The classic city and safari duo

Settling in with a day by the pool and a picnic lunch in the hotel gardens, the pace is changed on day three – beginning with a hike up Table Mountain. Taking the easy route in the cable car, your guide moves you away from the crowds to track a dassie before enjoying some breakfast. Then, descending to the sea front, children lead the way on a bike ride on Sea Point Promenade to Green Point Park, before discovering the city’s history through urban art projects like District Six and the Apartheid Benches. Sundowners and games on the beach end the day after a visit to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for an afternoon of running rampant; following a map which leads between tree-top canopy walk-ways and heading out in search of Claud the clawless otter.

Stopping for hot chocolate and shark stories en-route, Kalk Bay is the first stop, visiting the seals in the harbour and penguins at the local beach. That’s just the prelude to further animal spotting though as Cape Point introduces its very own top five. Listening eagerly to tales of shipwrecks and keeping an eye out for lost treasure, hiking trails leading through indigenous fynbos and past hidden coves and beaches lead to Cape Point Lighthouse. Homemade ice cream from a local farm causes a fuss on the way back, where it can be eaten as messily as you like either on the beach or at the lookout spot of an old fort.

The largest of South Africa’s private game reserves, the endless rolling dunes and red Kalahari sands embrace Tswalu tightly. Set to the backdrop of the Korannaberg mountains, stories from these parts involve encounters with meerkat colonies, horseback safaris across the plains, studying the curves of ancient San rock art, and going on the prowl to spot the inky-black maned lions and the shy aardvarks and pangolins that call this place home. But even if it’s just a quick game drive before breakfast, with a cast of zebra, buffalo, giraffe, cheetah, and rarer species like roan, sable, tsessebe antelope, and even the desert black rhino, no safari-goer big or small is left wanting.

Settling in with a day by the pool and a picnic lunch in the hotel gardens, the pace is changed on day three – beginning with a hike up Table Mountain. Taking the easy route in the cable car, your guide moves you away from the crowds to track a dassie before enjoying some breakfast. Then, descending to the sea front, children lead the way on a bike ride on Sea Point Promenade to Green Point Park, before discovering the city’s history through urban art projects like District Six and the Apartheid Benches. Sundowners and games on the beach end the day after a visit to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for an afternoon of running rampant; following a map which leads between tree-top canopy walk-ways and heading out in search of Claud the clawless otter.

Stopping for hot chocolate and shark stories en-route, Kalk Bay is the first stop, visiting the seals in the harbour and penguins at the local beach. That’s just the prelude to further animal spotting though as Cape Point introduces its very own top five. Listening eagerly to tales of shipwrecks and keeping an eye out for lost treasure, hiking trails leading through indigenous fynbos and past hidden coves and beaches lead to Cape Point Lighthouse. Homemade ice cream from a local farm causes a fuss on the way back, where it can be eaten as messily as you like either on the beach or at the lookout spot of an old fort.

The second half of the trip is spent in the wildly beautiful savannahs and bushland of South Africa's game reserves. For a lesser-trodden option, time in malaria-free Madikwe of course starts with game drives in search of the Big 5, while one morning proves to be extra special with a bush breakfast served to the beats of a Marimba band. But between these escapades, Madikwe shows that it's not just about the safaris. One day, lunch is followed by an archery session and a boma dinner under the stars ends by exploring the twinkling sky in magical detail through telescopes and tales of their history. On another, children learn how to make casts of animal tracks on a nature walk around the property, and a keepsake and a new skill are taken home from a beading class that teaches everyone how to master this traditional craft.