South Africa & Mauritius Travel Guide
- Mary Kate gKing
- Jan 2
- 14 min read
Updated: May 15
South Africa & Mauritius Travel Guide: Trip of a Lifetime!!
If you are considering going to South Africa, this article will hopefully convince you to book your flight immediately by the time you’re done reading it. South Africa is one of the coolest, most unique places to travel to in the world. It is every adventure traveler or nature lover's dream destination! My husband and I went to South Africa for our honeymoon in October 2022. We both agree that we’ll spend the rest of our lives trying to top this trip!
For quick-read Travel Tips for South Africa, Click Here.
But first, a little bit about me…
Before I go into everything about our trip to South Africa, I first wanted to introduce myself. My name is Mary Kate and I am a travel nurse who moves around the U.S. every 3-6 months for work while also trying to fit in as many international trips as my wallet allows. In our first year of marriage, my husband and I traveled to 8 countries, and 14 states and lived in 3 states. We love seeing the world through adventurous trips and prefer to stay very active when we travel. My husband, Nick, and I often squeeze a lot into our trips and are not typically ones to relax on beaches while traveling (although we did end this South Africa trip by relaxing on beaches in Mauritius and it was quite nice). That being said, my itinerary might not match exactly what you’re looking for but I guarantee South Africa has activities that everyone can enjoy and I’m happy to share some of my favorite activities from the trip!
I’d also like to preface that I am not affiliated with any of the agencies that I am recommending and get no kickback from sharing any links. I just want to share my honest feedback about places and organizations I enjoyed during my trip.
Travel Tips to Know Before Booking Your South Africa
It is fairly inexpensive as long as you are not doing anything touristy and the USD benefits from Rand to USD conversion. That being said, anything involving tourism is decently expensive, especially the private game reserves in South Africa. For our trip, I tried to save money when we stayed in Cape Town to afford the luxuries of staying at the safari lodges on the private game reserves.
When it comes to deciding where to stay for your safari, understanding Kruger National Park and the Private Game Reserves is very important. Kruger National Park is overseen by the government. Due to the resources required to maintain the safety of the animals and the land, the government can’t afford to oversee all of the land. Between 1930 and 1995 the South African government opened up parts of the land to be purchased for private game reserves. Various wealthy individuals or groups became members of these private game reserves which allowed them to build luxurious safari lodges. These private game reserves still have many limitations on how many guests and vehicles they can drive which creates an intimate and natural experience in the bush. The private game reserves are responsible for anti-poaching efforts, fire control, and land preservation for their designated land.
There are 7 private reserves located around the Kruger National Park. The only fence that exists is around the perimeter of the entire park and private reserves, allowing animals to go across the park and reserves however they please. This is especially interesting with the migration patterns of the wild dogs.
We were lucky enough to see THE wild dogs in Sabi Sands on our trip. The last time they had been on that reserve was 6 months prior and we not only got to witness the chase but got to see them at a sprint going about 35mph. Who knew dogs would be one of the more unique animals to see when in Africa?
Overall, my recommendation would be to stay at a safari lodge at the private game reserves over staying near Kruger National Park. I recommend staying at TWO different lodges on TWO different game reserves but I will mention that more in detail later. If you want more general tips about South Africa as a whole, you can click this link to an article I have just on “key things to know about traveling to South Africa”.
Click HERE for my 2-week detailed itinerary for South Africa and Mauritius
Overview of the Ultimate South Africa trip..
I personally wouldn’t change anything about our trip. It was everything I was hoping for and more! We started in Cape Town where we hiked, went paragliding, cage diving with sharks, saw penguins, and hopped on a wine trolly tour. We did all of this in just the first 4 days of our trip which may seem like a lot but also shows how easy it is to get around Cape Town. The middle part of our trip was spent at two different safari lodges on the Manyeleti and Sabi Sands Game Reserve. Finally, we finished our trip relaxing on the beaches of Mauritius. Typically I always have small things I would change after a trip but I have zero regrets from this and am happy to share all my favorite things we did in South Africa and Mauritius!
Starting in Cape Town…
We stayed at the most quaint bed and breakfast in Cape Town called La Grenadine. This cute little place was in the perfect location, walking distance to good restaurants, and bars, a 10-minute drive to the waterfront, and less than 10 minutes to the mountains. On our first day we arrived and went to the Silo Hotel rooftop bar for cocktails then walked around the waterfront area with lots of boats and restaurants. The next day we went cage diving with sharks in the morning and then hiked Table Mountain for sunset. There are many trail options on Table Mountain, but we chose the most direct route, Platteklip George. This was a challenging hike for me, so I was happy we were riding the cable car down after sunset. Take into consideration your hiking ability when choosing which trail to do on Table Mountain.
If you would like to enjoy the views of Table Mountain without having to hike it, you can ride the cable car up and down. I recommend buying tickets in person or waiting until its closer to the time you want to go in order to ensure the weather allows you to go to the top! I also recommend packing layers because it can get chilly at the top. For more details about the Cable Car, click Here and check out my detailed itinerary for more info about hiking Table Mountain.
Continuing on about hikes is Cape Town…
We also did this AWESOME sunrise hike called Lions Head. You can do Table Mountain or
Lions Head trail at any time but I personally think saving Table Mountain for sunset and Lions Head for sunrise is the best way to experience both (Maybe not on the same day unless you REALLY like hikes and want to be VERY active). I think I might’ve enjoyed our sunrise hike at Lions Head more than Table Mountain because there were places to climb up and it was SO pretty watching the sunrise over the city (I also struggled way less during Lions Head hike since Table Mountain kinda kicked my butt). I highly recommend the sunrise for Lions Head, especially on the weekends. We went on a Saturday and when we were walking back down the mountain around 8:30 am, there was a line of people waiting to get up more narrow parts. Definitely worth the early morning wake-up call!
Our outdoor adventures did not end with just hikes. Our activities also included paragliding off Signal Hill and cage diving with sharks. While heights do not bother me, I typically avoid any activity that involves a dropping motion. I was pretty nervous to go paragliding but it ended up being one of my favorite activities. For those who haven’t gone paragliding before, you kind of just start running down a hill then blink and you’re floating in the air. It was so awesome looking at the mountains, the city below us, and gliding over the ocean. We used this company through get your guide, and were happy with our experience. We paid extra to get some awesome pictures of us while in the air. Cage diving with sharks was also super fun! We went with this group called White Shark Project. They picked us up from our B&B in Cape Town and then drove us about two hours south to where their boat and office were. I was really hoping to see Great Whites while we were there but unfortunately only saw these sharks called Bronzers. I think they had seen Great Whites the week before but had no luck during our trip. It was a good reminder that we are in nature and can’t guarantee animals will behave a certain way. We still saw lots of the other sharks and got plenty of time to be in the cages with them swimming super close. Overall, I’d still say it was an awesome experience.
Food in Cape Town
The biggest food take aware from Cape Town was this incredible dining experience we had at the Restaurant, FYN. This restaurant is a combination of South African and Japanese food and was voted one of the top 50 restaurants in the world in 2022. The cost was about what you would spend for any fine dining experience in a major city in the U.S. and it was very much worth it. It was close to 10 courses so make sure to show up hungry.
The food was delicious and the service was spectacular. We made a reservation to sit where you could watch them cook the food. The people cooking and serving were engaged and went above and beyond to answer our questions and make sure we truly enjoyed our dining experience. One of the dishes we were eating was a mouthwatering wagyu steak from this large Japanese leaf. I had asked the server about how they pick and transport these massive leaves from Japan and shortly after asking the question, one of the head chefs came out to show me the vacuum-packed leaf and explained to me the entire process. It was so special for the head chef to take the time to show this to me, especially since they were very busy that night. I can’t speak more highly of this dining experience and say it’s worth every dollar, especially for any foodie.
Another restaurant of note was a cool place that had outdoor and indoor seating within walking distance from where we were staying. called Aloof Street House. We had some fancy cocktails, ostrich, and wagyu in their outdoor seating where they provided blankets to those who were chilly from the wind. The inside was also really cool but fully booked when we arrived so be mindful if this is a place you’d like to try out on the weekend. Overall, I recommend just exploring the area and seeing what food you end up wanting to try. One night we stumbled upon this cute Asian restaurant where we sat on the floor and ate with our shoes off. It was during the power surge so we ate with candlelight and fanned ourselves since none of the fans were working. It was such a cute little experience and I’m confident if you take the time to walk around Cape Town, you’ll find plenty of good restaurants to enjoy.
Another cute area we spent time at for food and drinks was along the water edge, an area called the V&A Waterfront. There were so many restaurants in this area and it was nice to just walk along the water's edge. You’d be set with any of the restaurants there. When we went to the Silo Hotel for rooftop cocktails with a view. If you have time, would recommend stopping there for a drink. They gave us free champagne since it was our honeymoon, and of course, we had blankets for the wind.
Final Notes on Cape Town Activities:
Aside from good food and adrenaline-inducing activities, Cape Town and the surrounding area offer so much more including unique animal experiences, beaches, and an incredible wine region. All of this is worth exploring during your time in Cape Town.
We unfortunately could only dedicate 1 day to the South African wine region so we ended up doing the hop-on, hop-off wine tram. This region is absolutely beautiful, so if you have the time and really like wine, plan to extend your time here. There are 5 different wine routes that you can choose from that have either a train, trolley, or a combination of both that continually run through the Franschhoek wine region. You can purchase your tickets online or in person. Visit their website for more information. We did the orange route and stopped at 4 wineries along the way. You can stop at as many or as little as you want at whatever pace you want with regular trams passing through. I’d like to point out that this wine region is known for its Pinotage and they do offer other wines but something to keep in mind. If you are a huge wine buff or just really like spending time at wineries, I’d recommend staying in the Franschhoek region for one or two nights. They have some nice resorts you can stay at in the area which would also allow you to visit other wineries not along the wine tram. But if you’re like us and have limited time in the wine region, the wine tram is a perfect option!
One of the final activities we did was renting a car and driving the Cape Peninsula. We first drove to Boulder’s Beach (50-minute drive) to see the penguins. This was one of the highlights of the trip (well everything was the highlight if you can’t tell by now)! There is a small park entrance fee that you pay when you get there. You can’t touch the penguins but they still get very close to the viewing area. I’ve read online that you can go to neighboring beaches with a chance of stumbling across a penguin outside of the park. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to fit that into our schedule so I can’t confirm if you see more penguins closer up but it’s worth a try if you have the time. From Boulder’s Beach, we went to Muzinberg huts and then drove down to the most southern point of the peninsula. It was a perfect day trip, especially the time spent with the penguins. We were warned about baboons on this drive but thankfully didn’t interact with any of them. We were warned about how aggressive they can be, especially if they think you have food. Our wildlife during this road trip was limited to the penguins and some ostriches along the drive. If you can’t spend a whole day doing the entire peninsula, making it to Boulder’s Beach is still a must to see the cute little penguins!
Finally. . . . . African Safari Talk . . . .
As I mentioned previously, I highly recommend staying on the private reserves. The lodging is very expensive but worth the price. All the lodges are set up pretty similarly. Most are all-inclusive of food, drinks, and 2 game drives per day (2-3hrs at dawn and again at dusk).
The personalized attention at these private lodges surpass any other 5-star resort I’ve stayed at. At our first lodge, Tintswalo, we were two of ten people staying there the first night which created a very intimate and personalized experience. Speaking of Tintswalo… they had my heart from the second we touched down and were handed a glass of champagne in the bush. They did an incredible job of always surprising us with something new, especially during our dining experience. Our guide and tracker, Mike and Reply, deserve their special shout-out. I cannot speak more highly of them and the amazing experience they created for us.
I think no matter where you go for your first safari, they will be your favorite spot because every lodge does such a great job creating a luxurious trip filled with so many amazing memories. We loved our first lodge Tintswalo; however, our second lodge, Ulusaba was equally attentive to our needs with incredible dining and game drive experience. With small differences between most of the lodges, they all still provide the same type of experience. The big difference between the private reserves and Kruger National Park is that the private reserves use smaller vehicles and can drive off-road. They communicate between lodges when they find rare animals so everyone can get the chance to see them. They’ll take turns with no more than 3 cars near an animal at a time. They are very intentional with keeping it as natural as possible. Since they have less foot traffic than Kruger National Park, they can do more off-roading and exploration of the land closest to the animals. I don’t want to disclose too many details and ruin the surprise of it all but, if you do a safari anywhere, you’re going to have an amazing experience!
Lastly, why 2 different safari lodges on 2 different reserves? Don’t you see all the same animals since there aren’t any fences? Yes, there are no fences, but some animals (cats especially) are pretty territorial. On the Manyeleti reserve, we saw large prides of lions but only saw 1 leopard in hiding. Whereas, on Sabi sands, we saw lots of leopards and just a few lions. Likewise, we saw tons of zebras and a few giraffes while it was the opposite for Sabi Sands. While this is just our personal experience, it is important to recognize the benefits of staying in 2 different private reserve regions.
As far as length of stay, I think doing 5 game drives at each destination is the best amount of time to spend on a safari. Two and a half days at one safari lodge and two and a half days at another. This will give you enough time to feel like you saw everything you wanted to see
without getting tired of the routine. This is fairly common with this type of travel and the lodges are happy to help coordinate your transportation between the two. (You are going to need their help when it comes to planning the transportation from Cape Town to the bush). As soon as you start to book, I recommend reaching out to the specific lodges to have them help you coordinate flights and other transportation. We had both lodges help with our transportation to and from the Johannesburg airport and were very grateful for their assistance.
We didn’t just stop with South Africa!
Our time in South Africa was perfect! It was a perfect mix of outdoors activities, good food and drinks. There was even down time for us during the day at the safaris. That being said, it was still a jam packed trip and we were looking for some relaxation at the end of this trip. So we extended our trip to the island of Mauritius where we stayed at an all inclusive resort. We didn’t do too much on the island aside from snorkeling, sailing, and paddle boarding but there are some really cool hikes and waterfalls to do in Mauritius. It was their dry season when we were there (October/November) so we didn’t see any of the waterfalls. If you want more information about this part of the trip, you can check out my full itinerary linked at the top or click HERE for some facts about traveling to Mauritius.
Health Considerations for South Africa Travel
Make sure to make an appointment with a travel clinic to receive required vaccinations and other medications you’ll need in order to travel to South Africa. Do your research using the CDC website for the most current status of health concerns for the country. I regularly use this website when traveling, especially when visiting countries outside of Europe and Canada. For our South Africa trip in 2022, we needed yellow fever, typhoid, and our COVID booster before the trip. We also received the anti-malaria medication to take while we were on the trip. The lodges we stayed at insisted we were at very low risk due to the amount of people and our location in Africa, but we still took them to be safe. I recommend looking at the CDC website as soon as you decide you are going to South Africa and then book an appointment at an international travel clinic with plenty of time before you leave for your trip.
And That's A Wrap!
For more information about specific items, look at my Detailed Itinerary, Travel Tips, and more South Africa Blogs on my Website.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me at travelinmk@gmail.com . I’m happy to share information regarding budget and specific details about the trip on an individual basis.
Loved reading this blog but not sure if you want to plan the whole thing by yourself? Send me an email and we can discuss options from a personalized itinerary to having your entire trip booked stress free.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you learned some helpful information and that you enjoy South Africa as much as I did!
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