South Africa

Africa’s Rainbow Nation

South Africa is an incredibly diverse melting pot of cultures, habitats, people and wildlife. It has 11 official languages and over 1,000 species of birds. It has so much to offer that one trip is not enough to take everything in. It is also the perfect springboard into other African countries as it is the flight hub for southern Africa.

Days 1-2 - Cape Town

Landing into what is affectionately known as the ‘Mother City’, Table Mountain looms large and impressive over this fusion of a city. It has everything from a bustling harbour, very high quality restaurants, excellent accommodation options, mountains to hike and beaches to visit. This is a great place to stay an extra day at the start of a trip as there is so much to do. Even better is to book-end your safari with time in Cape Town. We promise there will be plenty of things you want to see and do. Top accommodation options are places such as Ellerman House, The Silo and 21 Nettleton.

Days 3-7 - Sabi Sands Reserve

Now it’s time for some of the wildlife South Africa is famous for. Probably the best known reserve in South Africa is the Sabi Sands that borders Kruger National Park. It is well known for a reason, it consistently delivers high quality wildlife viewing. Sabi Sands has especially good big cat populations and the search for these iconic animals tends to be the focus for a few properties here. But there is also excellent birding and walking safari options for people that want the all-encompassing experience here. Not to mention some very well thought out properties that certainly deserve a bit of time spent within them to appreciate what they have to offer. These are properties such as Londolozi, Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge and Dulini.

Days 8 - 11 - Winelands / Cape Town

Heading back to the Cape Town area after your time in the bush means you can explore more of what the Western Cape of South Africa has to offer. The famous Winelands are a great place to kick back and digest all the amazing sightings and experiences you have just had while working your way through some of the many excellent wines that the Cape produces. Wine tastings and pairings around the town of Franschoek are of the highest quality, you will want to visit as many as you can, but we recommend staying within your limits as the food offerings in the evening are equally amazing. La Cle des Montagnes is one of the best places to stay here.

For your final two days its back to Cape Town to do the things you couldn’t do before you headed off to the bush. There are more wine farms to explore here as well as the African penguin colony at the picturesque Boulders Beach, you have more time to climb Table Mountain (or take the cable car up, either way it’s a must do!) and sundowners at Camps Bay is a beautiful way to end a South African odyssey.