Q // I'm planning a trip to South Africa and want to combine a city break in Cape Town with a nearby safari. Where do you recommend?
South Africa's famous safari heartlands lie in the north east, but there are precious pockets of wilderness within easy striking distance of Cape Town, too.
Aquila Private Game Reserve, for example, is just two hours out of town via the scenic N1 highway through the Cape Winelands. This family-friendly reserve is an ideal taster of safari, featuring outings by safari vehicle, quad bike or on horseback. It doesn't have quite the same wild feel of the large reserves, but its compact size means you're almost guaranteed to see antelopes, giraffes and hippos. There are lions and leopards, too, fenced off from the herbivores. Behind the scenes, there are active tree-planting projects in full swing, too.aquilasafari.com
If you're interested in botany, coastal landscapes and marine wildlife, the multi-award-winning Grootbos Private Nature Reserve is a superb choice. Two hours southeast of Cape Town, this glorious swathe of rare Cape fynbos vegetation flows down to Walker Bay, a shallow stretch of coast home to migratory southern right whales between June and November. Offering a mixture of activities such as guided hikes and whale-watching, Grootbos is well-suited to outdoorsy types. But its luxurious and eco-friendly accommodation makes it a great choice for a lazy escape, too, relaxing on your balcony with binoculars, ready for birds to fly past or whales to breach off-shore.grootbos.com EMMA GREGG
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