South Africa & Victoria Falls Golf Tour 2026: Two Incredible Weeks of Golf, Wildlife & Adventure

There are golf trips, and then there are trips where the golf is just one part of the story.

Our 2026 South Africa Tour delivered plenty of exceptional golf, but it was the combination of championship courses, incredible wildlife, fascinating history, spectacular scenery, food, wine and great company that made this such a memorable Signature Golf Tours experience.

From Johannesburg and Sun City to the Cape Winelands, and then across to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, it was an unforgettable two weeks.

Before heading to Sun City, we spent time exploring Soweto, learning more about the area’s history and the story of apartheid, including the 1976 uprising and massacre.

We also visited the former homes of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, who remarkably lived only a couple of houses apart.

From there, we headed to the spectacular Sun City Resort, our home for the next couple of nights.

 

The Lost City Golf Course

Our first round at Sun City was the Lost City Golf Course, designed by legendary South African golfer Gary Player.

The course winds its way through bushveld and rocky terrain, with elevation changes and expansive views making it a memorable round.

Of course, the hole everyone was talking about was the famous par-three 13th. The water hazard below the green is home to Nile crocodiles, giving golfers perhaps a little extra motivation to avoid hitting short!

 

Gary Player Country Club

The following day brought one of the highlights of the entire golfing itinerary — the Gary Player Country Club.

Designed by Gary Player, the par-72 layout is a proper test of golf, with beautifully manicured fairways, plenty of strategic bunkering and water coming into play throughout the round. This course is the long time host of the Nedbank Challenge on the DP World Tour with the 2026 event being held in the first week in December.

Getting the chance to walk the same fairways that have hosted some of the biggest names in world golf makes it a must do when visiting South Africa, and one everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

After leaving Sun City, we headed to Shepherd Tree Game Lodge for a very different type of adventure.

We arrived in time for our first afternoon game drive and immediately discovered just how much wildlife South Africa had to offer.

White rhinos were among our first sightings, followed by a black rhino and an elephant hiding among the vegetation.

Then came a particularly special encounter — one of the park’s female cheetahs, which had just finished feeding on a freshly caught antelope. Our guide explained that sightings of the cheetahs are relatively rare, making the encounter even more memorable.

We also spotted hippos, zebras and plenty of other wildlife during our time at the lodge. It was one of those parts of the trip where you quickly realise that no two game drives are ever the same.

After our time in the bush, we headed south to Cape Town, where the landscape changed dramatically.

We spent a day exploring Cape Town and the surrounding areas, travelling through Sea Point and Camps Bay with views of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head.

We then headed to Hout Bay and took a boat across to Duiker Island, home to a large colony of Cape fur seals.

From there it was on to Cape Point Nature Reserve, where the scenery was spectacular, before continuing to Boulders Beach to see the famous African penguin colony.

It was a big sightseeing day, but one that showcased just how diverse the Cape region is.

Back to golf the following day, we headed to Arabella Golf Course in the Western Cape.

Set within the Arabella Estate, the Peter Matkovich-designed championship course runs alongside the Bot River Lagoon, with the Kogelberg Mountains providing an incredible backdrop.

The course was beautifully presented and offered a good balance of challenge and playability.

The par-five 8th, running alongside the lagoon, was a standout hole, while the 18th provided an excellent finish to the round.

It was another very enjoyable day of South African golf.

Next up was Erinvale Golf Club, situated in Somerset West among the Cape Winelands.

Another Gary Player design, Erinvale provided a very different experience across its two nines.

The front nine is relatively open and flatter, with water and strategic bunkering coming into play, while the back nine climbs towards the Helderberg Mountains.

The elevation provides some spectacular views across False Bay and the surrounding Winelands, making it a course that is as much about the scenery as the golf.

It was a fitting final round in South Africa.

We also made time to experience some of the Cape’s most famous attractions away from the golf course.

The plan was to take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain, but strong winds meant the cable car wasn’t operating.

Fortunately, the views from the city and Signal Hill still provided an incredible perspective across Cape Town, Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and Robben Island.

We then headed into the Stellenbosch wine region.

The day included wine and cheese pairing at Fairview, lunch and wine tasting at Marianne, before finishing at Le Pommier.

One of the more interesting stories from the day came from Marianne Estate, whose flagship Floréal 2004 red blend was selected by Gordon Ramsay for Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebration at Buckingham Palace.

It was a fantastic way to round out our time in South Africa.

Rather than ending the trip in South Africa, our group had the option to continue on to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

And it certainly proved to be a worthwhile extension.

After flying from Cape Town, we checked into the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge before heading out on a sunset dinner cruise along the Zambezi River.

The sunset itself was somewhat elusive thanks to the surrounding storms, but the lightning across the sky created an incredible backdrop.

We spotted hippos and were lucky enough to see elephants crossing the river and playing in the water. It was a memorable first evening in Zimbabwe.

The extension also included a bonus round of golf at Elephant Hills Golf Club, another Gary Player-designed course.

The course wasn’t quite at the same level of conditioning as the other courses on the main itinerary, but it was never really about that.

The real attraction was the opportunity to play golf with wildlife roaming around the course.

Waterbuck, impala, warthogs, kudu, monkeys and even crocodiles were among the wildlife sightings. It was certainly not your everyday round of golf.

Our final full day brought another early start for a game drive.

Despite the wet and chilly conditions, the experience was well worth it. Getting up close to elephants, giraffes, zebras and other wildlife provided one final reminder of just how fortunate we’d been throughout the trip.

Then came the main attraction — Victoria Falls.

Standing beside one of the world’s great natural wonders was a spectacular way to finish the adventure.

Some of our group went one step further, taking a Zambezi excursion to Devil’s Pool, situated right on the edge of the Falls.

A little more adventurous than your average golf trip!

That evening, we enjoyed our final group dinner at the Boma Dinner & Dance, with traditional food, entertainment and plenty of stories from the previous two weeks.

When we look back at the 2026 South Africa Tour, it’s difficult to pick just one highlight.

There was the golf — from Serengeti and Sun City to Arabella and Erinvale.

There was the wildlife — rhinos, elephants, cheetahs, hippos, giraffes, zebras and plenty more.

There was the history and culture of Johannesburg and Soweto.

There were the spectacular landscapes around Cape Town, the Winelands and Cape Point.

And then there was Victoria Falls — an incredible way to extend the adventure and finish the trip.

South Africa delivered on every level, and we’re already looking forward to returning.

We’ll be planning our next South Africa Golf Tour for 2028 — and we can’t wait to do it all again.

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