Parks and reserves

South Africa is known for its wildlife and this can vary from area to area. The first distinction is between national parks and reserves.

National parks are generally open to the public and run by SANParks. Although busy they are often very large areas with multiple entrances, and you will regularly see good roads within them. Accommodation in the parks is often reasonably priced, mostly consisting of self-catering or camps. Many don't have a food shop or restaurant.

Private Reserves will tend to be smaller (but still quite large areas) but less crowded. Normally you travel through the reserve in a safari vehicle with a guide using a mix of roads and tracks. Accommodation is quite often luxury and all inclusive, although some private reserves accept day visitors. Given they are private these are more easily able to offer very early or night drives. A private reserve is more likely to offer extras - horse riding, walking safaris, spa treatments and more.

National Parks

Addo Elephant Park is the third largest of the national parks and has some large elephant herds alongside a range of other animals. This park offers day and night guided drives as well as photography drives. We really like heading in at the top and spending a day ambling towards the southern gate.

Kruger National Park is a very large area, known far and wide. It covers the migration routes between Mozambique in the south and Zimbabwe in the north. So much migrating game means there are lots of big cats. The north features more open grasslands whereas the south offers wood lined rivers.

You can self-drive through Kruger and will find various lodges within. Do note that it's up to five hours to drive to Kruger from Johannesburg.

Many of the national parks are about the flora, archaeology, and lesser fauna, such as Agulhas (shipwrecks and ancient settlements), Bontebok (many rare birds), Garden Route (lakes and forests), and Table Mountain (huge array of indigenous plants)

If you are self-driving in a national park do follow some sensible rules

• stay in your vehicle except in designated areas - if you break down use your phone to call for help

• don't lean out of windows - some of those thorns can be very sharp, and you never know what's out there

• stick to the speed limit - there may be small wildlife you haven't seen, or else something big might come out unexpectedly

• plan your route and note the gate closing times and toilet locations

• animals have right of way, especially elephants
  

Private Reserves

The following is a short list of places heading east from Cape Town - so all very easy to combine with a Garden Route trip. There are more, this is just a selection.

Sanbona

About three hours east of Cape Town, this reserve sits in the mountains of an area known as the Klein Karoo. Lions.

Melozhori

Just over two hours from Cape Town, this reserve is focused on conservation.

Garden Route Lodge

Close to Mossel Bay (about four hours from Cape Town), this reserve offers the Big 5.

Gondwana

Also near Mossel Bay, this reserve has the Big 5 and cheetah. Plettenberg Bay

Just outside the town, about six hours from Cape Town, you will find elephant, rhino and giraffe.

Botlierskop

Close to George, this reserve offers elephants, hippo and giraffe.

From Johannesburg there are also options in that area

Near Kruger

The national park is bordered by some large private reserves. What makes reserves like Sabi Sands so good is that they don't have any fences between them and the national park. There are a number of different options. Again, do note that it's up to five hours to drive from Johannesburg to Kruger.

Madikwe Game Reserve

This is a less visited area and is also about five hours drive from Johannesburg, situated close to the border with Botswana.

There are plenty more, this is just a selection.