Wildlife in South Africa
There’s not only abundant wildlife, there’s spectacle, too. The lions of Kruger National Park have been known to oblige tourists by taking down prey right in front of their jeeps, while hippos like to wander through the streets of St Lucia in KwaZulu Natal. And, while East Africa stages the Great Migration of wildebeest, South Africa has its own mass movement: the Sardine Run, in late June and July each year, when shoals in their millions migrate along the south coast creating a feeding frenzy of sharks, dolphins and sea birds. Who needs the Serengeti?
On South Africa’s southwest coast there are seals and African penguins, with the mainland penguin colonies of Betty’s Bay and Boulders Beach guaranteeing up close and personal encounters with these charming birds. It all adds up to a diverse and delightful carnival of the animals and means that, when in South Africa, you can make wildlife the sole focus, or combine safari and sightseeing, animals and activities, whale watching with just having a whale of a time.
Our South Africa Holidays
South Africa safari holiday, 14 days
Award winning safari in South Africa
Luxury Kruger and Mauritius Holiday
South Africa's Kruger National Park, plus time in Mauritius
Ten day wildlife safari, South Africa
Award winning wildlife safaris in South Africa
Cape to Windhoek Namib desert camping safari
Camping safari from Cape Town to Namibia, Sossusvlei, Etosha
Family luxury safari & beach holiday, South Africa & Mozambique
Combine a wildlife safari in South Africa with beach time.
Cape Town to Victoria Falls small group lodge tour
Classic route lodge safari to Namibia, Botswana & Zimbabwe
Wildlife safari and whale watching in South Africa
5 day Whale watching South Africa add to your safari
Kwa-Zulu Natal tailor made tour, South Africa
Discover Kwa-Zulu Natal with a qualified botanist
South Africa & Mauritius holiday
Africa and the Indian Ocean. Cape Town, Safari and Mauritius
Camping safari in Southern Africa
Camping safari highlights of Zimbabwe, Botswana & Kruger
Cape Town and the Garden Route tour
Travel along the dramatic coastline at the bottom of South Africa
South Africa safari and Mauritius beach holiday
This luxury itinerary combines a wildlife safari with relaxation time on the beach
Family safari in Botswana and South Africa
A family friendly safari in iconic wildlife locations
Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa
Award-winning, Fair Trade certified wildlife conservation!
Three Reserve safari in South Africa
Best value, 10 days high quality stunning big game safari
Zululand safari holiday, South Africa
Experience wildlife reserves, beaches and Zulu culture
Classic South Africa self drive holiday
Ideally suited for the first-time visitor to South Africa
Southern Africa overland holiday
Discover southern Africa from Kruger to the Okavango Delta
Safari adventure holiday, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique
An extraordinary camping safari across South Eastern Africa
Cape to Windhoek Namibia Desert tour
Lodge safari from Cape Town to Namibia, Sossusvlei Etosha
South Africa and Swaziland safari
Lodge safari all encompassing South Africa & Swaziland
Southern Africa budget holiday
Discover the iconic wildlife and nature of South East Africa
The great white shark conservation project in South Africa
Encounter iconic Great White Sharks in South Africa!
South Africa cycling holiday, Western Cape
Superb scenery, culture & wildlife
Vic Falls to Johannesburg tour, Southern Africa
Soak up the sights and sounds on this African adventure
South Africa highlights holiday
Highlights of South Africa, Soweto, Garden Route
Kwazulu Natal safari and beach holiday, South Africa
South Africa's Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park & Elephant Coast
Self drive holiday in South Africa
Immerse yourself in natural beauty, history & wilderness
Kruger & coast holiday in South Africa
Explore the incredible Southern Africa
Wildlife highlights in South Africa
Addo Elephant National Park
Elephant Coast
KwaZulu Natal’s coast contains a dazzling smorgasbord of habitats supporting an eclectic mix of creatures: monkeys and mongoose, elephants and whales, flamingoes and pelicans. This is where mammals meet marine life, crocs lurk in creeks and hippos hang out in town. Much of the Elephant Coast is taken up by the iSimangaliso Wetlands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s home to more than 1,000 hippos, as well as elephants, rhinos, buffalos, leopards and various antelope species. Spot whales cruising past its pristine beaches and dolphins playing in the surf, snorkel over coral reefs, kayak past hippos on Africa’s largest estuary, birdwatch from a canoe on Kosi Bay and see giant leatherback and loggerhead turtles lumbering up the beaches to lay eggs.Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve
This is Africa’s oldest game reserve and, in the 1950s and 1960s, the home of Operation Rhino. Today, thanks to sustained conservation efforts, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi has the continent’s largest concentration of white rhino, alongside other impressive wildlife, including lions, leopards, buffalos, elephants and giraffes. The reserve is a birding hotspot, too, with around 340 species here; the violet backed starling and the southern bald ibis among its colourful and dramatic avian residents.Kruger National Park
Whale watching
From roughly June to November you can go whale watching in South Africa, not that you have to ‘go’ very far at all; simply standing on the shore is sufficient in many parts of the country, as the whales come so close to land you can see them clearly without setting foot on a boat. Hermanus in the Western Cape is the epicentre of the whale watching action, with nearby Plettenberg Bay another great place for whale watching tours. On KwaZulu Natal’s Elephant Coast you can stand on whale viewing platforms in the dunes to see humpback and southern right whales passing by the shore, migrating north in June and July, and south in September and October.Our top South Africa Holiday
South Africa safari holiday, 14 days
Award winning safari in South Africa
2021: 11 Jul, 25 Jul, 8 Aug, 22 Aug, 5 Sep, 19 Sep, 3 Oct, 17 Oct, 31 Oct, 14 Nov, 28 Nov
Best time to see wildlife in South Africa
Whale watching from both sea and shore around Hermanus is best from June to November. In KwaZulu Natal, see humpbacks and southern right whales as they migrate from June to July and September to October. The sardine run takes place in late June and July, for about five weeks in total.
The penguins at Boulders Beach near Cape Town are out at sea feeding in September and October, so you’ll see fewer penguins on the shore. February to August is breeding season, and the best time to see the penguins and their newly hatched chicks.
Practicalities
Inside parks and reserves, game drives are the standard way to witness the wildlife, with self driving an option in Kruger National Park. Some reserves permit bush walks and night drives, too. In the iSimangaliso Wetlands of KwaZulu Natal, you can explore Lake St Lucia, Africa’s largest estuary, by boat, to see its hippo, crocodiles and fish eagles. Sunset and night game drives are also possible on the western shores of the lake. To see African penguins close up, visit the Boulders Beach colony just outside Cape Town, where a boardwalk ensures the experience is wheelchair accessible.
If you’d like to concentrate fully on wildlife while in South Africa, consider joining a volunteer conservation project, working with threatened wildlife. You’ll help to track and locate animals, map sightings and observe behaviours. This is a great way to get close to wildlife and also visit some of the reserves that don’t make it onto standard holiday itineraries.
More about South Africa
