Schoone Oordt

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

The Best of South Africa

Romantic Classic + 3 more + 3 more

Cape Town, wine & wildlife: South Africa's highlights over 11 days.

11 days

from £3,225 pp

Classic South Africa

Family Classic + 3 more + 3 more

A classic South African holiday, with a few lesser-visited surprises.

17 days

from £3,655 pp

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

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 1 more + 2 more

Waterfalls to Waterfront

South Africa, Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls, Kruger & Cape Town.

11 days

from £4,950 pp

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

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in South Africa

Sanbona safari

The enormous reserve of Sanbona covers mile upon mile of some of the most stunning Karoo scenery. Folded ridges of cracked rock cross the landscape, and riverbeds carry dense foliage across an otherwise inhospitable landscape. Unlike the game-dense famous wildlife areas, such as the Kruger, there is no race here to try and spot the Big Five, as you’re unlikely to find all of them. With good luck and good ranger skills, you may see some of the elephant and white lions that call the reserve home, but there is so much more here than a quest for the Big Five. There are remarkable rock formations and your ranger can give you a crash course on local geology here; there are also San rock art sites to admire, and the vast, inspiring landscape to enjoy. You’re also likely to see some big game, like eland, oryx (with their magnificent horns) and zebra as well, and your ranger will take the time to teach you all about these animals and their place in the Sanbona ecosystem. Sanbona is a safari experience for those who appreciate more than just the Big Five, and for whom solitude, massive landscapes and huge skies are a major draw.

De Hoop Nature Reserve

Most South Africans have never heard of De Hoop Nature Reserve, which is amazing when you consider how beautiful it is, and what a great experience it offers any visitor. But it does mean that it’s never overwhelmed by tourists, allowing you to enjoy its peace and solitude. The reserve is dominated by vegetated dunes covered in the fynbos vegetation of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest and most biodiverse of the world’s plant kingdoms. In amongst the dunes you’ll find all manner of flora and fauna, from proteas (South Africa’s national flower) to herds of bontebok, eland and zebra. The reserve has a long coastline of white sand beach, and during the whale season it’s one of the best places to see whales breaching from the shore. The park can be explored in a variety of ways. You can drive yourself around its network of roads, or alternatively mountain bike or hike its paths; snorkelling off the beaches and in the rock pools is also a possibility. De Hoop can be done as a daytrip from somewhere like Swellendam, or you can base yourself in the reserve for a night or two to take full advantage of everything it has to offer.

Hiking

There are a number of places to go hiking in the Overberg. The Bontebok National Park just south of Swellendam encompasses the Langeberg Mountains as well as being bordered by the Breede River, making for an attractive walking environment. There are day trails and an overnight trail for the more adventurous. The De Hoop Nature Reserve, further south still, on the coast, also has a network of hiking trails designed for day visitors and overnighters. They include inland hikes through the Potberg Mountains, and along the coast, and are designed to showcase the best of the scenery and wildlife, including Cape vulture colonies and the crustaceans of the rock pools.

Whale watching

The southern right whale migration which brings these enormous creatures to South Africa for about five months a year runs right along the shore of the De Hoop Nature Reserve, and is one of the major draws of the reserve in season. The long coastline is a marine protected area, and it has been known for upwards of 200 whales to be present at the same time in the waters off De Hoop. There are no boat trips offered from De Hoop, it is purely a case of finding yourself a suitable dune to watch the show from. Fortunately with all the blowing, sailing, spy-hopping and breaching that the whales seem particularly fond of performing here rather than elsewhere in South Africa, you’re almost certain to have plenty to watch.