Club Med has welcomed guests to the Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari in KwaZulu-Natal, its first resort in the country and its first dual-location beach-and-safari concept.
Club Med opened the doors to Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari on 4 July, pairing a beachfront resort on the KwaZulu-Natal coast with a private safari lodge in a Big Five game reserve, sold as one connected journey.
The beach resort sits on the North Coast, about 30 minutes from Durban’s King Shaka International Airport, and is billed as the only all-inclusive resort in the region.
What to expect
The Beach Resort has 345 rooms, made up of 310 Superior and 35 Deluxe rooms, plus 66 Exclusive Collection Suites for guests wanting an elevated, premium tier.
It features Club Med’s first-ever Surf Academy, open to beginners and intermediates aged eight and up, with four lessons a day. Other activities include tennis, padel, yoga and flying trapeze, alongside a wellness area with a spa and hammam.
Dining and drinks run across two restaurants and five bars, and the resort carries the full spread of kids clubs from four months through to 17 years, making it a fit for families as well as couples.
How the lodge connects
A four-and-a-half-hour drive inland sits the private 18,000-hectare Vikela Safari Lodge, available only to Club Med guests and home to Africa’s Big Five: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and Cape buffalo.
The lodge has 75 premium air-conditioned tented rooms, split into 55 family tents with kids clubs and a kids pool, and a 20-tent adults-only area with a private lounge, panoramic terrace and pool.
Game drives include sunrise, sunset and shorter 90-minute family options, with the transfer between the two properties included in the package.
A minimum three-night stay at the Beach Resort is required to add the safari lodge.
Why it matters for sellers
Michelle Davies, general manager for Club Med Pacific and New ESAP Markets, said early demand had run well ahead of forecasts.
“Since opening for sales, we have seen exceptionally strong sales demand, exceeding expectations by 50%,” she said.
“This early momentum reinforces the appetite for this unique dual-destination experience and highlights the growing desire for travel that blends adventure with effortless comfort.
“With Australian travel to South Africa now exceeding pre-COVID levels, we are well positioned to meet this demand, bringing Club Med’s all-inclusive ease to one of the world’s most compelling destinations for Australian travellers.”
A dedicated conference centre with 500-person capacity, nine modular meeting rooms and team-building activities also opens the property to the corporate and incentive market.
Lead-in prices for seven nights start at $2,289 per person for the Beach Resort, or $3,351 per person for the combined Beach & Safari package (five nights beach plus two nights safari).
Club Med was recently nominated for multiple categories at the 2026 National Travel Indsutry Awards (NTIA). Advisors can visit Club Med via its portal here.
KARRYON UNPACKS: A single all-inclusive package that pairs a Blue Flag beach with a private Big Five reserve solves the two biggest friction points in selling South Africa: complexity and logistics. With Aussie arrivals back above pre-COVID levels, Club Med has built a product that suits families, couples and even incentive groups, all from one booking.
