Country Park Caravan and Camping

Spending a day or two (or three) in Johannesburg is an absolute must when staying this close to the city. It’s about 40 minutes’ drive to the centre and there’s loads to keep drawing you back: there are museums, science discovery centres, malls, casinos, markets and a zoo, as well as a host of apartheid-related stops and the highly recommended Soweto township tours. Once city days are truly exhausted, there’s plenty else hereabouts to keep the whole family occupied: start by getting the lay of the land with a balloon safari (taking to the skies about half an hour away), stick closer to terra firma with paintball, horseback trails, quadding, abseiling and go-karting 15 minutes away or by getting lost at Honeydew Mazes (five minutes), and get way closer to terra firma – under it, in fact – at Wild Cave Adventures or Sterkfontein Caves. Watery escapades are like drops in the ocean round here: plentiful. There’s a waterpark less than five minutes away, a scuba centre within 10 minutes and rafting excursions about 30 minutes from base. Want more time walking with animals? Guests can be at the crocodile park in a snap, or head farther afield for cheetah centres, elephant sanctuaries, aquariums and the famous Pilanesberg Game Reserve.