South Africa Tours in January 2027

Wonderful. Made us fall in love with Africa. Never once did we feel unsafe, unprepared or uncomfortable. Experience was exceptional. CEO and all guides we came across were amazing. Highly recommend. We will be back.

I booked this trip at the last minute to intentionally push myself beyond my comfort zone, and boy, did it deliver. As an older traveller in Contiki's age range, I was also delighted that this trip attracted older travellers ranging from ages 23-33. Our Tour Manager, *Personal details removed by Feefo* was faultless. He was incredibly organised, communicative, and positive throughout the entire trip. *Personal details removed by Feefo* made the effort to check in with each individual daily, and often spent his downtime ‘hanging out’ with the whole group, sharing stories, meals, and laughs. He made the extra effort to get to know each of us, and supported us to achieve what we wanted from the trip. *Personal details removed by Feefo* also consistently prioritised our security, which I was initially concerned about as a solo female traveller. *Personal details removed by Feefo* passion for his country, for wildlife, and for conservation was immediately evident. His personal insights supported our extended learning across the trip, as he often added to the knowledge the professional guides and rangers shared. Our driver, *Personal details removed by Feefo* , was professional, friendly, and helpful. Despite many early mornings and long drives, he was always prompt and wearing a smile. Thank you, *Personal details removed by Feefo* As the name suggests, this trip balances a great blend of sea, safari, and cultural experiences. Some highlights of the trip for me included the game drive and dinner at Scotia Private Game Reserve (thank you, *Personal details removed by Feefo*!), enjoying the slower pace of beach town, Knysna, and wine tasting in the glorious Stellenbosch region. Camping in Kruger National Park was personally challenging for me, but luckily it was scheduled towards the end of the trip. The weather was not ideal, but of course, this was always a risk when travelling in the wet season (January). Our guide, Matt, did everything possible to rearrange the schedule to ensure we could still experience a variety of game drives. The trip had many early mornings and busy days, but this allowed us to explore and experience so much more of the beautiful country of South Africa than I ever would have managed to if travelling independently. If you’re considering booking this trip, stop thinking and just book it. Thank you very much to *Personal details removed by Feefo*, the vendors/suppliers, my awesome fellow travellers, and Contiki for providing this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I will forever treasure my time in South Africa.

Another wonderful trip with Explore! Our trip was delayed due to a British Airways flight and both Explore and the team in South Africa were brilliant at rearranging transfers and getting us to the rest of the group. We were lucky to see three of the Big Five on our first Safari and ticked off the rest later in the trip where we were also lucky to see Leopard on three separate occasions. We covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time and our guide Suzanne and driver Charl were wonderful at keeping us on track and providing useful information. The early starts are needed to make the most of the opportunities to view all of the wonderful wildlife and a good camera with a long zoom and a decent pair of binoculars really make a difference. The accommodation was all very good and excellently placed for the days activities. Stand out accommodation was Sungabala Eco Camp and the beehive huts in Milwane Wildlife Sanctuary. We took every opportunity to join all optional activities to get the most from the trip and enjoyed all of them. As vegetarians we were well catered for and didn't have any issues with any of the options on offer and the breakfast picnics in the bush were always lovely. We were lucky to be a part of a wonderful group who bonded well and we had plenty of laughter with. Having never visited Africa (other than Marrakech) before this was a wonderful introduction to this beautiful country and we can't wait to see more of it.

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.

My first trip with Explore and an overwhelmingly positive experience. Good pre-departure support, a very well organised trip, great accommodation and accompanied by a knowledgeable and friendly tour leader. As a single traveller there was no problem integrating with the other members of the tour and we all bonded in to a great group.

It was necessary for my daughter and I to miss the last two days of the tour and we received a great deal of help from Explore with making extra arrangements.. Explore provided us with a transfer to the airport in Eswatini and also a tour of Soweto in Johannesburg. The tour provided a variety of habitats, mountain foothills, a coastal environment and game reserves. There was a lot of travelling but the coach was comfortable.