Discover South Africa

See Your Safari Experience for our approach to a once-in-a-lifetime safari and why our approach is different.

South Africa is the perfect starting point for your first safari to Africa.

First of all, it’s easy to include other places in South Africa, such as Cape Town and the Winelands. Furthermore, if you wish to combine South Africa with other countries it is easy to include Botswana for the Delta (May through September), Zambia or Zimbabwe for the Falls, Namibia for its unique landscape and desert-adapted animals, or Mozambique to chill out at one of the luxurious island resorts off the coast. In fact, you could combine South Africa with just about any other African country.

Second, many of Africa’s best-known and most luxurious safari camps – and many of its pioneers – are in South Africa.

However, the most important reason South Africa is perfect for your first safari is that it boasts impressive numbers of the “Big Five” – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino (white and black), and leopard – that are must-sees for the first time visitor to Africa.

While these may be the animals at the top of your list, game viewing extends well beyond the Big Five.

South Africa is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries and has, by far, the world’s biggest population of rhino (currently highly endangered). It also has over 20,000 species of plants (about 10% of the entire world’s).

Without a doubt, the area that offers the best game viewing is the area known as Greater Kruger.

It encompasses an enormous piece of land including Kruger National Park (the park itself is bigger than the nearby country of Swaziland), a series of privately managed concessions within the boundaries of the park (off-limits to the public), and a network of privately owned game reserves surrounding the park.

There are no fences within Greater Kruger (and adjoining protected areas in Botswana and Mozambique), so animals are free to roam back and forth over the entire territory.

While the public areas of Kruger National Park are largely a no-go zone for us due to restrictive rules we mention on Your Safari Experience, the privately owned or managed areas offer the best of all worlds: the density of game in Kruger and the flexible rules (night drives, game walks, off-roading, and maximum vehicles allowed at each sighting) designed to maximize your experience.

The most famous private reserve is the Sabi Sand. Others are Timbavati and Manyeleti.
Families with young children traveling in the rainy season who don’t want their kids on malaria pills often prefer malaria-free reserves such as Madikwe (northwest of Johannesburg, near Botswana) and a few smaller reserves in the Eastern Cape (near Port Elizabeth). Madikwe is famous for its wild dog.

One of the most interesting private reserves in South Africa is Phinda, in KwaZulu-Natal not far from the Indian Ocean coastline, which has, remarkably, seven distinct biomes (collections of ecosystems). It also has huge concentrations of both black and white rhino.

Tswalu offers a look at animal life in the Kalahari Desert, including the famous black-maned Kalahari lion.

We can arrange private vehicles for you or even private safari villas, or if you feel like roughing it, perhaps a night in a treehouse looking out over Greater Kruger. We can arrange for you to join an anti-poaching unit on a training mission. Please check out the Safari-Plus portion of our Idea Lab for more ideas.

Cape Town

It is easy to be seduced by Cape Town. And seduction, as we know, can be exhilarating.

From the minute you arrive, you realize that Cape Town is a world-class city in a setting that is virtually unsurpassed.

It immediately impresses you and, at the same time, puts you at ease.

Who wouldn’t want to live in a city that is exceedingly friendly, open-minded, diverse, and sophisticated? It is here that the forward-thinking generation called “Born Frees” (those who were born or grew up after the fall of apartheid) is having their greatest impact in music, art, gastronomy, and in a larger way, the shaping of their country.

Nature is such a strong presence here that it is easy to be seduced into feeling like you are not really in a city. Table Mountain, Lions Head, and Signal Hill are seemingly always present, and every drive or walk offers ever-changing vistas with the Atlantic Ocean or Table Bay in the background.

We love to help make Cape Town’s even more seductive by curating your dining, arranging private gallery explorations, or offering you bespoke shopping tours that explore the buzzing fashion and design scenes that have made this city such a hot spot.

We can arrange for special entrée to one of South Africa’s most important historic monuments, which is closed to the public.

As is true of all love affairs, if they’re real, parting from Cape Town will be difficult. When it’s time to leave, you’ll be very, very tempted to stay just one more day (or two).

The reason it is so hard to leave is that by your second or third day here, you start to envision yourself moving to Cape Town and starting life anew. And you can’t get that thought out of your mind.

As your departure approaches, you might find yourself trying to think up an excuse to try just one more restaurant opened by a talented young chef trying to make a name for himself or herself. Or to catch a weekend market. Or to return to dramatic Cape Point. Or to catch a springtime concert in the brilliant botanical gardens. Or to join a bunch of locals for a full moon bike ride. Or to return to Bo Kaap for more photos. Or to explore the beach scene at Camps Bay. Or to ride the cable car to Table Mountain one more time.

There are a lot of excuses when you have become so captivated by a place.

All other things considered, that departure is why we generally like to schedule Cape Town at the start of a trip.

Because you will get on that plane, albeit wistfully. But the only reason you will board is that what waits on the rest of your trip might just be even more seductive.

Cape Winelands

“Wine is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy of living.”
– Napoleon Bonaparte

The French don’t go anywhere without their wines.

So, when they first came to South Africa (Huguenots fleeing persecution) in 1694, you can be sure they had a few vine cuttings up their sleeves.

And that was the origin of a wine appellation that is highly sought after by wine enthusiasts all over the world.

It’s not Napa. It’s much older.
It’s not Sonoma. The culture is more exotic and people more diverse.
It’s not the Loire. The sun shines more.

Imagine the landscape: much like a fine blended wine, there is a bit of Bordeaux (centuries-old estates) mixed with Chateauneuf-du-Pape (for its breathtaking scenery). Throw into the mix Cape Dutch manor houses, charming walking towns with wooden churches, and fine cheese and chocolate shops.

But the wine is not yet ready to serve until we have blended in our own creativity.

Allow us to offer you a private sommelier. Or help you make more vinously inclined connections with the owners of small estates producing a mere 7,000 bottles a year.

Or dine in a private home with one of South Africa’s most famous chefs cooking just for you.

Now, you have the perfect blend. It has to age a bit (meaning we need to book early as places fill quickly).

And even if you don’t like wine, there is still so much to see and do: historic towns like Stellenbosch, the foodie capital of Franschhoek, Paarl, and the up and coming area of Swartland.

Exploring the area on horse or bicycle is a great way to experience it all at a different level.

Discover the nearby towns filled with antique shops, cafes serving South African sweets, and old-world charm.

One of South Africa’s finest art museums is here, formed by the private collection of one of South Africa’s wealthiest businessmen.

The French weren’t the only people to settle here. The Dutch came along (in huge numbers) and brought with them their own traditions.

For your special event, we will arrange for you to have dinner in an extremely exclusive, 350-year-old manor house in the heart of the Winelands. Its owner, who will dine with you, is a member of one of South Africa’s oldest wine-producing families. End your day with a nightcap in front of your fireplace or on your balcony.

It is widely known that Napoleon had a hankering for South Africa’s Vin de Constance. And who would want to argue with Napoleon?

Johannesburg

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
-Nelson Mandela

The Johannesburg of the 1990s is a thing of the past.

Its birth during a Gold Rush in the late 19th century was characterized by boundless energy. In only seven years, its production of the world’s gold grew from 0 to 23 percent.

And now, that energy is back. The city that once stood for all that was wrong with the old South Africa has been infused with the energy and optimism of the “Born Frees” (the first generation to come of age in a democracy).

The heart of the city has been revitalized and greened. Historic buildings have been reimagined as spacious residential lofts, serious coffee culture has emerged, and the city pulsates with the energy of entrepreneurs, foodies, designers, musicians, and artists.

Its legacy is significant. In the first half of the 20th century, it shaped the lives of two longtime residents, both young lawyers who would both become giants of the 20th century – Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.

In the latter part of the 20th century, some of the most heinous acts of the apartheid-era regime were carried out in Johannesburg’s townships.

And in the last part of the century, in nearby jacaranda-laden Pretoria, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the first president of a newly-free South Africa. It was the largest gathering of heads of state since President Kennedy’s funeral, and over a billion of us watched, teary-eyed, as it was broadcast on TV all over the world.

In order to better understand the lessons of recent South African history, many of our clients want to see Soweto Township or the equally interesting and much less visited Alexandra Township, as well as the excellent Apartheid Museum. The Constitutional Court is perhaps the most potent symbol of democracy in South Africa.

But the population of this area predates the past few centuries. In fact, it goes back some 3.3 million years. Over 40% of hominid remains that have been found in the world have been found in the Sterkfontein Valley, outside of Johannesburg, in one of the world’s most significant fossil sites. We can arrange for you to visit this site with a paleoanthropologist working on the site, as well as the excellent Origins Museum.

And today’s Johannesburg (or Jo’burg, or Jozi, as the locals say) is changing with all the energy of that first Gold Rush.

We can arrange for you to visit great up-and-coming neighborhoods like Braamfontein and Maboneng or to sit at the chef’s table at Johannesburg’s hottest restaurant.

The arts scene is multi-faceted and we are able to offer expert insight into the world’s largest consolidated body of African art. If you are interested in contemporary art, we can arrange for you to have dinner with the owner of South Africa’s most prominent gallery, to visit an artists’ residency program out of town, or to gain entrée to the studio of South Africa’s preeminent living artist.

Or if you just want the chef’s table at Johannesburg’s hottest restaurant, just let us know.

Further Afield

South Africa has arrived.

Not only has it arrived, but it has done so in a way that was unimaginable only 20 years ago. It has found its way and made its own place on a crowded global stage.

It is hard to imagine a more exciting time to visit.

This “new” South Africa is characterized by the boundless creativity and energy of a generation that has come of age since the end of apartheid. They are creating a new society based on equal treatment under the law.

This sense of the new South Africa is manifested in countless ways: its highly inventive food culture, its creative arts scene, the large investment being poured into infrastructure, and a serious refocusing on the environment and the wildlife heritage with which this country is blessed (and the tourism that supports so much of its preservation).

In South Africans, there is both a certain gentleness and a deep reservoir of pride. This pride comes not only from how they came to terms with their past and moved on but from the great changes they willed into reality. It was this sense of pride that was the catalyst for their transition to democracy.

They are deeply proud of the man who led them, and whose values set the tone for his new country.

This metamorphosis has taken place in a setting of pristine natural beauty and with some of the best game viewing in Africa.

While South Africa is a common stop on any Southern Africa itinerary, our South Africa is anything but ordinary.

Our South Africa is full of game viewing, of course, and all the opportunities that entail. It is about nature and beauty and adventure, from whale watching in a small plane to helicopter flights over the Cape of Good Hope.

It is also about a fascinating history.

We can arrange for you to meet amazing people involved in the struggles of the past and those who helped shape the bright future of a new country proudly called the Rainbow Nation. Talk design with people involved in the arts and style with those in fashion. Visit our Idea Lab for some other options.

Ultimately, South Africa – for all its culture, wildlife, and natural beauty – is all about its people.