Leopards are known for their elusiveness as much as for their beautiful spots, so seeking them out on safari can be tough. Fortunately, at Sabi Sands Game Reserve leopards are very frequent visitors and not averse to the watchful eyes of travellers on safari. The solitary creatures are much easier to spot in the brushwood than they are in many other leopard reserves but still favour a big tree, which they use as an observation platform or a resting place, where you can get within two metres of them before they run away.

Undoubtedly the best way to experience the Kruger National Park is at your own leisure on a self-drive safari. With an unbeatable variety of wildlife and habitats to explore and an excellent road infrastructure, the thrill of driving along a road by yourself and coming across a pride of lions basking under a nearby tree, or waiting at a peaceful waterhole and having a sighting all to yourself is hard to beat.

Pafuri in the wild north of the Kruger National Park is an unrivalled walking territory. The trails, open from April to October every year, are renowned for offering true bush lovers an opportunity to experience one of Kruger’s most remote corners on foot, where you’ll travel through diverse landscapes ranging from woodland to riverine forests, mountains, floodplains and pans where animals roam freely.

The magnificent Panorama Route in the Mpumalanga province is one of the continents great natural wonders and South Africa’s most beautiful driving routes. The mountainous escarpment of the Mpumalanga highlands is famed for the stunning views of the Lowveld below and some of the province’s most spectacular scenery, with the highlight of the route being the Blyde River Canyon; one of the largest canyons in the world.