Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
South Africa - Cape Town - Hermanus - Garden Route - Lalibela Private Reserve
100% customisable for you
Your South African adventure begins today with an overnight flight to Cape Town, usually around twelve hours from the UK. Head to the airport, breeze through security, grab snacks for the little ones and settle in for the journey south.
Touch down in Cape Town the following morning, where you’ll be met at the airport and privately transferred into the city. You’ll spend the next four nights tucked away just off lively Kloof Street, in a charming former farmhouse hidden behind leafy gardens and whitewashed walls.
Cape Town is wonderfully easy with children. Beaches are minutes away, cafes spill onto pavements and Table Mountain watches over pretty much everything. Spend the afternoon taking it easy or head out for your first wander around the neighbourhood. Sunset on Camps Bay beach is never a bad idea…
Today, discover Cape Town with someone who lives here. In the company of your local guide, you’ll explore the city beyond the obvious highlights.
The day is flexible and shaped around your family’s interests. You might browse design studios, discover colourful street art, stop at hidden cafes or spend time in one of Cape Town’s beach neighbourhoods. Along the way, your guide will share insights into daily life, local culture and the city’s fascinating contrasts between old and new.
More importantly, you’ll leave with plenty of ideas for the rest of your stay, including beaches, restaurants and hidden spots you probably wouldn’t have found alone. Not a bad way to settle into South Africa.
This morning, pick up your hire car and spend the next couple of days exploring Cape Town and the surrounding peninsula at your own pace.
There’s plenty to keep both children and adults entertained here. Drive out to Boulders Beach to meet the resident penguins waddling across the sand, take the cable car up to Table Mountain or head south towards Cape Point, where cliffs plunge into crashing Atlantic waves.
Keen for a slower afternoon? Kirstenbosch Gardens are ideal for picnics and running around, while the V&A Waterfront keeps little ones entertained with shops, boat trips and plenty of ice cream opportunities.
Hit the road this morning and follow the spectacular coastline east towards Hermanus. The drive itself is part of the adventure, winding past mountains, vineyards and dramatic ocean views.
You’ll spend the next two nights beside the lagoon in a stylish family house with huge windows, cosy interiors and plenty of space for everyone to relax. There’s also a clubhouse with games, kayaks, paddleboards and a swimming pool to keep younger travellers busy.
Hermanus is famous for whale watching during the southern winter months, but it’s lovely year-round thanks to its beaches, coastal paths and relaxed atmosphere. This afternoon, head down to the shoreline for a walk or simply settle in with sunset views over Walker Bay.
Depending on the season, today may bring one of the trip’s biggest highlights: whale spotting. Between June and December, southern right whales gather offshore around Hermanus and are often visible straight from the coastline.
If you’d like to get even closer, we can arrange a whale watching cruise where you may also spot dolphins, turtles and seabirds along the way.
Back on land, there’s no shortage of ways to spend the day. Paddle on the lagoon, cycle along the coast or simply enjoy some time on the beach.
And after a full day outside? Back to your cosy lagoon-side hideaway for dinner and an early night.
Continue east along South Africa’s famous Garden Route today, where beaches, forests, lagoons and mountains all seem to compete for attention outside the car window.
You’ll spend the next three nights near Knysna in a contemporary lodge surrounded by fynbos and overlooking ocean and lagoon landscapes.
Over the next couple of days, explore as much or as little as you like. Walk part of the spectacular Otter Trail, visit Wilderness Beach or head into Tsitsikamma National Park for suspension bridges and dramatic coastal scenery.
Knysna itself is great for seafood dinners and waterfront strolls, while nearby Plettenberg Bay offers dolphin spotting and long sandy beaches, perfect for children with energy to burn.
Today, swap the coastline for the bush as you continue east towards the private Lalibela Wildlife Reserve near Addo. After a few hours on the road, arrive at your safari lodge, where thatched chalets are tucked discreetly among the trees.
You’ll spend the next two nights here, with all meals and twice-daily safaris included. There’s a swimming pool overlooking the bush, outdoor dining beneath the stars and a waterhole that regularly attracts elephants and antelope.
This afternoon, head out on your first game drive with expert rangers who know the reserve inside out. Little ones tend to love safaris for obvious reasons – spotting giraffes and zebras never really gets old – but adults quickly become just as hooked. Keep the binoculars ready…
Today begins early with a sunrise safari, when the bush is at its liveliest. Lions return from hunting, elephants gather at watering holes and the cooler temperatures bring plenty of activity.
Back at the lodge, enjoy breakfast and downtime before heading out again later in the afternoon for your second game drive of the day.
Lalibela is home to the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino – but there’s plenty more besides. Cheetahs, hippos, jackals and countless bird species all roam the reserve too.
Between drives, little ones can splash in the pool while adults soak up the peace and quiet from the terrace. Then, once darkness falls, it’s all about stargazing and listening to the sounds of the bush around you.
This morning, drive back to Port Elizabeth Airport, return your hire car and begin the journey home.
There’s usually time for one final coffee and a quick scroll through the hundreds of safari photos you’ve inevitably taken before boarding your overnight flight back to the UK.
By the time you land the next morning, you’ll have ticked off beaches, penguins, whales, mountains and the Big Five – not bad for one family holiday.
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
Enquire now
Our team of destination experts will get to know you and your unique requirements for your holiday
We work with you to build an ultra-personalised holiday itinerary with your choice of accommodation, experiences and activities
All of our holidays include little extras designed to make a big difference to your trip, from checking you in for your flights to our network of local Concierges
