Addo Elephant National Park

Really loved our first visit to South Africa with Explore. We chose this one because it was a fairly relaxed tour and left us quite a reasonable amount of spare time and I think the majority of us who booked the holiday did so on that basis too. Brent as leader of the tour was very knowledgeable, parient and courteous throughout under some pressure at times and we were very impressed with him. Overall an excellent holiday and at some point I think we shall return to see more of South Africa.

Our tour leader Bee (Bianca) and driver Ryaan were both excellent. The itinerary was varied and well paced and accommodation excellent right up to the last night when unfortunately the accommodation 'Beyond Cui Bono' felt very run down by comparison which was a shame, as otherwise the trip would get a 5 star review from me!

Loved every minute of this tour. The guide called Bee was excellent. She shared her passion for South Africa, mixed with humour and kindness. Our driver Ryan was so helpful, a very safe driver, and got involved with the group. Wonderful mix of accommodation and locations. A good variety of activities. The people were warm and friendly. I felt very safe on this trip.

This trip was really well run by our guide Bee and our driver Riyaan who were helpful, enthusiastic and fun. There was a very good mix of activities and choices which meant that we could opt out of the ones which were beyond us. The hotels were in general very good - we particularly liked Karoo Art Hotel in Barrydale and the Stellenbosch Hotel - but the Addo homestay was spoiled by the powerful external lights being on all night making our room almost like daylight (and we had to get up at 4.30). The hotel in our extended holiday in Victoria Falls, Pioneer Lodge, was flawless. We would not recommend the flights we took from (and return to) Manchester - both with Ethiopian Airlines. The route via Addis Ababa meant that we were travelling for more than 24 hours point to point and the food on the aircraft was generally very poor. Our flights on South Africa Airlines to Victoria Falls were very much better. We think the tour would be enhanced by one extra day in Cape Town.

New to solo travel and my first trip with Explore I was anxious ahead of departure about navigating my way in ‘free time’ and there being meals not included and whether I’d been left on my own. None of these worries manifested. Help, guidance and support at these times were confidence building for future travel opportunities as was the chance to chat with more accomplished travellers. There was a mixed age range and spread of solo travellers and couples. Our friendly and engaging driver Riyaan was waiting at the gate to do transfers, after an over night flight, his presence and smile reassuring from the outset. Riyaan and tour guide Bee complimented each other and worked as a team to present their country in an insightful and engaging way. We were always safe and given boundaries as to when circumstances demanded that we should be more cautious. Bee has boundless patience, energy and presence to manage expectations and an eclectic mix of travellers. An experienced, knowledgeable guide who has set comfortable boundaries and developed excellent strategies for managing group dynamics. Bee responded with empathy and compassion to situations arising for individuals in the group . Both she and Riyaan are passionate about their country and the poorer in their society and encouraged us to respond in small practical ways. A keen walker and swimmer I could participate in both activities. Both hikes were demanding and involved some rock scrambles and short sections of terrain that needed your full attention. I loved them both and the rewards in terms of views were worthwhile. Being so close to the sea I would have liked a few more opportunities to swim. Location, time within the itinerary and threats from sealife meant there were constraints and I acknowledge those. This trip gave a good overview of the country and my preconceived general assumptions were clearly misinformed. South Africa is beautiful with an abundance of wildlife so different to the UK. An early riser I was free at times to wander outside the constraints of the hotel enjoying the scents of early morning flowers before the heat of the day intensified. The people were so friendly and eager to please. On a practical level the hotel rooms all provided kettles and drink making facilities, I took my own Earl Grey teabags. Rooms often had good sized fridges and air conditioning. Some had pools, mostly for dipping and cooling off, rather than serious swimming. Food and drink is very reasonably priced. There was always bottled water available in hotels and minibus to top up personal water bottles. A really great trip I can heartily recommend.

Bee was an amazing tour guide. With a large group, she made sure we were well taken care of and truly made this trip wonderful. She went above and beyond to make sure those that wanted additional excursions secured bookings, and those with special dietary restrictions were accommodated. She truly made what would have been an ordinary trip, extraordinary.