South Africa Wildlife safaris game drives Trips

Our trip to the Kruger National Park was nothing short of unforgettable. The itinerary was incredibly well planned, giving us the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation. We had more than enough time to explore the park’s beauty, and still enjoy peaceful downtime by the pool, soaking in the atmosphere and the breathtaking surroundings. The scenery was truly awe‑inspiring—from holding our breath as we watched lions in their natural habitat, to being completely mesmerized during the panoramic route. Every moment felt magical. A huge part of what made this experience exceptional was our guide. Not only was he extremely knowledgeable, but also a true people’s person—engaging, warm, and passionate about the wildlife and the park. His insights and enthusiasm added so much to the journey. This trip was an incredible blend of excitement, beauty, and serenity. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a memorable and meaningful experience in nature.

The whole trip from start to finish was excellent. The quality of accommodations in were outstanding, we had a piano player at breakfast in Cape Town and a dedicated barista in Johannesburg! The luxury tent at Chisomo was huge with everything you could need also. The Trafalgar trip managers in both Cape Town and Johannesburg were fantastic, very considerate and made sure we all were having a great time. We were a small group of 6. In Kruger our guide and tracker were great fun, and ensured we got to see the big 5 by the second day. The way the itineraries were laid out were very good, just the right balance between getting to see all the sights and having downtime. We were supposed to do a cultural experience at Chisomo on the first day but this had to be changed, so we did it when we arrived in Johannesburg. We were taken to Lesedi cultural village which was fantastic, and definitely should be a regular part of the trip, you get completely immersed in the tribal cultures, the show they did for us and the food afterwards was brilliant! There is a great contrast between the 3 different venues, the natural beauty of Cape Town with Table Mountain and the cape and winery, the incredible experience of getting up close to the animals in Kruger, even around the camp with monkeys, impala, warthogs, and my favourite dung beetles! Fascinating creatures, and the political history of Johannesburg. The internal flights were all done for us too, all we needed to do was present our passports. We always felt completely safe on the trip, we had a very convenient shuttle bus to the waterfront from the hotel on the hour there and back, but we walked sometimes, as it’s only 20 minutes. The hotel in Johannesburg was right beside a huge shopping mall we could also walk to without a problem, we even went to the cinema there on the last day before our flight. This is definitely a bucket list trip and Trafalgar made sure it was perfect for us, they even met us at the airport to check us in for our flight home. I can’t recommend this trip enough!

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!

Loved every minute of this tour. The guide called Bee was excellent. She shared her passion for South Africa, mixed with humour and kindness. Our driver Ryan was so helpful, a very safe driver, and got involved with the group. Wonderful mix of accommodation and locations. A good variety of activities. The people were warm and friendly. I felt very safe on this trip.