Luxury vacations in South Africa

Luxury vacations in South Africa offer carefully crafted, tailor made itineraries that not only make things easy, but also embrace the exquisite. These vacations tend to be self drive, flying into the stunning Mother City of Cape Town, a city that is full of culture and coastal cool. From here, you have one of the most colossal coastlines in the world stretching out in front of you, with a bevy of beautiful boutique hotels to stay at along the way, all with fine wine and cuisine as par for the course. The 300km Garden Route boasts massive surf beaches, whales, dramatic cliffs at Plettenberg Bay, Klein Karoo grasslands home to mountain zebras, and of course mountains such as the Tsitsikamma range and eponymous national park proffering river gorges, hiking and horse riding.

South Africans do sassy and sumptuous when it comes to accommodation. Bordering Kruger National Park, you can forgo camping for a stay at Nottens Lodge in Sabi Sands private reserve. A spectacular place to stay that is family run, employs local Shangaan staff, and adheres to strict eco principles. Chitwa Chitwa Lodge on the same reserve overlooks the reserve’s lake, a magnet for myriad birdlife. For families, Marataba Reserve is a very popular spot in the Waterberg region, with stylish stone and canvas lodges looking out to the Waterberg Mountains. Boutique hotels abound along the Garden Route and through the Winelands, many of them in buildings of historical interest. Luxury travel doesn’t have to mean elite, however, and we work closely with accommodation that has strong community ties.

The best time to take a luxury vacation in South Africa is whenever you are ready. As these are tailor made trips, you can work out all seasonal nuances with your vacation company. Coastal temperatures rarely dip below 18°C all year. They peak Jan-Feb, and everywhere is busy at Christmas. These hot months are best for wildlife viewing in Kruger National Park. The Garden Route gets watered Jun-Jul, but this is also a great time for festivals in Knysna and the Klein Karoo. Whales come to play Jun-Dec, and baby penguins arrive at Boulders Beach in Jan. Basically, there is always something beautiful going on.

This is one glorious garden stretching 300km between Mossel Bay in Western Cape to Storms River in Eastern Cape. And in between a mélange of marvels, including the surf and dramatic sandstone cliffs of Plettenberg Bay, the arid Klein Karoo where mountain zebra roam, the mountains of Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma, and then beach after beach. This garden is like the Chelsea Flower show on steroids.

You can fly from coast to Kruger to explore over 20,000km² of wildlife wonders among landscapes of acacia, savanna and tropical forest. Although famous for its Big Five, there are actually 147 mammal species here. Luxury vacations veer towards game lodges on nearby private reserves, where wildlife still roams, but where you can do bush walks and nighttime safaris, both restricted in Kruger.

The prettiest of peninsulas stretches south of Cape Town, with a mountain chain as its spine and that big Table as its main squeeze. There is so much more around the Table though. Go hiking or biking around Silvermine’s mountain fynbos terrain, visit Kirstenbosch Gardens, head to Cape Point with 249m-high sea cliffs, or fall in love with penguins at Boulders Beach.