South Africa

Cape Town & the Cape Winelands

Cape Town is a naturally beautiful city on South Africa’s southwest coast, sitting gracefully on a gorgeous peninsula beneath a dramatic backdrop of the imposing Table Mountain – a natural wonder of the world. Slowly rotating cable cars climb to the mountain’s flat top, from which there are sweeping views of the city, the busy, yet picturesque harbor and boats heading for Robben Island – the notorious prison that once held Nelson Mandela that is now a living museum.

Cape Town regularly features on the world’s top destinations list so you can expect a memorable stay with stunning scenery, beautiful beaches, first class infrastructure, accommodation styles for all tastes, fine dining and long, pleasant summer days with spectacular sunsets.

A must and certainly a highlight of any trip to Cape Town is a tour around the beautiful peninsula to the Cape Point National Park, home to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. Besides this final destination –  the tippy-tip of the African continent, you will be rewarded with impeccable scenery along the way. From Chapmans Peak Drive overlooking the picturesque bay at Hout Bay, to the seaside villages of Noordhoek, Kommetjie, Simons Town with its famous penguin colony and Kalk Bay withloads of antique stores and an authentic fishing harbor. The peninsula route will also take you past Cape Town’s affluent, leafy Southern suburbs and the beautiful Kirtsenbosch Botanical Gardens – home to 1000’s of plant species and the famous “Summer concerts”.

Close to Cape Town, is the not-to-be-missed Cape Winelands region. The scenery is incredible as you wander through this region filled with jagged mountains and endless vineyards with centuries-old Cape Dutch estates that produce some of the world’s finest wines. From Cape Town, you can easily do a day trip to one, or all of the three major wine routes around Stellenbosch, Franschoek and Paarl, or even better, spend a night or 2 in this awesome region.

Kruger National Park & Private Greater Kruger reserves

The Kruger National Park is the pride of South Africa and undoubtedly one of the largest and most well-known game reserves in the world.  Protecting South Africa’s wildlife heritage since 1898, the enormous park covers an area of 19,485 km2 in the northeastern corner of South Africa.  The park is larger than Israel and extends 360 km from north to south and 65 km from east to west.

The Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. It is home to an impressive number of fauna and flora species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals, including all the Big Five. There are also several important archeological sites scattered throughout the park that demonstrate the diversity and culture of mankind in the area.

The park and surrounding parks offer a wide range of accommodation types for all tastes. In terms of the range of accommodation offered within Kruger, no national park in the world quite lives up to the same level of service. Within the park, there are several well organized rest camps, rustic bush camps, lodges and even some overnight hides, all run by South African National Parks Board. Alternatively, for an enhanced safari experience, opt for something more intimate and luxurious in one of the private lodges located in concession areas within the park, or at one of the renowned luxurious lodges, in the private game reserves, such as Timbavati and Sabi Sands, that flank the Western fenceless boundary of the Kruger National Park. Staying in one of these fine lodges will transform your safari experience into a life-long memory as you slow your pace into leisure mode whilst your every need, and more, is taken care of.

The Garden Route

The Panorama Route

The famous Panorama Route in the Eastern-most province of South Africa (next to the Kruger National Park) offers one breathtaking view after another. Whilst meandering along this awesome route, you’ll experience mountains, an endless sky, forests and the truly impressive Blyde River Canyon, one of the world’s largest canyons.

Charming towns like Graskop and Pilgrims Rest adorn the Panorama Route, where you can sleep or stop for a meal whilst exploring the area and visiting the countless scenic landmarks such as God’s Window viewpoint and The Pinnacle, as well as some beautiful waterfalls such as the Berlin Falls and the Lisbon Falls. The absolute highlight of this trip has to be the Three Rondawels view point – which might take your breath away.

Along the route, you can also expect to see some native mammals such as klipspringer, oribi, bushbuck, monkeys, kudu, baboons and black-eyed jackals and the bird life is also rampant, including eagles.

Joburg…Jozi…Johannesburg

Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa, with more than 3 million people calling this bustling metropolis home. Joburg, or Jozi as some prefer to call it, offers visitors an experience as unique and diverse as the city itself. Whether you are on business, in search of a cultural encounter, an adrenaline rush or simply want to relax and unwind for a few days, the city of Johannesburg has everything you’re looking for and more!
Joburg is a cultural delight offering dozens of interesting art galleries and world class museums – such as the not-to-be-missed Apartheid Museum. If galleries and museums are not your thing, spend your time exploring interesting neighbourhoods like Rosebank, Sandton, Melville or the Maboneng Precinct – part of the ongoing old city centre revival project.
Close by and making for excellent city escapes; you can bungee jump and do a bicycle tour in Soweto; explore humanity at the Cradle for Humankind or pet a lion cub at the famous Lion Park.
Joburg is the city of entry for many visitors to South Africa; and definitely deserves some time to be explored – you’ll be pleasantly surprised.