South Africa
Safaris / Game Drives
Experience a family-friendly safari destination
Safaris / Game Drives
South Africa is world-famous for its wildlife, untamed landscapes, and legendary safaris!
Come and discover the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and buffalo) along with a range of unique and fascinating species you won’t find in other parts of the world.
From thrilling game drives in open vehicles and bush walks with highly experienced rangers to rhino tracking on foot and hot-air balloon excursions across the plains, there are so many ways to enjoy the quintessential African experience.
The country’s top safari lodges and camps are the last word in luxury in the bush. High-end lodges and tented camps offer everything from all-inclusive pampering to budget options off-season. Expect comfortable accommodation, delectable cuisine, and guides who know the bush like the back of their hand.
The best time for game viewing is typically between May and September, when vegetation is sparser, and animals congregate around water sources, but you can view wildlife year-round. Keep an eye on the weather, pack sunblock for a summer visit, and enjoy the many beautiful, malaria-free destinations South Africa has to offer.
Western Cape
The Western Cape unfolds as a collision of ocean and mountain, where the Cape Fold Belt ripples inland in sandstone ridges that trap cool Atlantic air against warm valleys. From Cape Town the Table Mountain massif drops sheer into the sea, giving way to the crescents of the West Coast, the dunes of the Agulhas plain where two oceans meet, and eastward to the forested cliffs of the Garden Route. Inland, the Cederberg and Hex River ranges shelter the Breede River vineyards, while beyond the Outeniqua the Little Karoo opens into arid scrub, koppies and dry riverbeds under vast skies.
This mosaic breeds the Cape Floral Kingdom, dominated by fynbos, proteas, ericas and restios that cling to poor soils and fire cycles. Where fynbos meets renosterveld and succulent Karoo, wildlife persists in pockets. You will find Cape mountain zebra, bontebok and eland on reserves like De Hoop and Bontebok National Park, klipspringer and baboons on rocky slopes, caracal and Cape leopard moving at night, and dassies sunning on boulders. The coast adds African penguins at Boulders, Cape fur seals, southern right whales calving in Hermanus bays, and great white sharks patrolling False Bay, while estuaries host flamingos and fish eagles.
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape stretches as South Africa’s most varied edge, where land folds from sea to interior in steps. The Wild Coast rises in cliffs, headlands, and sandy bays that meet the warm Indian Ocean, backed by rolling grasslands and river valleys of the Kei and Mthatha. Westward, the coast softens into dune fields and lagoons of the Sunshine Coast, then into the forests of Tsitsikamma. Inland, the Amathole and Winterberg mountains lift in sandstone ridges and forests, giving way to high grasslands around the Drakensberg foothills near Rhodes. Further west, the country dries into the Camdeboo plains and the Great Karoo’s flat-topped koppies, while the Sundays River valley holds spekboom Albany thicket.
This convergence of biomes supports a mix of wildlife. Addo Elephant National Park anchors the region with elephants, lion, leopard, black rhino, Cape buffalo, eland, and kudu, while its marine section protects southern right whales and white sharks, making the Big Seven. Mountain zebra roam the Karoo parks at Mountain Zebra and Camdeboo, alongside springbok, gemsbok, and reintroduced cheetah. Thicket shelters bushbuck, duiker, and vervet monkeys, while Wild Coast estuaries host otters and dolphins, Knysna turaco and fish eagle in forests, with blue cranes on high grasslands.
Free State
The Free State sits at the heart of South Africa as a highveld plateau, lifted between 1,200 and 1,800 meters, where the horizon runs flat and unbroken until it folds into swells. Golden grassland dominates, stitched with maize and sunflower fields, punctuated by koppies, dolerite outcrops and windmills drawing water for cattle. To the east the land rises toward the Maluti foothills and the sandstone cliffs of the Golden Gate Highlands, where amber and rust bands catch light. In the south it grades into drier Karoo scrub, while the Vaal and Orange rivers cut valleys and feed wetlands at places like Seekoeivlei.
This open country is built for grazers. You will find black wildebeest, blesbok, springbok, eland and Burchell’s zebra moving in herds across reserves such as Willem Pretorius, Soetdoring and Golden Gate, with red hartebeest and mountain reedbuck on steeper slopes. Predators are present, black-backed jackal, caracal, bat-eared fox, and cheetah reintroduced on reserves. Smaller life thrives in the grass, meerkats, aardvark, porcupine and the Free State pygmy mouse. The sky belongs to birds, blue crane, secretarybird, korhaan, lark species, and raptors like jackal buzzard riding thermals, while dams and pans host flamingos, pelicans and otters after rains.
Gauteng
Gauteng sits high on the interior plateau, a rolling highveld lifted about 1,500 meters above sea level. The terrain is a mosaic of open grassland, low ridges, and quartzite koppies, cut by the spine of the Witwatersrand where Johannesburg and the gold reefs rose. Northward, the land drops toward the Magaliesberg, a mountain range of craggy cliffs and wooded kloofs, while to the south, the Suikerbosrand hills and the Vaal River mark undulating plains. Rivers like the Jukskei, Hennops, and Crocodile thread through suburbs, feeding wetlands, reed beds, and dams that punctuate the urban sprawl with green corridors.
Despite its cities, Gauteng holds pockets of the Highveld. In reserves such as Suikerbosrand, Rietvlei, Walter Sisulu, and Dinokeng, you will find Burchell’s zebra, wildebeest, red hartebeest, blesbok, springbok, eland, giraffe, and kudu grazing the grass, with steenbok and duiker in the bush. Predators are present, black-backed jackal, caracal, brown hyena, and serval in wetlands. White rhino and buffalo occur on secured private reserves. Vervet monkeys, dassies on rocky outcrops, mongoose, and otters live along rivers. Birdlife includes secretarybird, blue crane, korhaan, and raptors like Verreaux’s eagle over the Magaliesberg cliffs, while herons and flamingos gather on pans after summer rain.
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal runs as a province where South Africa climbs from sea to high mountain. The Indian Ocean coast stretches from beaches and dune forests south of Durban to the coral reefs, estuaries, and lake systems of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in the north, where the St Lucia estuary meets sand flats. Behind the coast, the land lifts into the rolling hills of the Midlands, with dairy farms and patches of indigenous forest. Further west, the ground breaks into the Drakensberg escarpment, a wall of basalt cliffs, amphitheatres, and alpine grasslands that rise above 3,000 meters, cut by the Tugela Falls and valleys. Between lies Zululand’s savanna, thornveld, and low rocky hills.
This vertical range holds wildlife. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park protects a rhino population alongside black rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, cheetah, and wild dog, with nyala, kudu, and warthog in the bush. iSimangaliso shelters hippos and Nile crocodiles in its estuaries, leatherback and loggerhead turtles nesting on northern beaches, humpback whales and dolphins offshore, and whale sharks in summer. The Drakensberg hosts eland, mountain reedbuck, baboons, and bearded vulture and Cape vulture riding thermals, while coastal forests hide samango monkeys, bushbuck, duiker, and Knysna turaco, and fish eagles calling over wetlands.
Limpopo
Limpopo sits at South Africa’s northern edge, a province where the interior plateau falls toward the tropics. Much of the terrain is bushveld, plains of mopane, acacia thornveld, and baobab-studded savanna rolling under skies. In the west, the Waterberg rises as a sandstone massif of cliffs, gorges, and wooded plateaus, while the north is defined by the Soutpansberg, a range that catches mist and forest on its southern slopes. Between them, the land flattens into the Limpopo River valley, a low corridor of riverine forest, fever trees, and alluvial soils that marks the border with Botswana and Zimbabwe. Eastward, the province merges into the northern Kruger Lowveld, where granite koppies and rivers like the Letaba and Olifants cut through grassland.
This bushveld supports rich wildlife. The northern Kruger and reserves like Balule and Makalali hold elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, Cape buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, kudu, waterbuck, sable, and roan antelope, with cheetah and wild dog ranging widely. Hippos and Nile crocodiles crowd the Limpopo, Olifants, and Letaba rivers, while baobab country shelters bushbuck, nyala, eland, and klipspringer on slopes. Birdlife includes Pel’s fishing owl, saddle-billed stork, hornbills, lilac-breasted roller, and martial eagle, with summer migrants filling mopane woodland after rains.
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga sits on South Africa’s eastern shoulder, where the high interior drops toward Mozambique. In the west, the land is the Highveld, grassland plateau around Dullstroom and Belfast at over 2,000 meters, dotted with trout dams and basalt koppies. This plateau breaks at the Drakensberg escarpment, an edge of cliffs, forests, and waterfalls around Sabie and Graskop. Here, the Blyde River Canyon carves a sandstone gorge, one of the largest canyons, with the Three Rondavels, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, and river valleys. Below the escarpment, the terrain falls into the Lowveld, a savanna of mopane, knobthorn, and marula woodland that stretches east to the Lebombo Mountains and the Kruger National Park border.
This plunge creates spectacular wildlife. The southern and central Kruger sections in Mpumalanga hold elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, Cape buffalo, cheetah, wild dog, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, kudu, waterbuck, and sable, with hippos and Nile crocodiles in the Sabie, Crocodile, and Olifants rivers. Private reserves like Sabi Sand and Manyeleti add dense leopard viewing. On the escarpment, grasslands shelter eland, oribi, reedbuck, and klipspringer, while forests hide samango monkeys, bushbuck, and endangered Cape parrot. Birdlife includes martial eagle, bateleur, southern ground hornbill, Narina trogon, and blue swallow over the highlands.
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape covers South Africa’s northwest, a province of aridity where the land feels open. Much of the interior is the Kalahari, red dunes and camelthorn savanna stretching toward Botswana, and the Upper Karoo, flat plains of low scrub, dolerite koppies and dry riverbeds under skies. In the west, the terrain shifts to Namaqualand, granite hills and coastal plains that burst into wildflowers after winter rain, and the Richtersveld, a desert of rock and quiver trees along the Orange River. The Orange itself cuts a ribbon through the desert, plunging at Augrabies Falls into a granite gorge, while in the south, the highlands around Sutherland rise above 1,500 meters.
This country supports wildlife. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park holds the black-maned Kalahari lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted and brown hyena, gemsbok, springbok, blue wildebeest, eland, red hartebeest, and giraffe moving between dunes, with meerkats, ground squirrels, bat-eared foxes, and honey badgers on the plains. The Karoo parks like Mokala and Karoo National Park protect black rhino, Cape mountain zebra, buffalo, and kudu among succulents. Along the Orange, klipspringer and baboons cling to cliffs, while the river hosts fish eagles and otters. Birdlife is rich in desert specialists, sociable weaver colonies, pygmy falcons, Ludwig’s bustard, and Namaqua sandgrouse gathering at dawn waterholes.
North West
North West sits on South Africa’s northern plateau, a province of horizons where highveld grades into bushveld. Much of the terrain is savanna, rolling plains of thornveld, acacia and woodland broken by ridges and dry riverbeds. In the southeast, the Magaliesberg rises as a quartzite range of cliffs and kloofs, catching mist and forest, while further north the Pilanesberg erupts as a volcanic crater, its concentric hills and valleys forming an amphitheatre. Westward toward the Kalahari fringe, the land flattens and dries into red sands, camelthorn and sparse grass around Molopo, with the Marico and Vaal rivers cutting corridors.
This bushveld mosaic supports wildlife. Pilanesberg National Park and Madikwe Game Reserve anchor the region with elephant, lion, leopard, black and white rhino, Cape buffalo, cheetah and wild dog, alongside giraffe, zebra, blue wildebeest, eland, kudu, waterbuck, sable and roan antelope on plains. Smaller predators like black-backed jackal, caracal, brown hyena and bat-eared fox hunt at dusk, while warthog, honey badger and aardvark work the soil. The Magaliesberg cliffs shelter klipspringer, baboons and mountain reedbuck. Birdlife is varied, southern ground hornbill, secretarybird, kori bustard, lilac-breasted roller and Verreaux’s eagle over ridges, with kingfishers and herons along dams after summer rains.