A safari may be at the heart of your luxury vacation in Africa, but there is so much more worth making time for.
Spend a few days among the vineyards of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, cross South Africa aboard one of the world’s great luxury trains, or follow a Tanzania safari with Stone Town and the beaches of Zanzibar. Meet the people behind traditional crafts, enjoy exceptional food and wine, or slow things down completely on a beautiful Indian Ocean island.
Africa gives you plenty of reasons to make more of the trip. In this guide, we look at some of our favorite ways to experience more of Africa, and how wine, rail, local culture and the Indian Ocean can become part of your luxury African vacation.
Food and Wine in the Cape Winelands
Less than an hour from Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are home to some of South Africa’s best-known wine estates, excellent restaurants and historic Cape Dutch architecture. Two or three days gives you time for private tastings, leisurely lunches and exploring the two towns.
Discover South Africa’s distinctive Pinotage alongside elegant Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cap Classique sparkling wines. Cellar tours, tastings with winemakers and carefully matched food and wine pairings are a wonderful introduction to the region’s wines, particularly during a private visit to one of the estates.
Stellenbosch has a historic center filled with galleries, cafés and restaurants. Franschhoek’s French Huguenot heritage is still evident in the town, which is also known for its exceptional restaurants and surrounding wine estates. The Winelands combine particularly well with Cape Town and a South African safari.
Interested in exploring Africa through its food and wine? Discover our luxury culinary tours in Africa.
Luxury Rail Journeys Through South Africa
There is a certain romance to crossing South Africa by train, with elegant dining, comfortable suites and days spent watching the scenery change outside your window.
Rovos Rail’s journey between Pretoria and Cape Town travels through the Great Karoo, with stops along the route including the historic village of Matjiesfontein and Kimberley, where South Africa’s diamond-mining history takes center stage. Longer Rovos Rail journeys travel further across southern Africa, including routes linking South Africa with Victoria Falls.
Private suites, fine dining and attentive onboard service are all part of a luxury journey aboard the Blue Train, which runs between Pretoria and Cape Town. Both trains retain the tradition of dressing for dinner, with leisurely meals served in elegant dining cars as the train crosses the vast landscapes of the Karoo, mountain ranges and South Africa’s wine country.
A few days aboard a luxury train brings the romance of classic rail travel into a South African vacation. Combine it with Cape Town, the Winelands or safari, or make the journey a highlight of a longer tour.
Authentic Local Experiences in Africa
One of the pleasures of traveling through Africa is getting to know the people, food and traditions along the way. In Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap, walk the colorful streets with a local guide, hear about the Cape Malay families who have called the neighborhood home for generations, then get into the kitchen to make samosas, Cape Malay curry or koeksisters together.
In Botswana’s Kalahari, a walk with San guides soon has you looking much more closely at the ground beneath your feet. Tiny tracks reveal which animals have passed by, and seemingly ordinary plants have uses for food, medicine and finding water in this remarkably dry landscape.
There are wonderful crafts to discover too. In Botswana, skilled weavers use the leaves of the mokola palm to create tightly coiled baskets, with intricate patterns inspired by wildlife, plants and the Kalahari landscape. South Africa has its own rich craft traditions, including the bold geometric beadwork associated with Ndebele and Zulu communities, hand-painted ceramics and distinctive textiles such as indigo shweshwe. Visit a workshop and you can see the skill involved firsthand, talk to the people making the pieces and buy directly from the maker.
At Finest Journeys, we specialize in authentic local experiences during our private African tours, giving you time to talk, learn, laugh and come home knowing a little more about the places you have visited.
Choosing Between Zanzibar and the Seychelles
Zanzibar pairs easily with a safari in Tanzania, with direct flights from the mainland bringing you to the island in around an hour. Spend a day or two in Stone Town, exploring narrow streets lined with carved wooden doors, old merchant houses and small cafés. Visit a spice farm where cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla grow, and try dishes that reflect the island’s African, Arab and Indian heritage. Freddie Mercury was born here too, and his former family home now houses a small museum.
Then head to the coast for white-sand beaches and the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Resorts range from intimate beachfront retreats to some of the island’s most luxurious hotels, with snorkeling, diving and sailing for those who want to do more than relax by the water.
The Seychelles takes you further out into the Indian Ocean, with 115 islands scattered across the archipelago. Mahé has a mountainous interior surrounded by small beaches and secluded bays, as well as the greatest choice of hotels and restaurants. On Praslin, enormous coco de mer palms grow in the UNESCO-listed Vallée de Mai, and La Digue is small enough to explore by bicycle, including a ride to Anse Source d’Argent and its famous granite boulders. For history, food and culture as well as beach time, Zanzibar has a lot to pack into a few days. For island-hopping, exceptional hotels and some of the Indian Ocean’s most remarkable beaches, look towards the Seychelles.
Make More of Your African Safari
The hardest part may be deciding how much to fit in. A safari could take you to Africa in the first place, but once you start looking beyond the game reserves, there are plenty of reasons to stay longer.
A few extra days could be spent over a long lunch in the Winelands, crossing South Africa by luxury train, cooking with a local family or waking up beside the Indian Ocean. Better still, give yourself enough time to enjoy more than one.
At Finest Journeys, we create private African vacations around the experiences that matter to you, combining safari with the places, people and experiences you want to make part of your trip.