South Africa offers some of the best wildlife watching on the planet and I'd have to recommend the iconic Kruger National Park for fabulous wildlife viewing in a scenic landscape. However, if you're looking for a more refined, upmarket experience, there are some fantastic private reserves bordering the Kruger - such as Sabi Sands and the Timbavati - which provide a more intimate setting and have superb lodges. Also worth considering are parks in KwaZulu-Natal such as Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve and Ithala Reserve, both of which are excellent, while the Eastern Cape game reserves are malaria-free.
But while South Africa certainly offers world-class safaris, it also offers so much more for a family holiday. My personal recommendation would be to combine a safari with a self-drive along the Garden Route. After your safari, fly to Port Elizabeth (PE as it's affectionately known!), pick up a car and then drive in a westerly direction towards Cape Town. Self-drive in this part of South Africa and you can enjoy a host of lovely boutique hotels and B&Bs as well as lodges, and it's a well-trodden path - it's easy. Your two first stops could be Jeffreys Bay and Plettenberg Bay. Enjoy the beaches, go sand-boarding, explore art and craft shops or visit nature reserves - there's plenty to see and do here for all the family.
From 'Plet', head inland a little, where Hog Hollow is the perfect place to stay. Then drive west, perhaps spending a night in George or Knysna, before reaching De Hoop Nature Reserve, home to the magnificent Lekkerwater Beach Lodge which is situated on the coast. There's superb land-based whale watching - for the area's annual congregations of southern right whales - all along the coast here from July through to early October, and Lekkerwater offers guided whale watching as well as nature walks and drives.
In Cape Town itself, a cable-car ride up Table Mountain is a must, while some wine-tasting at the vineyards of Stellenbosch or Paarl should please the parents. Drive to Simon's Town to see African penguins, or visit Robben Island to see where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. For the adventurous (older teenagers and young adults!), cage-diving with great white sharks is an option, or head to the Cape of Good Hope for the iconic sight of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meeting. Whatever combination you decide on, South Africa has the potential for a perfect family holiday.
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