South Africa

South Africa is a melting pot of cultures, history, dramatic coastlines, contemporary cities, spectacular safari & divine cuisine. From the Cape Winelands to the Kruger, South Africa is a stunning destination, time after time.

activities & experiences

What might be a better question to ask is, not what can you do in South Africa, but what can’t you do in South Africa. From adrenalin junkies to gastronomers, from safari seekers to shopaholics, South Africa has so much to offer for absolutely every type of traveler.

With almost 20 national parks accounting for 3% of South Africa’s entire landmass, there is more than enough safari opportunity to be had. Yet, while Kruger National Park is arguably the most famous park of the entire continent and offers some of the finest game viewing available, this is only a single side of a multi-faceted, multiply fascinating country.

Experience the spine-tingling thrill of a cage dive, surrounded by magnificent, fascinating yet fear-inducing great white sharks
Enjoy the more passive ocean life of the Cape, viewing humpback whales, fur seals and African or jackass penguin colonies
Take a different perspective on the country’s capital from the lofty heights of Table Mountain
Tick off the Big 5 – Cape buffalo, lion, rhinoceros, leopard and elephant – in one of the many national parks and private reserves
Take a cosmopolitan weekend of cuisine and couture in Cape Town
Enjoy some of the finest New World wines and a degustation in the Cape Winelands
Roll and clatter back in time aboard the world’s most luxurious train, Rovos Rail

destinations

South Africa harbors spectacular diversity. The dramatic Cape coastline gives way to rolling hills and mountain ranges, deep river gorges, lush grasslands and finally the arid Kalahari. To explore South Africa is to travel through different climates, diverse landscapes and disparate experiences.

Kruger National Park. It is impossible to discuss a South African safari without mentioning Kruger National Park. One of the more patronized national parks, we prefer instead to take our guests to the numerous private reserves bordering the greater Kruger. Still benefiting from Kruger’s abundance of wildlife, they offer far greater intimacy. Game watching is almost second to none and the region is one of the more reliable destinations to witness the Big 5 of game watching.
However, bordering the park are several private game reserves, offering their own exclusivity yet still able to benefit from their proximity to one of Africa’s largest national parks.
Tswalu Kalahari. This unique game reserve is privately owned by a single family who have transformed it from an agriculturally-scarred and heavily poached ecosystem into a wonderfully abundant, exclusively conserved reserve. While nature isn’t as prolific as in other areas, it is more unique. Elephant, gazelle, giraffe and oryx are common, but aardvarks, pangolin, black-maned lion, aardwolf, secretary birds and bat-eared foxes are among the elusive and endangered inhabitants. And don’t forget to visit the resident meerkat family!
Cape Town. South Africa technically has three capitals, Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town, but it is the latter that is most commonly considered the capital city. This vibrant metropolis on the country’s southern tip has so much to offer, even if only for the first weekend of an extended trip. Often regarded as the culinary heart of Africa, Cape Town hosts some of the best fine dining in the world. The city encompasses a large and bustling harbor and is perennially overshadowed by the imposing Table Mountain. The cultural streets offer wonderful shopping and reflect the mottled history of South Africa’s past, including the thankful departure from apartheid.
The Cape Winelands. South Africa’s culinary trail isn’t complete without visit the Cape Winelands. Home to globally-renowned wine estates, including Stellenbosch and MolenVliet, the country’s prolific wine region also attracts equally renowned chefs creating world-class cuisine.
All this, and set in some of South Africa’s most lush, fertile landscapes, the rolling hills a profusion of floral color and foliage.
Robben Island. Situated 4.3 miles (6.9 km) from the South African mainland, what once struck fear into the hearts of many hundreds of political prisoners has now become a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Former president Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in incarceration on Robben Island before the end of apratheid and the closure of the prison facility. Now, it has become a totem of social justice and memorial to Mandela and all who suffered under the apartheid regime.
It has also become a haven of conservation, with bontebok, springbok, ostriches, penguins, fur seals and many more creatures making a safe and peaceful home of the once-ominous island.

Kruger NP
Tswalu Kalahari
Cape Town
Cape Winelands
Robben Island

Kruger National Park

It is impossible to discuss a South African safari without mentioning Kruger National Park. One of the more patronized national parks, we prefer instead to take our guests to the numerous private reserves bordering the greater Kruger. Still benefiting from Kruger’s abundance of wildlife, they offer far greater intimacy. Game watching is almost second to none and the region is one of the more reliable destinations to witness the Big 5 of game watching.
However, bordering the park are several private game reserves, offering their own exclusivity yet still able to benefit from their proximity to one of Africa’s largest national parks.

Tswalu Kalahari

This unique game reserve is privately owned by a single family who have transformed it from an agriculturally-scarred and heavily poached ecosystem into a wonderfully abundant, exclusively conserved reserve. While nature isn’t as prolific as in other areas, it is more unique. Elephant, gazelle, giraffe and oryx are common, but aardvarks, pangolin, black-maned lion, aardwolf, secretary birds and bat-eared foxes are among the elusive and endangered inhabitants. And don’t forget to visit the resident meerkat family!

Cape Town

South Africa technically has three capitals, Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town, but it is the latter that is most commonly considered the capital city. This vibrant metropolis on the country’s southern tip has so much to offer, even if only for the first weekend of an extended trip. Often regarded as the culinary heart of Africa, Cape Town hosts some of the best fine dining in the world. The city encompasses a large and bustling harbor and is perennially overshadowed by the imposing Table Mountain. The cultural streets offer wonderful shopping and reflect the mottled history of South Africa’s past, including the thankful departure from apartheid.

The Cape Winelands

South Africa’s culinary trail isn’t complete without visit the Cape Winelands. Home to globally-renowned wine estates, including Stellenbosch and MolenVliet, the country’s prolific wine region also attracts equally renowned chefs creating world-class cuisine.
All this, and set in some of South Africa’s most lush, fertile landscapes, the rolling hills a profusion of floral color and foliage.

Robben Island

Situated 4.3 miles (6.9 km) from the South African mainland, what once struck fear into the hearts of many hundreds of political prisoners has now become a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Former president Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in incarceration on Robben Island before the end of apratheid and the closure of the prison facility. Now, it has become a totem of social justice and memorial to Mandela and all who suffered under the apartheid regime.
It has also become a haven of conservation, with bontebok, springbok, ostriches, penguins, fur seals and many more creatures making a safe and peaceful home of the once-ominous island.

accommodations

South Africa has a wonderfully extensive diversity of accommodation options, from pristine contemporary hotels to magically intimate tented camps. But despite this variety, all hold one thing in common: absolute excellence. South African safari accommodation isn’t dissimilar to that of Kenya and Tanzania, but it is created and managed impeccably well. Added to this, many of our preferred venues are situated within private game reserves, giving you a wonderful sense of exclusivity.

Though the international airport is in Johannesburg, to the north of the country, Cape Town is where many of our guests begin their itinerary. As you might expect from a major capital city, it offers a wide array of accommodations, some of our favorites taking in the wide coastal vistas and unfettered views of the majestic Table Mountain.

Wine is not the only attraction of the Cape Winelands. Lodges and villas are scattered throughout the region, all of impeccable standard and many featuring world-class restaurants. Though numerous contemporary hotels and villas have arisen, the influence of colonial Africa abounds, and many venues evoke the decadence of the 1900s and earlier, or draw upon European heritage, with classic English, German and Dutch design featuring prominently.

One of the defining factors of South Africa’s safari accommodation is that many of your options reside within private game reserves. Several also border the public national parks, Kruger in particular, able to enjoy the solitude of one and the greater area and animal numbers of the other. Expect traditionally-influenced luxury lodges crafted impeccably well with no attention to detail spared.

If you are searching for something different, two options are quite simply unmissable. The Green Kalahari, a more verdant corner of the greater Kalahari Desert, combines rich red sands with grass and shrubland, home to some fascinating wildlife rarely seen elsewhere. Another private game reserve, this destination offers pure escapism upon spectacular landscapes.

The second option is to sleep under the stars in one of South Africa’s renowned treehouses. Several private lodges include these wonderfully romantic treehouse bedrooms that allow you to experience the wonderful nocturnal sounds of the veldt in absolute safety and comfort.

SOUTH AFRICA ESSENTIALS

BEST TIME: May – Sep. This is the dry season, though optimal game viewing is available throughout the year.

CLIMATE: LOW: 39-70ºF (4-25ºC) Jun – Jul / HIGH: 68-90ºF (20-33ºC) Dec – Mar

SEASONS: DRY: May – Sep / WET: Oct – April

BEST FOR: Everyone. Particularly good for more luxurious and culinary vacations

South Africa is a hugely varied country, in the animals you might find in different regions, in its climate variances from north to south, in its landscapes and even in the seasons in which you should best experience it. Though your Travel Designer is sure to craft the perfect trip for you to take full advantage of South Africa, it is worth first considering exactly what you wish to experience. This will largely determine when might be the best time to visit and, of course, which regions might provide the best opportunities.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW LONG SHOULD I SPEND IN SOUTH AFRICA?

This will largely be determined by what you wish to experience. If wildlife is your primary quarry, then three to five days would suffice when combined with other countries. However, the variance of experience warrants 10 to 14 days if you are looking for a wealth of activities, sights and locations.

With the cosmopolitan excitement of Cape Town, the lush rolling hills and cuisine of the Cape Winelands, the abundance of fauna within Kruger and surrounding game reserves and the uniqueness of the Kalahari region, your extended vacation could easily be contained within South Africa.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT?

Again, this is dependent on the experiences you wish to enjoy. For game viewing, May to September is the optimal window for Kruger National Park to the northeast of South Africa. This is the dry season, the climate is far more pleasant and animals are in abundance.

These are, however, the cooler months, and on the southern cape, it can become quite fresh. If it is the country’s south that appeals, November to January is pleasantly warm, with the humpback whale migration also concluding in mid to late December.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM ACCOMMODATION IN SOUTH AFRICA?

All your wishes, plus a little more. South Africa is renowned for exceptional, innovative, luxurious and highly professional accommodation. From the opulent hotels in the south to the divine safari lodges of the northeast, South African accommodation is invariably exceptional.

Tented camps are a little lacking, but the wonderful facilities and traditionally-inspired architecture of the lodges and villas more than compensates for the lack of canvas.

OTHER DETAILS:

Visas are required, though are available free of charge upon arrival. Inoculations may be recommended and we suggest you contact your travel designer or a travel medicine specialist for advice.

International flights are convenient and accessible, with most flights arriving at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo airport. Internal flights and ground transport are then easily arranged to reach your destination.

Though many languages are spoken in South Africa, with Afrkiaans – a blended evolution of Dutch with a hint of German – as the country’s official language. However, English is widely spoken throughout South Africa and you should find little issue in communication wherever you travel.

The third wealthiest of Africa’s nations, South Africa offers a premium level in all it does, including accommodation, transportation, experiences and staffing. Guides are of exceptional standard, combining warm hospitality with deeply informative experience and professional service.

As mentioned numerously, South Africa is a culinary paradise. Wherever you go, whether on a food safari through the Stellenbosch or on an actual safari through the Kalahari or Kruger, you will be spoiled for choice. South Africans take great pride in this reputation and food of all kinds is crafted, prepared and served at an exceptional standard.

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WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Wow, wow, wow!! We are back in LA now, recovering from jet lag and still in shock and awe regarding our experience. From the moment we landed in South Africa to the moment we touched down in LA, our experience was seamless and amazing.

- Amy Lundberg

We were thrilled with the trip. It was as good as or better than described at every turn. The prep, attention to detail, willingness to make changes and ensure we were ready and prepared was outstanding. Our Travel Designer was awesome!

- Betsy Robertson

Choosing a safari expert is never easy given the choice and lists upon lists of "top suppliers"....but we made the BEST choice for us....why....because above all, Rothschild listened ....really listened to what we wanted to experience.

- Dawn Jacobs

It was a well organized trip. It was easy to get around since we were guided through all of our itinerary. Everyone was pleasant and very helpful. This is an excellent way to travel. Rothschild Safari did very well and brought a fantastic African experience to us.

- George Kowalski

My trip was beyond AMAZING! I truly enjoyed every moment. The itinerary allowed me to experience a variety of different activities all of which I enjoyed! When I originally thought of going to Africa I was just thinking of safaris. This trip opened my eyes (and my family/friend's) to so much more Africa has to offer.

- Jackie Smith

Trip was PERFECT!! Every single detail was planned out and the accommodations and people were wonderful. This trip exceeded all of our wildest expectations. Every place we stayed was just lovely and each each camp had a different vibe, which was really neat. Everyone we worked with was outstanding.

Jamie Scarlett

On behalf of the Moravec’s and the Stone’s……thank you for arranging a trip of a lifetime. Every detail was accounted for and all the recommendations were perfect. It honestly could not have gone any better.

Joe Moravec

Meggan Woody and Kim Killick were extraordinary at crafting THE PERFECT safari for our family of 8. They both listened (actually 'read' my email) to EXACTLY what we wanted, within the budget that we needed, and miraculously pulled off miracles in obtaining the properties that we wanted!

Kim Mather

Every aspect of my trip went according to plan and the plan Rothschild's help me to orchestrate was magnificent! I loved every lodge that I was blessed to be in! They were all very different yet all high end and very accommodating.

Lisa Anderson

It was the most exciting, scenic, inspiring trip we've ever taken. To say it was a trip of a lifetime doesn't begin to capture our experience. Pam Langhoff and the Rothschild team did an outstanding job of helping us plan this trip.

Mary & Rob Johannigman (& family)

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