World Journeys Countries
South Africa definitely lives up to its moniker – a “World in one Country”. Its incredible diversity and beauty will delight you, from the scenic wonders including the Garden Route and Table Mountain, to cultural experiences that range from the Zulu people to Shangaan further north and everything in between.
Our top picks include experiencing a luxury safari lodge in the Sabi Sands or Kruger National Park, several days to explore Cape Town and the stunning Winelands, topped off by a leisurely journey along the Garden Route.
Kruger National Park
Home to Africa’s iconic Big 5 safari species – elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, rhino, buffalo, giraffe, hippo and zebra. The diversity and sheer number of different animals is unparalleled and best explored in one of the many private game reserves.
Cape Town & the Winelands
One of the most beautiful cities in the world Cape Town has a combination of stunning coastal scenery and urban sophistication. It is also the gateway to the historical Cape Winelands, famous for its world-renowned wines and European influences including beautiful Cape Dutch architecture.
Madikwe National Park
This malaria free reserve is located northwest of Johannesburg along the Botswana border and boasts more than 60 mammal species including the big five. Spend your days enjoying game drives in open 4×4 vehicles, on specialised walking trails with qualified guides or birding safaris.
The Garden Route
A beautiful 200km stretch of coastline in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Enjoy the incredible scenery including towns such as Knysna, a quaint coastal town surrounded by a beautiful lagoon.
Eastern Cape
Home to the traditional Xhosa people and offers travellers the diversities of the stunning coastlines to the arid Karoo with its wildlife.
South Africa is definitely an ‘any time of year’ destination and their seasons are similar to New Zealand.
Our most highly recommended time is to go between May – Sep when it is actually the best game-viewing period – although a little chilly in mornings and evenings.
Wildlife, scenery, food & wine, history, culture, top class hotels and game lodges, and luxury train travel. South Africa, the ‘Rainbow Nation’, is an amazingly diverse country.
The overnight journey on the Blue Train between Pretoria and Cape Town (or v.v.) is really a five-star “hotel-on-wheels”. The suites are air-conditioned with an ensuite bathroom, twin or double beds, a choice of digital entertainment channels and a personal safe. All meals and drinks are included with a focus is on formal fine dining. This was a nice way to ease into Africa with plenty of time to relax or socialise.
The Cape Winelands region is home to the picturesque towns of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, beautiful scenery, high class hotels and excellent restaurants. The highlight for me was dinner at the hotel’s Monneaux Restaurant. I remember my dinner of Duck Liver Burger with great fondness – mini brioche bun with pan fried duck liver, apricot curry glaze, red onion marmalade and crispy onion rings. Bon appetit indeed!
Cape Town’s highlights included Table Mountain, the colourful suburb of Bo-Kaap (formerly known as the Malay Quarter), and the sobering township of Langa, the location of much resistance to apartheid. A full day tour took in the scenic highlights of the Cape Peninsula including the secluded beaches of Clifton, the sidewalk cafés and bars of trendy Camp’s Bay, the breath-taking Chapman’s Peak Drive, the Cape of Good Hope, the Cape Point Funicular and the charming Boulders Beach penguin colony near Simon’s Town.
From Cape Town we flew to Kruger and transferred by road into the spectacular Sabi Sand Game Reserve located adjacent to the Kruger National Park, famed for its intimate wildlife encounters, particularly leopard viewing. Home to a host of wildlife, including the Big Five, Sabi Sand is part of a conservation area that covers over two million hectares. With no boundary fences between the reserve and the Kruger National Park, Sabi Sand benefits from the great diversity of wildlife found in one of the richest wilderness areas on the African continent.
As well as the Big 5 our Sabi Sand highlights included cheetah, observing hyena pups emerging from their den (a rare sight), the Sand River lion pride setting off to hunt as the sun set, a leopard devouring its kill in a tree, wild dogs setting off to hunt, and an early morning encounter with a female leopard drinking from a small water hole – the bush was so still you could hear her tongue lapping the water as she drank!
From Kruger we flew by light aircraft charter to Phinda Private Game Reserve known for its fascinating variety of landscape and vegetation. Home to an abundance of wildlife, including many rarer and less easily spotted species such as the elusive cheetah and the scarce black rhino. With only a handful of lodges sharing an area of 23,000 hectares, and expert rangers and trackers in search of prime wildlife sightings, you are assured an exclusive game viewing experience. The marine diversity of nearby Sodwana Bay is easily accessible, with scuba diving, fishing and even turtle watching available.
For me, South Africa encapsulated all the best an African holiday has to offer with its mix of stunning natural beauty, wide range of accommodation options, award winning food and wine experiences, colourful and friendly people, and fantastic diversity of wildlife. Ube nohambo oluhle! Have a good journey!
Tony O’Callaghan, Travel Designer
Currency South African Rand
Language 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, IsiZulu, IsiNdebele and IsiXhosa.
Why we love it South Africa offers a veritable kaleidoscope of natural wonders, beautiful scenes, cosmospolitan cities and of course great wildlife viewing. The country has had its fair share of history and struggle, but as a traveller you can rest assured of being extremely well cared for – some of the finest hotels and unique safari lodges that we have seen are in South Africa.
Weather South Africa enjoys a temperate climate and therefore possible to visit any time of year. Summer months are from October to February and winter from May to July, though winters are very mild in the top half of the country and Indian Ocean beaches can be enjoyed in this region all year round.
Social customs & quirks South Africans, like the country itself, are a diverse range of backgrounds and have been slowly emerging as a truly combined nation. The mixture includes Afrikaaners (of Dutch descent), Cape coloureds, British, Indian and the ethnic black population such as Zulu, Shangaan, Sotho and others. All South Africans though speak proudly of their icons including Mandela, Desmond Tutu and even Charlize Theron.
Some of the best words to know before you go include: Braai (BBQ), just now (sometime soon, not actually now), biltong (dried meat snack) and bokkie (sweetheart).
Festivals & events South Africa has a huge number and variety of festivals and happenings year round including arts festivals in the Garden Route, floral expo’s in Namaqualand, world class concerts in Sun City and Cape Town, and of course the World Cup Soccer in 2010!
Travel to South Africa from Australia may require a visa – to check current requirements go to https://visalink.com.au/visa-quick-check
Health* There are no compulsory health requirements on entering South Africa, although if you are travelling from a Yellow Fever infected country you will be required to have a vaccination certificate. Malaria precautions are recommended for travelling into some of the national parks and reserves, particularly during October – May. There are some game reserves which are completely malaria-free such as Madikwe and Eastern Cape.
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A private game reserve in South Africa's Kruger National Park
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A private game reserve in Kwazulu-Natal
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A private game reserve in South Africa's Sabi Sand Game Reserve
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Madikwe Game Reserve
Ask about savings on stays of 4 nights or more!
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