Upon arrival at Johannesburg International Airport, you will meet your local guide. 

Transfer to the hotel for check-in (starts at 2pm), dinner and overnight.

Johannesburg is currently the largest city in Southern Africa with more than six million people and urbanization at 97%. It is a city of contrasts with wealthy suburbs and commercial centers alongside informal settlements, Indian bazaars and African muti (medicine) shops, where traditional healers dispense advice and traditional medicine. Johannesburg is in Gauteng Province. “Gauteng” is a Sotho word meaning Place of Gold.

Situated in the heart of Johannesburg’s most exclusive suburbs, Southern Sun Hyde Park offers guests the perfect blend of style, sophistication, relaxation, and elegance in Sandton. The hotel has free Wi-Fi, onsite dining, a business center, outdoor pool and bar, and other upscale amenities. It is close to local shops and restaurants for your convenience.

Enjoy a welcome dinner this evening.

Overnight: Southern Sun Hyde Park (or similar)

Included meals: Dinner

After breakfast (provided daily), take part in an orientation and welcome briefing on South Africa with South Africa partner Keira Powers. This comprehensive briefing covers an introduction to your local staff, some historical background, and current information on South African society and economy.

Immediately following you will be joined by a representative from an organization like DENOSA or SANC to provide an overview of the South African nursing system. Collaborate and share expertise to mutually uplift nursing standards and practices on a global scale. Exploring avenues and barriers for nurses looking to ascend to leadership positions in South African healthcare institutions.

Lunch will be provided this afternoon.

This afternoon we will request the opportunity to meet with Mmatshilo Motsei, Founder of Afrika Ikalafe (or similar), an organization that specializes in personal and societal transformation. An African mystic, author, healer, and midwife, she started her career as a nurse, midwife, nursing lecturer, social science researcher and community development facilitator. With a BA Hons in Psychology and MA in Creative Writing, she uses writing as a tool for healing. She is an author of six books which includes Kanga and the Kangaroo Court: Reflections on the Rape Trial of Jacob Zuma, Hearing Visions, and Reweaving the Soul of the Nation, a collection of essays in African spirituality, politics, and feminism. Pending her availability perhaps visit a local hospital or nursing training institution in the area.

Guest program: Guests will explore some highlights of Johannesburg with a local guide today including a visit to the Origins Center and Constitution Hill. Lunch will be included today. The interactive exhibits at the Origins Center showcase the extraordinary journey of the origins of humankind in Africa and moves through the development of technology, art, culture and more. Explore the diverse southern African rock art traditions as you explore. These ancient masterworks are illustrated through contemporary art installations by well-known South African artists. 

Dinner is by individual arrangement (own expense).

Overnight: Southern Sun Hyde Park (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch

The group will embark on an exploration of the darkest years in South African history at the Apartheid Museum. Likened to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., this haunting museum takes you into the beating heart of the struggle for freedom from apartheid, the grip of the National Party’s regime during apartheid, and the giddy days of liberation.

Lunch is by individual arrangement today.

Explore the massive South Western Township (Soweto) of Johannesburg, the biggest city in South Africa and heart of the Freedom Struggle. In Kliptown, pay a visit Freedom Square, a place where the Freedom Charter was adopted as the guiding document of the Congress Alliance. In Orlando is the famous Vilakazi Street, which has been home to two Nobel peace prize winners and the Hector Pieterson Memorial, the site where the student uprisings of ‘76 began.

Enjoy dinner at Lebo’s for a fireside chat with an invited guest who can discuss the Nguni people. This will provide an opportunity to provide that opportunity to meet the local people and learn about the very diverse culture, language, and people of South Africa.

Overnight: Southern Sun Hyde Park (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Say goodbye to Johannesburg today. Travel north via private motor coach to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve (2 hours). Pilanesberg Game Reserve offers safari’s as Big 5 and most other large mammals of Southern Africa are represented in the reserve. 

Bakubung Bush Lodge has much to offer and is situated at one of the reserve gates for your convenience. They have a shuttle that runs to Sun City which is nearby (resort and casino area). They have onsite tennis, cricket and volleyball along with a spa, internet lounge, and a pool.

Lunch will be provided after arrival at the lodge. 

Enjoy an afternoon safari! The park has over 7000 animals including the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhinoceros. Your safari guides will help you see how the animals blend into their surroundings, and you may encounter animals, birds and learn about the flora and fauna of the region. 

Dinner will be provided at the lodge this evening.

Overnight: Bakubung Bush Lodge (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

As the animals prefer to feed during the cool temperatures of early morning, you will venture out early in an open game vehicle to witness exotic plant and animal life in the gentle light of the dawn. You may see lazy hippos and crocodiles along the riverbank, and your guide will help you be on the lookout for the Big Five—lion, Cape buffalo, rhinoceros, leopard, and elephant. Take in stunning South African beauty among the ever-present giraffe, zebra, kudu, impala, and warthog.

Return for lunch at the lodge.

This afternoon the group will have the opportunity to professional engagement with Tapologo a local non-profit organization helping the poorest of the poor in the region. Discuss all things community healthcare worker, communicable diseases/HIV/TB, rural healthcare delivery/cultural nuances in patient care and more. Tapologo has an incredible backstory and have delivered healthcare for underserved since the advent of the HIV epidemic. Understanding the integral role of community health workers in extending healthcare to remote and underserved regions. Also discuss their strategies and challenges faced by nurses in addressing prevalent communicable diseases like Covid, TB and HIV/AIDS.

Overnight: Bakubung Bush Lodge (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Enjoy one last morning game drive before returning via motor coach to O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Lunch is on your own today if not included in your afternoon flight.

Fly to the southern city of Cape Town this afternoon. The oldest port in southern Africa, Cape Town is regularly heralded as one of the most beautiful cities on earth. Tucked into the arms of a broad bay, it is surrounded by white-sand beaches. Cape Town’s Mediterranean look and feel attracts visitors from around the world, and it was the first place settled by European settlers, entrepreneurs, and religious refugees. 

The Southern Sun The Cullinan hotel is located in one of Cape Town’s most sought-after areas, within easy reach of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The hotel has an outdoor heated pool, fitness center, conference facilities, onsite dining and a bar. Guest rooms have all the amenities you will need including AC, minifridge, free Wi-Fi, bathroom amenities, safe and more.

Dinner will be provided this evening.

Overnight: Southern Sun The Cullinan (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Dinner

This morning you will visit Robben Island (weather permitting), once described by Nelson Mandela as “the harshest, most iron-fisted outpost in the South African penal system,” has become an international symbol of the triumph of the human spirit. Today Robben Island is a living museum and World Heritage Site, a tangible reminder of the past and a symbol of hope for the future.

If weather permits, you will have the opportunity to ascend Table Mountain via a revolving aerial cable car this afternoon. This iconic symbol of Cape Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site offering stunning views of the entire Cape Peninsula, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Cape Town, and the harbor.

Dinner is by individual arrangement (own expense).

Overnight: Southern Sun The Cullinan (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Today is set aside for further professional activities. This morning we will request a visit with the University of Cape Town or similar depending on school schedule. This visit will provide a comparative exploration of nursing curricula, training, and qualification pathways between the U.S. and South Africa. Delving into the current and proposed healthcare policies, and the influence of nurses in shaping them in South Africa.

After lunch meet with a local hospital or clinic like Netcare. This visit will provide a deep dive into the disparities and challenges in healthcare delivery between the public and private sectors in South Africa. One of the leading private healthcare providers in South Africa, offering a perspective on private healthcare delivery.

Guest program: Guests will escape to the Cape Winelands, where breathtaking vistas, majestic mountain backdrops, rolling vineyards, and quaint Cape Dutch homesteads characterize the famous and award-winning wine estates. Savor the rich history and culture of Stellenbosch, a historic Dutch colonial town now home to one of the country’s best universities.

Lunch will be provided with dinner by individual arrangement (own expense).

Overnight: Southern Sun The Cullinan (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Spend the day with fellow travelers enjoying the sights in and around Cape Town. 

Explore the countryside via a motor coach tour of the Cape Peninsula all the way to the Cape of Good Hope (Cape Point) in Table Mountain National Park. Extraordinary care has been taken to protect this lush reserve of indigenous flora and fauna, and the striking natural beauty of the area makes it a destination for both foreign and local visitors.

After lunch, stop to see the rare African penguins in their natural surroundings at Boulders Beach. There are few places in the world where you can get this close to a breeding colony of penguins, and you’ll get a firsthand look at these flightless birds as they roam freely around the area.

On the way back to town, stop to take a walk through the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens to see some extraordinary indigenous plants.

Say goodbye as you reflect and share memories over a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Southern Sun The Cullinan (or similar)

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Saturday, August 24, 2024

The morning is yours to explore independently and prepare for hotel check-out.

Lunch is on your own this afternoon with meal service provided on your international flight home. Fly back to Newark/NYC area today.

Meals: Breakfast

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Arrive back in the U.S. this morning. 

Dr. Evette M. Wilson, DNP, RN is a doctoral prepared registered nurse leader, educator, and entrepreneur. She is a Professor of Nursing at Arizona College of Nursing, Las Vegas Campus, teaching Nursing Leadership, Cultural Diversity and Global Health, Clinicals, and Nursing simulation courses. Dr. Wilson is highly sought-after Executive Leadership consultant, coach, mentor, speaker, and trainer.  As the owner and Chief Executive Officer of Wilson Wellness, LLC. She helps healthcare individuals, businesses, and their teams achieve overall wellbeing, unlock peak potential, allowing them to grow their business results. Dr. Wilson specializes in leading people to discover, maximize, and lead with their strengths as well as those of fellow team members, while offering advanced strategies to achieve higher levels of performance.

As an independent Maxwell Leadership Certified team member, she is mentored by international leadership expert John Maxwell and licensed to use the Maxwell Leadership and Professional Development Resources. Dr. Wilson is also certified success coach with the Canfield Training Group and certified to teach and coach the “Success Principles” from the best-selling author Jack Canfield. Dr. Wilson utilizes these resources to teach, coach and mentor the next generation of healthcare leaders to tackle the complex challenges of today’s health environment.

Dr. Wilson is a seasoned nurse executive brings over 30 years of first-hand experience of how strengths and leadership are keys to business effectiveness and growth. Her skills were honed through her leadership experience as a commissioned officer and combat nurse in the United States Air Force Nurse Corp. She has over two decades of leadership experience in a variety of Senior Nurse Leadership roles in healthcare. In these roles, Dr. Wilson has worked throughout the nation to create and develop leaders, and to seed and nurture high performance teams.

Dr. Wilson has added value to others speaking on powerful messages of hope, health, wellbeing, personal growth, and self-leadership, and leveraging leadership for impact. Through an engaging, interactive, and relatable style, Dr. Wilson shares practical steps to help individuals, businesses and their teams accelerate and achieve peak performance.

Dr. Wilson on LinkedIn

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