3 Best Sights in The Garden Route and the Little Karoo, South Africa

Between Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert, the huge and stunningly beautiful 20-million-year-old Cango Caves, filled with weird and wonderful stalactite and stalagmite formations, are deservedly one of the most popular attractions in the area. Only a small fraction of the caves, which extend for several miles through the mountains, is open. There's some damage from vandals, especially to the first chamber, but things get more magnificent the more the tour progresses. One of the highlights is Cleopatra's Needle, which stands 29 feet high and is at least 150,000 years old. You can choose between two tours: the hour-long standard tour and the aptly named adventure tour, which lasts 1½ hours. The latter is exhilarating, but the temperatures and humidity are high, there's not much oxygen, and you'll be shimmying up narrow chimneys on your belly, wriggling your way through tiny tunnels, and sliding on your bottom. Wear old clothes and shoes with a good tread.

Set between Montagu and Barrydale on the R62, the Op-de-Tradouw region, named after a pass through the mountains, is best known for its excellent wines. Joubert-Tradauw is a great place to stop for a wine tasting or for lunch or tea. Owner Meyer Joubert makes wine in the age-old French tradition—unfiltered and unrefined. His Chardonnay is sublime, and he has publicly stated that it is his ambition to make the best Syrah in the world. (Try it; he's definitely on the right track.) While he works his magic in the winery, his wife Beate waves her star-spangled wand over the small deli–coffee shop, where you can sit under the pergola and spend ages over a superb cheese platter or Gruyère salad, or just have a quick coffee and cheesecake. It's tapas alfresco with a traditional Afrikaner touch.

Sanbona Game Reserve couldn’t be more different than Kruger National Park and the Lowveld. The gorges and ridges of the towering Cape Fold mountains, the semi-arid terrain of the Karoo plains, and unique vegetation of the fynbos (scrubland) make this a must for visitors to the Cape. Expect to feel dwarfed by the vast landscape. Even elephants look tiny compared to their majestic surroundings. The roads are rough and the distances long, but the overall experience is breathtaking.

Roughly the size of Singapore, this enormous area supports a free-roaming population of animals that were indigenous to the Western Cape before European settlers arrived. Here you’ll find the Big Five (lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo, and leopard), although the area is so vast and desolate that you're certainly not guaranteed to spot them all. Guides make use of tracking devices to locate them. A unique experience is to spend time on foot with wild cheetahs that have grown accustomed to being approached by rangers.

Wildlife isn’t all you’ll find here. Be sure to climb up to some rare examples of San rock art, some reputed to be over 3,500 years old. Crystal-clear night skies deliver exceptional stargazing.

Conservation is the primary concern of the non-profit Caleo Foundation, and it shows in every detail from the building materials to the hand-carved furniture to your personal water bottle. Three luxury lodges cater to all types of guests. Historic Tilney Manor has an old-world feel, Gondwana Lodge is geared toward families, and the strikingly beautiful Dwyka Tented Camp is styled as a bush safari camp and is perfect for couples. If you want to get even more immersed in the wilderness, choose a two-day hike from Explorer Camp where you sleep in tents and dine under the stars around a crackling fire.