ROAD-TRIPPING BEASTS AND BEACHES

Go2Africa (0800 404 9451; go2africa.com) offers nine nights in Cape Town, Hermanus and Plettenberg Bay from £1,720pp. Don’t forget to ask for Tintswalo and De Hoop as add-ons (excludes flights).

The Western Cape is road-trip country, with well-maintained roads, a plethora of delightful places to stay and soulexpanding landscapes from cape to cape. You could do a loop through the Klein Karoo valley, taking the R62 to Prince Albert, then head south to the tiny hamlet of Wilderness – my favourite base along the coastal Garden Route – or Knysna.

Travel further east to explore the Tsitsikamma forests, before turning back to cruise along the N2 to Cape Town. Alternatively, keep heading east to one of the malaria-free safari lodges in the Eastern Cape – Kwandwe, Samara and Mount Camdeboo are popular options – then fly back to Cape Town from newly named Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).

Livingstone Safaris (00 27 21 686 3788; livsaf.com) has a nine-night self-drive trip that includes Cape Town, Franschhoek and the Garden Route, ending with a luxury safari at Kwandwe. From £2,595pp for accommodation, all meals, game activities and car hire (excludes flights).

With a fecund coastline washed by the warm Indian Ocean, plus coral reefs, wetlands and a Big Five reserve that is home to the world’s largest population of white rhino, the lush, subtropical province of KwaZulu-Natal is a real contrast to the Western Cape, making it a great add-on – like travelling to a different country, but without the need for pesky testing.

Rhino Africa (00 27 21 469 2600; rhinoafrica. com) offers 11 nights from about £3,100pp, with trips tailored to your interests (excludes flights).