High five for family holidays

Once guests are all game-viewed out, the exciting ‘beach-away-from-the-ocean’ at Sun City awaits. Photo credit Tourism North West

Pilanesberg boasts all of the big five, offering great game-viewing and photo opportunities. Photo credit Tourism North West

Oribi Gorge Hotel boasts some beautiful views and exhilarating adventure activities. Photo credit: Chris Eason

Stunning vistas make for great picnic views. Photo credit: John Gore

North West: Pilanesberg

Just three-hours’ drive from Johannesburg lies the Pilanesberg National Park, and at 55,000 hectares it is South Africa’s fourth largest reserve. Nicknamed ‘the volcano that gave rise to a game reserve’, the Pilanesberg is set in the crater of a long-extinct volcano, giving it a spectacular landscape of grasslands, plains and rocky outcrops. Boasting over 7,000 animals, including the big five and over 300 birds, the park is easily accessible with 200 km of roads and numerous lookout points and game hides.

*Entrance to the park is R60 per adult, R20 per child/pensioner and R20 per vehicle. Once inside, there are various accommodation options available for every taste and budget. Numerous luxury lodges border the park, such as Ivory Tree Lodge and Shepherd’s Tree Game Lodge, while the resorts affiliated to the National Park also come highly recommended. Bakgatla Resort is one of these and offers chalets for up to five people, as well as executive camping tents (permanent tents on a wooden deck). The chalets consist of one double bed and three single beds, as well as a private patio and braai area. The prices are reasonable and the restaurant serves really good meals.

Keeping everyone happily entertained is always a challenge, but it shouldn’t be too hard at Pilanesberg National Park.

Once spotting animals in the park has lost its allure, there are still options such as hiking trails, walking safaris and even hot-air ballooning. For the kids, there’s a range of facilities to choose from, including a swimming pool, playground and putt putt course. Sun City is also nearby and has a host of attractions such as golf, a water theme park, elephant rides, shopping and even the world’s fastest zipline.

KwaZulu-Natal: Oribi Gorge Hotel

Originally a farmhouse on a sugarcane plantation, the Oribi Gorge Hotel boasts a proud 124-year history. With 18 en-suite bedrooms, and surrounded by a peaceful garden that is home to birds and monkeys, as well as some shy duiker and reedbuck, the hotel is the ideal place for a relaxing holiday.

The key to getting into holiday mode is good food, and the healthy and hearty meals at the hotel do just that. The Eagle’s Eyrie is a fully licensed indoor and outdoor restaurant that caters for every taste, while the Wild Fig Café (underneath an ancient fig tree) makes the perfect setting for relaxed lunches. What really makes the hotel special is its location, so the more time spent gazing out over the beautiful gorge and green vistas the better. To facilitate this, the hotel organises picnic baskets and braai menus for those wanting to enjoy their meals at one of the numerous picnic sites on the property.

Oribi Gorge has become famous as an adventure zone, mainly due to the ‘Wild 5’ adventure activities available to guests. These include the gorge swing (claimed to be the world’s highest at 165 m), a zipline, 110 m cliff-face abseiling, white-water rafting and single-track mountain bike trails. For those too young for the adventure activities, there is a play park with swings and slides, as well as a swimming pool and plenty of space for riding bikes.

The beaches of Port Shepstone, Shelly Beach, Uvongo, Margate and Ramsgate are all close by, and game viewing at Lake Eland Game Reserve is also an option.

Mpumalanga: Graskop

Lying 400 km to the east of Johannesburg, the small forestry town of Graskop has become a popular base camp for tourists to explore the many activities and sights in the area. The town dates backs to the 1830s, although it was only formally established as a town in 1914 when the railway line from Nelspruit to Graskop was completed. Today, it is a quiet town reliant on tourism for much of its business, as seen by the numerous restaurants, pancake houses and curio shops dotted along the streets.

One of the accommodation options is Mogodi Lodge, ideally situated just 50 m from the Graskop Gorge Falls and boasting fantastic views out over the lowveld. Accommodation available range from self-catering, two-bedroom flats, one-bedroom flats, hotel rooms or backpacker rooms, all reasonably priced.

Guests definitely won’t get bored at the lodge as there is a putt-putt course and swimming pool for the children, plus a fully licensed bar and restaurant for the adults. There’s even a wedding chapel for the romantics and a 68-m freefall gorge swing for the adventurous.

Due to the many scenic sites surrounding Graskop, it is recommended that tourists have some sort of transport with which to explore the area. Just 55 km away is the Phabeni Gate to Kruger National Park, meaning day trips into South Africa’s largest game park can easily be done from Graskop. Even closer is the Panorama Route, a 130-km trip past some of South Africa’s most spectacular scenery. One of the stops is God’s Window, a lookout point over the lowveld spread out 700 m below and fading into the distance as far as the eye can see. Close by, the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world, provides great views onto the Three Rondavels, while Pilgrim’s Rest is a town that transports visitors back into the gold prospecting days of the 19th Century, and is well worth a visit.

Western Cape: Island Vibe Knysna

Described as the ‘jewel of the Garden Route’, Knysna is a beautiful town surrounded by lush forests and a warm lagoon. It has plenty of stunning scenery, such as The Heads (the area where the lagoon reaches the ocean through two large headlands), Knysna Quays (waterfront area) and the actual town itself. Due to its good climate, Knysna has become a popular tourist destination with many events to attract visitors. The Oyster Festival, Pink Loerie Mardi Gras event and Knysna Marathon are all annual events that draw huge crowds, giving the small town a lively atmosphere. Even when a big event isn’t happening the town still has a lively buzz, with international as well as South African tourists staying to enjoy the great food and outdoor lifestyle.

Situated in the heart of the town is Island Vibe Knysna, a backpackers equipped with a variety of dorm, double and family rooms, as well as a braai area, pool table and swimming pool. Not normally the preferred choice of accommodation for families, backpackers are becoming more popular due to the attractive prices (family rooms are under R600 per night) and friendly, social atmosphere (communal fires are lit every evening for everyone to use to braai). The central location of the hostel means restaurants and shops are right outside the front door, and there is also a whole selection of activities on offer to make sure the children are entertained. Canoe trips on the lagoon are popular, as are walks and picnics through the Knysna Forest. The Knysna Elephant Park makes for a good half-day tour, and there are also adventure activities on offer, such as scuba diving, abseiling and even paragliding.

Eastern Cape: Umngazi River Bungalows

Tucked away on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape lies Umngazi River Bungalows, a beautiful hideaway surrounded by river and ocean. Umngazi lies 20 km south of Port St Johns and is about a 90 km drive along tarred roads from Mthatha. No words can do the location full justice, and the feeling of being totally and wonderfully secluded from the busy world out there is a fabulous feeling indeed.

The Blyde River Canyon is one of the most photographed tourist attractions in South Africa. Photo credit: Jochem Koole

Sculpted by centuries of flowing water, Bourke’s Luck Potholes in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province are a spectacular work of nature. Photo credit: Shongololo Express

Umngazi River Bungalows is a dream for children, where they’ll be entertained all day long. Photo credit: Umngazi River Bungalows

Guests can peacefully watch the day go by from the comfort of the restaurant, and a holiday at Umngazi is a great way to get into touch with nature. Photo credit: Umngazi River Bungalows