Last Minute South Africa Tours and May

What a trip, we can highly recommend it! We booked an extra night pre-tour in Cape Town and could easily have filled an extra 2 nights, there is so much to see and do in Cape Town that isn't covered in the tour itininary. A Hop On Hop Off bus is a good option on arrival day, the red route will take you to the cable car for Table Mountain. Ubers are incredibly cheap and the best way to get around. We were pleased that we made the boat trip out to Robben Island, if we'd had an extra day we would have visited the Kirstenbosch National Botancial Gardens. Bee (Bianca) is an exceptional, top rate guide, she made our trip super special for us, particularly as we ended being the only 2 travellers and not the usual Explore small group experience. Although we stuck pretty much to the itininary Bee's flexibility ensured that we got the very most out of everywhere that we visited. We loved our additional stop at the Ostrich farm in Oudtshoorn - an ostrich neck massage is a must-do once in a lifetime experience! The hiking trails in the Robberg Nature Reserve involve steep uneven and precipitous climbs and descents, not for the faint hearted, so instead we opted for a fun boat trip spotting many fur seals and cormorants at the foot of the Robberg cliffs and a trip to the Monkeyland sancturay - both excellent alternatives that we were very pleased that we visited. The accommodation lived up to all expectations, each place unique in its own way; comfy beds, good showers, plenty of hot water and good breakfasts including the novelty of a 'bagged' breakfast from Elna, our fabulous host at De Poort. The sheer variety of this trip, the great hospiltality from the South African people and our superb guide made this a very memorable holiday. Practical notes: power sockets - you need the fat round 3 pin plugs not the skinnier ones that Amazon sell as compatable, not all usb sockets work, many hotels also have European 2 pin sockets; not all accommodation provide hairdryers in the room but you can probably borrow from reception; you can pay for everything with credit card even at Sedgefield market, no surcharge for small purchases, we only used cash for tips; expect to pay roughly half of what you would pay for food and drink in the UK.

Exceptional customer service from Explore from start to finish. Excellent itinerary: really varied - with lovely walks, history, culture and LOTS of wildlife. Accommodation was superb - interesting hotels/lodges all in remarkable locations. Be prepared for long drives though.

A thoroughly enjoyable trip with a great group of people. Lots of interesting places and beautiful walks - if quite strenuous. I’m sure a bit more information about places and life living in Cape Town now and in the past would have been interesting.

A very successful trip to a beautiful, fascinating, and complex country. Everywhere we went, people were friendly and welcoming. We enjoyed a couple of extra days in Cape Town before joining our group - to be recommended in order to see even the main sights. All the accommodation was different and each place had something special: a stunning setting, superb views, quirky decor (we loved the Karoo Art Hotel). Our last stay at the Addo Homestead, complete with a wonderful safari, was a perfect ending. Breakfasts, food and wine were all of a consistently high standard. The itinerary was very good but would benefit from a few tweaks. Brent was a patient and knowledgeable Tour Leader, whilst John was an excellent, very calm and safe driver.

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!