Family South Africa: Cape Town, the Garden Route & Addo

Today the family explores Cape Town. Weather permitting, you ride the revolving cableway up Table Mountain, a thrill in itself, to a summit with breathtaking views where children love spotting the little dassies and walking the easy paths. Back below, you visit the excellent Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront, where kids marvel at sharks, rays, penguins and a kelp forest, and perhaps take a short harbour boat trip. You might stroll the colourful Bo-Kaap or relax on a beach. The variety and fun keep every age happy. As the day ends, you return to your hotel, perhaps with ice creams on the waterfront. Rest well as a family, for tomorrow you explore the wild Cape Peninsula and meet the comical African penguins of Boulders Beach at their sheltered cove.

Today the family follows the spectacular Cape Peninsula south. You drive the coast past Camps Bay and along the cliff-hugging Chapman's Peak, pausing at pretty Hout Bay harbour, perhaps for a short boat trip to see seals. The highlight for children is Boulders Beach, where boardwalks lead right among a delightful colony of comical African penguins, with a chance to swim in the sheltered cove beside them. You continue into the Cape of Good Hope to the wild headland of Cape Point, riding the funicular for big views and watching for ostriches and antelope. The laughter and wonder are infectious. As the day ends, you return to Cape Town along the coast. Rest well as a family, for tomorrow you have a flexible day to enjoy the beaches and fun of the city before heading east.

Today is a flexible family day to enjoy Cape Town at your own pace. You might relax and build sandcastles on a golden beach, take a fun cableway ride if you missed it, visit the interactive science centre or the Company's Garden with its squirrels, or picnic at the beautiful Kirstenbosch gardens with their child-friendly Boomslang canopy walkway. Older children might enjoy a sunset cruise or a visit to a local market, while younger ones love the aquarium and the waterfront. This relaxed day lets the whole family recharge and play. The ease and fun are wonderful. As the day ends, you enjoy a family dinner, perhaps at a lively waterfront restaurant. Rest well, for tomorrow you begin the beautiful drive east along part of the Garden Route to lagoon-set Knysna, with its forests and hands-on wildlife.

Today the family travels east to Knysna, jewel of the Garden Route, by scenic drive or a short flight and transfer. As you enter the true Garden Route, the scenery softens into forest, lagoon and green hills. You arrive in Knysna, set on a tranquil, forest-fringed lagoon that opens to the sea between dramatic sandstone cliffs, and settle into your family-friendly stay. You explore the lively waterfront, perhaps enjoying a gentle lagoon cruise or hiring kayaks, with plenty of time for the children to play and relax. The scenery and fun are wonderful. As the day ends, you relax by the lagoon, the water glowing at sunset, perhaps with a family seafood supper. Rest well in beautiful Knysna, for tomorrow you enjoy the forests and hands-on wildlife of the Garden Route, meeting gentle elephants or rescued animals up close.

Today the family enjoys the forests and hands-on wildlife of the Garden Route. You might visit an elephant sanctuary near Knysna to meet these gentle giants, walking alongside them and learning about their care, or explore a monkey sanctuary and bird park where primates and colourful birds roam among the trees. You could take an easy walk in the indigenous forest, with its giant yellowwoods, ferns and birdlife, or enjoy a treetop adventure. There is time too for the lagoon, beaches and play. The hands-on wildlife and fun are wonderful for every age. As the day ends, you relax in Knysna, the children full of stories. Rest well as a family, for tomorrow you journey east to the great thrill of the trip, a malaria-free Big Five safari among the huge elephant herds of Addo Elephant Park.

Today brings the thrill every child dreams of, a malaria-free Big Five safari. You travel east to Addo Elephant National Park and settle into your family-friendly safari lodge, then set out on an exciting game drive among Addo's famous elephants, more than six hundred of them, watching huge, gentle herds drink and bathe at the waterholes, with children counting the calves in delight. You may also spot lion, buffalo, zebra, warthog, kudu and a wealth of other wildlife, while expert guides share fascinating facts. Being malaria-free, Addo lets the whole family enjoy safari with complete peace of mind. The excitement and wonder are unforgettable. As the day ends, you dine at the lodge, the children buzzing with stories of elephants. Rest well as a family in the bush, ready for another thrilling game drive tomorrow.

Today the family enjoys another exciting day of safari at Addo Elephant Park. A morning game drive explores the park as it wakes, seeking elephants, lion, buffalo, antelope and birds across the varied bushveld, with your guide making the wildlife come alive for young explorers, who love spotting animals and watching the great elephant herds at the waterholes. After a relaxed midday at the lodge, perhaps by the pool, an afternoon drive brings more encounters and the golden light of sunset over the bush. The thrill and wonder never fade. As the day ends, you gather for a farewell family dinner, reflecting on the elephants, penguins, mountains and beaches you have shared across South Africa. Rest well as a family in the bush, savouring your final African evening beneath the stars, the children already dreaming of their next safari adventure.

After a final breakfast, and perhaps a last morning game drive at Addo, the family transfers to the nearby Port Elizabeth airport to connect, via Johannesburg or Cape Town, with your onward departure. You leave having shared a wonderful family adventure across South Africa: the cable car and aquarium of Cape Town, the comical penguins of Boulders Beach, the wild Cape Peninsula, the lagoons, forests and gentle giants of the Garden Route, and the thrill of a malaria-free Big Five safari among the elephants of Addo. The images stay vivid long after you land, penguins on the sand, dassies on the mountain, and huge elephant herds at the waterhole. South Africa offers safe, easy and endlessly varied family fun in abundance, and you depart with children already dreaming of a return to the wonders of Africa.