South Africa Safaris For All Ages

In 2010 South Africa took centre stage before the whole World when it successfully hosted the Soccer World Cup. The event opened a window on to this vast country that many had not even considered opening before. The scenery, glimpses of the wildlife and the warm and welcoming people began to tempt potential visitors and as the football competition concluded without any security issues South Africa became a serious vacation option for many more travellers. Luxury safaris are now becoming ever more popular since the world has seen how accessible South Africa is for a safari vacation.

The African gateways from Europe and the USA of Cape Town and Johannesburg are both the starting point of a vacation within South Africa and in the case of the latter a springboard to other safari destinations – Zambia and Botswana for example or to island paradises such as Mozambique and Mauritius.

Cape Town with its vibrant Victoria and Albert Waterfront and luxury hotels sits against the backdrop of Table Mountain. The rich cultural history, together with the many sights and activities available to visitors makes Cape Town an ideal city to spend the first few days of the vacation leisurely recovering from the long international flight before launching fully into the holiday. As well as the more luxurious hotels in the city there is excellent apartment style accommodation which would be perfectly suited to families, having space and facilities to themselves.

Away from the city but still within easy reach are excellent beaches with boutique hotels and spa facilities, including Hermanus where, in the right season, whales can be seen. The Western Cape with its lush green valleys contains the world famous Winelands where you can sample the fruits of the Cape sunshine and expertise at the very vineyards where the grapes for the superb wines are grown. As well as offering spa facilities many properties offer other activities such as horse riding and those particularly tailored to children so all members of the family are entertained.

Many visitors choose to enjoy the spectacular scenery on the drive east towards Port Elizabeth from where a short flight can take you into back to Johannesburg for onward connections.

Alternative methods of transport are available in the luxurious overnight rail journeys between Pretoria and Johannesburg – on The Blue Train and Rovos Rail which encapsulate a romantic form of travelling. With a dress code for dinner, excellent cuisine and off train excursions this is an entirely different episode to enjoy within an itinerary.

Johannesburg also boasts excellent hotels and much to see such as Soweto and the Apartheid Museum. Relatively short regional flights bring visitors into South Africa’s excellent African safari game reserves including the Kruger National Park, home to the Big Five and malaria free which may be a huge consideration to those perhaps travelling with families and young children. The park contains many private concessions and different types of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, including outstanding luxurious safari lodges. If the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg are all about fast paced, sophistication a stay in the peaceful wilderness of an African safari setting creates a perfect balance within your luxury African safari.