Kruger
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Kruger is a vast conservation area, the most popular safari destination on the continent, renowned for easy wildlife viewing and great predator photography. Guest accommodation is in around 150 lodges, most of which are extremely comfortable and reliable, as well as covering an unusually wide range of price levels.
Cape Town
Set in the Western Cape of South Africa, Cape Town is a fabulous, fascinating city, tucked in the folds of a very beautiful national park, where you are never short of a view and never more than a short walk away from an epic hiking trail. There’s so much to see and do that a few nights will only enable you to scratch the surface.
Sabi Sand Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Sabi Sand is the premium private safari reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, with extremely rich and accessible wildlife and containing the lion’s share of the region’s high quality lodges.
Waterberg Mountains
Set in the north of South Africa, the non-malarial Waterberg Mountains area contains several interesting wildlife reserves, with some superb scenery and relatively easy wildlife viewing, as well as options for horse-riding and golf. Guest accommodation is in around 25 decent quality lodges, many of which are relatively well priced.
Madikwe
Set in the north of South Africa, Madikwe is one of the best non-malarial safari reserves in Africa. At 750 square kilometres it’s around 4% the size of Kruger, a fully-fenced area which was once farmland, but is now rehabilitated and restocked with a full range of wildlife. Guest accommodation is in around 20 lodges, some of which are unusually well priced.
Franschhoek
Set in the heart of the Cape Winelands, Franschhoek is a beautiful and relaxed village and a very popular place for our guests to stay, with a wealth of high class wineries, restaurants and hotels, plus options for shopping, mountain hiking and biking.
Amakhala and Shamwari
Set in the Eastern Cape, the Amakhala and Shamwari area covers several private wildlife reserves that line the N2 highway between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown, with some high quality lodges, but a little low on that critical sense of wilderness.
Timbavati Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Timbavati is a very strong private safari reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, containing a full range of safari wildlife and hosting a very strong range of relatively well-priced lodges.
Little Karoo
Set in the Western Cape, the Little Karoo is an area of very scenic semi-desert scenery with ribbons of verdant agriculture and pleasant rural settlements including Montagu, Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn. The R62 road is a really good alternative to the busy N2 coastal highway, these rural areas are a world apart from the hectic Garden Route.
Drakensberg
Set in KwaZulu Natal, the Drakensberg essentially a 600 km long escarpment which fringes the western side of the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. It is an area of great scenic majesty, renowned for excellent hiking and with a number of large leisure resorts primarily aimed at a domestic audience.
Phinda Mkhuze
Set in northern KwaZulu Natal, the Phinda Mkhuze area contains a handful of private wildlife reserves. Phinda itself is the best known and most upmarket option, containing a full range of wildlife, particularly strong for cheetahs and rhinos. Guest accommodation is in a handful of lodges, offering an unusually wide range of activities, including beach options.
Panorama
Set in the northeast of South Africa, the Panorama area is a largely rural part of the country, whose lodges and rural activities can provide a nice easy start to a trip, before heading out to the adjacent safari areas of Kruger, especially in self-drive trips.
Johannesburg
Set to the northeast of South Africa, Johannesburg is the great commercial heart of the country and the main transport hub, a sprawling mess of a place, scarred through its heart by the gold mines. It is not somewhere safari travellers tend to linger too long, although the Cradle of Mankind may be worth a visit.
Thornybush Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Thornybush is a well known private reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, which contains the full range of safari wildlife and is home to a wide range of largely mid-level lodges
Stellenbosch
Set in the Cape Winelands, Stellenbosch is a substantial, historic and cosmopolitan town, centred on a large university and containing a pleasant network of tree-lined streets with stores, restaurants and bars, encircled by renowned wineries and golf courses.
Kruger Park South
Set in South Africa, Kruger Park South is the sector of this vast reserve which has the richest wildlife, but also by far the highest visitor numbers, making large parts deeply unattractive. However there are some interesting private concession areas too.
Klaserie Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Klaserie is a substantial private reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, an up-and-coming area with an increasingly wide range of well-priced lodges.
Overberg
Set in the Western Cape of South Africa, the Overberg is a pleasant agricultural area centred on the Breede River, containing the towns of Worcester, Robertson, McGregor, Ashton and Swellendam, particularly interesting for wine enthusiasts looking to get off the beaten track, but short of quality accommodation options.
Battlefields
Set in central KwaZulu Natal, Battlefields is an area of important historic sites from the Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer wars, where a handful of good lodges offer intelligent and inspirational tours. There’s also a few safari lodges in private fenced reserves.
Plettenberg Bay
Set on the Garden Route, Plettenberg Bay is a coastal town set on a dramatic peninsula with some lovely beaches, lagoons and marinas. Unfortunately the town is growing at a fearsome pace and has lost a great deal of its charm, but it remains popular with domestic holidaymakers and retired folks.
Graaff-Reinet
Set in the Eastern Cape, Graaff-Reinet is a very pleasant little town with some lovely mountain scenery, impressive Victorian architecture, interesting local nature reserves and remarkable fossil beds.
Sunshine Coast
Set in the Eastern Cape, the Sunshine Coast runs east from Port Elizabeth up to East London and the start of the Wild Coast. The area includes a sprinkling of decent beach lodges and just inland there are some modestly interesting wildlife reserves.
Knysna
Set on the Garden Route, Knysna is a provincial town that surrounds a fabulous natural lagoon and harbour. Not so long ago this was a very quaint and scenic place, but it’s now blighted by a massive expansion of holiday homes and retirement villages.
Balule Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Balule is an up and coming private reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, with a handful of decent camps offering good value for money. Unfortunately there is still trophy hunting on this reserve.
Port Elizabeth
Set in the Eastern Cape, Port Elizabeth is a major industrial city with a decent beachfront area to the south. The main reason to visit is to access the airport, which serves as the main hub for the region and is well connected to Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
Kruger Park Central
Set in South Africa, Kruger Park Central is the sector of this vast reserve which has medium wildlife densities and experiences medium visitor traffic. As well as the usual lower cost restcamps in core areas, it also contains a handful of higher quality lodges on large private concession areas.
De Hoop
Set on the Whale Coast, De Hoop is a lovely coastal nature reserve, a real hidden gem, containing fabulous white dunes, swimmable rock pools, shore-based whale-watching (Jun-Oct), fascinating endemic fynbos flora and fauna, plus a good range of larger mammals, notably including baboons, bonteboks and caracals. There is a handful of good accommodation options.
Lesotho
Although it is completely encircled by South Africa, Lesotho is a very distinct independent country, a remote and mountainous land with a rich tribal culture, little-visited, but offering some interesting trekking options.
Nature’s Valley
Set on the Garden Route, Nature’s Valley is a wonderfully peaceful settlement in an absolutely beautiful bay and is by far the most attractive section of this coastline, with some really strong accommodation options. Good for hiking and horse-riding too.
Pretoria
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Pretoria is the capital of the country, a relatively small and pleasant city, much less hectic than nearby Johannesburg. The main station is a major terminus for various prestige train services.
Cradock
Set in the Eastern Cape, Cradock is a reasonably attractive and well preserved town of marginal interest to most international visitors. However these Karoo dorps are always pleasant to visit, with some interesting local history and, in this case, the nearby Mountain Zebra National Park. The nearby villages of Somerset East, Bedford and Hogsback are also relatively attractive.
Gansbaai
Set on the Whale Coast, Gansbaai is an honest and workmanlike fishing port which attracts few visitors. The nearby Kleinbaai is the best location for cage diving with great white sharks, whilst the fynbos hinterland contains some interesting and upmarket lodges.
Pilansberg
Set in the north of South Africa, Pilanesberg is a substantial volcanic plug which stands proud of the surrounding plains, most of which is now contained within a wildlife reserve. The area is best known for the massive Sun City casino and golf resort on the southern side.
Hazyview
Set in the Panorama area to the west of Kruger, Hazyview is the main town from which to explore these mountain areas. The area has an unusually broad range of accommodation, offering a really wide mix of activities.
Wild Coast
Set adjacent to the Eastern Cape, the Wild Coast is an incredibly beautiful and remote coastal area which remains extremely under-developed, largely for historic reasons. It’s rarely included and trips and has very few high quality accommodation options.
Eswatini
Surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique, Eswatini (previously Swaziland) is an independent kingdom which feels slightly more tribal and exotic than surrounding areas. Self-drivers often pass through when connecting Kruger Elephant Coast of Kwazulu Natal.
Addo
Set in the Eastern Cape, Addo is a very substantial wildlife reserve which covers mountains, savanna and beaches, being best known for its elephants. The reserve is accessible by self-drive and represents one of the lowest cost safari options on the continent for those not too worried about the slightly tame feel.
Kgalagadi South
Set in the northwest of South Africa, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park is a vast slice of desert wilderness, but one which is only really accessible to hardcore overland convoys, most commonly experienced domestic self-drivers heading north to the Okavango Delta.
Karongwe Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Karongwe is a small fenced private reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, with a handful of decent lower cost camps.
Durban
Set in KwaZulu Natal, Durban is a major city and industrial port with a reasonably pleasant feel, but largely bypassed by safari travellers, other than when passing through the international airport.
Great Karoo
Set largely in the Western Cape, the Great Karoo is a vast, arid and atmospheric area of semi-desert which is little visited other than by people travelling on the main N1 highway between Cape Town and Johannesburg, but which contains some interesting little backwaters.
Oudtshoorn
Set in the Little Karoo, Oudtshoorn is a substantial and busy agricultural town, whose impressive Victorian architecture dates back to when this place was the world centre for the production of ostrich feathers. These days the place is a little bit touristy, but not without charm and interest.
Dolphin Coast
Set in KwaZulu Natal, the Dolphin Coast is a scenic ocean front which runs for around 100 km north from Durban. It is largely backed by residential areas and hotels aimed at domestic visitors, but is not without appeal for the international traveller.
Namaqualand
Set in the northwest of South Africa, Namaqualand is a remote semi-desert area centred on the modest town of Springbok and which is best known for its epic displays of spring wildflowers Jun-Oct, but which is inconvenient to access and short on quality accommodation options.
Calitzdorp
Set in the Little Karoo, Calitzdorp is a modest agricultural town with an historic centre and some pleasant traditional guest houses. The area contains some great scenery, interesting back road routes and one particularly good rural lodge on the scenic drive below the dramatic Swartberg Pass.
Kruger Park North
Set in South Africa, Kruger Park North is the more remote sector of this vast reserve, with bigger scenery, lower wildlife densities, much lower vehicle traffic, great hiking and cultural activities and a handful of good quality lodges on large private concessions.
Makalali Reserve
Set in the northeast of South Africa, Makalali is an extensive fenced private reserve to the west of Kruger National Park, with a selection of good value and relatively high quality camps.
Kwandwe
Set in the Eastern Cape, Kwandwe is the highest quality wildlife reserve in the region. At 200 square kilometres, it is a relatively small and fully fenced area, but contains a full range of safari wildlife including lions, elephants and rhinos. Guest accommodation is in a handful of very high quality lodges.
Hermanus
Set on the Whale Coast, Hermanus is a busy coastal settlement, the undisputed whale-watching capital of South Africa during the Jun-Nov season, with a good selection of accommodation and a wide range of activities.
St Lucia
Set in northern KwaZulu Natal, St Lucia is an enormous coastal reserve with a network of beautiful wetlands, lagoons and beaches. It is centred on a small resort town of the same name, which tends to appeal more to domestic rather than international visitors.
