South Africa Small Group Trips

This truly was a South Africa highlights tour. We saw the big 5 in Kruger, whales at Hermanus, penguins, coastline, Table Mountain.....the list is endless. We had an amazing guide, Tshepo, who was a fount of knowledge, always helpful and in a good humour. I would definitely recommend this trip.

Covers lot of ground and this is the one disadvantage. One day we did not arrive at our destination until past 8pm. Plenty of opportunities to get to grips with wildlife but some trips underwhelming, such as Rorke's Drift and the Hippo cruise at St Lucia. Good to have three nights at St Lucia to get over the earlier long trip, but with a couple of changes this trip could be extended a day or so and give pause for breath.

I can't tell you how enjoyable this trip was. We were 8 people in the group, as well as our brilliant guide Ado and the excellent driver Gavin. So much work went into making this trip just amazing. Everything worked out just perfectly, we had no punctures or problems at all. Ado's knowledge of South Africa and its history was incredible as well as the entire continent. The group all got on well with one another and we stayed at some really nice hotels along the way. The only thing is I wanted to do it all over again!

My first ever escorted trip by myself but definitely won’t be my last! Sydney our tour leader was amazing and looked after us so well. Our driver John got us to everywhere safely, in what were some very challenging journeys! Lots of pot holes and speed bumps in SA!! They made a great team together. The full packed itinerary suited me and although fast paced we covered a lot of the country and gave a great flavour of what SA has to offer. Finally the group on the tour were so friendly and great company - I couldn’t be happier!

Many good things about this trip. We saw lots of animals - lions, leopards, hippos, rhinos, crocs, monkeys, giraffes, elephants etc. Birding was also very good, with eagles and kingfishers as well as vultures and many other very colourful species. One of the early starts seemed a bit pointless when we arrived at 5pm at the next accommodation- breakfast is better when eaten at a table and not packed. The bus and driver were excellent, plenty of space for the long drives. The chaos at OR Tambo JNB airport meant a late start on the first day, it took an hour for immigration control. Ideally fly in the day before (or earlier) and take some local tours beforehand. If you arrive at the last lodge before it closes at 5pm, take a look at the nearby gorge, well worth doing. Buy milk at the Spar stops on the journey, the powdered stuff does not work in tea. The afternoon game drives tended to be „get them back to the bus on time“, so sightings were fewer then. Do not expect luxury from the lodges, the locations make up for it. The best guide was on the hippo cruise and night safari optionals, he really knew, and could explain, a lot about the animals and birds we saw. We came away with happy memories and a stack of photos.

This was a fantastic tour encompassing lots of incredible landscapes, national parks, and wildlife. Although we were on the move a lot the holiday was incredibly relaxing and we learnt so much about the history, culture, and flora & fauna of the areas. We were lucky enough to see all of the big 5 across the holiday, with our time in St Lucia being a highlight. Our tour guide Werner was brilliant - he was incredibly knowledgeable, insightful, and made the whole trip very smooth and enjoyable.