Top 10 Wildlife Experiences in South Africa: numbers 1 & 2

With some difficulty, tour leader and native South African Leon Marais has chosen his Top Ten South Africa wildlife experiences. Here are Leon’s choices for numbers 1 & 2.

Leopard by Leon Marais

Number 1: Whale watching on the Cape coast

If you want to see whales but aren’t too enthralled with the idea of rough boat trips out to sea, South Africa’s southern coastline between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas offers some of the best land-based whale watching spots in the world. In and around the small town of Hermanus, Southern Right Whales can be observed from the comfort of a bench at the edge of the rocky shore, where a steep drop-off allows the whales to come very close in-shore. The whales are late winter and spring visitors, arriving from the Southern Ocean in August and departing around December, with September being the prime whale month.

Best tours: Best of the Cape

Number 2: Big game encounters in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve

The highlight of any safari is undoubtedly a close up encounter with a big cat. And while ‘any safari’ might deliver one or two good cat sightings, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve usually delivers a lot more. This is where the private lodge concept has its origin, in South Africa at least, with a long history of conservation, responsible guiding practises and a high density of prey resulting in unparalleled predator viewing. Furthermore, it’s part of the Greater Kruger National Park, a wildlife region of over 20,000 sq km (the size of Wales), meaning that the game viewing is authentic. I’ve personally seen Lion, Leopard, Wild Dog and Cheetah on a single drive here before, and while that’s exceptional by any standards, the Sabi Sands on average dishes up phenomenal game viewing. Of course each wildlife region has its own advantages, but if you want to have close-up encounters with big feline predators, this is the place to visit.

Best tour: Just Cats!