A safari is nearly always an important part of a holiday in Southern Africa - words cannot describe the thrill of tracking a leopard on the hunt or observing a breeding herd of elephants at a waterhole. Covering nearly 2 million hectares, the Kruger Park is one of the largest national parks in the world, with the greatest diversity of species with 147 mammals and 510 birds. One of the finest nature reserves in Africa, the Kruger is a vast wilderness of thorn trees, prolific game and sub-tropical heat. It is home not only to The Big Seven - elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, cheetah and wild dog, but also to an abundance of smaller, equally fascinating animals and birdlife.
Within the National Park there are a number of private concessions and safari lodges, as well as the simpler Park board restcamps.
Kosi Bay and Coastal Maputaland lies in the far northern part of South Africa's coast, bordering Mozambique. This is a truly magical area, untouched by large-scale tourism development.
The Maputaland Marine Reserve stretches 200km north from Lake St Lucia to Kosi Bay near the Mozambique border. Within this marine reserve, the Kosi Forest Coastal Reserve is an unspoilt wilderness region of pristine golden beaches backed by forested dunes and captivating freshwater lakes. Kosi Bay’s lake system comprises four lakes that form part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and eventually drain into the Indian Ocean. Wildlife in the area includes duikers, hippos, crocodiles and a diverse bird life.
The intimate coastal lodges practice sustainable tourism with significant local community involvement. Their activities mostly revolve around the ocean and the lakeland system with snorkelling for tropical fish, diving, canoeing on the lakes and awe-inspiring evening excursions in the summer to view the rare giant leatherback turtles as they lay and hatch their eggs (available from November to February). From July to November you may also be lucky to see the magnificent Southern Right whales as they come into the bays to breed.
It’s also a mecca for keen divers, with spectacular coral formations and a number of magnificent reefs teeming with tropical fish. Snorkelling is possible from the beach as well as the reefs.
Set on South Africa’s northeastern coast, the UNESCO-listed Maputaland Marine Protected Area falls within the awe-inspiring iSimangaliso Wetland Park and comprises three protected areas: Lake Sibaya Nature Reserve, Kosi Bay Nature Reserve, and Rocktail Bay. Extending all the way from the northern Mozambican border to Sodwana Bay in the south, it encompasses forests, wetlands, lakes, marshes, and coral reefs near glorious, deserted golden-sand beaches. Local wildlife includes large numbers of leatherback turtles, numerous bird species, and many species of freshwater fish - also look out for Nile crocodiles and hippos at Lake Sibaya. A superb dive site (arguably one of the best in the world) can be found at Sodwana Bay, with its magnificent 50 kilometre-long reef complex.
