South Africa Blog
Author picture

A Trip To South Africa – Visit Best Wildlife And Safari Destinations

South Africa is a diverse country with an up and coming economy, situated in the southernmost tip of continental Africa. It is a magical destination that is often overlooked by budget travellers, offering amazing safaris, rugged mountains, world-class wineries, endless coastlines, and lively cities like Cape Town. Whether you’re looking for stunning natural wonders or vibrant cities, there’s something for everyone. South Africa is one of the world’s most developed nations on the African continent, which makes it one of the most visited African countries by international tourists because of its vast array of cultures, languages, and climates.It has one of the world’s most diverse cultures, languages, and even climates. A major source of income for the country comes from gold, diamonds, and other precious materials. 

Most of the population lives in and around big urban areas. The biggest ones being Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Pretoria is the capital but is mostly overshadowed by its bigger neighbour being Johannesburg. Known for its breath-taking natural beauty, a South Africa safari experience is ideal for families, honeymooners, and adventure enthusiasts of all ages. Kruger National Park – widely considered to be the best place to see leopards in Africa. Great Karoo is a semi-desert region on the southern side of the plateau that fades into the drier and more arid Kalahari Desert in South Africa’s far north-west.

cape town
Book Now!
Book Now!
gifraffe cape town
Book Now!

Cape Town:

Cape Town is a modern city with high-rise office buildings and pedestrian malls. The city’s reputation is still based on its beautiful location between mountain and sea, its cosmopolitan population, and the liberal outlook of many of its citizens.  A unique combination of cultures, cuisines and landscapes, Cape Town is one of the world’s most beautiful cities crowned by the magnificent Table Mountain National Park. Cape Town attractions are Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain, Robben Island, Boulders Penguin Colony, District Six Museum, Noordhoek Beach, Bloubergstrand.

Going on safari is a must-do experience when visiting Africa. A few hours’ drive from Cape Town’s centre are the Big Five — lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo — which may not lend themselves to traditional African bush experiences. Here’s a list of five places where you can see the big five – Aquila Private Game Reserve, Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, Inverdoorn Game Reserve, Garden Route Game Lodge & Fairy Glen Private Game Reserve.

Gold-Reef-City

Johannesburg:

South Africa’s capital, Johannesburg, is not only the largest city in the country, but also among the 50 largest urban areas in the world. This includes the city of Johannesburg, the capital of Gauteng, the richest province in the country. Johannesburg is the principal gateway to South Africa and a transit point for connecting flights to Cape Town, Kruger National Park and Durban. There are many things to do in Johannesburg, like many other big cities around the world. There are substantial Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Russian, Polish, and Lebanese communities in the city, as well as significant English and Afrikaans communities. Places to visit in Johannesburg are  Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City, Constitution Hill, Maboneng Precinct, Nelson Mandela Museum, Johannesburg Zoo. Johannesburg sees the most tourist visits during the summer.

South Africa is a prime wildlife destination. Some of the famous Wildlife National Parks are:

Kruger National Park:

The Kruger National Park game reserve is found in South Africa, the country at the southern tip of the African continent. The Kruger National Park lies across the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo in the north of South Africa, just south of Zimbabwe and west of Mozambique. This is the land of baobabs, fever trees, knob thorns, marula and mopane trees underneath which lurk the Big Five, the Little Five (buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, ant lion and rhino beetle), the birding Big Six (ground hornbill, kori bustard, lappet-faced vulture, martial eagle, pel’s fishing owl and saddle-bill stork) and more species of mammals than any other African Game Reserve. The Kruger Park is a self-drive destination, although there are guided tour operators, with an excellent infrastructure that includes picnic sites, rest camps, waterholes and hides. The Kruger Park is a remarkable reserve offering an incredible experience of Africa at its most wild.

kruger national park

Golden Gate Highlands National Park:

Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti Mountains of the north eastern Free State lies the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. At the foot of Lesotho’s Maluti Mountains, the Golden Gate Highlands National Park will literally leave you high with inspiration with endless horizons, overlooking the vast beauty that is South Africa. Loved for its unusual scenery and renowned for its golden aura as the sun lights up the sandstone cliffs and outcrops, the Golden Gate Highlands National Park is central to Johannesburg, Durban and Bloemfontein, making it the ideal escape. Black wildebeest, eland, blesbok, oribi, springbok and burchell’s zebra graze in the wild, grassy pastures, while rare bearded vultures circle the skies above the lost pathways of the San hunter-gathers, who once dwelled in the park’s caves.

golden gate national park

Table Mountain National Park:

Table Mountain is the most iconic landmark of South Africa. It is a unique and urban Western Cape Nature Reserve stretching from Signal Hill in the city to dramatic Cape Point, encompassing magnificent valleys, bays and beaches, the glorious Table Mountain and the legendary Cape of Good Hope.It is also the country’s most photographed attraction and its famous cable car took millions of people to its top. There are about 2,200 species of plants found on Table Mountain and 1470 floral species. Many of these plants and flowers are endemic to this mountain. Table Mountain National Park is part of the Cape Floristic Region World Heritage Site. Animals living in Table Mountain National Park are well adapted to their environment and not that easily seen amongst the vegetation. A variety of antelope species can be spotted including Klipsringer, Eland and Bontebok as well as other mammals such as Cape Mountain Zebra, Chacma Baboon and Cape Clawless Otter.

Table Mountain National Park penguins on the beach

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park:

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park lies in a large sand-filled basin in the west of the southern African subcontinent, known as the Kalahari Desert. It straddles both South Africa and Botswana to create an enormous conservation area. Kgalagadi could be considered a haven for birders especially when interested in birds of prey. Red sand dunes, sparse vegetation and the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob show antelope and predator species off at a premium and provide excellent photographic opportunities.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Royal Natal National Park:

Royal Natal National Park has some of the best mountain scenery in Africa. The main feature is the world famous Amphitheater, a rock wall approximately that is approximately five km in length, and approximately 500m high. On top of the amphitheater is the Mont-aux-Sources peak where the Orange river begins its long journey to the Atlantic ocean and Tugela river cascades down the face of the amphitheater, in the second highest waterfall in the world, on its way to the Indian ocean. Hiking is by far the most popular activity at Royal Natal National Park. Comprehensive hiking guide’s are available for purchase at the Visitor Centre, Thendele camp office and at the main entrance gate.

royal_natal_national_park_gallery

Addo Elephant National Park:

Addo Elephant National Park is located near the southern tip of central South Africa. The park making it the third-largest South African national park behind Kruger National Park and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Addo Elephant National Park is home to over 600 elephants, more than 400 cape buffaloes, and almost 50 black rhinoceroses. Other popular species include lion, hartebeest, zebra, warthog, and hyena. The park has plans to expand adding in a marine reserve and neighbouring islands.

About 7 Seas Holidays:

We are an independent travel agency based in London, United Kingdom. We make it easy for you to search your next travel destination. Be it a family holiday, luxury holiday, cruise deal, escorted tour holidays, cheap weekend breaks, city break packages, honeymoon packages, beach private villas with pool, honeymoon resorts or all inclusive holidays or any other type of cheap holiday packages — Yes! We offer all of them. 7 Seas Holidays is a member of ABTA so all our packages are ATOL protected. We believe in providing a personalised service experience.

Email us at info@7seasholidays.co.uk, or
Call our travel agent at +440203 968 0900, or
Talk to our expert travel planner via WhatsApp at +44 7951 338204

Share this post