Dinah Hatch reports on safaris and safari accommodation in South Africa’s stunning and varied national parks
South Africa is a hugely popular choice for safari tours and wildlife spotting and not without reason.
The country’s flora and fauna is amazingly diverse and there is an abundance of national parks, from the world-renowned Kruger to the more off-the-beaten-track options such as Mapungubwe. So if your clients want to see the big five – buffalo, leopard, lion, elephant and rhino – read our pick of what the country has to offer.
Kruger National Park
The mother of all safari parks, Kruger, is equal in size to Wales and home to 147 species of mammal, 507 species of bird and more than 1,950 plant species.
Wherever you stay in the park there is a huge choice of things to do. Try a sunrise elephant-back safari to get a feel for parklife as the animals are waking, or a four-day walking rhino tour. Besides that, there’s the big five to see, plus cheetah, wild dog, hippo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, kudu, eland, sable antelopesthe list goes on.
Driving distance: It’s between 297 miles and 375 miles from Johannesburg, depending on which camp you are heading to, or you can fly internally and then drive. There are daily flights from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit airport (46 miles from Phalaborwa Gate) and the new Kruger/Mpumalanga International airport, located between Nelspruit and White River (15 miles from Nelspruit).
Entry price: £8.60 per day for adults or £4.30 per child under 12 per day.
Accommodation: The park has about 24 rest camps. Bigger camps like Skukuza, Lower Sabie, Satara, Olifants and Letaba offer everything from plush bungalows with en suite bathroom and air conditioning, to guest houses for groups of up to eight people, to permanent canvas safari tents, normal camping tents and caravan sites.
Sample product: Southern Africa Travel offers three nights at Jock’s Safari Lodge near Sabi Sands for £780 per person from October 31 to December 1. Seven to 12-year-olds stay at a reduced rate of 50%. Price includes all meals, local alcoholic drinks and two game drives a day.
West Coast National Park
Set inland from the quiet, beautiful Saldanha Bay harbour in the Western Cape is the Langebaan Lagoon – the central focus of the park and a birdwatcher’s paradise. Migrant waders gather in their hundreds on the endless salt marshes, while seabirds roost on the islands and picture-perfect beaches.
This is the place to see flamingos, black harriers, Cape gannets and jackass penguins and in spring, Postberg Flower reserve splashes colour over the park, providing a stunning setting for marauding antelope. Look out for eland, red hartebeest, Cape grysbok, caracal and rock hyrax.
Driving distance: From Cape Town, travel 63 miles north and the park is off the R27 highway.
Entry price: Inside flower season -adults £4, children £1.95 outside flower season – adults £1.95, children under 12, £1.95.
Accommodation: Options include Abrahamskraal Cottage, which sleeps six Duinepos chalets, where two bedrooms sleep a maximum of six; Jo Anne’s Beach Cottages, near Churchaven, which have three en suite bedrooms sleeping a maximum of eight; Flaming Joe’s Beach Camp has walk-in canvas safari tents for up to 16 people permanently moored houseboats or chalets, and on-site hostels and camping facilities.
Sample product: African Collection offers The Larus Houseboat, which sits in the lagoon surrounding the park, at £16 per person per night.
Addo
If you’ve done the big five, then try seeking out the big seven – which includes the southern right whale and great white shark. Here, in the Eastern Cape’s Sundays River Valley, about 450 elephants roam the land along with Cape buffalo, black rhino and antelopes.
Coming soon is a marine reserve, which will house the world’s largest breeding population of Cape gannets and the second largest breeding population of African penguins.
Driving distance: 47 miles from Port Elizabeth.
Entry price: £6.50 per adult, £3.20 for children under 12.
Accommodation options: Addo Rest Camp, situated next to a waterhole, is the main area and offers a range of accommodation, from guest houses, cottages, chalets and cabins to caravans and tents.
Narina Bush Camp offers a get-back-to-nature option with its small, tented area in a forest at the foot of the Zuurberg Mountains, while Woody Cape offers the Langebos huts along the Alexandria Hiking Trail in the forest.
The Matyholweni Rest Camp, near the second entry to the park, has two cottages near the coastal town of Colchester and for those after a bit of pampering, the luxury lodges dotted around the park provide top-notch accommodation.
Sample product: African Pride offers three nights at River Bend Lodge for £207 per person per night between October 1 and April 30. Price includes all meals and two game drives a day.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park (formerly Greater St Lucia Wetland Park)
The Park’s 220,000 hectares take in miles of lakes and islands, mountain passes, thick mangroves and forests, sandy beaches and coral reefs.
On your journey, expect to see the waters ripple as hippos surface and Nile crocodiles ease by and while rhino, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, waterbuck, kudu, nyala, impala, duiker and reedbuck go about their business. There’s also an array of flowers and plant life.
Go scuba diving in the coral garden at Sodwana Bay, trek through False Bay Park or land a blue marlin on Lake St Lucia. Or maybe just sit on the beach and look out for migrant blue whales playing amid the leatherback turtles on the horizon.
Driving distance: 150 miles from Durban.
Entry price: £1.30 for adults, 65p for children under 12.
Accommodation: St Lucia town offers a host of guesthouse and bed-and-breakfast options, while Mtubatuba has three options including Wendy’s Country Lodge set in beautiful tropical gardens. There are also plenty of cottages, lodges and camps at False Bay, Sodwana Bay and Mkuze.
Sample product: African Pride offers three nights at Hluhluwe River Lodge for £118 per person between October 1 and April 30. Price includes all meals and two trips (game drive or estuary cruise) a day.
Mapungubwe National Park
Sitting at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, this park is uniquely placed for visitors to explore the fascinating archaeological sites that reveal the area’s rich history.
At Mapungubwe Hill archaeologists uncovered evidence of the largest city in the subcontinent, the Lost City, where 1,000 years ago, wealthy Africans prospered, trading with Egypt and China and mining gold and copper.
When visitors aren’t out spotting the big five they can take a tree-top walk (the area is famous for its baobob trees and climbing figs), picnic among the lunar-like sandstone landscapes or take a self-guided walk.
Game and bird hides dot the landscape and tourists can see the wildlife by moonlight as well as under the hot sun – night drives offer a wonderful new perspective on the land and its residents.
Driving distance: Fly from Johannesburg to the Limpopo capital, Polokwane. From there, travel the 125 miles to the park.
Entry price: £4.60 per adult per day, £1.95 for children under 12 per day.
Accommodation: Stay in a cottage at Leokwe Camp (family cottages have up to four single beds), a forest tent in the Limpopo Forest Camp (two single beds), on the Mazhou camping site or at the Bush Lodge, which has three double beds and six single beds.
Sample product: A basic family cottage sleeping four in the Leokwe costs £63 per night in December. Cottages have two twin bedrooms, open-plan kitchen, shower, toilet and barbecue facilities.
Travel tips
- South Africa’s national parks are extremely popular (particularly during South African school holidays) so it’s always advisable to book accommodation ahead
of your visit. - International Visitors can purchase an ‘all cluster’ Wild Card, which provides access to all of the national parks and is valid for a year. The cards costs £55 for an individual, £96 for a couple (any two people) and £130 for a family, defined as two adults with up to four children aged up to 18.
- Only two of South Africa’s 20 national parks are malarial – Kruger and Mapungubwe. Ensure correct vaccinations are received before travel. But don’t forget there are plenty of other insects that bite, so bring repellent as well.
- September to March is summer time and winter is April to August. Take plenty of warm clothing in winter as it can be cold in the evenings.
- For a comprehensive list of activities available in South Africa’s parks, go to sanparks.org/tourism/activities
