South Africa rediscovered: safaris, culture and so much more

As a family safari specialist, Aardvark Safaris favours South Africa’s many malaria-free reserves. “Malaria-free has always been an important consideration for our clients with younger children,” says Smith. 

By choosing a lodge in Marataba, for example, a 21,000-hectare private concession close to the Waterberg, self-drive from Johannesburg becomes viable, adding further value for money over and above the country’s weak currency. Another game-changer for families is a private vehicle and guide, which usually comes at an extra cost but is also dependent on the ratio of hectares to beds to vehicles in a given concession or reserve. 

“There are also some superb properties offering sightings of more elusive species, which have proven very popular with our clients,” adds Free. He recommends Tswalu Kalahari for tracking shy, nocturnal species such as brown hyena, aardvark, bat-eared fox, pangolin and aardwolf.

Divine dining 

When it comes to food and drink, South Africa is also a hit. Those in the know flock to the Western Cape to take advantage of world-class food and wine pairings, craft spirit and beer tastings, and other gourmet delights, from extra-virgin olive oil and handmade cheeses to local confectionery, like Cape Malay koesisters, and ice cream. 

At any number of Cape Town’s award-winning restaurants – such as Chefs Warehouse, Pier or Salsify – exquisitely plated, provenance-led, multi-course tasting menus or small-plate extravaganzas, paired to boutique wines, come in at under a third of the price it would cost to eat well in London. 

The country’s stellar culinary reputation is no longer confined to Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek either, and has spread to smaller Boland towns, the Karoo and coastal enclaves from Hermanus to Plettenberg Bay. “Few countries come close to the levels of service offered throughout South Africa in lodges, hotels and restaurants,” remarks Aardvark’s Smith. 

Cape Town’s hotels now have art concierges too, offering in-house tours and private outings to off-the-beaten-track galleries, giving a fast-track for learning the ins and outs of the contemporary art scene. It’s one of the reasons why serious collectors choose to check into Ellerman House or the Silo Hotel.

It’s hardly surprising that Singita, reliable innovators in the safari space, have opened art galleries in both the Sabi Sand and Kruger National Park to meet a growing demand for contemporary African artwork and collectables; a percentage of sale proceeds are channelled to the Singita Lowveld Trust to support fledgling businesses. 

While the Cape Peninsula has always been known for its natural beauty, including numerous Blue Flag beaches, more recently Cape Town is owning its reputation as the outdoor adventure capital of the continent too, offering adrenaline thrills ranging from sea kayaking to abseiling and big-wave surfing to downhill mountain biking. 

Escape + Explore offers one-off, curated day trips showcasing the best of local – you can helicopter to Jonkershoek Nature Reserve in Stellenbosch for a hike and mountaintop picnic, or tour Woodstock’s street art, followed by a surf lesson in Muizenberg, and a picnic lunch in Cape Point Nature Reserve by Nicky Gibbs, who cooked Nelson Mandela’s first post-prison lunch. 

The ultimate experiences

Check out our round-up of stunning South African experiences, from chic rooftop bars with views of Cape Town, to ocean-front restaurants where you can also watch the whales 

Mount Nelson, Belmond’s landmark hotel in lush gardens below Table Mountain, has the new Red Room, a reincarnation of the original grill room, featuring a pan-Asian menu by Liam Tomlin and Dave Schneider (ex-chefs Warehouse Maison), while executive chef George Jardine, is plotting the opening of his first hotel restaurant. High tea on the terrace, from pastry chef Vicky Gurovich, is the best in town. 

Onderdorp is more than just an annexe to Cape Town’s Dorp Hotel, the grand yet unpretentious hangout of the city’s cool crowd with a roof terrace for cocktails and an all-day comfort food menu. Built just below the main hotel on Signal Hill, it has added 15 rooms to Dorp’s inventory and offers the same Table Mountain views. Meanwhile in the Western Cape, from its new bistro – serving estate wines – to its picture-perfect manor house suites, Brookdale Estate has brought a new level of polished service and comfort to Paarl.

Just off buzzing Kloof Street, Cape Cadogan’s historic Georgian-meets-Victorian facade remains the same, but a thoroughly modern revamp has transformed its interiors with pops of emerald green, black and white, and created space for a fully-fledged spa. The addition of Upper Union, housed next door and serving punchy small plates paired to potent cocktails, is drawing a local crowd. Since it’s owned by safari specialists the More Collection, the service is pampered perfection.

Land-based whale watching can be enjoyed in new ways this winter, such as hiking the scenic stretch of the aptly named Whale Trail between Lekkerwater and Morukuru Beach Lodge, in De Hoop Nature Reserve. Day visitors to the reserve can enjoy lunch at Bites Beach Cafe, offering destination dining with front-row ocean seats.

For active families, the lagoon-edge boathouses at Coot Club, located on a pristine estuary between Hermanus and Stanford, provide exclusive access to 500 hectares of privately protected fynbos in which to bike, hike, sail and row, and whale watching from the beach with nobody else for miles. 

Designed by Nick Plewman, Tanda Tula Safari Camp is set to welcome its first guests in June, after summer flooding in the Greater Kruger area delayed building of this new light-footprint, ecologically sensitive, solar- powered tented camp tucked into the riverine forest.

Having opened Waterside Lodge last year at Royal Malewane, Liz Biden is about to reveal her reinvention of the family’s original bush villa, Africa House, adding even more glamour to its six suites, as well as an extra pool, spa treatment suite and gym.

Gorgeous textured interiors by Caline Williams-Wynn are at the heart of the original Thornybush Game Lodge’s makeover, which includes a solar conversion and the addition of Kamara House, a two-bedroomed family villa with an extra kids’ room, 

At Kwandwe in the Eastern Cape, the nine-suite Great Fish River Lodge recently reopened with earthy, understatedly elegant interiors leading to private viewing decks and pools overlooking the river that snakes through this 22,000-hectare private reserve known for up-close big five sightings,  

Finally, a destination in itself, rather than a private reserve, Tswalu Kalahari is about to open Loapi, six private tented safari homes overlooking 114,000 hectares of arid savannah punctuated by the ancient Korannaberg. When not dining at Restaurant Klein Jan, tracking black rhino or cheetah on foot, or hanging out with habituated meerkats, this is going to be a place to appreciate the immensity of the “space below the clouds”, the meaning of Loapi in the region’s Setswana language.