VUE

The trip begins at the prestigious Ellerman House in Cape Town, South Africa. The Ellerman House is a Cape Edwardian mansion built in 1906 and was once owned by the shipping magnates Sir John and Lady Ellerman. The mansion is perched on a hillside overlooking the Atlantic, offering sweeping views from its cliff-top garden. The Ellerman House has just 15 available rooms and is also closed to the public, giving this boutique hotel a high degree of privacy, perfect for couples interested in a romantic getaway. The Ellerman House also keeps its own art gallery, and has spectacular selections of rare South African wines, champagnes, and vintage Dom Pérignon. On the morning of the diamond safari, a limousine chauffeurs guests from the Ellerman House to the Cape Town International Airport. From there, guests board a private PC12 jet, or a King Air 200, for a scenic, 75-minute flight along the Atlantic coast, north to Port Nolloth. While in Port Nolloth, guests stay at Benguela Diamond's own beachfront villa, a contemporary hideaway with stunning views and a personal, gourmet chef from Ellerman House. While the chef prepares a gourmet breakfast, a representative from Benguela Diamonds briefs guests on the day's itinerary. After that, it's off to sea. Guests accompany Benguela Diamonds' master divers out to sea. The hardy mining boat, designed to withstand the choppy Atlantic waters, is moored beyond the breakers. At this point, the Benguela Diamond dive masters prepare to enter the water. Guests who are PADI Open Water-certified (you can become certified in two weekends, for under $400), are able to accompany dive masters down to the seafloor, where suction pipes are used to pull sediment up to the surface. The sediment is fed through a classifier which sorts out the heavier stones, and a vibrating pan system is then used to separate out any precious gems, including diamonds, garnets, and olivines. VUE ON TRAVEL V U E N J . C O M 60

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