Yes, You Really Can Do Both.
Here’s a question we hear a lot, “can you honestly combine a proper golf trip with a real safari, and still do justice to both?”
The short answer? Absolutely. And South Africa is one of the only places in the world where that’s genuinely true, not as a marketing tagline, but as a lived experience that thousands of golfers return from utterly speechless.
A well-planned South African luxury golf safari gives you championship-level golf and Big 5 game drives, often within the same 10 to 14-day trip, without either feeling rushed or bolted on. It’s done right – Matkovich Golf Travel are experts at doing it right, so it flows like a proper personal holiday should.
Why South Africa is the perfect setting for a luxury Golf Safari.
South Africa is arguably the finest destination in the world for combining golf and wildlife in a single trip. The climate plays year-round, the courses are genuinely world-class, and the safari reserves are among the most spectacular on earth. You’re not choosing between two good things, you’re getting both worlds at their very best.
Courses that make golfers travel across the world.
South Africa is arguably the finest destination in the world for combining golf and wildlife in a single trip. The climate plays year-round, the courses are genuinely world-class, and the safari reserves are among the most spectacular on earth. You’re not choosing between two good things, you’re getting both worlds at their very best.
From the dramatic coastal layouts of the Garden Route to the prestigious parkland courses of the Cape Winelands and the legendary fairways adjacent to Kruger National Park, South Africa punches well above its weight. Courses like Pinnacle Point, Leopard Creek, Fancourt, and Pearl Valley have hosted international professionals and regularly appear on global top-100 lists. You’ll be playing tracks that leave an impression long after the scorecard’s been forgotten.
The Wildlife That Makes Non-Golfers Pack Their Bags
And then there’s the safari side. Places like Timbavati Private Reserve or &Beyond Ngala Safari Lodge border an unfenced section of Kruger that offer game drives in an exclusive, private setting where lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and buffalo roam freely. The rare white lion calls Timbavati home. You’re get to watch wildlife from behind in it.
A personally hosted golf safari different.
There’s a big difference between booking a golf trip and being hosted on one. We specialise in personally hosted golf holidays in South Africa, which means a dedicated host travels with your group from arrival to departure.
Someone who actually knows what they’re doing.
Your host isn’t a rep handing out information sheets at the airport. We’re someone who knows the courses, knows the lodges, has relationships with the guides, and genuinely cares that you have the trip of your life. That kind of knowledge is hard to replicate on a DIY booking.
No guesswork. No logistics headaches.
Transfers, tee times, game drive schedules, lodge check-ins, dinner reservations, it’s all handled by us. The fully inclusive golf and safari packages from Matkovich are built so that the only thing you need to decide is what to order from the menu. That’s not laziness, that’s exactly how a luxury golf safari should feel.
What About the Non-Golfers in Your Group?
This comes up constantly, and it’s worth addressing head-on. South African luxury golf safaris aren’t just for the person carrying the clubs. While golfers are out on the course, partners and non-playing guests can be out on a game drive, in a spa, touring a wine estate, or exploring a coastal town. Nobody is left sitting in a hotel lobby waiting. We plan for the whole group, golfers and non-golfers alike.
How to start planning your Golf Safari.
The best golf safaris aren’t built from a brochure, they’re built around a conversation. Matkovich start every enquiry by asking what you want, how much golf, what kind of safari experience, what style of accommodation, who’s travelling with you, and what your budget looks like. From there, they build a hosted itinerary that fits.
There’s no generic package, no off-the-shelf template. It’s built around you.
If you’ve been wondering whether a South African golf safari is actually worth the hype, it is, and then some. The combination of world-class courses, extraordinary wildlife, flawless hosting, and a country that genuinely takes your breath away makes this one of the most compelling golf trips available anywhere in the world.
Ready to start building yours?Get in touch with Matkovich Golf Travel and tell them what you’re looking for. We’ll take it from there.