South Africa luxury travel guide

One reason why you will just luck out on luxury vacations in South Africa is because there is such a variety of adventures to be had within a relatively small distance, with exquisite boutique hotels or eco lodges at stunning stop offs along the way. Particularly along the southern coast, where the famous Garden Route is at the heart of most luxury vacations. Don’t be fooled by its name, however, as this 300km route is far from a collection of haughty horticultural hangouts reminiscent of times gone by. This ‘garden’ (and beyond) boasts massive surf beaches, whales, dramatic cliffs at Plettenberg Bay, Klein Karoo grasslands home to mountain zebra, and of course mountains. Such as the Tsitsikamma range and eponymous national park proffering river gorges, hiking and horse riding. And as most luxury vacations here are self drive ones, you will be out there lapping its natural nirvanas most of the time.

There is no shortage of top notch activities to enjoy on this coast, and further afield, from wine tasting to whale watching, horse riding to hiking, surfing to sea kayaking. For wildlife watching, you have marine life which includes not only whales at Hermanus, but also penguins at Boulder Beach, dolphins at Plettenberg Bay and seals at Tsitsikamma National Park.

And then of course there are the Big Five, which you can also see in style. You can do both the coast and world famous Kruger National Park in one trip, taking a domestic flight to Kruger Airport to include a few days of game drives and safaris in the country’s oldest national park. The wildlife watching here is superb, but you can also enjoy the fineries of private reserves that border the park staying in luxury lodges with fine cuisine, and enjoying sundowners in one of the world’s most spectacular wildlife destinations.

Along the Garden Route and wending your way through the Winelands, boutique hotels abound, many of them in buildings of great historical interest. Such as Four Rosmead which is set on the slopes of Table Mountain and is not only a wonderful example of turn of the 19th century architecture but also boasts fine contemporary art, much of it for sale. Another chic sleep can be had at Franschhoek Country House and Villas in the Winelands, which is in a restored manor house and perfumery dating back to 1890.

Luxury travel doesn’t have to mean elite, however, and responsible tour operators work closely with accommodation that has strong community ties. One popular spot is in Oudtshoorn, where a multi ethnic group of 12 women created a network of homes and farms that welcome tourists, something that is still quite rare in non-white households in South Africa.