Africa Golf & Safari Holidays

Africa is one of, if not the most diverse continents on the planet, from the desert landscapes of the north, the rainforests of the Congo Basin in the west, the mountains and volcanoes of the Great Rift Valley in the east and the savannah grasslands of the south. But what surprises many travellers is the sheer size of the place – you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in about six hours but having crossed over Gibraltar from the UK you still have another ten hours to go before you land in Cape Town; the ‘Mother City’ of South Africa. And that’s not quite the southern most tip of the continent! It’s a long flight, yes but so well worth the journey. 

South Africa is at the southernmost tip of the continent – as the name suggests(!), Otherwise known as the Rainbow Nation, it’s about four times the size of the UK and encompasses such a variety of landscapes that it is rightly become known as ‘the world in one country’. So where to start? At the bottom seems as logical place as any. 

The Cape Provinces encompass Cape Town on the Atlantic Coast and stretches along the very bottom of the country crossing into the Indian Ocean along the way. It is the most visited part of South Africa and for very good reasons. Amongst its attractions are Cape Town itself, where cultures mix and thrive, the Cape Winelands of Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl, the most dazzling array of flora in the country, the incredible marine life from penguins to orca’s and Great White sharks, the vast deserts of the Karoo, the stunning Tsitsikamma Forest and lastly some of the most scenic and challenging golf courses in the country – Pearl Valley, Pinnacle Point and The Links at Fancourt amongst them. 

Continuing north up the Indian Ocean coast you enter one of the most beautiful provinces in South Africa, KwaZulu Natal – the ‘place of the Zulus’. KZN has everything that the Cape Provinces have bar the winelands – although that is changing – but makes up for that loss by adding some of the most evocative locations in South African history in a land too often fought over; Ladysmith, Mafeking and Rorke’s Drift amongst them. The likes of Mahatma Gandhi, King Shaka of the Zulus, Lord Kitchener and Winston Churchill forged history here. KZN is sandwiched between the dramatic Drakensberg Escarpment, which leads up to the highest kingdom in the world, Lesotho, and the wild beaches of the Indian Ocean. In between sits the most fertile farmland in Africa, the Midlands. The golf courses of KZN largely sit along the coastline either side of the port of Durban such as Durban Country Club and Princes Grant but there are some gems inland such as Champagne Sport, Cathedral Peak and Cotswold Downs.

The focus thus far has been on the most visited provinces but the six others each have their own ‘pulls’ and some huge ones at that.

Mpumalanga, sits on the border with the newly named Eswatini – Swaziland as was, and Mozambique and is home to the Kruger National Park, the largest wildlife park in South Africa. About the same size as Wales, the park is a magnet for locals and overseas visitors seeking for a slice of wilderness....just not too wild. The so called Big 5 can be found here as does the highest ranked golf course in the country; Leopard Creek. The 18th was designed by someone with a wicked, perhaps warped, sense of humour. 

Head to the far north of South Africa and you enter the province of Limpopo (love that name) which borders Zimbabwe and Botswana and is a great place for a malarial free safari - as are the reserves in the Eastern Cape - in one of its private game reserves; Waterberg National Park being the best known. Golfers can find a challenge at Legend Golf and Safari Resort. The famous 19th will most certainly challenge you – but not if you get airsick! 

Sun City is known the world over and nestles in the semi-desert North-West Province on the edge of the Pilanesberg National Park and is a year round playground for locals and international visitors alike. Considered by some to be a little ‘commercial’ it nonetheless hosts two incredible golf courses in The Lost City GC and The Gary Player Country Club. Teeing off with a mating herd of elephants looking on is quite an experience. For a quieter safari experience head to Madikwe Game Reserve on the Botswana border, it’s also malarial free. 

To the south is Gauteng (pronounced ‘how teng’) where Johannesburg and the country’s capital Pretoria both sit and have a number of well rated golf courses such as Royal Johannesburg & Kensington and Glendower, both well worth playing before going ‘bush’. 

This journey around South Africa ends with a road trip from Gauteng through the Free State, home of the Boers and the birthplace to so many superb Springbok rugby players and follows the N1 through the Northern Cape to Cape Town. It’s almost 900 miles if you go the direct route but stop off at Bloemfontein and the Big Hole in Kimberley en-route and, if the season is right, swing by Namaqauland for the most incredible sight as the desert bursts into flower. 

You will then have experienced the real South Africa and seen ‘the world in one country’.