Set just over an hour from Cape Town, within the inspiring landscapes of the Cape Winelands, Franschhoek is a heritage town and a world-renowned food and wine destination. Travellers could choose to focus their visit on any one aspect alone - nature, cuisine or culture - and find plenty to keep them busy. The estates here attract wine experts from around the globe with their Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cap Classique sparkling wine (among others). Five-star restaurants alongside the cellars are surrounded by the same jaw-dropping valley scenes that have brought artists and writers to the area for centuries. A superb literary festival takes place around May every year, and, combined with the town’s Cape Dutch manor houses, fascinating museums, and charming boutiques, makes Franschhoek a wonderful place to visit in winter. Summer provides endless hiking, cycling and other outdoor opportunities among the lush farmlands and mountains.
Tswalu is a visionary conservation project in the southern Kalahari, supported by nature-based tourism, with sustainability at its core. Understated luxury and an authentic sense of place characterise its three camps, representing the lowest ratio of guests to space in a privately protected area in South Africa. Each camp is positioned to take in the reserve’s dramatic landscapes of savannah grasslands, red dunes and ancient mountains. The Motse and exclusive-use Tarkuni are complemented by Loapi, a light-footprint camp with six tented homes offering the ultimate private wilderness experience. At all three camps a private vehicle is guaranteed with each booking, providing complete freedom to traverse and explore this vast, semi-arid wonderland with a dedicated guide and tracker. Days on safari are unscripted and immersive, a unique journey of discovery into the rare and unusual from desert-adapted fauna and flora to San rock engravings. Iconic Kalahari sights include black-maned lion, oryx, desert black rhino as well as shy, elusive creatures like brown hyena, aardvark and pangolin. Guests contribute towards Tswalu’s regenerative vision to leave the world better than how it was found, ensuring that vital habitat is restored so that biodiversity can once again flourish for the benefit of both planet and people.
Cape Town is one of the world's most beautiful cities; it is a top international destination and is blessed with six of the top seven tourist attractions in South Africa. It is fondly known as the Mother City and is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is nestled in one of the world's most dramatic scenic settings with the overwhelming backdrop of Table Mountain, Devil's Peak and Lion's Head. The city was colonised on 6 April 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck dropped anchor in Table Bay to hoist the Dutch flag. Today the city is one of the world's most primary ports for the export of goods, and is the major base for deep-sea fishing. You can walk for hours on unspoilt beaches, hike through forests or one of the world's great plant kingdoms, explore mountain trails or semi-desert areas, and tour historic wine estates where old slave bells are startlingly juxtaposed against their backdrop of Cape Dutch elegance. Nature lovers can enjoy the best whale, shark, ostrich and penguin watching in the world.
