Book luxury holidays to South Africa and enjoy the sardine run

Brits booking luxury holidays to South Africa may wish to time their trips to coincide with the annual sardine run, one of the country's most "unique and unexplained" phenomena.

That is according to South African Tourism, which described the migration of sardine shoals, which pass through KwaZulu-Natal from June to August, as one of the world's greatest marine spectacles.

Lebohang Mokhesi, UK country manager for the tourism agency, said that the sardine run causes "a frenzy of excitement" among everyone that witnesses it.

"It really is an out of this world sight – picture thousands of birds darting from the sky, feeding on the fish, with hundreds of species of sharks all feasting on the other fish," she said.

"Every day has a spectacular sight for visitors throughout the migration of the sardines, with something new and extraordinary to see each day."

Billions of sardines migrate up the KwaZulu-Natal south coast in shoals every year, with hundreds of people gathering to see the natural event. The Sardine Festival, curated by South Coast Tourism, takes place between June 4th and August 8th.