South Africa

With soaring rugged mountains, luxuriant winelands, dramatic desert landscapes, natural bush, vibrant cosmopolitan cities and beautiful beaches, South Africa is one of the world's most beautiful and varied countries.

Cape Town offers excellent restaurants and shopping alongside classic Cape Dutch architecture and fantastic views from the top of Table Mountain and along the coast. The nearby winelands is an area of outstanding natural beauty where you enjoy superb hospitality and food in its boutique hotels, while vineyards offer the chance to test the wonderful local wines.

Meanwhile, in central South Africa the world-famous Kruger National Park is home to the 'big five' and boasts superb game viewing opportunities, and some of the most luxurious lodges in Africa.

Scott Dunn’s highlights for South Africa:

Discover South Africa’s stunning winelands and wine estates in the western cape, be sure to have a private tasting session and vineyard tour.
Golf at the Leopard Hills 18 course Leopard Creek Golf Course. Bordering the Kruger National Park, you can combine sightings of crocodile and buffalo as you play.

Cape Town is one of Southern Africa’s most cosmopolitan cities, retaining a strong European flavour with its historic colonial buildings, beautiful public gardens, eclectic cuisine and Mediterranean climate. The scenery is superb and the views from Table Mountain over the rugged coastline of the cape and the historic waterfront are truly spectacular.

Here you’ll find an extremely diverse landscape - the west of the province is a Karoo, or semi-desert, while the east consists of luscious green vegetation. The coastline is pristine, boasting beautiful, untouched beaches. Other sites include national parks where visitors can view such majestic animals as the black rhino, the African elephant and lions.

Stretching along the coast from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, the garden route is deservedly one of South Africa’s most popular journeys. Visit the small fishing town of Hermanus where whale watching is superb from July to November. A few hours further down the road you’ll discover Knysna, and beyond that is Plettenberg Bay with its buzzing bars and restaurants.

Stretching 360km from north to south, the Kruger National Park covers a diverse landscape, from undulating hills to lush plains, the foothills of the Lebombo Mountains in the east and the tree-lined banks of the Sabie River in the south. Alongside the national park proper sits the Sabi Sands Reserve, famed for its high concentrations of lion as well as many other iconic African animals.

Johannesburg is the largest and most populous city in South Africa and though not one of the country’s three capitals, is home to its highest court. Due to its location on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills, Johannesburg is the source of South Africa’s famous gold and diamond trade, and is the city in which Nelson Mandela chose to stay on his release from Robben Island.

A visit to the Western Cape is simply not complete without exploring the winelands. South Africa’s wine industry, now the ninth largest in the world, dates back to the 17th century, and the wineries here welcome visitors with open arms, often providing free tastings and tours. Spend a few nights in picturesque Franschhoek with its stunning scenery and incredible array of world-class restaurants.

Madikwe Game Reserve is the perfect introduction to the African bush. The 75,000 acre reserve is the site of the world’s largest wildlife trans-location project. Its diverse geology and range of habitats allow a variety of species to flourish, including Africa’s ’big five’. Just a 90-minute flight from Johannesburg, the reserve is malaria-free and offers a range of excellent lodge accommodation.

KwaZulu-Natal stretches from the Drakensburg Mountains in the northwest to humid, sub-tropical coast in the southeast. The battlefields of Zululand are filled with history, while the golden sandy beaches of Maputaland, in the far northeast, stretch for 200km along this glorious piece of coastline. The handful of luxury lodges we recommend are all situated in areas of great beauty and isolation.

Scott Dunn: ANYTHING ELSE IS JUST A HOLIDAY

South Africa

Cape Town

Eastern Cape

Garden Route

Greater Kruger

Johannesburg and surrounds

The Winelands

Madikwe and the northwest

KwaZulu Natal and the north coast