Family Vacations are always fun and engaging. They can also be demanding because what counts as fun to the parents may not be the definition of fun to the kids.
Planning family vacations might be a bit more financially challenging too. And they always demand much more strategizing, at least to avoid forgetting vital things like a holiday first aid kit. But when done properly, they are worth it.
Time out from the hustle with the whole gang can help deepen marital relationships and the bond between parents and kids. Hence, having a family vacation is a good investment in every sense.
Africa holds a lot of intrigue for a lot of people in America and Europe and with good reason too. There are so many exotic places to visit where you are sure to have a great time. Going on vacation in a country located just at the tip of the continent is definitely a good choice. In South Africa, you truly will be spoilt for choice as to where to spend your vacations.
Do you know that South Africa is the adventure capital of the world? Well, now you know. And below are a few places that should help you decide not just to come over, but to involve the whole gang...destination SA!
1.Cape Point Nature Reserve
For the Nature loving family, Cape Point Nature reserve is one place that over promises and over delivers. Cape Point Nature reserve, originally named the Cape of Storms by the navigator Bartolomeu Dias, Lies at the tip of the Cape Peninsula, a nature reserve within the Table Mountain National Park.
You will have to take a three minute Flying Dutchman funicular ride to it and let yourself be transported to 87 metres above sea level. This is truly a nature lover's paradise!
You would find an abundance of flora and fauna, including over 250 species of birds, buck and baboons, not to mention, the view at the end of the Earth. There is also a world-class restaurant and a curio shop on the island.
You can't just afford not come here.
2.Addo Elephant National Park
To most people, visiting Africa to many is an incomplete experience if you do not encounter some of the African animals.
Situated close to Port Elizabeth is the Addo Elephant National Park. The park is home to more than 500 elephants, various lions, Buffaloes, Hyenas, Black rhinos, Leopards, Zebras and a plentiful variety of Antelopes.
It is the third largest park in South Africa and also concentrates on preserving a wide variety of flora. As an added bonus, tourists are welcomed into a main camp featuring different types of accommodation, a swimming pool, restaurant and a floodlit water hole.
Your kids, whatever their age, are guaranteed to be wowed!
3.The Apartheid Museum
If you will rather take your family the educational way, then the Apartheid Museum will be a perfect way to start your vacation. The Museum is situated close to Johannesburg.
The Apartheid Museum is designed to illustrate life under South Africa's Apartheid regime from 1948 until 1990, you will find within the Apartheid Museum, film footage, photographs, text panels and 22 individual exhibitions which include visuals of life as it was then in the townships, including the forced removal of local residents.
Many of the exhibitions are quite explicit and therefore can only be viewed by older kids over the age of 11. In general it is an experience that will leave the family excited and yet reflective and is guaranteed to leave your kids with a stronger sense of justice and fairness. It's a life changing experience.
4.Sterkfontein Caves
What if you would rather have a little eerie family adventure? Sterkfontein Caves will blow you away. The Sterkfontein Caves consist of a set of limestone caves situated in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, near Maropeng.
The world renowned "Mrs Ples" and "Little Foot"(an almost complete 3 million year old Australopithecus skeleton) are among the many discoveries that have been made here. It's a trip back in time as you take a fascinating tour deep into the caves themselves - an educational and adventurous experience for the whole family.
5.V&A Waterfront
Maybe you would prefer a little modern blitz and entertainment. The V&A waterfront will do the trick. Named after Great Britain's Queen Victoria and her youngest son Alfred, the V&A is quite popular for locals and tourists alike.
V&A offers an amazing choice of hundreds of shopping outlets, fine dining, curio shops, lots of free live entertainment - including creative workshops, concerts and puppet shows.
There are also many outdoor activities available from the V&A, including fun harbor cruises, helicopter flips and boat charters.
6.Bathurst
There are not many agro lovers. But assuming you are one and would like to treat your family to some agro friendly vacation, then we have got your back too.
Bathurst is one of South Africa's largest pineapple growing areas and has a 16.7 meter metal structure, shaped just like a pineapple with fiber glass skin just to prove it! Inside the pineapple is a 60-seater auditorium, where the family can watch documentaries about the pineapple industry and then climb further up to the top to take in the amazing views of the landscape.
The kids can enjoy a farmer's tractor ride through the pineapple fields. It is definitely a fun attraction for the whole family.
Whatever your preference, whatever your style, you can roll South African Style!