Luxury reserves

Conservationists invented the Small Five (the elephant shrew, antlion, rhinoceros beetle, buffalo weaver and leopard tortoise) as a reminder that show-stealing predators aren’t the only interesting aspect of South Africa’s natural world. In this spirit, some of the country’s finest luxury reserves protect not hefty carnivores, but significant tracts of nature.

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve is a world leader in sustainability for its 8,650 acres of fynbos on the Cape Overberg coast, which has yielded seven new plant species. While staying in a contemporary lodge or villa, you can spot the Marine Big Five (shark, whale, dolphin, penguin and seal) on a Walker Bay boat tour and experience the biodiverse Cape floral kingdom by mountain bike, horseback or light aircraft.

Tswalu conserves the very different environment of the semi-desert Kalahari with its secluded safari camps amid 250,000 acres of grassy savannah and ochre dunes. Watch meerkats emerge from their burrows, sleep beneath the stars, spot a black-maned Kalahari lion on safari and taste Northern Cape cuisine at celebrity chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s Restaurant Klein JAN.

Many of the finest reserves are found in the northern veld, but there are also wildlifewatching options if you’re flying straight to Cape Town. The NGO-owned Sanbona Wildlife Reserve covers a chunk of semi-arid Little Karoo almost the size of Singapore, with lions, cheetahs, rhinos and elephants among its dry koppies, while upmarket reserves cluster around Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape. One of the best is Shamwari Private Game Reserve, which has the Big Five alongside wildlife rehabilitation centres, luxurious lodges and a wilderness camp.