Waves, Wildlife and Wine

In the space of two weeks, we went from the beaches and mountains of Cape Town to the vineyards of Franschhoek, watched penguins at Boulders Beach, searched for whales along the coast and eventually found ourselves on safari, watching elephants and lions in the wild.

And we did it all with a toddler and a baby in tow.

It was a holiday of spectacular scenery, extraordinary wildlife, delicious food and quite a lot of logistics. But somehow, even with two very small children, it never felt like hard work. There was always something new around the corner — and usually something that made us all stop and stare.

Cape Town: beaches, mountains and a little bit of everything

After a twelve-hour flight, arriving in Cape Town with a toddler and a baby was an adventure in itself.

But as we drove into the city and saw Table Mountain rising above us, it immediately felt worth the journey.

We based ourselves around Camps Bay, with its long sandy beach, dramatic mountain backdrop and relaxed atmosphere. After the long flight, there was nothing better than getting outside, eating ice cream and letting the children run around.

One afternoon, African drummers were performing along the beach. Our children were fascinated, and it was one of those moments where you realise that travelling with young children can actually make you notice things you might otherwise walk straight past.

One afternoon, African drummers were performing along the beach. Our children were fascinated, and it was one of those moments where you realise that travelling with young children can actually make you notice things you might otherwise walk straight past.

Digging for treasure

The V&A Waterfront quickly became one of our favourite places to spend time.

There were restaurants, shops and plenty to keep the children entertained, but the biggest hit was the Scratch Patch.

Our four-year-old was handed a bag and set loose among thousands of colourful gemstones, searching for his own treasures.

He took the job very seriously.

By the time we left, his little bag was full — and he was incredibly proud of his haul.

It was a simple activity, but it became one of those lovely holiday memories where the children get completely absorbed in something.

Table Mountain

No trip to Cape Town would be complete without going up Table Mountain.

The cable car itself was part of the excitement. As it slowly rotated on the way up, we watched the city and coastline spread out below us.

The views were spectacular.

Our four-year-old, however, had a slightly different priority.

Ice cream.

Fortunately, South Africa proved to be a country where spectacular scenery and ice cream could coexist quite happily.

A colourful lesson in Cape Town

We also explored Bo-Kaap, with its famous brightly coloured houses and fascinating history.

The area has strong links to Cape Town's Cape Malay community, descended in part from people brought to the Cape from Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of Africa.

Travelling with children meant we couldn't spend hours absorbing every detail, but even short visits gave us opportunities to talk to them about places and people that were very different from our own lives.

We also had an unexpected lesson in another aspect of Cape Town life.

When we parked our rental car, several people approached us offering to look after it. We weren't quite sure what was happening — until they followed us when we walked away.

We soon realised they were expecting a tip.

It was a useful reminder that travelling with children doesn't mean you can switch off from the practicalities of travelling somewhere unfamiliar.

Penguins at Boulders Beach

Then came one of the children's favourite wildlife encounters: African penguins.

At Boulders Beach, we watched them waddling around the rocks and swimming in the water. There were plenty of them, and they were wonderfully entertaining to watch.

They also make an extraordinary noise.

Instead of the cheerful little noises you might expect from penguins, they have a loud, donkey-like call. Our children found this hilarious.

It was our first proper taste of the wildlife that would become such a big part of our trip.

Into the vineyards

From Cape Town we headed towards Franschhoek.

The scenery changed dramatically as we drove into wine country, with vineyards stretching towards the mountains.

Of course, travelling around vineyards with a toddler and a baby requires a little imagination. Fortunately, many of the wineries in the area are incredibly family-friendly.

At Leopard's Leap, we enjoyed lunch by the stream, with rotisserie chicken and a glass of rosé while the children had space to explore.

At Franschhoek Cellar, there was even a crèche.

That meant we could leave the children happily playing while we attempted a blind wine tasting.

I say attempted because, despite our best efforts, I'm not sure either of us demonstrated any great talent for identifying the wines.

Still, we had fun trying.

Lunch with a view

Another highlight was La Petite Ferme.

We had lunch overlooking the vineyards and mountains, enjoying local food and wine while the children had a huge lawn to run around on.

It was one of those lunches that reminded us why travelling with children doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing the things you enjoy.

You just have to choose the right places.

Give the children somewhere to explore, and everyone is happy.

Along the coast

From Franschhoek we continued towards Hermanus.

We were there at the wrong time of year for whales, so sadly we didn't see any. But the coastal scenery was spectacular, and we spent time walking along the cliffs and watching the waves crash against the rocks.

Even without the whales, it was worth the stop.

And that was becoming a theme of the trip: South Africa didn't need to constantly entertain us. Sometimes simply being somewhere beautiful was enough.

Plettenberg Bay: a little luxury in the Garden Route

Our next stop was Plettenberg Bay, where we stayed at Kurland Hotel.

After the travelling and sightseeing, it felt like a real treat.

Our room had a separate children's bedroom, complete with toys, teddies and its own bathroom. For us, that made such a difference.

There is something particularly wonderful about being able to put the children to bed and then have a cup of tea and a biscuit through room service without having to sit silently in the dark.

Kurland gave us plenty to do too.

There was swimming, quad biking and horse riding, and the children had plenty of space to explore.

Then there was Monkeyland.

Our baby was completely fascinated by the gibbons, especially when they started singing. Their calls echoed around the trees, and watching the baby's face as he listened was one of my favourite moments of the trip.

Dolphins at lunch

One of our most unexpected memories came at Enrico's, a restaurant overlooking the sea.

We were eating lunch when our four-year-old suddenly spotted something in the water.

“Dolphins!”

We all looked out.

And there they were — a whole pod moving through the sea.

We stopped eating for a while just to watch them.

The waiter explained that it was a pod travelling along the coast, and we stood there trying to follow them as they appeared and disappeared between the waves.

It was completely unplanned, and that's probably why it has stayed with us.

Into the wild

Eventually, we left the coast behind and headed towards Addo Elephant Park.

This was the part of the holiday we had all been waiting for.

We stayed at Riverbend Lodge, where the wildlife wasn't confined to a game drive.

There were elephants and other animals to spot from around the lodge, and the whole experience felt wonderfully immersed in nature.

But nothing quite prepared us for our first close encounter with lions.

“LIONS!”

Not exactly the quietest response when you're sitting in an open vehicle a few metres from two very large predators.

Our guide, Nola, calmly reassured us and explained what we were seeing.

The lions were completely unfazed.

Our son, on the other hand, was thrilled.

We went on to see elephants, zebras, wildebeest and plenty of other wildlife, but those two sleeping lions were probably the moment that everyone remembered most.

Safari with small children

One of the things that surprised us most was how well the safari experience worked with very young children.

Riverbend had a mobile playroom, and we were able to arrange a babysitter for the baby when we went on the game drives.

There was also a pool and plenty for the children to do between drives.

They even got to bake cookies with the chef.

And, of course, the animals themselves were everywhere.

Even sitting on the terrace or eating in the restaurant could turn into a wildlife-watching experience.

The perfect ending

By the end of the trip, our children had collected quite a few treasures.

There were the gemstones from Cape Town, a mini-ranger certificate from the safari and a cuddly monkey to add to the collection.

We had travelled from beaches to mountains, vineyards to forests and finally into the African bush.

We had eaten wonderful food, tasted wine, cycled through vineyards, watched penguins, searched unsuccessfully for whales and seen dolphins appear beside our lunch.

And, most importantly, the children had experienced all of it with us.

South Africa with children

Looking back, what made the trip so special was the variety.

Cape Town gave us beaches, mountains, history and wildlife.

Franschhoek gave us vineyards, beautiful scenery and some very good food — without excluding the children.

The Garden Route gave us dramatic coastline, monkeys and dolphins.

And Addo gave us the safari experience we'd dreamed of.

There were certainly moments when travelling with a toddler and a baby required some extra planning. But South Africa turned out to be remarkably well suited to family travel.

The children didn't need to understand everything we were seeing. They just needed the freedom to explore, ask questions and get excited about the things that caught their attention.

And they did.

Why South Africa worked so well for us

• Incredible variety — beaches, cities, mountains, vineyards, coast and safari.
• Wildlife everywhere — from penguins and monkeys to dolphins, elephants and lions.
• Family-friendly wine country — plenty of vineyards have space and activities for children.
• Great family accommodation — particularly when there is separate sleeping space for little ones.
• Adventure without having to rough it — we could enjoy safari, cycling and wildlife while still having pools, great food and comfortable rooms.
• Lots of unexpected moments — dolphins at lunch and singing gibbons weren't on our itinerary, but became some of our favourite memories.
• Something for every age — even a baby can be fascinated by monkeys, penguins and elephants.

My tip: Don't try to make South Africa into a single type of holiday. The magic is in combining the different experiences. A few days in Cape Town, some time among the vineyards and along the coast, followed by a safari gave us the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation.

South Africa was a big trip to take with two very small children.

But watching our four-year-old's face when he spotted those lions for the first time, or seeing our baby stop and listen as the gibbons called through the trees, reminded us why we'd done it.

Some holidays give you a break.

Others give you stories you'll still be telling years later.

South Africa gave us both.