Wildlife safari

Never has wellness been more relevant, with health and immunity now at the forefront of consciousness after months spent at home during lockdown, and entirely new concepts added to the plethora of health concerns - from Zoom fatigue and maskne to the loneliness induced by self-isolation. Here are some of South Africa’s top wellness experiences for travellers to nurture the mind, body, and spirit on a 2021 post-lockdown trip.

Feast your eyes, feed your soul and be inspired by South Africa in full bloom… South Africa is unique. It is one country in the world where one can weave a vibrant tapestry of culture and heritage from the many and varied attractions, experiences and influences that permeate daily living.

Vervet monkeys are playful, mischievous primates that can be found all over eastern South Africa and are hugely entertaining to watch – as long as you keep the kitchen windows closed.

The Upper Karoo Route from Victoria West to Calvinia via Carnarvon offers the beautiful landscape of Northern Cape (strewn with daisies in spring), rare wildlife and a thriving, hospitable culture.

Northern Cape is a vast arid province bisected by the Orange River – a superb wedding destination, whether among lush vineyard greenery, spring wildflowers, or the stark dry beauty of the Kalahari.

The elegance of the Cape Winelands, the grandeur of the mountains, scenic views on lonely beaches, or surrounded by bushveld wildlife – plan a wedding in South Africa, and you’re spoilt for choice.

Almost every South African game reserve has Burchell’s zebras, a plains zebra subspecies, to delight visitors – and a few select parks are home to the rarer Cape mountain zebra.

The Klein Karoo in Western Cape might be dry, but it offers unique plants, enthralling nature reserves, magnificent mountain vistas, its own wine route, ostrich farms and the world-famous Cango Caves.

Thakadu River Camp is a Fair Trade Tourism-certified, 5-star lodge in Madikwe Game Reserve, a malaria-free park that brings social and financial benefits to the local Tlokwa community that owns it.

The Big 5 and a bewildering array of life can be found on South Africa’s savanna – regions rich in plant, bird, insect and animal diversity protected in parks like Hluhluwe-Imfolozi and Kruger.

A trans-border adventure from South Africa to Mozambique will take you from game viewing in the bush to idyllic Indian Ocean playgrounds, via the urban delights of Maputo: ‘the Havana of Africa’.

Songimvelo Game Reserve in Mpumalanga province offers horseback safaris to get visitors up close to a wide selection of wildlife, a beautiful array of bird species and some astounding geology.