What to do

Self-drive touring, game viewing, nature walks, bird watching, hot air ballooning, horse riding, deep-sea and lake fishing, cultural visits, and battlefield tours.

Private Apartments, Game Lodges and Villas
Families and small groups often prefer to enjoy the privacy of staying in private accommodation, and a wide range of stunning apartments, exclusive safari lodges, and fully staffed villas around the country are available for exclusive use. In game areas there is the additional luxury of having your own guide and safari vehicle as part of the rental. A daily maid service, nanny, laundry and sometimes a private chef can be included to suit individual requirements.

Where to do it

Cape Town
Cape Town is often the first port of call for visitors to South Africa. This vibrant city is also one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Amongst its attractions are Table Mountain, the lively Victoria and Alfred Waterfront packed with restaurants, bars and shops and a tour of Robben Island. The Malay Quarter, also known as Bo Kaap, is the home of descendants of the slaves brought to the Cape from the East in the 17th century by the Dutch East India Company, and well worth a stroll around. Take a day to drive down to the Cape of Good Hope, stopping off to see the penguins on Boulders Beach. Cape Town has some of the best restaurants in the world, so wining and dining is usually a high priority!

Winelands
The winelands are easily accessible for a day visit, being within an hour’s drive of Cape Town, and wine tasting can be done in the many vineyards around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. The Huguenots settled in the Franschhoek Valley in the 17th century and everywhere you look you will see beautiful Cape Dutch architecture. If time allows, stay in Franschhoek which has a particular charm all its own. Apart from the obvious pastime of wine tasting, Franschhoek has some of the best restaurants in the country.

Hermanus and Hemel en Aarde Valley
Known as the heart of the whale coast, this coastal resort offers the best land-based whale watching in the world. Whales appear in Walker Bay between Jul -Dec to calf, and often come to within 5-10 meters of the coast. The cool maritime climate and the right soil composition combine to make the Hemel-en-Aarde valley the ideal location for the fussy Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vines, and there are many fine wine farms offering wine tasting.

Garden Route
The Garden Route runs along a beautiful strip of land between a series of mountain ranges and the sea, from Riversdale to the Storms River. It is worth spending a few days based in either Plettenberg Bay or Knysna as there is so much to do in the area. Plettenberg Bay has a 12km long coastline, good restaurants and shopping. Whales are in the area from Jul - Oct, and mountain biking, fishing, hiking, kayaking, elephant-back riding, horse-riding and many more activities can be enjoyed from here. The Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe, South Africa’s last scheduled mixed-steam train, operates daily between George and Knysna.

Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape starts where the Garden Route leaves off, at Storms River, and takes in Tstsikamma National Park, the Great Karoo, the Sunshine Coast and the Wild Coast. Within this vast area are some splendid non-malarial game parks, stunning stretches of coastline and the magnificent scenery of the southern Drakensberg Mountains. There are daily flights into Port Elizabeth and East London, which are within a few hours drive of most of the game areas.

Wild Coast
Formerly known as the homeland of Transkei, the Wild Coast is an unexplored region of unspoiled coastline, jagged cliffs, rural villages and rolling hills. The numerous hiking trails in the area are a great way to explore this spectacular region. The Wild Coast is also the best place to witness the incredible spectacle of the annual Sardine Run which takes place in May - Jul.

KwaZulu Natal
The subtropical province of KwaZulu-Natal has year round sunshine, and stretches from the southern border of Swaziland to the Eastern Cape. Famous game reserves such as Phinda, and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, as well as wonderful mountain retreats are within its borders. Durban is a colourful, multi-cultural city with a rich culture, and the battlefields of Islandwana and Rorkes Drift, steeped in the history of Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer battles, are just a 3 hour drive from the city.

Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park is renowned for the great diversity of game, and covers a huge area, extending 300km from north to south. The largest area of the park is accessible by self-drive visitors, but it is the private reserves on the western side of the park which provide the more luxurious 5 star lodges. Sabi Sands, Timbavati and Manyletti offer excellent game viewing by vehicle and on foot, combining with some of the most creatively designed lodges, high class cuisine and good guiding. Scheduled charter services operate into the park which is the most seamless way of transferring.

Luxury Train Travel
South Africa is fortunate in having not one, but two luxury trains. For those who would like to enjoy a more leisurely journey in luxury through spectacular landscapes, both the Blue Train and Rovos Rail can offer two very different experiences. The Blue Train is a 5 star hotel on wheels, operating with modern rolling stock. The most popular route is the overnight service from Pretoria to Cape Town (or vice versa), taking 27 hours, with a stop at Kimberley. Suites are air-conditioned and the beds have been custom-designed for The Blue Train. Your butler will convert your cabin into a comfortable bedroom whilst you enjoy dinner in the dining car. Rovos Rail is very different in its concept with most of the rolling stock dating back to the 1920s.  The wood panelled coaches have been lovingly restored and original sleeper coaches have been rebuilt and transformed into suites with private sitting areas and en-suite bathrooms. Journeys include Cape Town to Pretoria and Victoria Falls, the Garden Route, Kruger National Park, Namibian Tours and the epic journey from Cape Town to Dar Es Salaam.

When to do it