Mandela's widow, Graca Machel, like Harry and Meghan did during their trip.
"We leveraged our three decades plus in the travel industry to set up a cultural and philanthropic experience that mimics Harry and Meghan’s getaway," Classic Escapes Vice President Diana Fiorentinos told People of the unique travel package.
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