South African Wellness Escape
Fourteen Nights, Five Restorative Lodges, Cape Town to the Lowveld
Overview
This is a trip for people who want to come home rested, not just well-travelled. It joins the five places in South Africa we rate most highly for restoration — two near Cape Town, three in the bushveld — into one unhurried fourteen-night journey. You begin above Hout Bay at Future Found Sanctuary, move to the working farm at Sterrekopje outside Franschhoek, then fly to the Sabi Sand for the Big Five at Londolozi Private Granite Suites and the family-run Chitwa Chitwa, and finish on the Monwana River at Saseka in the Thornybush. Every internal flight, road transfer, meal and game drive is arranged end to end, with time built in to do nothing at all.
We built this at fourteen nights on purpose. A spa weekend tacked onto a safari leaves you tired; two weeks lets the body actually settle. The order matters too — you start soft in the Cape, with mountain air, sea swims and a spa, so that by the time you reach the bush you are already unwound and can give the game drives your full attention. Each of the five lodges is one we have written up in full, and you can read every review before you commit; the links sit beside each lodge further down this page. Three pricing tiers run from a refined version of the trip to a fully private, exclusive-use one, with the cost of each upgrade shown up front rather than hidden behind an enquiry.
Who It's For
Built for couples who want genuine rest alongside a proper safari, for travellers coming out of a heavy stretch who need the pace kept slow and the logistics taken off their hands, and for anyone marking a big birthday or anniversary who would rather spend it being looked after than ticking off sights.
Package Highlights
Five Lodges We Rate
Every property on this trip is one we have reviewed in full and stand behind
Soft Start in the Cape
Mountain air, sea swims and a spa before the bush, so you arrive on safari already rested
Big Five in the Sabi Sand
Six nights across two private Sabi Sand lodges known for close leopard sightings
Real Wellness, Not a Gimmick
A healing farm, a sensorium spa and treatment on tap — rest built into the days
Flights and Transfers Handled
The Cape-to-Lowveld flight and every road transfer arranged end to end
All Meals & Drives Included
Every meal and every game drive on the itinerary, across all five lodges
Day-by-Day Itinerary
You are met at Cape Town International and driven over the mountain to Future Found Sanctuary, set high on the slopes above Hout Bay with the bay laid out below. The rest of the day is yours — settle into your villa, swim, and let the travelling fall away. Dinner is at the sanctuary.
🏨 Accommodation: Future Found Sanctuary (tier dependent)
🍽️ Meals: Dinner
Your Route
Tap a marker to see each stop on your journey.
Featured Lodges & Accommodation
Future Found Sanctuary
📍 Mountain slopes above Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
A small sanctuary set high above Hout Bay, built around rest rather than sightseeing. Private villas, a mountain pool, reflecting ponds and the Sensorium spa, with the city and its beaches a short drive down the hill when you want them. The place to start the trip soft.
From $650 per person per night
Sterrekopje Healing Farm
📍 Franschhoek Valley, Western Cape, South Africa
Fifty hectares of orchard and garden outside Franschhoek, with restored manor buildings and no clocks or televisions to hurry you. Meals come from the land, the days run on a rhythm of rituals and treatments, and the Winelands sit a short drive away for an afternoon out.
From $850 per person per night
Londolozi Private Granite Suites
📍 Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Three suites above the Sand River taking six guests in all, on one of the most photographed leopard traverses in Africa. Each suite has a riverview bath and its own pool, and with the camp so small the game drives bend entirely to your pace.
From $1,900 per person per night
Chitwa Chitwa
📍 Northern Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa
A family-owned lodge on the only large open dam in the Sabi Sand, where the water pulls elephant, hippo and plains game right up to the deck. Warm and unfussy rather than grand, with suites that each have a plunge pool and dinners looking out over the dam.
From $1,100 per person per night
Saseka Tented Camp
📍 Thornybush Game Reserve, Greater Kruger, South Africa
Design-led tented suites on the Monwana River in the Thornybush, which shares an open boundary with the greater Kruger. Glass, timber and a private pool on each deck, the full Big Five on the traverse, and a camp spa and boma to close the trip on.
From $1,200 per person per night
Pricing & Options
All prices per person sharing. Customize any tier to your preferences.
Refined
(~$1,779/night)
All five lodges on their entry suites, the Cape-to-Sabi-Sand flight, every road transfer, all meals and all game drives, with shared guiding in the bush
Get QuoteLuxury
(~$2,421/night)
Upgraded suites throughout, private transfers, premium beverages, spa treatments built into the Cape stays and a bush breakfast or private dinner in the Sabi Sand
Get QuoteExclusive
(~$3,350/night)
Top suites at every lodge, a private vehicle and guide across all three bush camps, exclusive-use flexibility and all-inclusive beverages and treatments across the trip
Get QuoteAbout this price
The figure above is a real guide price per person — a solid starting point, not a fixed quote. What you finally pay comes down to your travel dates, the lodges you choose and how many of you are travelling. We cost every trip by hand and send a full breakdown, so you see exactly where your money goes. No blank “price on application”, no surprise extras.
What's Included & Excluded
✓ Included
- ✓ Fourteen nights' accommodation — three at Future Found, three at Sterrekopje, three at Londolozi Granite Suites, two at Chitwa Chitwa, three at Saseka (chosen tier)
- ✓ All meals as shown, with full board at all three bush lodges
- ✓ Every game drive on the itinerary in an open 4x4 with a qualified ranger
- ✓ Return flight Cape Town to the Sabi Sand airstrip
- ✓ All private road transfers, including Cape Town–Franschhoek and Sabi Sand–Thornybush–Hoedspruit
- ✓ Airport meet-and-greet in Cape Town and all listed transfers
- ✓ Spa and wellness access at the Cape lodges (treatments included on the Luxury and Exclusive tiers)
- ✓ Sundowner drinks on game drives and bottled water throughout
- ✓ 24/7 on-trip support from Beyond Africa Safaris
✗ Excluded
- ✗ International flights into Cape Town and out of Johannesburg
- ✗ South African visa fees where applicable
- ✗ Travel and medical insurance (mandatory)
- ✗ Spa treatments on the Refined tier (available to book on site)
- ✗ Premium imported champagne, cellar wines and spirits on the Refined tier
- ✗ Gratuities for guides, trackers and lodge staff (guidelines provided)
- ✗ Private wine tastings and other optional Cape excursions
- ✗ Cape coast or Mozambique beach extensions (gladly arranged on request)
Photo Gallery
Best Time to Travel
This trip works almost year-round because it pairs two climates. For the best of both, March to May and September to November give you mild weather in the Cape and strong game in the Lowveld, before the summer heat and crowds. The dry winter months of June to August are the peak for bush sightings as the vegetation thins, but the Cape is cold and wet then, so you trade one for the other. We will steer you to the window that fits your dates.
Why Choose This Package
Rest First, Safari Second
The trip opens with a week in the Cape to unwind, so you reach the bush already rested rather than arriving on safari still wound up from the journey.
Five Lodges We Have Reviewed
Every property on this itinerary is one we have written up in full and stand behind — read each review on this page before you commit to a single night.
Honest, Tiered Pricing
A clear from-price with the exact cost of the luxury and exclusive-use upgrades shown up front, rather than a gated 'enquire for price'.
One House, End to End
The flight, every transfer, the lodges and the drives arranged by one team on South African ground since 2008, with 24/7 support while you travel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Experience the South African Wellness Escape?
From $24,900 per person | 15 Days / 14 Nights
⚡ Limited availability for peak season 2026 — book early to secure your dates
