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South Africa is far from just about everywhere! It is expensive to get here so it is not a destination for everybody. (Though it is good value for money once you arrive). Its remoteness is a big part of what makes South Africa tours stunning, unspoiled experiences. You truly are getting away from it all once you come down here. Since moving here from the US in 1993 we have flown regularly between South Africa and Europe, the US and Asia.

Click our Cheap Flights Africa tab for our advice for getting the best cheap economy, business or first class flights & fares to South Africa from UK, USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, South America. Airfares are often the biggest expense for South Africa tours. So finding a great airfare can make a big difference in making your South Africa tours more affordable.

• Kruger National Park – South Africa’s world famous and largest national park. For animal lovers Kruger should be included in all South Africa tours. Kruger has the big five: elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo. Moreover, Kruger offers the greatest numbers of wild animals and diversity of habitats. It is also only a five hour drive from Johannesburg—on very good roads. You can also fly out -- 1.5 hours by air. Most consider Kruger to be the best South African safari park and essential for all South Africa tours.
• Pilanesberg National Park -- A wonderful malaria free big five national park. Not as large as Kruger but beautiful and wildlife rich. Plus it is less than a 2 hour drive from Johannesburg so if time is tight, a great choice for your South Africa tours. Great for self drive safaris & self drive South Africa tours. The driving is easy, the roads are great. For all of these reasons, it is one of the top safari parks for the local South African & a best safari South Africa deal as well.

• Madikwe -- Another of South Africa’s major malaria free big five game parks. It has the added benefit of affording you a very good chance of seeing wild dog. Wild dogs are endangered. This wildlife park is four hours from Johannesburg.In terms of diversity of animals and habitats, of all the parks in Africa, our favorite national parks are South African. And this park is increasingly a favorite on wildlife lovers' South Africa tours.

• Sun City – an African fantasy land with a huge wave pool, inland beach, casinos, two exceptional golf courses and a nearby national park, great for families since it borders the malaria free Pilanesberg National Park. South Africa tours that include this spot can appeal to many interests.

• Umngazi River Bungalows – on the Wild Coast – one of South Africa’s most spectacular and least touristy regions -- this is an exquisite gem that is almost exclusively frequented by South Africans. Wonderful, long sandy beaches, rock pools and a beautiful river and gorge nearby. One of our favorite places for our South Africa tours.

• Durban – Umhlanga Rocks North Of Durban — a string of family and luxury hotels on a protected beach on the Indian Ocean. Safe boardwalk, good beach with a coastal forest reserve on its northern boundary. You can walk through it and run on the boardwalk. And along the balmy Indian Ocean coast this is one of the top destinations for locals taking South Africa tours.

• Cape Town – Clifton - a beach set in Cape Town and is a place to hang out to see and be seen. Great if you like urban vibes in a beach setting and people watching. The water is too cold for most people to swim in.

• Plettenberg Bay – Set along the famous Garden Route this is a beautiful bay that has become a playground for South Africa’s rich and famous. Despite this, there is a wild beauty here – whales calf in the bay during the months of June – November. You can sea kayak, hike along an exquisitely wild peninsula – the Robberg peninsula. In the surrounding areas you can also whale watch, mountain bike, bungee jump or go on splendid hikes or river cruises. We love this place. It is ideal for South Africa tours that want to focus on nature at its best.

• South Africa's Wild Coast -- South Africa’s Wild Coast (also known as Transkei coast) is South Africa's most spectacular and least touristy region.

All South Africa tours through this area will delight your eyes with the splendid scenery & these wonderful beaches. The only problem is that they aren't shark net protected... Coffee Bay, Mazeppa Bay, Umngazi are beaches that make legends. The last one is family oriented, with fishing, swimming in the ocean, the river or in the pool. One of the most wonderful activities is taking walks within indigenous forests or along pristine coastlines.

Umngazi was a place we went to during our early days living in South Africa. It was one of our earliest South Africa tours with Maya, our daughter. She was just 4 or so, the first time we visited. So it is a very special place for us.

We went on an outstanding African hiking & horse safari in this area a couple of years ago as well. We hosted a National Public Radio group on a couple of special South Africa tours. This was one of our best South Africa tours, with a strong dose of African tribal culture -- the Xhosa are here (Mandela's tribal group). It was a wonderful African tenting safari. (As a side note, the Xhosa are considered by some as related to the tribe of Zulus that split off from the main Zulus in Kwa Zulu Natal province.)

Learn more about the best South Africa resorts & the best beaches

• Fancourt – This place hosted The President’s Cup and has a wonderful links course as well
  
• Sun City – Gary Player designed The Lost City Golf Course set adjacent to the Pilanesberg National Park. It is the site of the annual USD $2 million Nedbank Challenge

• Royal Johannesburg - This is a great course if you have a day or so in Johannesburg at the end or beginning of South Africa tours

• Sun City – With major golf courses like Gary Player’s The Lost City Golf Course, Sun City offers 3, 4 and 5 star accommodation. The neighboring Pilanesberg National Park also offers wonderful game lodge accommodation, so you can grab a round or two of golf while on a malaria free safari. This is one of the top South Africa tours spots.

• Fancourt – If you love playing golf on a diversity of exceptional courses, this is a winner. It also has the advantage of being able to be a base from which to explore the famous Garden Route. You also have a splendid spa here too. Another benefit is that you can experience Fancourt and enjoy the splendors of South Africa tours along the Garden Route.

• Steenberg – A wonderful wine estate, splendid golf course and excellent hotel all in one. It is just outside of Cape Town - in the Cape’s Constantia Winelands (a highlight of many South Africa tours)- and has a good spa as well. Located on the beautiful Cape Peninsula, the course is exposed to the changeable Cape Town South Africa weather.

Learn more about the best South Africa golf courses & the best South Africa golfing accommodation

• The Outpost - This was one of our favorites. Romance, scenic splendor, great wildlife & great food ...we could have stayed here a week or more. Perched on a cliff where the eagles soar below you – that’s right the eagles soar below you – this lodge is located in the extreme northern edge of Kruger National Park. Stunning vistas of mountains in the distance, a river valley below, very good game viewing and excellent food. We can’t wait to go back! The problem is that there are so many wonderful places to put on your list of South Africa tours to do. Though in early 2007 it had a change of ownership.

• Illyria House - A very small luxury hotel with fine art, classical music, and exceptional food and service. This place is ideal for a romantic getaway or a prelude to your safari – the perfect place to recover from the international flight into South Africa. So this is a great place to start or end South Africa tours that include Pretoria. Also a very strong recommendation if you are going on either of South Africa's world class luxury trains, The Blue Train or The Rovos Rail. Both luxury trains arrive in or depart from Pretoria.

  Though this is a Pretoria hotel but it is the same traveling distance from Johannesburg International Airport as are the best Johannesburg hotel.

• The Blue Train – this is an exceptional experience. We've been on South Africa tours that included the Blue Train three times and never tire of it. You have five star luxury as you roll through some of South Africa’s most beautiful areas. You have a 24 hour private butler, exquisite meals and some wonderful excursions when the train stops. Even if you don’t think you like train travel, this is an unparalleled experience you should try. I am a very active person - I like to work out, run, etc, but I really liked this experience.

Click here to learn more about the Blue Train

Click here to learn more about Rovos Rail, the other great South African luxury train

• 1. Do they have the big five?

  Most people want to go on safari so that they can see lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard. These are called the big five since they were the most dangerous animals for hunters to hunt.

  There are many other intriguing animals and plant life to discover but you need to make sure you know if the park or private reserve has animals you want to see.

• 2. Is the safari in a private reserve that is fenced in or is in part of a national park?

  Many excellent safaris can be had in a private reserve – privately owned land that may also own the animals that you see. The private reserves can be
  entirely fenced in
  
  can be adjacent to other private reserves where animals move freely between reserves
  
  adjacent to national parks where the animals can move freely between the national park and the private reserve.

  This is a key question since with the boom in the number of game lodges especially in South Africa, you may go to a game poor reserve. Either they don’t have a lot of certain types of animals – lion for example, or they are in an area that can’t support a large number of animals. They might not have many lions for example because they would eat too many other valuable animals.

  Even though some private reserves are very large, some people want more of a wilderness experience where animals are roaming freely over a more vast area. But there are advantages to a private reserve also (like night drives and walking safaris).

• 3. Are the game drive vehicles permitted to go off road to follow animals? Even in private reserves the animals are wild. Sometimes just as you get close enough to see them they decide to run off. If you are really keen to get as close to the animals as possible, you may want to consider going to a lodge on a private reserve. Since these reserves permit their rangers to drive off road if necessary to get you really close to the animals.

  Many national parks forbid off road. The reasons are to protect delicate flora and to give the animals a break as well. Private lodges that are within some national parks compensate for this by enabling you to walk off road. This is a stunning opportunity. It is a very different experience and is a welcome break after riding in a game vehicle for a few days. We have taken our 11 year old daughter Maya on plenty of these and you should do it if you get a chance. (Most lodges won't let children this young do this, Maya has been on so many safaris though that sometimes she was allowed.) We have taken Maya on African hiking safaris as well.

• 1. Simunye Village in Zululand – this is an interesting experience where you take an oxcart into a Zulu village and spend 24 hours there. You get an up close look at traditional African life. The accommodation looks traditional but has all the modern amenities.

• 2. Lesedi Cultural Village - featured on the TV show Amazing Race, here you get to see how 4 of South Africa’s 11 tribes traditionally lived. Close to Johannesburg so you can spend a half day here and ask questions. You can also opt to spend the night. It works well if you want to continue and drive on to Sun City or the Pilanesberg National Park, both top destinations for many South Africa tours.

• 3. Wild Coast Adventure Trails - hike the wonderfully unspoiled Wild Coast – a particularly dramatic stretch of South African coast that is populated by the Xhosa, another African tribe – the one Mandela belongs to. Some nights you camp out in basic tents, eat authentic African food and listen to African folktales around a fire. This is one of the most exceptional South Africa tours we have every experience!
  

  You can opt to also stay in an authentic African hut. That also offers clean, basic, and comfortable accommodation. Maya and I walked the equivalent of 24 miles in 3 days. We did it when she was 9 years old! What a wonderful time we had, the coast line was glorious. She got to kayak with me up a river, canoe across an estuary, see spectacular red dunes abutting the ocean.

  Maya did rock clambering and swam in some lovely natural pools up river. Plus we got to closely interact with our Xhosa guides both during the African hiking safari part as well as during the evening.
  

  This is a community development initiative that is very well done. Since it has such a high amount of community inputs you are actively supporting the preservation of this beautiful area as you experience it. South Africa tours utilizing this initiative is true conservation at work and at its best. All the following are local inputs from the surrounding community –• the guides
  • the horses (you can do it as an African horse safari rather than as a hiking one as Maya & I did)
  • the accommodation providers
  • the porters (you don’t have to carry more than your day back if you pay a bit more)
  • the cooks
  

Learn more about South Africa's Wild Coast

Learn more about the most famous South African tribe - the Zulu & other authentic African tribes & cultures you can experience in South Africa

Other Useful Information For South Africa Tours

Click one of the side tabs on the left for free South African maps, routes and great car rental Cape Town & all of South Africa

South Africa’s climate varies depending on the part of the country you are in. Generally South Africa is warm and sunny. Summers (September through April) can be hot. Winters mild with snowfalls in mountainous areas and frost in Johannesburg, Pretoria and other parts of South Africa’s interior. In the winter it will be cold at night in these areas.

Cape Town South Africa weather is Mediterranean in nature. Cape Town has warm, balmy summers; winters are mild with rain.

Durban is subtropical and warm year round. Indeed this is the main beach destination for South Africans. In the summer it is hot and humid.

In Kruger National Park, the summers are hot. In the winter Kruger is warm in the day but can be quite cold at night. Have a warm jacket for game drives when you are on an open vehicle.

Click on our Africa Travel Tips tab on the left for recommendations for what to pack.

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