South Africa is a facinating and diverse country, and each of the major host cities has a number of attractions and activities on offer that might appeal to visiting rugby fans.

If you would like any help with planning and booking your trip to see the lions then please ask us to help you book your trip to follow the Lions in South Africa.

Johannesburg & Pretoria

Whilst neither of these cities is a desitnation that most holiday makers spend much time in unless they are visiting for business or sport, there is plenty to do in and around each city and both are well placed for the international airport and connections to other parts of the country.

A major attraction that is easily accessed from both Pretoria and Jo'burg is the malaria-free Waterberg safari area. This is only 2.5-3.5 hours by car north of Pretoria and offers some excellent game viewing opportunities and numerous vary good safari lodges.

Sun City can be visted as a day trip from either Pretoria or Jo'burg (although Rustenberg is actually even nearer), and there are also very good city tours of Johannesburg that will cover the major attractions in either a day or half day depending on the time you have.

Another experience that we would stringly recommend to anyone with an interest is seeing another side of South Africa is a day tour to SOWETO - you should not do this on your own, however everybody who we know who has been on one of the tours that are run to the township have found it moving, humbling and uplifting all at once. Only in Africa.

There are a huge number of safari options open to fans staying in Pretoria and Jo'burg: The Waterberg and Pilannesberg are both an easy drive, Kruger and Sabi Sand can be reached by car if you set off early or by plane from JNB, and Madikwe can also be reached by car (another early start) or chartered flight.

Cape Town

There are no safaris near Cape Town, and the best options for fans here would be to fly up to Kruger, Port Elizabeth, or Durban and go onto a safari lodge from there.

Durban

Subtropical Durban will be the warmest and most humid of the venues, but with miles and miles of beaches and the nearby Drakensberg Mountains there are plenty of opportunuties to escape the heat of the city.

Durban is not only blessed with beaches and mountains, but there are also many of South Africa's best safari lodges and game reserves only a few hours drive away from the city, and the Northern coastline of KwaZulu-Natal is home to the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and dive sites at Rocktail Bay and Sodwana Bay that offer scuba diving on the world's most southerly coral reefs.

Safari Options for fans in Durban include Phinda, Mkuze Falls, AmaKhosi, Thanda, and many others.

Port Elizabeth

PE's weather is similar to that in Cape Town, but it usually a bit milder and drier. Given it might be a bit chilly for the beach, the major attraction of this area outside of the rugby will be the numerous safari lodges that are 1-3 hours by road out of the city.

If you would like any help with planning and booking your trip to see the lions then please ask us to help you book your trip to follow the Lions in South Africa.