South Africa – wildlife

The vegetation in South Africa ranges from coastal forests to deserts and so the wildlife that can be found in South Africa varies according to the vegetation in the area. The western and north western part of the country is extremely dry and so the wildlife found there is very different to the wildlife found in the east of the country. Springbok, gemsbok, brown hyenas, meerkats are all specialities in the drier areas. Cheetah, leopard and lion all do well in the Kalahari area of northern South Africa.

It is in the private reserves that border the world famous Kruger National Park that most of the South African Wildlife Holidays would take place. Reserves like Sabi Sand Private Game reserve, MalaMala, Tibavati Private Nature Reserve, Phinda Game Reserve and Shamwari Game Reserve all offer a range of great lodges and some fantastic game viewing with the “Big Five” seen on a regular basis. These are the ultimate privtae concessions to maximise your wildlife viewing on your wildlife holiday.

The lodges on the private reserves can offer night drives which are an exciting opportunity to see some of the weird creatures that come out after dark. Things like springhares, bushbabies, hyenas and leopard are often seen on these night drives as this is when they are most active.

South Africa is also able to offer great wildlife viewing along the coast with the southern right whales inhabiting the Cape coast from May – December; great white sharks offer a spectacular experience for any adventurous visitor to South Africa. Cape fur seals can be seen playing in the harbour in Cape Town and jackass penguins live on the beach near Simon’s Town. There are some world class dive sites along the north coast of South Africa with the annual sardine run a highlight for any diver.