South Africa: Farm Holidays for Safaris, Wine Farms and Guest Farms

South Africa: Farm Holidays takes you to guest farms with farm guest houses offering bed and breakfast, farm self-catering cottages, private game farms, wine farms and other types of farm accommodation throughout the country. Here you will find your African wildlife still roaming free in private wildlife reserves and on game farms. By taking a holiday safari you are really spending an eco-holiday out into the bushveld. The quiet and the solitude, and bonding with nature is one of the most relaxing holidays around. Some game farms and wildlife reserves will also offer private walking tours and game viewing trips.

This is a country of vast open spaces, beautiful sunsets, angry and vociferous electrical storms and panoramic beauty the length and breadth of the country that will take your breath away. It is also a country of many different cultures and languages. Despite this, you will find South African people very friendly, and they really enjoy being hosts to overseas visitors. There are nine provinces, each of which offers spectacular beauty. Kwazulu Natal is a land of rolling hills and the imposing Drakensburg Range, The Eastern Cape is where the 1820 British Settlers first made their home and it has some great coastal areas for fishing. The Wild Coast is particularly beautiful and unspoilt. The Northern Cape is home to the Karoo and offers a stark beauty unfound elsewhere. Gauteng is where you will find gold and diamond mines, sprawling Soweto and the fantastical Sun City with a game reserve right next door. There are many such wildlife reserves in this area. As is in Mpumalanga, where you will find the Kruger National Park and many private game reserves in and around the park area. And then there is Limpopo, one of the untouched areas of the country teeming with wildlife and a perfect spot for that holiday safari. However, arguably the most beautiful part of the country is found in the Western Cape , where historical wine farms are a must for those who enjoy tasting fine wines and farm produce, especially homemade cheeses, jams and preserves, honey and a couple of bottles of Chardonnay or Cabernet which can be purchased on the wine estates themselves. There are a number of well advertised wine routes in the area for you to enjoy and many wine farms offer both accommodation and also venues where you can hold a very romantic wedding. Some of the top wine farms are found in Stellenbosch, Franschoek and Paarl, among others found in the greater Cape Town area.

With all the wildlife in Africa, South Africa has its fair share, and it is famous for well organized travel safaris on private game farms for a great holiday safari. Your trip wouldn't be complete without a night safari which gives you a different perspective altogether. There is nothing more disconcerting, however, then when you are out at night and the jeep breaks down! It doesn't happen very often, but I have to admit that it happened to us one night, on one of our many safari forays. We were, however, perfectly safe and the situation added to the thrill realising, as we were sitting in the dark surrounded by the glowing eyes of the many animals around us, that the tables had been turned. We were now the animals being watched! It was a very strange feeling, but memorable, nevertheless.

Wine farms, Game Farms, Guest Farms, Farm Bed and Breakfasts and Holiday Cottages can all be found throughout South Africa and in each location there will be something of interest to see. If, for example, you find accommodation in the northern part of the country, you will not be far away from the most famous game reserve of them all - the Kruger National Park, where you can see the big five; lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard on daily trips into the park. There are many South African farms that have turned their lands into wildlife reserves that are professionally maintained and run by people who really love the bush and what they do. Knowledgeable guides will drive you in those open jeeps and take you to the animals that are hiding for those great photographic opportunities. Remember, that the best time to view wildlife in Africa is in the winter (June, July, August) when the grass is shorter. During the day the best times to view your wildlife is at dawn and dusk when the animals are on the move foraging for food and looking for waterholes.

This is a large country that is diverse in cultures, traditions and scenery. Agricultural practices cover the usual animal-rearing and crop-growing norms, but some also go in for the more unusual, and here you can visit crocodile and ostrich farms too.

For those of you who are looking for farm produce and fruit and vegetables directly from the farmers there are many roadside farm stalls, farm shops, farm gate sales and farmers markets where you will find wholesome, quality produce. With some parts of the country experiencing a Mediterranean climate and other parts enjoying a Tropical climate there is always good fruit around. For those of you who enjoy trying local delicacies when you travel, try some South African biltong and dried wors, both are delicious and can often be found in the deep freezers of your country farmer or at the nearest butchery.

If you have a farm in South Africa that you would like to showcase visit our Farm Forum. You can upload a picture and brag a little. We don't mind! Share a farming story, tell us about your best or worst farm holiday and lots more. There are other individual farming discussion boards to contribute to through this forum, as well as a Craft & Recipes Forum where you can share your favourite recipes and also get some crafting ideas for various arts & crafts.

We also host farms from the UK, the USA, Canada, South America, New Zealand, Australia ,Europe

Looking for Farm Accommodation throughout South Africa, and are not concerned about specific locations, have a look through this extensive list of guest farms, and game farms:

General Farm Accommodation

Or, if you want to look by area, then look at the regions individually below.

THE WESTERN CAPE

A map of South Africa showing the new provinces

If you would like to advertise your South African farm for free because you need some help on the farm to pick those crops, or whatever, see our section on farming jobs worldwide. Or, if you want to advertise your farm produce, farm accommodation or a farm service, look at our section Advertise your Farm. Please feel free to contact our marketing department at: marketing@countryfarm-lifestyles.com for any further enquiries.