KZN Game Reserve * Coastal Maputaland (beach) * Cape Town
This Cape, Bush & Beach family breakaway is a relaxing holiday mainly in sunny KwaZulu Natal which is ideal for an Easter break. We’ve added Cape Town on for 4 nights. But this is completely optional if you are aiming to get away for a shorter ”half-term” school holiday.
This Cape, Bush & Beach Family Breakaway is a balanced family holiday combining wildlife, ocean, and city with plenty of time to relax as a family. Set mainly in sunny KwaZulu-Natal, it’s perfect for an Easter or short school break. We’ve added in a Cape Town extension for families who want to add a touch of city style to their adventure. (But this can be taken out as well.)
Begin your journey on safari at Phinda Mountain Lodge, where exciting game drives meet family-friendly comfort. The lodge offers inter-leading suites, making it ideal for families with younger children or teens. From there, head to Thonga Beach Lodge on the unspoiled Maputaland coast, where soft white sands, tropical forest, and clear blue waters create a serene setting for snorkelling, diving, or simply unwinding. Kayak at sunrise on Lake Sibaya, enjoy beach picnics, or enjoy sundowners on the beach dec. It’s the perfect blend of activity and tranquillity.
Finally, fly to Cape Town for four nights at the relaxed Villa Lauren at Blackheath or the elegant Winchester Mansions, where you can explore at your own pace. We have not included touring at this stage as you may prefer to self-drive or opt for a private driver. Either way, the city is fantastic for families from Table Mountain cable car to gentle coastal hikes, and from the Oceanarium to the penguins of Boulders Beach.
Note: Β Cape Town is completely optional if you are aiming to get away for a shorter ‘half-term’ getaway.
All Cedarberg Africa journeys are tailor-made. Β Add an extra night on safari, choose upgraded accommodation, or adjust the route to suit your interests and pace.
To adjust the budget, swap Phinda for either the newly upgraded Thanda Safari Lodge (price shown below) or Mthembu Family lodge, Mfulawozi private concession by the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve. Ask us for a tailored quote.
Extend your stay with a night near Durban for a full day of exploring: visit uShaka Marine World, the Natal Shark Centre, or the Valley of 1000 Hills before your late afternoon flight to Cape Town. Choose between Oyster Box Hotel or Canelands Beach House
On arrival at Richards Bay Airport, you are met by our representative and transferred by road or air to Phinda Game Reserve for 3 nights on safari. Phinda offers a winning combination of soft adventure, thrilling game-viewing and inspired lodge design. Activities include game drives, exciting tracking walks & sunset boats trips.
You enjoy open-vehicle game drives with an experienced ranger and tracker who work together to give you a deeper understanding of the wildlife and the natural cycles of the bush. Their bush knowledge, practical skills and love of nature promise you informative, exciting and rewarding encounters with the wildlife.
Phinda Mountain Lodge is a sophisticated harmony of ethnic dΓ©cor, superb cuisine, and personalised service. As its name suggest, the lodge is perched on the Ubombo Mountains with spectacular views over the coastal plains.
The pattern for the next few days is to rise early with the animals as they start to hunt in the cool of the day. You begin your game drive immediately after early morning tea and coffee. The drive finishes in time for a late breakfast which will be keenly appreciated after your early morning activity. You relax around the lodge during the heat of the day or take a bush walk with a ranger (adults only). This affords you the ultimate, close-to-the-wild experience, and a chance to focus on the smaller bush inhabitants including birds, insects and butterflies. You can also discover the interesting worlds of trees, grasses, flowers, geology and ecology of course; occasionally big game can be seen on walks including the Big Five.
After lunch and a siesta, you meet again for tea which is followed by a late afternoon game drive. As the sun sets, the afternoon drive becomes a night safari following nocturnal animals as they begin to huntβ¦..
Phinda Mountain Lodge is a family-friendly safari lodge. On arrival at the lodge all children are presented with a special eco-guide for planet-managers containing a quiz, a learning guide and tips for spoor and animal identification. Rangers will help the kids complete their eco-guides, help them collect pods, feathers, bugs and leaves and teach them to identify different animal species. When all the activities in the guide have been completed, the ranger will sign a certificate at the back stating that the child has graduated as a planet-manager.
Rangers take children under six years old (who are not able to take part in the main game drives) on special βPooh Walksβ on which they are taught to identify droppings and spoor. There are also fishing and frogging safaris (safety and weather permitting) and bark-rubbing expeditions. Then there are visits to the garage to oversee Land rover repairs and lessons in making waxed spoor prints, which can be taken home.
If they arenβt exhausted after all this, the chef welcomes childrenβs assistance in the kitchen while baking cookies for afternoon tea. If children are to eat in the boma, and there is a group, theyβll have a special table set for them or given their own fire and marshmallows to grill over the coals β always under a rangerβs watchful eye.
After your last early morning game drive, you are transferred by road to Thonga Beach Lodge for 4Β nights by the beach where you can be as active, or as lazy, as you choose.
The Maputaland Marine Reserve stretches 200km north from Lake St Lucia β one of the worldβs finest marine sanctuaries teeming with water birds, crocodiles and hippo β to Kosi Bay. Within this reserve, the Kosi Forest Coastal Reserve is an unspoilt wilderness region of pristine golden beaches backed by forested dunes and captivating freshwater lakes. This truly is a magical area, untouched by large-scale tourism development. Activities mostly revolve around the ocean and the lakeland system with snorkelling for tropical fish, canoeing and awe-inspiring evening excursions in the summer to view the rare giant leatherback turtles as they lay and hatch their eggs (Oct to Feb).
Thonga Beach Lodge is a stylish and relaxed beach lodge on the shores of the secluded Mabibi bay in Coastal Maputaland. Mabibi Beach is a magical place with a long sandy beach, snorkelling reefs, coastal forest and shimmering lakes behind. Activities at Thonga include swimming, snorkelling, diving, learning to dive, sunrise canoeing on lake Sibaya and sunset drinks on the lakeshore as well as an ocean experience looking for whales and dolphinsβ¦
Note: Our sample family prices are based on two smaller children sharing with 2 adults. However Thonga reserves the right to ask families to take two chalets if the children are older. This will increase the price. So the family sample price should be taken as a guide only.
This morning you are transferred back by road to King Shaka airport for your flight to Cape Town. Note that this is quite a long transfer. So you may like to either swap the safari and beach components. Alternatively we recommend adding in a night near Durban to break the journey.
You fly to Cape Town where you are met and transferred to Villa Lauren, which is part of Blackheath Lodge by Oyster Collection. This 2 bedroomed house is perfect for family stays.
Note we have not included touring on Days 8 to 11 at this stage in Cape Town. Some families like to take a rental car and other will prefer a private driver for touring. Yet others like to decide on their plans when they get to Cape Town. (Uber is also a very-easy to use option in Cape Town.)
Private transfer to Cape Town International Airport for your flight home.
Rough Indication for Domestic flights β Assume between R5150 and R7560 per person (approx $320to $470pp). Domestic scheduled flights (between Cape Town & Durban, and from Johannesburg to Richards Bay) are not included above β as these are subject to change.
Meals and accommodation as shown in digital brochure (Bed & Breakfast for 4 nights, 3 nights on Fully Inclusive and 4 nights on Full Board & Game Activities (excl drinks), charter flight or road transfer from Richards Bay to Phinda, road transfer between Phinda and Thonga, road transfer from Thonga to Richards Bay, game drives & activities on safari at Phinda, non-motorized activities at Thonga
EXCLUDESScheduled flights from Johannesburg to Richards Bay and from Durban to Cape Town, visas, items of a personal nature, drinks not specified
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