The Wildlife of South Africa

Perhaps the biggest draw of a luxury South Africa holiday is the amazing indigenous wildlife that you will never see in Europe. It's no coincidence that Kruger National Park, South Africa's safari hot spot, is one of the most visited attractions in the country. Here are some of the creatures you can hope to see on your trip.

When you think of Africa, several of the big mammals immediately spring to mind: elephants, rhinos, buffalo, leopards and lions. They thrive in the bushveld and savannah regions, so that's where you should head if you want to see the bigger occupants of South Africa. Safaris at the Kruger National Park are a good bet for spotting these creatures too - the park holds a massive 20,000 buffalo and 10,000 elephants - an amazing feat considering that a 1920 estimate stated there were approximately 120 elephants left on the whole continent!

Likewise, lions have had an equally endangered past in South Africa, and are now almost exclusively found in conservation areas. Other big cats fare slightly better, with leopards being in comparative abundance throughout the country - especially in the southern cape and far north. Cheetahs are a bit rarer, and can be found mainly in the far north - with a top speed of nearly 100kmph, spotting one of these is a real highlight, if you are lucky. The best way of catching the big cats is to take a day exploring a conservation area - seeing them in their (almost) natural habitat is worth the price of a holiday in South Africa alone!

After these main highlights are out of the way, minimising the list of over 200 indigenous land mammals down to an 'edited highlights' list is tricky for an article of this length. Hippos, giraffes, kudu, wildebeest and zebras are all distinct and easy to spot on safari in South Africa. Enthusiasts should be extra careful to spot some of the rarer species of antelope - a tsessebe or suni are a real feather in the spotters cap, though both are far harder to find. Likewise, if you spot an elephant shrew, you must be extremely observant! As well as being distinctly shy, they grow to an average length of just 250mm!

Then of course there are the primates. South Africa's holiday makers may be able to spy bushbabies, samango monkeys and chacma baboons. The bushbabies are nocturnal, however, so the majority of visitors will not get to see them. For those who like their mammals smaller and brimming with personality, dassies (a type of hyrax) and meerkats fit the bill nicely, and can be spotted throughout the country by eagle eyed visitors.

In fact, these smaller animals offer some of the greatest sights to South Africa holiday makers. Just seeing the likes of aardvarks, aardwolves, otters, wild dogs, hyenas and jackals secretively going about their business is a great experience. The sheer range of flora and fauna makes a luxury holiday in South Africa a unique experience - whether you think yourself an animal lover beforehand or not! And this list only deals with land animals - the sky and the sea are filled with exotic life that you'll never see in the UK.

Whether or not you'll see all of these creatures on a luxury holiday in South Africa is another matter, of course, and those who want to stand a better chance should certainly consider a South Africa safari at the Kruger National Park - it's sure to give you many a tale to tell on your return to the UK, and the memories will last a lifetime.