Redefining the African Safari…Redefine your notion of safari. Even the root of the word suggests breaking the confines of wildlife encounters, with the Swahili term originating from an Arabic expression meaning “to journey.” Befitting for your grand entrée into Africa, the birthplace of humanity, South Africa serves as a diverse platform from which to explore. Trendsetters find urbane indulgence in Cape Town and oenophiles look to the oak barrels of Stellenbosch as sources of inspiration, while ocean lovers seek out the reef to immerse in their surrounds. The Big Five still tops the list, but the imagination rules the limits of how you experience the wildlife wonderland stretching from coast to plain. Hover over Africa’s exotic landscape in a hot air balloon, pedal a bicycle beside ostriches or ride an elephant amongst dazzles of zebras during established itineraries and bespoke outings planned with your interests in mind. We consulted the nine-time title winner of Travel + Leisure magazine’s World’s Best Safari Outfitter, Micato Safaris, to provide us with some creative ways to explore. Their acclaimed attention to detail, erudite local guides and time-honored personal relationships define the rarified experience. Discover the range of forays teeming within South Africa’s borders and transform any preconceived notions you might have on what it means to safari. Here’s to redefining the African Safari.
Urban safari
“This is a pretty and singular town; it lies at the foot of an enormous wall (Table Mountain), which reaches into the clouds,and makes a most imposing barrier. Cape Town is a great inn, on the great highway to the east.” – Charles Darwin
Evolutionist Charles Darwin paid astute attention to defining characteristics and the appreciation he expressed for Cape Town in a letter to his sister, Catherine, in 1836, underscoring why this city is a natural selection amongst travelers. Evocative and ever-evolving, Cape Town is a cosmopolitan mecca set amid the cupped hands of craggy-back Table Mountain and the unbridled waves of the wild Atlantic Ocean to the West and the boisterous Indian Ocean to the East. Stroll the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, where galleries, restaurants and designer boutiques pepper the boardwalk. Yachts anchored in the harbor, well-dressed denizens and the overall posh vibe here contrast with the vast undeveloped expanses of nature waiting for you just beyond city limits. A five-minute walk from the waterside, revel over mist-enshrouded Table Mountain from your personal balcony at One&Only Cape Town or dine within the resort at Reuben’s, the eponymous outpost of South Africa’s most famous chef, Reuben Riffel. He’s often on hand to discuss the indigenous ingredients that inform his modernly derived menus featuring dishes such as his famous deep-fried chili-salted squid with lime mayonnaise or rock lobster and asparagus tempura. After dinner, enjoy a performance at Artscape Theatre Centre, where some of the world’s finest actors, dancers and musical artists take center stage.
During your stay in the city, meet some of its most preeminent residents courtesy of the Pinto family, founders of Micato Safaris. With relationships developed over the past 48 years of offering guided tours in Africa, they simply open their little black book to introduce you to everyone from Cape Town’s leading university professors and vintners to artists and diplomats. Revel in the anecdotes of these locals as you share a meal with them in their homes or drinks on their verandas. Inspired by this newly gleaned knowledge, head outside the city to experience the expanses of South Africa. Driving south to the maritime-history-rich Cape of Good Hope, spy your first wildlife within the Tuscan-like hills. Ostriches chassé like ballerinas with feathered tutus and striped Cape Mountain Zebra gallivant across fields that eventually give way to sugary, sandy crescents and picture-perfect Cape Dutch-style villages. Reaching the tip of the peninsula, be escorted by your guide to all of his secret spots tucked along the cliff sides edging UNESCO World Heritage site, Cape Point Nature Reserve. Hike past the heather-like flora called fynbos fringing False Bay’s path or ride the Flying Dutchman funicular to the historic lighthouse topping the peak for a privileged view of the marriage between the Indian and Altantic Oceans. A helicopter tour provides a bird’s-eye perspective of Table Mountain and beyond before touching down on Robben Island, the facility where Nobel laureate and former president, Nelson Mandela, was incarcerated for 18 years. Under the tutelage of your personal guide, you’ll gain insight into South Africa’s complicated and moving history, giving you new appreciation for the diversity of this beautiful country.
Jeep safari
“I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up and I was not happy.” – Ernest Hemingway
Board a private plane to Kruger National Park in the northeastern corner of South Africa. Extending 200 miles north to south, it has nearly 150 species of mammals, 500 varieties of birds and 100 types of reptiles. Wake to the dew-kissed air, scented of grass, rain and earth. The sunrise explodes against the horizon in abstract splotches of purple, salmon and pink, which fully illustrates Hemingway’s sentiments. As you ride in your open-air Jeep, be serenaded by a sunrise symphony of bird whistles and trills. Staying at Royal Malewane, you get special access to the Thornybush Game Reserve, a nearly 30,000-acre expanse on the western edge of the park. Drive along dirt roads lined with thorny Acacia trees, tall leathery-leafed Jackalberry trees and the scrubby, chaotic mixed plants of the woodland savannahs. Your guide points out an elusive leopard in a tree, shows you cheetah tracks and takes you past hippos bathing in a watering hole. Before the 7 a.m. coffee break, you’ll likely be able to check “Big Five” off your list, not to mention glimpse everything from the comical native bird, Kori Bustard, to a menacing crocodile.
Delivered back to your five-star lodge and metaphorical den, gaze out your room’s panoramic windows for leaping elands, soak in your freestanding tub, sketch by the fire or linger for hours over your gourmet lunch. Intersperse morning and afternoon game drives with visits to the spa and lazing beside the lap pool absorbed in a good book. In the afternoon, your guide might take you to a more forested part of the reserve, where you discover a mother cheetah and her cubs hiding amongst tree branches. See a parade of elephants, a wily pack of hyenas and the colorful Lilac Breasted Roller chirping atop a tree before stopping to enjoy your daily sundowner. From a promontory overlooking the reserve, you can celebrate the day sipping a cocktail as the plummeting tangerine sun disappears in the distance. When stars jam the sky, ride to another clearing near the lodge to discover the staff has festooned a spread with Moroccan lanterns and laid out a classic South African barbeque, known as a braai. Savor the grilled meats, spicy salads and house-made breads, and finish your evening around a roaring campfire, learning about the star formations of the southern hemisphere from your ranger. Sated, return to camp to dream about the gifts of tomorrow, when you’ll fly away by private plane to Singita’s concession within Kruger National Park on the border of Mozambique for a continuation of your adventure.
Sea safari
“This cape is the most stately thing and the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.” – Sir Francis Drake
So spoke inveterate explorer Sir Francis Drake during his first watery approach to the Cape in 1580. His words resonate when you take to the sea, tweaking the traditional notion of a land safari. Flit across the waves to experience South Africa’s wealth of marine wildlife. Drop your canoe in the brackish waters along the Garden Route, a stretch of striking coast that extends from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to Storms River in the Eastern Cape. Muse over myriad species of birds tucked amongst the rocks, pecking along the sand, and flapping above you in the vast, cornflower colored sky. Whales migrate from the icy waters of Antarctica and cruise the Cape’s southern coast from June through November. Spot them from the shore or during your whale-watching excursion, departing from Hermanus and skimming the waters of Walker Bay. On board, identify dolphins and Cape Fur Seals who slide from rocks like children on a playground as you pass. Pull up to a pier where friendly fishermen show off their unusual catches from the day, such as the difficult-to-land Black Musselcracker. The waters surrounding Dyer Island, just off Kleinbaai Harbour, are home to South Africa’s densest Great White Shark population. Don diving gear and submerge to their depths accompanied by a professional guide in a fail-safe cage. Feel the exhilaration of being encircled by these primitive creatures that open their mouths to reveal intimidating rows of razor-sharp teeth, or dive amongst docile whale sharks for the ultimate up close encounter with these massive creatures. For a tamer rendezvous, contemplate the adorable, tuxedo-suited African Penguins at Boulders Beach nearby. Follow the long wooden boardwalks that weave through the sand, mottled with granite rock formations that serve as stomping grounds for these affable penguins at work and play.
Wine safari
“South Africa is the most exciting country in the southern hemisphere.” – Neal Martin of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
One of the world’s foremost wine critics, Robert M. Parker, Jr. often professes the importance of unrestrained enjoyment. As any oenophile will concur, prized South African wines add élan to the Cape Winelands, where you can embark upon a sommelier-style safari along the 18 official wine routes comprised of more than 300 vineyards. Just an hour north of Cape Town’s metropolitan limits, mountain peaks, decant historic wine estates and villages harbor omnipresent traces of European settlers from centuries ago. Detect this in the façades of Cape Dutch architecture that recall the canal houses of Amsterdam and in the French style of winemaking that legacies Huguenot ancestors. Begin your day aloft, drifting above the emerald-intoned Berg River Valley in the basket of a hot air balloon. Dams, homesteads, neat rows of vineyards and rooftops catch your eye during your hour’s flight ensconced in early morning light. Land amongst the vines near Paarl where flutes full of Champagne await, then sample the artisan breads by Baker Ernie Beck and aromatic coffee at JUNO Bistro and Bakery, a favorite among locals. Afterward, a chauffeured car can transport you to some of the valley’s most esteemed vineyards and wineries. Tour barreled cellars and nibble on a picnic amid the manicured rows of vines at Spier Wine Estate near Stellenbosch, one of the oldest in the area dating back to 1767. Their award-winning sauvignon blanc is brisk, lively and full-bodied with a delicious hint of citrus. Later, compare it to the earthier, meditative qualities of the chenin blanc you’ll sample at Delaire Fraff, a wine complex poised at the highest point of the Helshoogte mountain pass. Imbibe as you walk the property developed by Laurence Graff, the choice diamantaire of British royals, and admire his extensive, contemporary African art collection. Then meander the boutique-filled streets of French-influenced Franschhoek, a gourmet hamlet reminiscent of Napa or Sonoma. Dine at Le Quartier Français’ Tasting Room, where Chef Margot Janse puts forth an African-inspired, eight-course, farm-tofork tasting menu, with entrées that might come garnished with edible flecks of silver.
Finish your tour of the countryside on the Paarl Wine Route, where you can taste olive oils, chocolate, cheese and wine at family-owned farms such as Fairview Wine & Cheese, which has its own goat herd and has been making award-winning cheeses for three decades. Consider stopping for a snack at the onsite Goatshead Restaurant, where the eclectic mix of old Cape furniture from the collection of owner Charles Back and his wife, Diana, match the colorful mélange of Mediterranean flavors on your plate.
Saddle safari
“You know you are truly alive when you are living among the lions.” – Karen Blixen
Also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen, Danish writer Karen Blixen homesteaded on a coffee plantation in the hills near Kenya’s Nairobi during Africa’s hunting caravan heyday. In her book, Out of Africa, she relates her love for Africa, its people and traditions. Engage in the spirit of the landscape as she did, taking long walks and horseback rides deep into the bush for up-close and personal encounters with the wilderness. Visit Shambala Private Game Reserve, just two-and-a-half hours north of Johannesburg. Lumber through its bushveld atop elephants lovingly rescued, adopted and cared for by this eco-conscious lodge. Respected by other creatures for their size and temperament, elephants carry you confidently through the terrain, unthreatened by any other beast. Feel like part of the wildlife family as you sway into the shrubbery and over hill and dale to view the pristine grassland habitat from this unique perspective. Then relax as a mahout (trainer) should: amid thatched-roofed luxury. The beehive-style chalet complex of Zulu Camp naturally melds into the terrain, yet makes a bold statement of elegance with its Afro-French Provincial décor. End your day with a soak in a capacious tub or by cooling off under the refreshing splash of your outdoor rain shower before sitting down to a gourmet meal.
Reach another part of vast South Africa in arid Kalahari, near Botswana’s border. Mount a horse to canter across the Tswalu Game Reserve’s rolling expanses accompanied by your Micato Safaris group leader. With the brambly Korannaberg Mountains as your backdrop, become part of the herd when zebras graze next to you and giraffes stretch their long necks in your direction. Be ready to pull back on the reins for an encounter with cartoon-like meercats or an animal not found in other parts of South Africa: the desert black rhino. The pace is yours to set, whether it’s a full gallop instilling you with an unbridled sense of freedom or hitching your horse to a tree to linger over a picnic. If your saddle of choice is attached to two wheels, you can also opt to bicycle through various reserves in South Africa with Micato Safaris. As you pedal, see the bush from the animals’ perspective: noticing Lilliputian details, hearing sounds and catching the intoxicating aroma of flowers and trees. Ostriches galumph by at surprisingly high speeds and lively springbok leap gracefully in a bushland stage production. South Africa’s expansive landscapes beg to be cycled and a bespoke journey delivers you to biker paradises across the country. Coast through the Cape Winelands and change gears to take in the spectacular vistas from the trails rimming the Cape of Good Hope, forever shifting your perspective of what it
means to “safari.”
