Head Over Hills Luxury Retreat

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

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 1 more + 2 more

Waterfalls to Waterfront

South Africa, Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls, Kruger & Cape Town.

11 days

from £4,950 pp

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

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

South African Grand Tour

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 3 more + 3 more

Three weeks, one unforgettable road trip across South Africa’s greatest highlights.

21 days

from £4,295 pp

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

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in South Africa

Ocean Safari Tour

Not only home to an abundance of Whales, the coastline of Plettenberg Bay is also home to a variety of other marine wildlife. When travelling outside of Whale season (June – November), you may wish to join an Ecological adventure which goes in search of these other magnificent and graceful creatures. Your journey heads to Arch Rock where you usually encounter Bottlenose and the rare Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins, as well as some shark species. From Arch Rock you head into the middle of the Bay where pelagic seabirds are normally to be found some 7km from the shore. Out there the resident Bryde’s whales may be seen, as well as Common dolphins. Cruising back along the inside of Robberg, admire the unique geology from this unusual viewpoint and observe the growing Cape Fur Seal Colony. Finally, you head back along the Robberg beach, while you are given a brief rundown on the history of the area.

Monkeyland

As you walk out onto the deck of the ticket office and restaurant at Monkeyland, you’re likely to catch a glimpse of a tail flashing up a tree, or be confronted by the unnerving sight of a gibbon stood upright on its two back legs, grasping a branch for balance in a manner that really brings home mankind’s evolution from the apes. You’ll set off through the forest sanctuary in the company of a guide who will tell you more about the 400 primates they have at Monkeyland, which include many different species of monkey, lemur, gibbons and bushbabies. They are cute, endearing and curious creatures and it’s a pleasure to be able to get so close to them and learn all about them. The primates were all rescued from unsuitable, caged captivity; unable to return fully to the wild, Monkeyland allows them an enormous amount of space to roam in (enough space that Monkeyland is home to Africa’s longest suspension bridge, at 128 metres!), whilst providing them food. Monkeyland is located on The Crags outside Plettenberg Bay, near Birds of Eden, the Elephant Sanctuary and the Tenikwa Big Cat Experience, so a day spent up here allows you to interact with a wide array of fascinating and exhilarating animals and birds.

Beach walks

The Garden Route has a host of beautiful and iconic beaches, from the endless stretch of Wilderness to the broad sweep of Keurbooms. Around Wilderness, much of the beach is part of the Goukamma Nature Reserve and there are a number of car parks with access down onto the beach. As well as being beautiful places to walk, they’re also great for nature lovers, with whales visible offshore during the season, and rare birds such as the African Black Oystercatcher calling the area home. The seas here tend to be rough with waves smashing into the shore. On Keurbooms beach, the waves curve around the headland of the Robberg Peninsula and approach the shore in rolling surf dotted with wetsuited people and playful dolphins making the most of nature’s playground. Consequently Keurbooms Beach is much the better option for swimming, but is more popular as a result.

Lagoon canoeing

The Garden Route is dotted with placid lagoons fed by gentle rivers, and getting into a canoeing to paddle around them is a great way to see this part of the world. Wilderness Lagoon, Knysna Lagoon and Keurbooms Lagoon are all great for this. The lagoons themselves tend to be relatively busy with other marine traffic, but once you get into the rivers and streams, things get much quieter. Paddle leisurely upstream, through pools in dappled sunlight filtering through leafy glades until you find an idyllic spot to beach the canoes and enjoy a pre-packed picnic lunch. It’s peaceful, romantic and wonderfully relaxing.

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.