Supporting all these wonderful birds, bees and beasts is our unparalleled botanical richness. Explore typical African bushveld, tangled coastal forests, rolling montane grasslands or the wide-open spaces of desert and semi-desert.

And, of course, our own unique Cape Floral Kingdom, with its literally thousands of endemic species of beautiful and aromatic flowering plants – and some interesting animals and birds, some of which are found nowhere else.

The main difference between the National Parks like the well known Kruger park and Private Game Parks, is that in the National Parks you have to stay on the roads, while the private parks allow you to go of road, which is more exciting.

Then there is the lodging which in Private parks is more intimate vs the national Parks which is more Commercial. Game drives in a open vehicle with a educated guide and driver is the best way to experience the bush. See Private Game lodges for more information.

NATIONAL PARKS

There is nothing quite like the African bush and there is no better way to experience it than by exploring one of the South African National Parks’ fantastic reserves. For an absolutely typical game experience, you'll need to visit the lowveld of Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West or KwaZulu-Natal, where elephants lumber gracefully through the bush, and lions rest in the heat of the day after a long night's hunting. Birds chatter, flitting about from tree to tree, while vervet monkeys groom each other among the leafy branches. Dung beetles roll their heavy loads along the roads, clumsily and steadfastly overcoming every obstacle. And, unseen, leopards rest deep in the bush camouflaged in the dappled light while zebras graze out in the open, their stripes mingling with the shadows of the grass. Bushbuck skulk in the shadows and Kudu elegantly curl their top lips around the tiny, thorn-bedecked leaves of an acacia.

The Western Cape has a different climate and vegetation to the rest of South Africa, so the faunal assemblage is also different. You won't find elephants and lions, but you will see springbok, Cape mountain zebra, bontebok, black wildebeest and many others. The Cape Peninsula National Park is unique in that it is right in the middle of the city of Cape Town, but it is a truly magnificent place with some fantastic mountain scenery, a mind-boggling array of flowering plants, some lovely birds and some interesting small game. It’s the best place to see African penguins, and whales come close in to shore. Other parks in the Western Cape are the Karoo National Park, where you may see black rhino; De Hoop Nature Reserve, which has wonderful coastal mountain biking trails, and the Bontebok National Park near Swellendam where you can see herds of this attractive, rare and endemic antelope.

The Eastern Cape is transitional between the Western Cape and the lowveld game areas. Once a bit of a backwater, game-wise, this province is rapidly becoming a favourite safari destination. The Addo Elephant National Park is constantly being enlarged and will extend over a huge range of biomes, from marine to mountain. There are also some fantastic private reserves in this province. For something completely different, the Tsitsikamma National Park is a scenic wonderland with tangled forests, dramatic cliffs and crashing seascapes, but it doesn’t have any of the big game you may consider typical of Africa. There are lots of fantastic birds, though, and whales, dolphins and a whole underwater paradise waiting to be explored.

The Free State does not have much in the way of the really big animals but the scenic Golden Gate National Park is well known for its high altitude game such as black wildebeest and eland (which is the biggest antelope).

The Northern Cape is very arid and is most definitely an acquired taste but there are some wonderful game destinations. The Augrabies Falls National Park is mostly scenic but does have some excellent game and wonderful birds, and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Africa's first cross-border park, is famed for its huge, black-maned Kalahari lions and for the elegant gemsbok, or oryx, which is found there in abundance.

PARKS AND SANCTUARIES

Quite clearly, the most exciting way to watch game is in the wild, but that isn’t always possible or practical. Perhaps you only have a limited time, or you need to stay close to a city. In these situations it is worth visiting a small game park or sanctuary, where you can at least see something. It may also be a worthwhile thing to do if you are planning a long safari, and would like to get an idea of what it is you’re going to see. The area near Johannesburg has a number of small game farms and parks, where you can see a large concentration of animals running free in a smallish area – but it’s not the real thing. Parks and sanctuaries are also a good idea if you want to see a specific animal – for example, ostriches or other birds, which you can see in show farms or bird sanctuaries. Our oft-maligned, misunderstood, slithery friends are also best observed in the security of a snake or reptile park.

PRIVATE GAME LODGES..WALKING AND TENTED SAFARIS

Although you can’t really improve on the game-viewing available at our National Parks you may prefer to visit one of the many private lodges where you will enjoy a far greater level of luxury, intimacy and personal service. Private Game Lodges are available for all budgets from moderate to luxury.