Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape
Only 75 kilometres from Port Elizabeth, Addo Elephant National Park is one of South Africa?s premier game-viewing destinations with a wide range of accommodation options. The main Addo Rest Camp offers everything from camping to luxury chalets overlooking the floodlit waterhole. If you?re looking to escape the crowds there?s the secluded, electricity-free Narina Bush Camp in the Zuurberg section.

Not surprisingly the large herds of elephant (there are over 500 animals in Addo) that inhabit the valley bushveld are a major attraction, but the park is also home to the Big Seven (the Big Five terrestrial animals plus the Southern Right Whales and Great White Sharks found in the marine section), numerous plains game, smaller species and some 450 species of bird.

The park offers a range of game drives but you can also self-drive or take advantage of the very affordable Eyethu Hop-on Guides service ? local community guides who will travel with you in your own vehicle. There are guided horse riding trails for experienced and novice riders wanting a higher adrenalin game viewing experience can choose between exploring the Nyati section of the park where encounters with elephant, buffalo and black rhino as well as numerous buck are likely, or, if you?d rather not encounter big game, trails in the mountainous Zuurberg section. Hikers too are in their element in this diverse park, which boasts numerous short trails as well as the Alexandria Hiking Trail, a stunning overnight hike in the coastal dune fields. www.sanparks.org.

Tau Game Lodge, Madikwe Game Reserve, North West
If you?re looking for a family-friendly safari lodge, Tau Game Lodge in the malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve fits the bill perfectly. The five-star lodge accommodates up to 60 guests in 30 air-conditioned chalets, two of which are family units boasting private jacuzzis. Youngsters not only enjoy hugely discounted rates but there?s a babysitting service and plenty of dedicated kids? activities which allow mom and dad some private time to themselves.

Madikwe, a four-hour drive from Joburg, is a Big Five reserve famous for its wild dogs, and the guiding is superb. Not that you even have to leave your room to enjoy game and bird sightings ? all the rooms overlook the waterhole where elephants and buck come down to drink so there?s game viewing on the doorstep. What a joy not to be tied to early starts or hours in a vehicle! The cuisine is superb and if you feel like a bit of exercise or a pampering, you can wander across to the luxurious Tau Oasis Spa. Or you can just sit on your deck and take in the sights and sounds of the African bush. www.taugamelodge.co.za

West Coast National Park, Western Cape
Drive for an hour out of Cape Town and you find yourself in one of South Africa?s little-known gems ? the West Coast National Park, which stretches from Yzerfontein to Langebaan. Don?t go expecting to see the Big Five on the granite domes, fynbos-covered plains and dune fields mind you, for while the reserve is a healthy population of ostrich and plains game, it?s the smaller mammals such as mongooses, caracal, tortoises, reptiles, birds, whales and of course its wonderful spring flowers that are the main attraction.

Central to the park is the Langebaan Lagoon, home to 32 per cent of South Africa?s salt marshes and the largest oyster fossil cemetery in the world. Langebaan is the most important lagoon in southern Africa in terms of the population of migratory waders from the Northern Hemisphere, and so is the perfect place to sit with your binoculars in one of the hides, admiring colourful flamingoes, pelicans and numerous migrants.

The main accommodation in the park is the 11 cute, two-bedroomed chalets at Duinepos, a three-star, community-run guesthouse close to the Geelbek Visitors Centre and Restaurant. Each of the extremely affordable, fully equipped chalets has its own private garden and braai and there is a large central communal braai area, pool and play area for the kids. If you fancy something more private, then there?s the three-bedroomed Jo Anne?s Beach Cottage in a gorgeous setting near Churchhaven, or you can really go wild and rent one of the two houseboats moored in Kraalbaai. Visit www.duinepos.co.za and and www.sanparks.org.

White Elephant Safari Lodge, KwaZulu-Natal
Situated on the Elephant Coast at the foot of the majestic Lebombo Mountains and surrounded by shimmering waters of Lake Jozini, White Elephant Safari Lodge is definitely for discerning safari-goers wanting a spoil.

There?s a choice of accommodation, all wonderfully luxurious and romantic with that real ?out of Africa? feel. The main lodge comprises eight luxurious safari tents while the bush camp has seven thatched, spacious, en suite chalets. The game, which includes a herd of resident elephants as well as black rhino, is plentiful and game-viewing options in the private reserve include game drives, nature walks and boat trips on the lake.

Situated within the iSimangaliso/Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, White Elephant Safari Lodge is also the perfect base from which to explore the other reserves and the pristine Maputaland coastline. If it?s big game you?re after, the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, home to the Big Five, and Mkuzi Game Reserve which boasts some of the finest birding and hippo viewing in the country, are only a short drive away.

If you visit between November and February you can venture out at night on a turtle tour to watch female leatherback and loggerhead turtles dragging themselves up the beaches to lay their eggs. www.whiteelephant.co.za