Wildlife, whales and wine: Patrick Grant’s incredible family adventure in South Africa

In pursuit of an iconic South Africa family safari experience, Great British Sewing Bee judge, Patrick Grant, heads to Kruger National Park.

Sarah Pascoe, Esme Young and Patrick Grant, Great British Sewing Bee

Thirty-five years ago, shortly after Nelson Mandela’s release, during the final days of apartheid, I travelled regularly to South Africa. My employer, a big British engineering firm was helping to build one of the country’s first fibre optic networks in partnership with the local power companies.

Often, I would visit Cape Town and Johannesburg, with the odd trip to Pretoria and Durban: I vividly recall a day in the back of an electric company van driving through the big township in Cape Town, the local engineers explaining to me the reality of life there.

Most of my trips to Africa would be two or three weeks long, dotting between southern and eastern African countries; in the days of fax machines and meetings booked months in advance.

Kruger National Park, South Africa family safari

My first solo safari in Kruger National Park

On one such trip I was slated to spend a weekend in Johannesburg but, rather than spend it in the city, I decided to book a room in a small B&B on the edge of Kruger National Park and do a safari instead.

I drove myself around southern Kruger in a rented Toyota Camry and in one day saw four of the big five. Incredibly, I also saw a pride of lions attempt and fail to kill a kudu. Then, somewhat as an afterthought, kill an unlucky impala who happened to be caught in the crossfire, right outside my (open) car window.

Patrick Grant, Sailawaze Excellence Awards 2024 ©Michael Newington Gray

Why I’m revisiting Kruger National Park on a South Africa family safari now

In the decade that I worked in engineering I travelled almost constantly, to many extraordinary countries, mostly in Africa and South Asia (I once added up over 70 that I’d visited). Also, during the past two decades, work travel has taken me mostly to the world’s fashion capitals of Paris, New York, Tokyo, and Milan, as well as a few other interesting spots.

But, because work has always been so heavy on the travel, I never really fancied going far for holidays, preferring to spend them in Britain, usually Scotland and occasionally the remoter corners of England, western Ireland or north Wales.

It’s a habit that has stuck, although my work has changed since founding Community Clothing back in 2016. Instead of fashion capitals, today I travel to textile capitals like Leeds, Huddersfield, Burnley and Hawick to visit the amazing factories that make our clothes: different, but also wonderful.

As a result, I found myself increasingly hankering for foreign landscapes, food and culture, and sunshine. During one of the many inspiring conversations that I had whilst hosting the Sailawaze Cruise Awards last year I began to mull over a trip back to South Africa, and Kruger.

Lanzerac Hotel & Spa, Stellenbosch

The journey from bats in the garden to a family safari in South Africa

My girlfriend and I are both massive wildlife lovers and have always talked about safari. Large parts of her salary go to animal charities, we have boxes in the garden for owls, kestrels and bats, and we love nothing better than sitting with a cuppa watching the birds, and occasional stoat, that visit the garden.

So, with help from our friends at Family Traveller we planned a trip. We would begin at Lanzerac Hotel & Spa in Stellenbosch, a region which, despite several trips to Cape Town, I’d never had an excuse to visit. From there we’d travel up to the extraordinary Outpost lodge in the far north of Kruger, and finishing back south, on Camps Bay to the east of Cape Town.

The Lanzerac Estate dates back to 1692, just 13 years after the founding of Stellenbosch, and was converted into a hotel back in 1959. Sitting on the edge of the town in the lush Jonkershoek Valley it’s surrounded by vineyards and acres of beautifully tended gardens shaded by wonderful old oak trees.

Our cottage had views across its own private garden, to the glorious Bothmaskop and Square Tower Peak beyond. We swam, ate, walked and borrowed bikes and cycled up to the head of the Jonkershoek valley, following the brilliant MTO mountain biking trails in the nature reserve. We could have happily stayed for weeks.

Family Suite, The Outpost, Kruger National Park

Our extraordinary experience at The Outpost Lodge in Kruger National Park

But we couldn’t, so instead we flew north, taking a commercial flight to Hoedspruit, and from there a small charter up to the remote northern Kruger, touching down at the landing strip at Pafuri, no more than a corridor of dirt in the bush, more used by warthogs and zebra than planes, and from there by truck to The Outpost Lodge.

I’ve been fortunate to stay in some incredible hotels and houses in my life, but I can remember few places as special as The Outpost: a dozen lodges built into the cliff, open on three sides to the wilderness and wildlife, with a perfect, uninterrupted view across the Luvuvhu river to the sun rising over the distant hills. It is genuinely magical.

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Delight and Daltania, The Outpost, Kruger National Park

The Outpost is run exclusively by women from the Makulele community

There are so many wonderful and lovely things about the place, but, perhaps uniquely, it’s staffed and run exclusively by women, all of them from the community whose land the lodge is built on – part of the Makuleke contract – the community having reclaimed their ancestral land post-apartheid in 1996. These amazing ladies are now custodians of this piece of Kruger National Park and are the kindest, happiest hosts, creating an atmosphere like nowhere else.

The charming and knowledgeable Tsakani, one of a very small number of black female guides working in South Africa, was our guide, picnic host, and wonderfully amiable companion for four unforgettable sunrises and sunsets.

Daltania, our endlessly smiley butler, would leave us a beautiful message each night, arranged in buffalo thorn or maula petals or leaves on our bed.

And a special mention has to go to Chef Betty and her team, whose recipe for rusks (a South African biscotti) and carrot cake I had to have written down. And Delight, Winnie, Nurse, were everything you could ever wish for in hosts.

Giraffes, Kruger National Park, South Africa family safari

But wildlife is what it’s all about on a South Africa family safari

Then there was the wildlife. The dassie’s (rock hyraxes) and squirrels that greeted us each morning and evening as we went to and from our chalet, a couple of the big five (lots of ellies and buffalo), but more excitingly, some of the small five and other game: elephant shrews, bush babies, genets, scrub hares, and an African wildcat.

And the birds were simply amazing. Kruger has over 500 bird species, and I wrote down at least 55 that we saw, from fork tailed drongos to red billed hornbills, Swinsons spurfowls to African paradise flycatchers, bee-eaters, kingfishers, eagles, vultures. I never knew I was such a twitcher.

Rising with the sun each day, spending hours with eyes and ears tuned to every tiny movement in the bush; no phones, no news, just rocks and trees and dirt and nature, it felt unlike any other holiday I can remember. It was four days of heaven.

View from The Twelve Apostles, Camps Bay

Hiking Table Mountain and whale watching with breakfast

We returned to the Cape and spent a few nights in the gloriously jolly Twelve Apostles at Camps Bay, hiked Table Mountain and the trail to Llandudno, and ate breakfast while a blue whale rose and fell, over and over, just a few hundred yards from our table. We love South Africa.

Kruger National Park, South Africa family safari

Planning a South Africa family safari holiday with Rainbow

First off, I recommend finding an African travel specialist to take all the stress out of planning a South Africa family safari holiday.

Rainbow Tours is one of the UK’s leading safari specialists and offers a selection of itineraries and tailormade holidays.

Our 10-night trip, flying into Cape Town and out of Johannesburg with Norse Air, included a three night, B&B stay at The Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa, as well as a two night B&B stay at Lanzerac Hotel & Spa. Domestic flights to Kruger National Park were also included, along with a four night, all-inclusive stay at The Outpost Lodge.

Pool, Lanzerac Hotel & Spa, Stellenbosch

Lanzerac Hotel & Spa: ideal for Cape Town and the Winelands

Lanzerac Hotel & Spa in Stellenbosch is a fantastic base for families wanting to explore Cape Town and the Winelands, with plenty of outdoor space for exploration.

The location is hard to beat, surrounded by the mountains, set in a flourishing vineyard, yet just five minutes from Stellenbosch town centre and the area’s many family-friendly activities. The hotel is set in acres of grounds with several swimming pools to choose from, and families will appreciate their flexible dining options, as well as inter-connecting double rooms.

Under-fives stay free, and older children pay just 75% of the adult rate. Cots and highchairs are available and each family request is expertly managed on an individual basis. There’s also childcare, should parents want to enjoy a few hours in Lanzerac’s award-winning spa, go wine-tasting or take a cellar tour.  Read more about why Stellenbosch is made for families 

The Outpost Lodge by Rare Earth Retreats, Kruger National Park

The Outpost Lodge by Rare Earth Retreats is one of the most unforgettable safari experiences in South Africa.

Set in the remote northern reaches of Kruger National Park, it’s in the Makuleke Private Concession, an area known for its incredible biodiversity and views for days!

With just 12 suites, it’s perfect for families with older children looking for an ultra-personalised safari – families can also book nearby Pel’s Post for exclusive use of its four suites.  And the Outpost team loves to surprise young guests with popcorn or ice cream stops in the Fever Tree Forest during game drives.

Although children must be 10 years and older to stay at The Outpost Lodge, Rare Earth also offers Ekuthuleni Lodge in the malaria-free Welgevonden Reserve where children from age six are welcome, and you can expect relaxed family dining as well as spacious two-storey family rooms.

The Twelve Apostles, Camps Bay, South Africa

The Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa, Camps Bay

The Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa offers an unparalleled luxury retreat for families. Children under-12 stay free, when sharing with two adults, and on arrival they receive welcome gift bags, as well as child-sized bathrobes and playful sleeping tents in the room.

The hotel features two swimming pools, along with daily movies at its private 16-seat cinema and a variety of engaging activities such as pizza, milkshake and cupcake making, outdoor games in the indigenous Fynbos gardens, and a seasonal kids club.

Meanwhile, parents can indulge in the award-winning spa or savour gourmet dining at the Azure Restaurant, as professional childminding services are also available. Also, The Twelve Apostles has its own dedicated Family Experience Manager: another thoughtful touch from this exceptionally family-friendly hotel.

Patrick Grant’s trip was hosted by Norse Atlantic Airways in partnership with Travel Promoters and Umlingo Travel PR

Norse Atlantic Airways offers up to six affordable direct flights per week from London Gatwick to Cape Town.  Flights depart Gatwick at 8pm and arrive in Cape Town next morning at 8.30am.  For the return journey, Norse offers a convenient day flight (no pressure to get the kids to sleep) departing Cape Town at 11am, arriving at London Gatwick at 9.40pm.

This Norse Atlantic Airways service is seasonal, however, the season has recently been extended from six to eight months, and now operates from 2 October 2025 until 31 May 2026.

The ‘Light’ fare includes one personal item plus one x 10kg cabin bag, with no catering. The most popular ‘Classic’ fare includes the same as the Light fare plus one x 23kg cabin bag and an in-flight meal. Passengers can pre-order a second meal or buy hot or cold food on-board using their entertainment screen.  Flight prices start from £420 per person.