Food and Wine Holiday Advice

Getting the most from the Cape's table before or after a safari.

Food and Wine travel advice

For health questions, a travel clinic has the final word. For visas, check the embassy of each country on the route.

1.When to go
The Cape is summer from November to March, with the harvest from February into April. Winter, May to August, is wet and green with log fires on the estates and lower hotel rates. The Kruger half is easiest from June to October, so a spring or autumn trip balances the two.
Travel by month
2.Tastings and restaurants
A tasting at a cellar door is usually a small charge and rarely needs booking; the celebrated restaurants in Franschhoek and the city need weeks of notice. Tell us on the quote which tables matter and we book them.
3.Driving the winelands
Distances are short and roads are good, but tastings and driving do not mix. A driver for the day or a guided winelands tour is a modest cost and is added to the quote.
4.Pairing with safari
A Cape week and a Kruger private-reserve stay join with a two-hour flight to Hoedspruit or Nelspruit. The wine days are written as stays with their own meals; the safari keeps its drives.
5.What the rate covers
Published rates include the nights and the meals named on each stay. Tastings, restaurants and a driver are extras unless the day says otherwise. A quote comes before any payment.
Read Safari 101

Food and wine on this site is Cape Town and the winelands, usually beside a Kruger or private-reserve safari on the same South Africa trip.

The Cape is the table
Winelands and city nights are written as stays, with the meals that stay lists. A tasting is included only when the day says so.
The safari is still the safari
Kruger or the private reserves beside it keep their game drives. The wine days do not replace them.
You can be driven
A guided vehicle can be quoted if you would rather not drive the Cape yourself.
The quote sets the restaurants
A specific tasting or dinner is confirmed on the quote. The card does not book a chef.

Published rates are per person sharing, in US dollars, shown in the currency you choose while browsing.
Nights, meals and the activities named on each stay are inside the rate. International flights, visas, insurance, tips and unlisted drinks are not.
No single-room supplement is charged, and children pay the same per-person rate as adults.
Wildlife sightings are never promised. Guides, parks and seasons are chosen to give the best chance; the animals decide the rest.
Gorilla itineraries include one permit per person per trek unless the page says two.
A written quote comes first. Nothing is booked and nothing is paid until you accept it.

Planning
Luxury Safari Cuisine Dietary Guide What to Expect on Safari
Luxury Safari Cuisine Dietary Guide What to Expect on Safari is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for the parks and coasts already on this site. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.
Lodges
Best African Lodges for Foodies
Best African Lodges for Foodies is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for the parks and coasts already on this site. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.
Places
Best Places to Stay in the Cape Winelands
Best Places to Stay in the Cape Winelands is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for Cape Winelands. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.
Places
Wine Tours South Africa
Wine Tours South Africa is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for South Africa. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.