DO IT NOW Magazine: High five for family holidays

TRAVEL

Words: Sam Bradley | Photos: Various photographers

High five for family holidays

Family holidays.

Just those two words are enough to evoke a multitude of memories:

sandy and sunburnt days on the beach, never-ending car rides with lots of I-Spy to keep us children occupied, days spent happily searching for elusive animals in game reserves and so on. While every person will have their own treasure trove of cherished memories, one thing remains constant – that nostalgic holiday feeling of which can best be described as fun, relaxation and adventure all rolled into one.

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With another summer well and truly upon us, below are a list of a few of our favourite places you’ll want to escape to for some of those cherished family moments.

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Pilanesberg National Park.

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Sun City offers a host of attractions, including the Valley of the Waves.

Photo credit: Tourism North West

North West: Pilanesberg Just three-hours’ drive from Johannesburg lies the Pilanesberg National Park, and at 55,000 hectares it is South Africa’s fourth largest reserve. Nicknamed ‘the volcano that gave

rise to a game reserve’, the Pilanesberg is set in the crater of a long-extinct volcano, giving it a spectacular landscape of grasslands, plains and rocky outcrops. Boasting over 7,000 animals, including the big five, and over 300 birds, the park is easily accessible with 200 km of roads and numerous lookout points and game hides.

Entrance to the park is R60 per adult, R20 per child/ pensioner and R20 per vehicle. Once inside, there are various accommodation options available for every taste and budget. Numerous luxury lodges border the park, such as Ivory Tree Lodge and Shepherd’s Tree Game Lodge, while the resorts affiliated to the National Park also come highly recommended. Bakgatla Resort is one of these, and offers chalets for up to five people, as well as executive camping tents (permanent tents on a wooden deck). The chalets consist of one double bed and three single beds, as well as a private patio and braai area. The prices are reasonable and the restaurant serves really good meals.

Keeping everyone happily entertained is always a challenge, but it shouldn’t be too hard at Pilanesberg. Once spotting animals in the park has lost its allure, there are still options such as hiking trails, walking safaris and even hot-air ballooning. For the kids, there’s a range of facilities to choose from, such as a swimming pool, putt putt and playground.

Sun City is also nearby and has a host of attractions such as golf, a water theme park, elephant rides, shopping and even the world’s fastest zipline.

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Get into the holiday mode at Oribi Gorge Hotel, with lots to do and see. Photo credit: Oribi Gorge Hotel

KwaZulu-Natal: Oribi Gorge Hotel Originally a farmhouse on a sugarcane plantation, the Oribi Gorge Hotel boasts a proud 124-year history. With 18

en-suite bedrooms, and surrounded by a peaceful garden that is home to birds and monkeys, as well as some shy duiker and reedbuck, the hotel is the ideal place for a relaxing holiday.

The key to getting into holiday mode is good food, and the healthy and hearty meals at the hotel do just that. The Eagle’s Eyrie is a fully licensed, indoor and outdoor restaurant that caters for every taste, while the Wild Fig Café (underneath an ancient fig tree) makes the perfect setting for relaxed lunches. What really makes the hotel special is its location, so the more time spent gazing out over the beautiful gorge and green vistas the better. To facilitate this, the hotel organises picnic baskets and braai menus for those wanting to enjoy their meals at one of the numerous picnic sites on the property.

High five

Oribi Gorge has become famous as an adventure zone, mainly due to the ‘Wild 5’ adventure activities available to guests. These include the gorge swing (claimed to be the world’s highest at 165 m), the zipline, 110 m cliff-face abseiling, white-water rafting and single-track mountain bike trails. For those too young for the adventure activities, there is a play park with swings and slides, as well as a swimming pool and plenty of space for riding bikes.

The beaches of Port Shepstone, Shelly Beach, Uvongo, Margate and Ramsgate are all close by, and game viewing at Lake Eland Game Reserve is also an option.

for family holidays

Oribi Gorge.

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Mogodi Lodge has a range of accommodation options, which are reasonably priced. Photo credit: graskop.co.za

Mpumalanga: Graskop Lying 400 km to the east of Johannesburg, the small forestry town of Graskop has become a popular base camp for tourists to explore the many activities and sights in the area.

The town dates backs to the 1830s, although it was only formally established as a town in 1914 when the railway line from Nelspruit to Graskop was completed. Today, it is a quiet town reliant on tourism for much of its business, as seen by the numerous restaurants, pancake houses and curio shops dotted along the streets.

One of the accommodation options is Mogodi Lodge, ideally situated just 50 m from the Graskop Gorge Falls and boasting fantastic views out over the lowveld.

Accommodation available range from self-catering, two-bedroom flats, one-bedroom flats, hotel rooms or backpacker rooms, all reasonably priced.

Guests definitely won’t get bored at the lodge as there is a putt-putt course and swimming pool for the children, plus a fully licensed bar and restaurant for the adults. There’s even a wedding chapel for the romantics and a 68-m freefall gorge swing for the adventurous.

Due to the many scenic sites surrounding Graskop, it is recommended that tourists have some sort of transport with which to explore the area. Just 55 km away is the Phabeni Gate to Kruger National Park, meaning day trips into South Africa’s largest game park can easily be done from Graskop.

Even closer is the Panorama Route, a 130-km trip past some of South Africa’s most spectacular scenery. One of the stops is God’s Window, a lookout point over the lowveld spread out 700 m below and fading into the distance as far as the eye can see. Close by, the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world, provides great views onto the Three Rondavels, while Pilgrim’s Rest is a town that transports visitors back into the gold prospecting days of the 19th Century, and is well worth a visit. Bourke's Luck potholes.

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Knysna Lagoon.

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Backpackers, like Island Vibe Knysna, are becoming more popular with families due to the attractive pricing.

Western Cape: Island Vibe Knysna Described as the ‘jewel of the Garden Route’, Knysna is a beautiful town surrounded by lush forests and a warm lagoon. It has plenty of stunning scenery,

such as The Heads (the area where the lagoon reaches the ocean through two large headlands), the Knysna Quays (waterfront area) and the actual town itself.

Due to its good climate, Knysna has become a popular tourist destination with many events to attract visitors. The Oyster Festival, Pink Loerie Mardi Gras event and Knysna Marathon are all annual events that draw huge crowds, giving the small town a lively atmosphere. Even when a big event isn’t happening the town still has a lively buzz, with international as well as South African tourists staying to enjoy the great food and outdoor lifestyle.

Situated in the heart of the town is Island Vibe Knysna, a backpackers equipped with a variety of dorm, double and family rooms, as well as a braai area, pool table and swimming pool. Not normally the preferred choice of accommodation for families, backpackers are becoming more popular due to the attractive prices (family rooms are under R600 per night) and friendly social atmosphere (communal fires are lit every evening for everyone to use to braai). The central location of the hostel means restaurants and shops are right outside the front door, and there is also a whole selection of activities on offer to make sure the children are entertained.

Canoe trips on the lagoon are popular, as are picnics and walks through the Knysna Forest.

The Knysna Elephant Park makes for a good half-day tour, and there are also adventure activities on offer, such as scuba diving, abseiling and even paragliding.

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Umngazi River Bungalows is situated in one of the most beautiful locations on the Wild Coast. Photo credit: Umngazi

Knysna Heads.

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Eastern Cape: Umngazi River Bungalows Tucked away on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape lies Umngazi River Bungalows, a beautiful hideaway surrounded by river and ocean. Umngazi lies 20 km south of Port

St Johns and is about a 90 km drive along tarred roads from Mthatha. No words can do the location full justice, and the feeling of being totally and wonderfully secluded from the busy world out there is a fabulous feeling indeed.

Considering Umngazi’s location, it’s easy to see why children are never bored. Sandboarding down the dunes, fishing with the gillies, swimming in the sea or playing on the sand are all a mere stone’s throw away. And there is also a kid’s club offering a host of activities to keep the young ones happily entertained.

For the adults, the options are endless: hiking through the spectacular scenery, mountain biking, fishing, canoeing, horse riding and a sunset fish eagle cruise up the river can all be enjoyed, while the resort also has a swimming pool and spa for the less energetic.

The resort has 69 bungalows separated into six categories, including honeymoon cottages and a spa suite (the garden, river and sea-facing bungalows are all ideal for families with children). Rates vary from between R815 to R1,765 per person, per night, which includes three scrumptious meals and mid morning and afternoon teas/coffees.

The food deserves a special mention because it really is that good. The Saturday night seafood feasts and Sunday braais are always favourites, while there are also packed lunches available for the enthusiastic fishermen and hikers who plan to be out all day. The cocktails, milkshakes and fine wines (which recently won another Diamond award in the Diners Club Winelist Awards) are best enjoyed from Basil’s Bar and Deck, looking out over the river as the sun sets on another fun-filled, memorable day.

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High five for family holidays

To say that South Africa is a vast and diverse playground is an understatement. It seems to be just waiting to be explored, and no matter how hard we try it seems we’ll never find all those hidden escapes – but then isn’t that the beauty of it all? • MORE INFORMATION For more information on the places mentioned in this article, visit: • Umngazi River Bungalows www.umngazi.co.za • Island Vibe Knysna www.islandvibe.co.za • Mogodi Lodge www.mogodilodge.co.za • Lake Eland Game Reserve www.lakeeland.co.za • Pilanesberg National Park www.pilanesbergnationalpark.org • Ivory Tree Lodge http://ivorytreegamelodge.com • Shepherd’s Tree Game Lodge http://shepherdstree.com • Bakgatla Resort www.bakgatlaresort-pilanesberg.com • Oribi Gorge Hotel www.oribigorge.co.za • Eagle’s Eyrie www.eagleseyrie.co.za/

Blyde River Canyon.

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