Is winter in the city is getting you down? Plus, most of us are back at work and making morning lunch boxes for the kids. So you can’t help having that feeling that you really need a holiday — but the year isn’t even close to being over.

Even if you can’t take leave yet, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use your weekends to unwind. One of the most relaxing ways to do this is to take a trip to a nature reserve near you. A short drive away from the hustle and bustle of city life lie oases of green grass, trees and twittering birds. If you’re feeling energetic, take a hike. Or just settle down with a picnic and revel in the natural beauty.

We focus on three different nature getaways. So pick the park closest to you and get ready to take it easy.

Kwazulu Natal: Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park
Just a short three hours drive from Durban, lies the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park - the oldest game reserve in Africa proclaimed in 1895. With it’s huge diversity of wildlife, landscapes and scenery, it’s accommodation that ranges from the luxurious Hilltop camp through bush lodges like Gqoyeni to the African experience of the tented camp at Mpila, the reserve offers many options to its visitors.
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Free State: Golden Gate Highlands National Park
Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti Mountains of the north-eastern Free State, just three hours drive from Johannesburg, lies the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. This 11 600 hectares of unique environment is true highland habitat, providing home to a variety of mammals — black wildebeest, eland, blesbok, oribi, springbok and Burchell's zebra — and birds, including the rare Bearded Vulture (lammergeier) and the equally rare Bald Ibis, which breed on the ledges in the sandstone cliffs. Generaalskop, the highest point in the park, reveals a breathtaking tapestry of red, yellow and purple hues as its warm shades merge with the cool mountain shadows towards evening.
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Western Cape: Kogelberg Nature Reserve
If a bumper sticker had to be printed for the Kogelberg Nature Reserve outside Kleinmond, just over one hours drive from Cape Town, two options would surely receive the most votes. Either it should read “Cape Nature Conservation’s prettiest reserve”, or “The Heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom”. In both instances, it is the exceptional quality of its fynbos and the unique combination of ocean and mountain that ensures these slogans.
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