Johannesburg Tours in Spring

I had an awesome experience. The tour was well organized and I had an amazing and well read tour guide who could answer all of my questions. It was a perfect mix of cultural and Safari. I can definitely recommend the tour!!!

This trip itself is awesome and we had the time of our lives. Our guide, was also the best we could've ever asked for. In 14 days we covered so much ground and saw so much of this beautiful country. The accommodations are mostly decent with a few really good ones like in St Lucia, and the itinerary is pretty well thought out to see a lot of this country in this amount of time. If you ever wanted to do safaris, this is the trip for you. The cultural elements were also great, and it was awesome to see Contiki ensure that the people we met and places we see are ethical and helping with positive change in some of these communities. However, compared to Contiki trips we've taken previously, there isn't much included as far as experiences go. Pretty much everything exciting is an add-on, so budget accordingly. I can understand that hotels and travel are expensive, but a few things like the final campfire dinner or the cooking class at the end of the first leg could've been included. For those two experiences specifically, while fun, we felt that we were overpaying for what is essentially fun dinners with the rest of the group. I also thought it was strange that we flew from Capetown to Jo-berg and then drove 7 hours to near Durban. It would've saved us a lot of time to see stuff if we were simply flying to Durban. Lastly, the Kruger camping was very cool and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, however the group Contiki partners with will only stick to the main roads, often competing with heavy traffic from the general public. We didn't get to see that much of Kruger considering it's such a massive park; we essentially kept to one small corner of it. We found that in contrast the private game reserves allowed us to get much closer to the animals and went off the "beaten path" much more. All-in-all, we had the absolute best time and the value here is top-notch for travelling SA. We do not have any regrets, just want to ensure we note some of the things that could've been a bit better. But that's all in hindsight. We could not have asked for a better package for travelling through this beautiful country for a reasonable budget, and from the research we did prior, I don't think that you could find better value for money to give you the best South Africa experience.

This trip was one of the best trips that I have ever been on, from the culture, food, people and of course the animals. Being able to see the big 5 was something that I will never forget. My trip manager was honestly the best person I could of had for this tour, from his knowledge, stories, personality and overall just making me feel safe in a country I have never been to before and my first as a solo female traveler. That is something I’ll always remember I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to get out of their comfort zone, the add on activities allowed for me to accomplish things I never thought I would do.

What an amazing trip. We saw so many different cultures while visiting. Our tour guide was so enthusiastic about his country. His knowledge was unbelievable. So glad I got to share in the beauty of this country. Every where we went was so interesting and I learned so much. Definitely a trip for your bucket list.

The Tour director was very knowledgeable and driver drove well to keep us safe throughout trip. I understand driver drove for extended hours on some days even... Both were extremely friendly and helpful. The pair was awesome. Hotels were mostly great, I was greatly that some had fantastic view eg The Premier hotel at Drakensberg ! Simply love the mountains and golf course right in front of my room!… Had wonderful experience with The Oyster Box hotel too! Although I would love to have more time in each city than returning back to hotel earlier most days, all turned out well and no one fell ill as a result of more rest I guess. Food was mostly delicious and in abundance… I enjoyed this trip the most ! … out of my many trips with Trafalgar previously.

The best trip with Explore ever!! Our guide Samantha was fabulous, gracious, hard working, funny, informative and a great driver. We saw and did so many things that I cannot list them all but they were all fantastic. We saw the Big Five plus dozens of other species plus fabulous venues and food. I would recommend this trip for anyone who wants to get to know South Africa and have a great time.