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Where to Go in 2026: Our Expert Picks
Our 2026 picks: Uganda, Kenya, Australia and Zambia, plus Guyana and Northern Albania. Places that cap visitor numbers and still feel wild if you plan them well.
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Almost every trip we plan to South Africa starts or ends in the Cape. Cape Town, the wine country inland and the whale coast to the southeast are all within about two hours of each other, and together they make a natural partner for a safari in the north. The two questions we get most are where to stay and how many nights to give each place. Here is how we answer them.
Cape Town wraps around Table Mountain, and where you stay changes how the city feels. Our two favorite hotels sit on opposite sides of the mountain and suit very different travelers.
Ellerman House was built in 1906 as a private home for the shipping magnate Sir John Ellerman, on the slope of Bantry Bay above the Atlantic. The main house has just eleven rooms and two suites, and there are two three-bedroom villas built into the cliffs below. It has one of the most important private collections of South African art in the country, hung throughout the house, and a serious wine cellar. It is quiet, personal and very good at sunsets. The catch is the steep residential street: you drive or take a short ride to Sea Point, Clifton and the restaurants rather than walk. Children over 12 can stay in the main house, and the villas are more flexible.
Mount Nelson opened in 1899 and was painted pink in 1918, at the end of the First World War, which is why locals call it the Pink Lady. It sits in nine acres of gardens below Table Mountain, with 196 rooms and suites, two outdoor pools and a long list of places to eat. Afternoon tea in the Lounge is a Cape Town institution. It is in the city rather than on the sea, so you give up the ocean view, and it is far from intimate. In return you get space, gardens and pools, which makes it our usual choice for families.
In short: Ellerman for couples, art lovers and anyone who wants a private house with a view. The Nelson for families, first-timers and people who like a lively grand hotel. Both are about 30 minutes from the airport.
The Cape Winelands start under an hour from Cape Town airport. The two towns most people choose between are only about half an hour apart over the Helshoogte Pass, but they have different personalities.
Franschhoek is a small village at the head of a valley, about 75 kilometers from Cape Town. French Huguenots arrived at the Cape in 1688 and settled here, which is why so many farms still carry French names. It is compact and pretty, with dozens of wine farms and restaurants close by.
La Residence, run by The Royal Portfolio, sits on a working farm on the edge of the village, about five minutes' drive from the main street. The hotel has large, colorful suites with vineyard and mountain views, plus separate Vineyard Suites with their own gardens and a six-bedroom villa, Franschhoek House. The main-house suites are for guests over 10, while the Vineyard Suites and the villa welcome all ages.
Stellenbosch, founded in 1679, is South Africa's second-oldest town, about 50 kilometers east of Cape Town. It is a real university town, bigger and busier than Franschhoek, with oak-lined streets and a long list of estates around it.
Delaire Graff Lodges & Spa is not in the town itself but on top of the Helshoogte Pass, looking down the Banghoek Valley. Guests stay in stand-alone lodges spread through the gardens, and the estate has its own winery, restaurants and a spa. Works from Laurence Graff's private art collection hang throughout. Because the restaurants and tasting room are open to outside guests, the public areas can be lively, but the lodges themselves are private.
In short: Franschhoek and La Residence if you want a village you can stroll and a small, personal hotel. Delaire Graff if you want big views, a spa and a glossy estate, and do not mind driving to dinner elsewhere.
About two hours southeast of Cape Town is Walker Bay, where southern right whales come into the shallow water to mate and calve. According to Grootbos, the whales gather here from June to December, with July to November the peak and October and November often the best months. In season you can often see them from the cliff paths at Hermanus, without getting on a boat.
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve covers about 3,500 hectares of hills above the bay, with more than 1,000 plant species, an old milkwood forest and views out to the water. It is not a Big Five reserve. It is a coastal nature stay, with botanical drives, walks, horse riding and marine trips, and a children's program that makes it easy for families. Two nights is right for most people.
For a first trip, we suggest:
That is five to nine nights in the Cape before the bush, which is about right for most people.
South Africa drives on the left. The roads around the Cape are good, and many travelers happily rent a car for the coast road to Walker Bay or the Cape Peninsula. On wine-tasting days, though, book a driver. It costs more, but nobody has to stay sober, and a good driver-guide knows which estates are worth the stop. For airport transfers and the first day after a long flight, we arrange a driver too.
Cape Town has dry summers and rainy winters. November to March is warm and dry, the best time for the beaches, long evenings and outdoor lunches, and also the busiest and most expensive. Harvest in the Winelands usually falls in February and March. April, May, September and October are quieter and often lovely. June to August is cool and wet, but the city is calm and the whales are in.
The tricky part is that the Cape is best in the southern summer, while game viewing in the bush is best in the dry winter, roughly May to October. April, May, September and October give you a good balance of both. Airlink flies directly from Cape Town to Skukuza, inside Kruger, which makes the move from the vineyards to a safari lodge simple.
Our South Africa itinerary puts three nights in Cape Town and two in the Winelands ahead of four nights on safari. For the bush half of the trip, see our guide to choosing between the Sabi Sand and the Greater Kruger reserves. Our South Africa page has the bigger picture, and if you are still choosing a country, see Tanzania, Botswana, Rwanda or South Africa?
If you would like help planning Cape Town and the Winelands around a safari, get in touch.
Every itinerary begins with a conversation. Tell us what you're dreaming of, and we'll design a journey tailored entirely to you.
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