Gondwana Private Game Reserve

Go Local in South Africa

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 3 more + 3 more

Real people, real stories, real South Africa.

19 days

from £6,690 pp

including flights

A South African Fortnight

Classic Safari + 1 more + 2 more

A two-week classic adventure through the best of South Africa.

14 days

from £3,595 pp

including flights

South Africa Express

Wildlife & Nature Express + 1 more + 2 more

A whistle-stop adventure packed with penguins, wine and wildlife.

10 days

from £3,050 pp

including flights

Family Classic + 3 more + 3 more

City, Safari & Beach

South Africa, Mauritius

South Africa’s culture, safari and beaches rounding off with an indulgent island escape.

15 days

from £5,010 pp

including flights

Romantic Safari + 2 more + 3 more

South Africa Safari & Beach

South Africa, Mauritius

A seamless South Africa and Mauritius holiday.

14 days

from £4,450 pp

including flights

South Africa Family Holiday

Family Safari + 1 more + 2 more

The ultimate family adventure through South Africa's highlights.

15 days

from £3,495 pp

including flights

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in South Africa

Back-roads exploration

Criss-crossing through the forests and hills inland from the Garden Route coast, and pre-dating the modern N2 linking George, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, are a series of beautiful roads, some tarmac and some graded. Armed with a reasonable map and the input of your guesthouse or hotel staff, it’s a wonderful place to spend a few hours exploring. The roads alternate between forested terrain with picturesque ancient stone bridges, and more open roads with broad sweeping views over the wooded hillsides and down towards the ocean.

The Birds of Eden

Birds of Eden is one of a number of fantastic wildlife interaction attractions on The Crags near Plettenberg Bay. Amazingly, it is a gorge of tropical forest covered in an enormous two hectare dome, and acts as a vast aviary (the largest in the world) for birds that have either been captive bred or removed from the wild, and cannot be returned fully to the wild. A series of walkways and bridges runs through and under the canopy and the birds are complete free to fly anywhere within the dome, and there are well over a hundred species to admire, from the local, and beautifully coloured louries, to noisy parrots and the even kookaburras. With a ruined temple and a waterfall you can walk behind, Birds of Eden is an exciting adventure for kids, as well as being fascinating for adults. If you want to really learn more about the birds, it is possible to arrange a guided tour with one of the bird keepers. The Crags is also home to an Elephant Sanctuary, Monkeyland and the Tenikwa Big Cat Experience, so you can make a whole day out of a trip here, interacting with a wide range of interesting and exhilarating animals and birds.

Featherbed Eco Experience

The Featherbed Nature Reserve, situated on the Western Head in Knysna, is the premier eco-experience on the Garden Route. Boarding the ferry you head out across the Knysna Lagoon to the Western Head where you hop off the boat and into a 4x4 vehicle which takes you up the headland onto the reserve, stopping at spectacular viewpoints. A specialist guide will provide you with information on the history, flora and fauna of this region. You'll stop for a buffet lunch at an outdoor restaurant admiring the panoramic views before returning back to the ferry.

Storms River Mouth & the Tsitsikamma Forest

The Tsitsikamma National Park begins a short way east of Plettenberg Bay and covers a long stretch of coastline as well as the forested hillsides and steep canyons that cut through them. There are a range of activities available: the park is crossed with good hiking routes, whilst some of the rivers offer tubing and other adrenaline sports. The highlight of the park is probably the Storms River Mouth. Here a footpath leads first to the Strandloper Cave where evidence of very early indigenous hunters can be found. Just past this is the Storms River, a steep river canyon that cuts through the cliffs and out into the ocean. A rope suspension bridge crosses the river where it meets the ocean and you can stand here, watching the dark, tannin-rich river water implacably flowing into the salty ocean swells, creating a maelstrom beneath your feet.

Whale-watching Boat tour

The coastline around Plettenberg Bay is home to a wide array of marine wildlife, including dolphins, seals, sharks and whales. Although the southern right whale migration season of July – November is the best known and most numerous, humpbacks are found here for much of the year and Bryde’s are year-round visitors. You have the choice of two sorts of boat trip, one on a vessel which is licensed to approach within 50 metres of whales: the whales then often approach alongside, giving you the chance to come eye-to-eye with these curious and humbling creatures. Alternatively there are cheaper tours where the vessel is not licensed to approach within 300 metres of any whales found: these tours normally end up focusing on the other attractions, like dolphins, sharks and seals, and are perhaps the better option outside of the southern right whale migration season. Either tour is a great way to explore the ocean and coastline of this beautiful part of South Africa.