Arrive in the vibrant city of Durban on South Africa’s balmy and lush East Coast, and pick up your rental car. Drive up the kwaZulu-Natal coast, passing scenic sugar cane plantations, to the Phinda Mountain Lodge in the Phinda Game Reserve. Located on the mountainous part of the reserve, the lodge’s friendly staff will welcome your family and help you settle into your room. Mountain Lodge is the largest of all the camps at Phinda and is ideally suited to families with young children. There are several restaurants and a special kids’ club packed with educational and fun toys.

Phinda offers a wide variety of exciting activities for children, including a programme designed to teach them more about the animals and plants in the area. This includes a bug hunt, a bark-rubbing excursion, and a lesson in making recycled paper – all under the watchful eyes of the rangers.

Game drives with parents will give children the opportunity to show off their new knowledge gained through this fun programme. Between game drives, cool off in the spacious swimming pool. Dinner is served in the communal dining area or in the boma where kids can share their own campfire, complete with marshmallows roasted on the fire after a delicious meal!

Today you drive back to King Shaka International Airport where you can drop off your hired car and board your flight to Mauritius via OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

On arrival on this idyllic tropical island, a private transfer will meet you and take you to LUX* Belle Mare on the eastern coast. Set on a tranquil lagoon, LX* Belle Mare is a ‘do-it-all’ resort that has an enormous azure swimming pool, a sizable spa with signature treatments and clubs for children and teenagers.

Spend your next five leisure-filled days relaxing on the long stretch on white sandy beach and cooling off in the crystal clear waters. Try your hand at windsurfing, sailing or scuba diving. Land activities include tennis, yoga and mountain biking through nature trails. A babysitting service is available and there are several restaurants – serving everything from Asian cuisine to traditional Mauritian dishes – on site for parents to sample in the evenings, perhaps starting with a cocktail and ending with nightcap in the Monsoon Lounge.

A transfer will take you back to the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport – where you board your outbound flight for your journey home.