South African Vacations, complete with Safari, are a bucket list adventure for many families. On this episode, Kristy Angellotti from the South Africa Tourism Board joins us to discuss the incredible vacation options.
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Tell Us About South Africa
South Africa offers an incredible variety of experiences, and that is one of the major reasons why South Africa is generally the first place people start traveling on the African continent.
It’s very easy to get to. You don’t need any immunizations to travel there. If you’re holding a US or Canadian passport, you don’t need a visa for travel up to 90 days, so it’s just as easy as going to the Caribbean or Europe, just a little bit farther. It offers an incredible variety of experiences you can’t find anywhere else on the planet.
Everybody knows we have incredible wildlife experiences and safaris, but we also have cities, coastlines, adventure travel, and so much more. We like to call it Safari Plus. We have two oceans and nearly 2000 miles of coastline. There’s just an incredible amount of things to do.
What’s the best route to get there?
It’s never been easier to get to South Africa, with multiple new direct flight routes from the East Coast. United now offers direct service from Newark and Washington, DC, to Cape Town and Johannesburg, and we’ve never had direct routes to Cape Town before, so those are all new. Delta is also offering direct service from Atlanta to both Cape Town and Johannesburg. These flights are about 15 hours.
And if you don’t live in any of those cities, you can connect to those. Or you can fly through Europe or the Middle East on your way and take a few days for a layover.
First-Timer South African Vacation
You should allocate at least two weeks for a trip to South Africa since you are traveling that far, and South Africa’s a big country. It’s about twice the size of Texas. There’s a lot to see.
A common first-timer route would include Johannesburg, Cape Town, and a Safari experience.
One of the best itineraries for families is the Garden Route, an epic road trip along the southern coast of the African continent. Start in Cape Town, then travel east along the coast; you can do it in about ten nights. The route offers many adventure experiences, and you can end with a Big Five Safari.
South African Vacations: Cape Town
Cape Town is a stunning city right on the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a coastal city where you can spend three or four nights exploring its sights.
Visually, it reminds you of San Francisco. It’s got a Mediterranean climate. There’s a waterfront area and a beach called Boulders Beach, where African land penguins live on the beach, a hugely popular experience for families.
Table Mountain is the city’s iconic backdrop. It’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Take the cable car to the top for stunning panoramic views of the Atlantic Coast and Cape Town.
We also have an island prison like Alcatraz. It’s called Robin Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. Tours of this island prison are led by former political prisoners who spent time on the island during the apartheid era.
Take a beautiful scenic drive to the Cape of Good Hope. You might see an ostrich on your drive there, and you’ll find baboons running around everywhere, which kids and families absolutely love.
South African Vacations: Hermanus
Then on the Garden Route, you’ll continue east, and the next stop will be the town of Hermanus. This stunning coastal town on the Atlantic is the whale-watching capital of the world.
This area has the Marine Big Five…penguins, dolphins, whales, sharks, and seals. You can see them overhead by helicopter or from a boat. You don’t even have to get into the boat to go whale watching. Southern right whales migrate there. We also have humpbacks, but this unique whale migrates along that coast. And the best time for that is between June and October.
If the family is adventurous, this is also the region where you can do shark cage diving to see great whites or copper sharks in a cage. It is an epic adventure.
I’ve done it several times. No scuba equipment is needed. And not everyone has to go in the cage. You can sit on the boat’s top deck and just watch all the action from above. And generally, you can also see whales on the shark boat. So, it doubles as this marine safari experience.
Then head a little further north, where you’ll find lots of national parks, hikes, desert areas, and ostrich farms. We’ve got the world’s ostrich capital, plus lots of quirky, fun towns to hang out in and explore, with beautiful scenery and soft adventure activities. You can even visit a cultural village.
South African Vacations: Eastern Cape Safaris
We have the Big Five Safaris near the end of this road trip in malaria-free regions, which are incredibly popular with families.
The Eastern Cape offers a wide variety of stunning safari lodges, with the Big Five: lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and Cape Buffalo. You can enjoy twice-daily game drives, relax at the lodge, and swim in the pool in the afternoon. You can also see many more animals, like antelopes, zebras, an incredible variety of birds, and meerkats.
And if you’re interested in sustainability and conservation, going on Safari helps conserve this land and preserve these natural spaces, so animals can be protected and live their natural lives there.
So mind-blowing travel experiences for families.
South African Vacations: Johannesburg
If you want to spend a few nights in Johannesburg, I highly recommend it; you can fly there from Port Elizabeth. It’s a great place to learn about South Africa’s history, culture, and how it became the democracy it is today, a representative democracy since 1994.
Families should go to the Apartheid Museum and the township of Soweto. This township is like a giant neighborhood where Nelson Mandela lived down the street from Desmond Tutu, making it the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived.
Another incredible experience is a day trip to the Cradle of Humankind, about 30 miles outside Johannesburg. This is where they excavated the most significant early hominin fossil remains from 2 million years ago.
South African Vacations: More Safari Experiences
From Johannesburg, you can also do additional safari options. One incredible option is Madikwe, just below the Botswana border. It’s a large game reserve with stunning properties, pools, terrain, and the Big Five.
And of course, the Kruger National Park is our most famous safari destination. Kruger’s a low-risk malaria area. And it’s about a 40-minute flight from Johannesburg or a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Cape Town.
Is a South African Vacation Affordable?
People are blown away by how far their dollar stretches. The Rand is the currency, and it’s worth about 15 to 18 to one against the dollar. Let’s say a family of four would like to eat at a gourmet restaurant, and the parents have a nice bottle of wine. You’re probably looking at $30. These meals would cost $250+ where I live.
Many trip costs are upfront when you secure the itinerary and book the safari lodges in advance. And then, once you’re there, it’s very inexpensive.
And while they’re traveling, the parents can enjoy all our incredible wines. South Africa’s been farming wine for about 370 years. You don’t have to spend time in the Winelands doing wine tastings; South African wines are served wherever you go.
When Should Families Visit?
Our summer months here in North America, June, July, and August, are the South African winter. It’s a great time for game viewing because there are fewer water sources, but the lodges, especially in the Kruger National Park, that offer great family programs sell out during these months. So, plan far in advance.
Another great time to go is during the Christmas and holiday seasons. That’s summertime in South Africa, so there are longer days, more festivals, more events, and stunning weather. It’s also a very popular time, so plan early.
Where can Listeners start planning their Vacation?
You can make it easy on yourself and book with a travel advisor or tour operator. Send them a checklist of what you want to see and experience, and they will customize it from top to bottom.
Our Welcome to South Africa website has lots of great information, too. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Download the South Africa Family Travel Guide, plus a coloring book for the kids and the South Africa Travel Map.
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For more vacation inspiration, tune in to all the podcast episodes. Adventure Awaits!