A truly wild, family-friendly adventure

We started with 2 nights in the Madikwe Safari Reserve, followed by a night in Johannesburg. We then flew south for 2-nights in Franschooek before ending our trip with 3 nights in Cape Town.

Even travelling in the shoulder season, this amazing country did not disappoint!

South Africa is a bucket-list destination for many, but our experience proves that it can be luxurious, authentic and family friendly!

Like many travellers this year, our journey almost didn’t happen as our flights were impacted by the Middle Eastern conflict.

Thankfully, Virgin Atlantic came to our rescue and we were able to re-book our travel direct from Heathrow with only a slight cost increase (small in comparison to what our original airline wanted).

Once our trip was saved and we arrived in South Africa, we began our journey with a flight with Federal Air to Madikwe, reducing the journey time from several hours by road to 45mins by air, which was preferable with a toddler! It was a brilliant addition to the trip and quite reminiscent of travelling on a trislander like Joey.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by our guide, Tanya and taken to Lelapa Lodge, our home for the next two nights.

A Day at Lelapa

Each day begins with an early wake up call to ensure you can tuck into a healthy selection of nibbles and coffee ahead of the morning game drive.

It’s the perfect chance to see the beautiful Bush Sunrise and wake yourself up for the main event.

Then it’s the morning game drive before heading back to the lodge for breakfast. For the rest of the morning, there’s a few family friend activities at Eco House, the pool with views towards the watering hole or you can relax in your beautiful lodge which has a private deck and plunge pool.

After lunch, it’s time for the afternoon game drive and more chances to see the incredible wildlife in the area.

As the evening approaches, there is enough time to freshen up before dinner.

What makes Lelapa truly special is the staff. From being greeted on arrival by warm smiles, chatting to our safari guide and really getting to know her to wonderful service in the restaurants and bars, we really felt like nothing was too much trouble.

As an extra special treat, every few nights, instead of serving dinner in the restaurant, the Lelepa team surprise guests with an incredible braai. Towards the end of the meal, they couple this special experience with music and dancing from the staff choir. It’s one of those experiences that’s entertaining, authentic and enriching.

On Safari - The adventure continues into the beautiful bush.

It is known that the safari experience starts early, and it does. Rising with the sun and watching it ascend over the bush is spectacular but for those of you that aren’t early risers, don’t worry. Your efforts will be rewarding with a Bush Coffee.

This wonderful morning boost combines strong, freshly brewed coffee with a teaspoon of cocoa powder and and a generous shot of Amarula Cream Liqueur. It’s lush!

Madikwe is the fifth-largest safari reserve in South Africa and has some incredible and unique factors. It’s Malaria free, accessible by road or air from Johannesburg and really delivers on travellers Big 5 viewing hopes. It’s also an incredible conservation story.

Operation Phoenix transformed the region over seven years by reintroducing 8000 animals of 28 species, and is currently the largest wildlife translocation project the world has seen. The project was a huge success and included moving elephant families without causing distress and allowing the once endangered Wild Dog to thrive once again.

No day visitors are allowed in Madikwe, which allows the lodges to maintain exclusivity and allow for uncrowded game-viewing. This factor was very noticeable during our stay as the guides all actively communicated and at no point were more than 3 vehicles around the animals, allowing these majestic creatures to remain unfazed by our presence.

Johannesburg

To break up our onward journey, we spent an overnight at the beautiful Fairlawns Hotel in the tranquil Sandton suburb of Johannesburg.

Upon arrival, we were welcomed by the friendliest staff. The hotel is set within beautifully landscaped gardens, has some welcoming indoor and out lounge areas, a swimming pool and spa.

While our stay was short and sweet, a longer stay can be truly indulgent. From luxury picnics and drinks at the fireside courtyard to tea in the woods and cocktail experiences

The rooms at Fairlawns are just as impressive as the hotel and gardens. With light colours, a large bedroom area
and incredible bathroom, your stay will be a comfortable one whether its short or long term.

Art lovers will enjoy spending time at Fairlawnss ‘Drawing Room’. Creativity comes to life in this reimagined space showcasing some of South Africa's burgeoning young talent. Fairlawns curates this ever-evolving collection and displays them for guests to immerse themselves in. There is also the option to book a private dinner in the room and acquire favoured pieces directly from the hotel.

Amuse-Bouche is the hotels flagship restaurant, offering fine dining with both African and French influences. On a pleasant evening, guests can also choose to enjoy the menu on the connected terrace, surrounded by the tranquil gardens.

Franschhoek - The journey goes from wild lands to winelands.

After flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town, we heading straight to the beautiful Cape Winelands. Staying in Franschhoek, we had the famous Wine Tram on our doorstep and were surrounded by the beautiful vineyards that the region is famous for.

Our home was the beautiful L’ermitage Franschhoek Chateuax and Villas. This stunning property was just a short walk from the town highstreet and as we had the car, we could easily get to the local shops so we could use our stunning villa kitchen and dining room for even better value eating. This was especially helpful with the little one who also had her own room (for larger families, the second bedroom had 2 proper beds and an en-suite bathroom).

Of course, our day journeying on the Wine Tram was the highlight. There are a number of lines visitors can pick between and you can take the tram first or the bus, depending on your preferences and which vineyards you want to spend longer visiting.

We decided to pre-book the Blue Line (as the Orange line renowned for visiting Boschendal was closed). Our route included Rickety Bridge where we booked a wonderful wine tasting, Grande Provence where we took a stroll through the beautiful, manicured gardens, Holden Manz for a private picnic by the river and the Franschhoek Wine Cellar, where we had the opportunity to purchase many of the locally produced wines.

Cape Town

Our holiday ended with a wonderful stay in Cape Town but before we headed back to the city, we travelled south to
Simon’s Town and Boulder’s Bay to see the adorable Cape Penguins. As one of the locals said to me, “you’re relying on luck to see the Big 5 but if you don’t see the penguins, you’re in the wrong place!” and they weren’t wrong.

Upon arriving at Boulders Beach, we purchased entrance tickets, headed down the wooden boardwalk and were surrounded by the colony, which even appeared to have some young babies among them (very fluffy in comparison to the adults).

It was truly fantastic to see them in a sandy, beach habitat that was perfect for them and while they had hundred of onlookers, no-one was actually disturbing them... although that didn’t stop a handful of them coming right up close to show off. For birds that are barley 70cm tall and rarely over 3.5kg, they sure have a lot of character!

After leaving the penguins, we returned to vibrant Cape Town. After finding our sleek apartment in the Waterfront Village complex, we quickly settled in and walked to the V&A Waterfront, which was only a short walk away. As the clouds began to roll in, we took a swift, opportunistic picture of Table Mountain and then enjoyed a cultural street dance performance.

With the little one looking for entertainment and some dark clouds on the horizon, we also visited the aquarium and V&A shopping centre before grabbing some dinner. Although we had the car, we didn’t need it. The remainder of our time in Cape Town was leisurely - in between the showers!

While I’ve been lucky to visit some incredible places over the years, South Africa has propelled itself in line with some of my all time favourites, like Canada and New Zealand. I’ll be back!

Nicki

Drop me an e-mail for more details or information on all holidays: nicki.harrison@travelcounsellors.com