Finding Pet-Friendly Accommodation in South Africa

Pet-friendly means different things

The label covers everything from a farm cottage where dogs sleep on the bed to a hotel that permits one small dog in a ground-floor room and nowhere else.

Phone rather than relying on a filter. Ask specifically: what size, how many, can they be left alone in the room, are they allowed on the furniture, is there a secure fenced area.

What to check before booking

• Is the property genuinely fenced, and how high
• Is there a pet fee or deposit, and is it refundable
• Are dogs allowed off lead anywhere on the property
• Is the nearest vet within reasonable distance
• Are there other resident animals, including livestock
• Is the property near a road, and how busy

Ask about snakes and porcupines on bushveld and Lowveld properties, and about swimming pools that are not fenced.

Where to look

Dedicated pet-friendly listing sites exist for South Africa, and the major booking platforms have pet filters that are a reasonable starting point but not reliable on the detail.

Self-catering, farm stays and cottages are usually far more accommodating than hotels. The Garden Route, the Cape Winelands, the Drakensberg and the Midlands are particularly well served.

Game reserves generally do not accept dogs at all, for good reason. Do not assume a bushveld lodge will.

Packing for the animal

Their own bed or blanket, which matters more than anything else for settling. Their own bowls. Enough of their usual food for the whole trip — changing food on holiday causes exactly the mess you do not want in someone else’s cottage.

A long lead for tethering, a towel for muddy paws, poo bags, any medication, and the vaccination card.

A crate if your dog is crate-trained. It gives them somewhere that is theirs and gives you a way to leave the room.

Being invited back

Bring an old sheet to put over furniture. Ask where they would prefer you toilet the dog and clean up every time.

Do not leave a dog alone in a room if it will bark. This is the single most common reason properties stop accepting pets.

Every well-behaved guest keeps a property on the pet-friendly list for the next person. It is a small community and it is worth protecting.