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South Africa Safaris: Insider’s Guide
On a South African safari, opt for a private reserve like Tswalu over a farm with captive animals. Photo: Daphne Limmer
The insider advice on this page is from one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for South Africa: Dan Saperstein of Hippo Creek Safaris.
Dan draws on his vast network of connections to ensure that each safari really is the trip of a lifetime and that each traveler gets the most rewarding safari experience possible for their travel dollar. Based in the New York City area, he is always on call and always making sure that his clients are treated like royalty at every lodge and camp. Parents and grandparents wanting to take young children on safari, do yourself a favor and have an honest conversation with Dan, who is a father of young kids himself, about which countries and parks are truly the most child-friendly.
What to See and Do
An elephant family at Singita Kruger, Kruger National Park.
Don’t miss
Sleeping out under the stars. You have the safety of a raised platform to keep you from becoming a lion’s meal but can enjoy the starry spectacle of the African sky accompanied by a chorus of wildlife in the distance—a night you’ll remember forever. You can do this at the spectacular treehouses on Lion Sands’ private game reserve within the Sabi Sands, or at Tswalu’s private game reserve in the Kalahari region of South Africa.
Don’t bother
Many travelers on safari in South Africa make a side trip to see Victoria Falls (there are daily nonstop flights from Johannesburg). But think twice about visiting the falls from October through December if you are hoping to see the amazing spectacle of torrents washing over the precipice: During these months before the rainy season, the falls can become a mere trickle. (The upside is a photo minus the mist that is ever-present in high-flow months.)
Most underrated place
The dig site at the Cradle of Humankind, a day trip from Johannesburg. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is comprised of fifteen different paleontological sites that form one of the most significant concentrations of hominid remains in the world.
Most underrated activity
Biking through Cape Town, particularly the Bo-Kaap area with its brightly colored houses and narrow lanes. It’s an easy ride, made easier by the availability of e-bikes, and broken up by visits to small shops and bistros.
Most overrated activity
Self-driving on the Garden Route is not really the ideal use of one’s limited vacation time when in South Africa. There are too many other things to see and do that are unique to this region to spend your time on a scenic drive.
Best for thrill-seekers
Get out on the water to paddleboard, surf, or kite surf along the picturesque Cape Peninsula, or kayak among the southern right whales in Walker Bay, a two-hour drive from Cape Town. If you’re really an adrenaline junkie, go down in a shark cage for an up-close-and-personal look at great whites.
Dish to try
Dried meat (typically beef) called biltong, which is served everywhere—even on game drives—and is South Africa’s national obsession.
Best spots for a sundowner
Thornybush Private Game Reserve, which is part of the Greater Kruger Area, has some of the most dramatic sunset views in the region. As your afternoon game drive comes to a close with the sun beginning to set, your guide will find the perfect spot with views of this marvelous reserve and the incredible Drakensburg mountain range in the distance, obscuring the last rays of light. You may also revel in the view over the Cape Winelands from the porch of your boutique hotel as you toast to another beautiful day in paradise.
Camps and Lodges
Safari camps worth the splurge
With significant renovations recently taking place at some of the top camps, it’s a toss-up between Kruger Park’s Royal Malewane Lodge, the newly refreshed Singita properties in private reserves adjacent to Kruger, and the stunning all-villa, solar powered Cheetah Plains Lodge located in Sabi Sands and boasting electric safari vehicles that are zero emission and so quiet that the animals don’t even hear you coming.
A pair of male lions holds up traffic in Madikwe Private Game Reserve. Photo: Hippo Creek Safaris
Best camps for families
With its own pool, chef, and plenty of puzzles, games, and coloring books, Royal Malewane Waterside House is a four-bedroom home that neither you nor your children will ever want to leave.
Doctors usually won’t prescribe antimalarial medications to children under six, so malaria-free Morukuru, with three completely private villas of varying sizes in the Madikwe Game Reserve, is an ideal spot for families with young children and those who prefer not to take antimalarials.
Tswalu, a different malaria-free private reserve, features Tarkuni, a private homestead with five ensuite bedrooms, a dedicated guide and vehicle, sauna, and swimming pool. Smaller groups may prefer Tswalu Loapi Tented Camp, with its four one-bedroom and two two-bedroom homes, each operating as a mini camp with its own private chef and butler, guide, tracker, and vehicle.
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Best Times to Go
September is glorious in South Africa. The winter chill has left, and spring is on its way. The grasses that grew high after the rainy season have been chomped down, leaving the animals in full view. Cape Town is warming up, and the rains have more or less gone for good. Whales can be seen off the coast, the vineyards are green, and safaris are spectacular throughout the parks and reserves.
Worst Time to Go
If you can’t take the heat (up to 90 degrees on a three-hour game drive), then avoid December, January, and February. The good news is that almost all the camps and lodges have air-conditioned rooms (unfortunately, there’s not much they can do about the temperature outside).
Biggest Rookie Mistake
Mistaking a farm for a true game park or reserve. Some South Africans eager to cash in on the safari trade have fenced their farmlands, brought in some wildlife, and promote their formerly cultivated fields as safari destinations. They’re most definitely not. In fact, you can probably experience the same thing at a “safari” park near your home. One of the clues that you’re having a faux safari is the absence of any big cats or elephants.
Must-Have Apps
WhatsApp is the easiest way to maintain contact both with home and your in-country private guides.
Merlin Bird ID helps identify all of the exquisite birds in this region by their calls—it’s completely free and you can use it offline by downloading the region packs before your trip.
Instagram Moment
Sitting on the cliffside terrace at the 11-room Birkenhead House hotel, overlooking Walker Bay as the southern right whales breach just yards from shore. The stunning combination of the property, the bay, the gulls, the beach, and the whales are a vision that will remain with you forever—with or without a photograph.
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