STAY
The 125-year-old 198-room Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, makes a fine introduction to South Africa, with its historic character, commendable restaurants and 9 acres of gardens and lawns with two swimming pools. I recently recommended it in light of major renovations a few years ago and the revitalized neighborhood around it.

DINE
In the hotel, the Verandah serves a wonderful afternoon tea, and at dinner, the menu focuses on local ingredients in unfussy but beautiful presentations. A short walk (or two-minute car ride) away, just off buzzy Kloof Street, Upper Union serves creative sharing plates in moody, moss-green dining rooms in a converted old house.

EXPLORE
Within walking distance are the Iziko South African National Gallery and the South African Jewish Museum (at the latter, book a private tour with the director in advance). Both abut the Company’s Garden, a park founded by Cape Town’s first European settlers to grow fruits and vegetables for passing ships.

STAY
Take a nonstop charter flight from Cape Town or fly commercial to Kruger Mpumalanga and connect to a Federal Air flight to Phinda. The recently renovated &Beyond Phinda Forest Lodge has a “Zulu-Zen” design in its striking public spaces, which face a wildlife-rich swath of open veld, and in its 16 accommodations, which stand amid a rare sand-forest ecosystem. The suites are simpler than others in this itinerary, but they’re quite comfortable. &Beyond’s nearby Vlei Lodge has a more traditional style (plus private pools), and a stay at Rock Lodge, on the other side of the reserve, could profitably be combined with a stay at either Forest or Vlei.

DINE
As at every safari lodge in this itinerary, all meals are included. During one memorable lunch on the dining terrace, we watched a lion and her cubs stalk two wildebeests resting in the shade (they escaped). Barbecue dinners in the boma, a fenced enclosure, are a convivial highlight.

EXPLORE
Game drives are rich with sightings of large animals. We saw numerous lions, elephants and baboons, for example, plus a panoply of bird species. Our cheetah encounter was especially exciting. This lodge lends itself to longer stays thanks to its wide range of activities, including forest and bush walks, Zulu village visits, rhino notching (depending on availability) and “ocean safaris” involving snorkeling or scuba diving followed by relaxation on the beach.

STAY
Fly to back Kruger Mpumalanga with Federal Air. From the airport, it’s about two hours to the Sabi Sands Game Reserve and the extravagant &Beyond Tengile River Lodge, one of South Africa’s finest lodges. Its nine suites are the size of houses, complete with furnished river-view terraces, gas fireplaces in the living rooms, airy baths with indoor and outdoor showers and lengthy private infinity pools.

DINE
The food and wine here are excellent, and the bar has an enviable selection of local craft gins. The restaurant’s terrace faces a riverside lawn frequented by antelopes and warthogs, and elephants often come to drink along the far bank. Boma barbecue nights are also a highlight.

EXPLORE
We had stupendous game drives in this reserve, one of the best places to see the “big five”: African buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino. Leopards are unusually easy to see, thanks to their being accustomed to vehicles. We also came within mere feet of several adult lions along the boulder-strewn river. Plus, while sitting on our suite’s terrace, we spotted elephants, kudus and an eagle carrying a small mammal in its talons.

STAY
A drive of a little more than three hours north takes you to Jabulani, an eight-suite lodge that has a resolutely traditional décor. Its spacious open-plan accommodations make nods to camping, with canvas accent walls here and there, but their woodburning fireplaces, freestanding bathtubs and decks with loungers and plunge pools put them firmly on the glamping side of the spectrum (there is no central swimming pool). A suspension bridge connects the accommodations, fitness room and spa hut with the main building.

DINE
A water hole comes right up to the dining patio of the lodge, which takes justifiable pride in its cuisine. We enjoyed gourmet breakfasts and lunches while giraffes and antelopes took drinks. And we loved dinner in the boma, where we had a private table flanked by glowing braziers.

EXPLORE
We saw all of the big five on game drives here, but the elephants are a particular attraction. The reserve has a resident herd of orphan pachyderms, and Jabulani guests can interact with the animals, feeding them by hand. Watching them stride back to their enclosure, backed by the setting sun, and observing them cool off in a water hole, are similarly memorable experiences.

STAY
Less than two hours from Jabulani, Kateka has a contrastingly contemporary style. Near the terrace of the bar and restaurant, a lounger-lined infinity pool juts dramatically into the landscape, pointing toward a water hole often visited by zebras, elephants and wildebeests. The five suites and one villa are all spacious, with private pools and panoramic rooftop decks. But the star here is the impressive spa, with a salt-brick-lined infrared sauna, a cold plunge pool and a hot tub (elephants walked past as we soaked in it). I highly recommend booking a treatment of some sort.

DINE
We dined on delicious cuisine in a variety of locations here, including by the main pool, beside the fire pit, in the spa garden and on our suite’s roof. Sundowners were also a pleasure, served next to a scenic pond or atop a viewing tower.

EXPLORE
The size of the 160,000-acre reserve meant that we saw few other safari vehicles and that we had more time in between animal sightings. That said, the game-viewing was still extraordinary. For example, we spotted a rare kori bustard en route to a pride of lions feasting on an elephant carcass. We saw almost all of the big five, including an epic herd of buffalo. Only the leopards eluded us — our tracker followed their spoor, but the animals had sequestered themselves deep in the bush.

STAY
Take a commercial flight from the diminutive Hoedspruit airport back to Cape Town, and check into a hotel on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. The architecturally dramatic 28-room Silo, above the adjoining Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), is my first choice, but the 112-room Cape Grace, recently renovated by Fairmont, is also a fine option. Alternatively, oenophiles should consider a stay in the Cape Winelands, which aren’t much farther from the airport (if at all) than the V&A Waterfront.

DINE
Eating out in Cape Town is a great pleasure. Pier serves one of my favorite tasting menus in the city from a second-floor dining room overlooking the V&A Waterfront. Fyn, a fashionable venue just off Church Square in the City Centre neighborhood, serves my other favorite. If you make a day trip to Constantia, consider lunch at Beyond, which offers contemporary South African cuisine with views of vineyards backed by mountain ridges.

EXPLORE
It’s not difficult to fill one’s time in Cape Town. Sights associated with Nelson Mandela — such as Robben Island, where he was kept prisoner — often top travelers’ itineraries. A (strenuous) hike or cable-car ride up to Table Mountain provide sensational views of the city, countryside and coast. A day trip to nearby Constantia to see contemporary art at the estimable Norval Foundation and do a wine tasting or two is a wonderful idea, and the wine regions of Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl are also within easy reach. Right at the V&A Waterfront, Zeitz MOCAA often has compelling special art exhibitions, not to mention extraordinary architecture. Shopping nearby at places like Aafricaa, the African Trading Port and the Watershed is touristy but great fun. And for something truly extraordinary, the Travel Office can arrange a day trip to Antarctica: a five-hour flight aboard an Airbus A340 to Wolf’s Fang Runway, followed by about three hours on the continent itself, with time for an easy hike and a Champagne picnic. I can’t think of a way to reach Antarctica that’s easier or more glamorous.