Wild side’s the big game-changer for adventurers
where you can drive for miles and see only big blue skies, red baked earth, sparse scrubs, low kopjes (hills) and creaking windmills serving sheep farms (Karoo lamb is spectacular).
The main motorway
– the N1 – which stretches 900 miles from Cape Town to Johannesburg cuts through this wilderness.
There are plenty of antelope – red hartebeest, eland, kudu and springbok – as well as rhino, baboon and zebra, and predators like bat-eared fox, brown hyena and genets.
Stay at the main camp in fully equipped Cape Dutch chalets or family cottages. Enjoy hiking, 4x4 trails and game viewing.
CAPE VIDAL KZN PARKS
Three hours north of Durban on the KwaZulu-Natal coast you’ll find the spectacular world heritage site of iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
Stay in Cape Vidal which has an abundance of marine and bird life, as well as endangered samango monkeys. Depending on the time of year, you’ll find humpback whale, whale shark, marlin, dolphin and sea turtles, which nest on the beaches here. Inland lie bigger reserves with big game – black and white rhino, elephant, crocs and hippo.
The coast here is perfect for rockpooling and snorkelling – there’s even a shipwreck to explore.There are miles of unspoiled beaches and rolling sand dunes, and you can go ski-boat and surf fishing.There are groovy self-catering log cabins to stay in, or you can rough it at the campsite.
ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK
South Africa’s third-biggest park is one of the friendliest – and that includes the ellies! This is the place if you want a plethora of pachyderms. The elephants here are more chilled than their skittish Kruger cousins, guaranteeing very special encounters. It’s a Big 5 reserve, so expect buffalo, rhino, lion and, if you’re very lucky, leopard. There are also hyenas, blackbacked jackal, warthog, and antelope such as red hartebeest, eland, kudu and bushbuck. Dung beetles have right of way here, so watch out for them as they go about their... business. There is one main rest camp, which has a pool, petrol station, well-stocked shop, spa and a lovely restaurant, as well as an
interesting little museum. Available accommodation ranges from camping and basic chalets to luxury cottages.There are several smaller bush camps and private lodges dotted about the park.
AGULHAS NATIONAL PARK
This might be one of the smallest of the country’s parks, but it has a unique selling point... here you can stand on the southernmost tip of Africa and see where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans collide.
A photo of you straddling the cairn which marks the spot is an Insta-must.Visit the Cape Agulhas lighthouse which stands guard over a rocky coastline littered with shipwrecks.
Bird enthusiasts can try to spot the endangered African black oystercatcher, and between June and September, keep your eyes peeled for southern right whales as they backflip by.
This is an easy detour on a road trip, but if you want to stay, there are a few options inside the park, and the popular seaside resort of Struisbaai next door has plenty of B&Bs and restaurants.
GARDEN ROUTE NATIONAL PARK
This sprawling reserve on the glorious Garden Route – one of the most famous drives in the world – is made up of three sections: Wilderness, Knysna Lakes and Tsitsikamma. They encompass beautiful beaches and wetlands, kayaking and adrenaline-fuelled adventures, dramatic gorges, and spectacular hiking and mountain-biking trails through ancient forests and across jagged coastlines.
There are plenty of towns in the area, including the wonderful Knysna, which sits on a lovely lagoon spilling out to sea. There are thousands of accommodation options in and around the parks – a top tip is a wooden chalet right on the seafront at Storms River Mouth in the Tsitsikamma section.