The Southern Africa Safari trip was incredible! was an amazing tour guide with so much knowledge about South Africa and its surrounding countries. was also a great TM in Namibia. I had the time of my life on this trip and I wish I could do it all over again! It has got me so excited to go back to Africa and do more exploring of these beautiful countries.
Wildlife safaris and game drives
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Tent, Camping, Guest House, Hotel
Age Range
18-35 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Cape Town, Kasane, Windhoek, Cho
Cape Town, Kasane, Windhoek, Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans, Okavango Delta, Maun, Etosha National Park, Swakopmund, Sossusvlei, Kruger National Park, Johannesburg, Victoria Falls
This was the best tour I've ever been on! Our guide Matt was incredible from start to finish. He was knowledgable about the animals and history, made us laugh and kept us safe at all times. I experienced the culture from not only Matt but from our game drive trackers, excursion tour guides, and Timbavati Lodge staff. When I was unexpectedly scratched by a monkey Matt made sure I was ok and got me to the doctor to ease my mind. I made friends for life with my fellow travelers and can't wait to go on another adventure with Expat next year!
A 10-day tour taking in vast but varied deserts (undulating dunes then rocky desert followed by flat desert then bare granite mountains with rock art), the raging Atlantic coast and then green savannah and salt pans teeming with antelopes, wildebeest and giraffes. Great guide and driver. We covered just under 3000 km so you do spend time travelling but it is a large country. Some accommodation in beautiful lodges. This tour is a photographer's dream.
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Lodge
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Windhoek, Etosha National Park
Windhoek, Etosha National Park, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Cape Cross Seal Reserve
I really enjoyed the trip and the way camping was mixed into the other accommodations.
However, it would have been nice to have some more options for Cape Town add-ons, even if we couldn’t do all of them. I.e see Nelson Mandela’s prison. I also think the township tour should be an inclusion.
The walking safari in Zambia was a bit too expensive though, considering we only did like 30-40min of walking.
was fantastic in the way he welcomed us to his home country and spoke about life in Africa.
Adventure
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Camping, Hotel, Tent, Guest House
Age Range
18-35 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Cape Town, Kruger National Park
Cape Town, Kruger National Park, Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans, Okavango Delta, Maun, Johannesburg, Victoria Falls
The trip was fantastic! We saw a lot of animals, got to know different cultures and always felt safe due to our amazing tour guide. The group had a great dynamic right from the start.
City sightseeing
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Camping, Hotel, Lodge, Tent, Hut
Age Range
18-35 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Cape Town, Johannesburg, Oudtsho
Cape Town, Johannesburg, Oudtshoorn, Saint Lucia, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Kruger National Park, Gqeberha, Knysna, Durban
Our trip leader Samantha was outsanding and went above and beyond in making sure everyone had a great time and everyone's needs were taken care of. She was attentive, energetic, caring, knowledgeable and funny! She really made our trip that much more amazing!
Wildlife safaris and game drives
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Hut, Guest House
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Johannesburg, Addo Elephant Nati
Johannesburg, Addo Elephant National Park, Drakensberg Mountains, Cape Town, Cape Peninsula, Stellenbosch, Hermanus, Cape Agulhas, Swellendam, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Tsitsikamma National Park, Port Elizabeth Airport, St. Lucia, Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, Eswatini, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Kruger National Park, Graskop
This was an amazing experience. Most of the accommodation was excellent, however, the house boat on the delta was not the one mentioned in our final itinerary, and the rooms were very small, however the staff on board were excellent and looked after us well producing excellent food in a tiny kitchen. The staff at Batonka lodge in Victoria Falls deserve a special mention too. Travel was via an open sided vehicle which was excellent for viewing animals but got very cold and blustery on the two days of long journeys, make sure you bring warm clothing, gloves and a scarf or mask to prevent breathing in dust. There were two long travel days, particularly the day traveling through Namibia, the border crossing took longer than expected due to the introduction of a required visa a few months earlier. An extra night slotted in Namiba would have taken the pressure off. I cannot fault our guide/driver Phenyo, his ability to spot wildlife was extraordinary, he was so knowledgeable about every bird and animal we saw and had an excellent understanding of animal behavior which he passed on. He looked after us from start to finish and was always so positive.
I chose this trip for the wildlife abs it did not disappoint, from a pack of hyenas eating a dead elephant to a leopard resting, multiple lions and what seemed like hundreds of giraffes and elephants to mongooses and even honey badgers. The optional boat trip at Chobe was another highlight. If you like wildlife then this is the trip for you. I loved every minute.
Wildlife safaris and game drives
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
I thought every single day was the best day of my life... Until the next day came along and overtook it, and then the next day and the next...
The Okavango Delta is pure magic. Easily the best place to see wildlife in Africa (and I have been to most of them on Contiki's). Its remote, there are barely any other tourists on safari out there and it felt like we were truly in Africa, experiencing it for how it should be and not a tourist destination to see wildlife. The camping set up there is awesome, you arrive and everything is set up from your tents and bedding, to a fire place to sit around at night, to a dining tent and chill tent on the river to watch elephants come downt to drink in the middle of the day - right in front of us! On the Game Drives we saw lions and even Wild Dogs (Painted Wolf) pups as well as the adults on the hunt. The safari vehicles had fridges to keep the beers cold, charge ports for our phones and a roof to climb on to watch the sunset over the Delta's waterways while lions were calling in the distance.
The Meerkats at the salt pans were amazing to see go about their day without even giving us a glance as we got close for photos and the sunset on the pans where you can see the horizon 360 degrees around you was extra special.
And Chobe was out of this world... That sunset on the river when everyone had left the park but we stayed in it at Contiki Special Campsite, plus the leopard in the tree... Goosebumps...
And I nearly forgot the adrendline and pure adventure of Victoria Falls. Bungeeing, rafting, heli flights, walking safaris... It has everything to get the heart racing but also some activity from sitting on safari vehicles. I guess some of the activities are pricey, but I felt super safe doing everything and would always rather pay a higher price for safety on the adventurous activities. I'd reccomend them all! The accommodation here felt so fancy with swimming pool, the spray of the falls in the distance, elephants drinking at the waterhole in front and out the back you could safely walk into town to do some shopping or exploring...
A trip I could VERY easily do again and again. Every safari drive is different with varying chances of seeing different animals doing different things (drinking/eating/hunting/playing with babies etc etc). Every drive felt special and unique...
The Africa bug has bitten me hard - I cant wait to go back
Natural landmarks sightseeing
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Camping, Hotel, Lodge, Tent
Age Range
18-35 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Victoria Falls, Maun, Chobe Nati
Victoria Falls, Maun, Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans, Okavango Delta