DESTINATION · WILDLIFE SAFARIS IN SOUTH AFRICA
The 15 best wildlife safaris in South Africa you can book today, with what each costs a head, how long you are in the vehicle and who it suits. Number one is first for a reason; start there.
Spend nine hours in Addo Elephant National Park with an English-speaking guide such as Freddy, John, Sidwell, or King Elvis. Travel by air-conditioned 4x4 with a window seat for every passenger, enjoy lunch and refreshments, and search for elephants, lions, rhinos, buffalo, zebras, and more.
“Wonderful day that I’ll remember for a long time. Guide was very knowledgeable!”
Ride from central Cape Town to Aquila Game Reserve in an air-conditioned coach, then join an English-speaking ranger for a three-hour open-vehicle drive through the malaria-free Karoo. Look for lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, giraffes, hippos, and more than 170 bird species. Lunch, a welcome drink, and hotel transfers are included.
“Fun tour! Get to see all the big 5 although there are very few of each animal. It is a big zoo so don’t expect it to be like a proper safari but still a great experience. A lot of it actually done in travelling too and from the game reserve so be prepared to be on a coach for a while”
Travel from Cape Town through Du Toitskloof and the Breede River Valley to Aquila Safari Reserve. A professional guide such as Mike, Werner, or Jamie handles the long drive, while your reserve fee covers lunch, champagne, and a two to three hour game drive. Private safari vehicles cost extra.
“Werner my tour guide and driver was super! Fun, courteous, knowledgeable about the area and country. The winery was lovely and a good tasting. Aquila was great. I lucked out and had Jana as my guide. She is the conservationist for the reseRead more”
Travel from Cape Town or Stellenbosch to Oudtshoorn with guides such as Neville, Maudi, Ulrich, and Denver. Take a 4x4 safari at Botlierskop, a smaller-wildlife bush drive at Buffelsdrift, and optionally observe three rescued elephants. Expect long drives, scenic mountain roads, shared safari vehicles, and a choice of backpacker, guesthouse, lodge, or farmstay accommodation.
“The two day safari was really great! Uriel our guide was amazing and made the trip even better. He was so easy to talk to, informative and always able to support our requests. He made the journeys very funny with his great sense of humour. The safari was really good and we were able to see a range of different animals: elephants, zebras, giraffes and we were lucky enough to see cheetahs. We would definitely recommend this tour and 100% recommend Uriel as a tour guide.”
Travel from Johannesburg or Pretoria in an air-conditioned vehicle, then join a one-hour open-vehicle drive at Lion and Safari Park. Expect close views of lions, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, and possibly a white lion. Guides such as Thapelo, Dusty, Sipho, and AJ have earned praise for their humor and animal knowledge.
“The park is a must see, we saw the feeding of the lions. Our guide from the tour company, Tumi was very friendly and knowledgeable.”
Leave St Lucia at 5:00 am for a full day in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. A ranger leads your open-air vehicle through the reserve, with chances to see the Big Five, cheetahs, and wild dogs. Breakfast, a South African braai lunch, water, blankets, park fees, and round-trip transport are included. Groups are limited to nine people.
“It was a fantastic day! Without going into the animals we saw, as that depends on luck, let me share the good and bad points of this tour. Arnaud, our guide, always had a smile on his face, answered every question, and provided a lot of inforRead more”
Set out from St. Lucia at 5:00 AM, or meet at Nyalazi Gate at 6:00 AM, for a small-group safari in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. Your ranger may find lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, cheetahs, and wild dogs while explaining Zulu history and conservation. Full-day trips include breakfast and a South African barbecue lunch. Half-day trips do not include lunch.
“We had a beautiful safari tour with Sifiso. It was beyond our expectations! The pickup in St.Lucia was flawless and overall we had a pleasant ride. Sifiso always made sure to take good care of us (it was a rainy day and he kept us dry and warm). The breakfast and lunch were absolutely lovely and delicious. Nothing was missing. As for the tour - he has a lot of experience and knowledge. He told us many interesting facts about the flora and fauna. And also things we wouldn’t think about asking, but were really important and interesting. You can feel the passion he has for the animals and wild…”
Meet at Quay 5 in the V&A Waterfront for a 90-minute English-language cruise on a luxury catamaran. Your crew searches for dolphins, Cape fur seals, penguins, whales, and sunfish while sharing facts about the Atlantic coast. Muffins, hot chocolate, water, and binoculars are included, but wildlife sightings depend on season and sea conditions.
“Nice team, very polite Really good Trip and we saw wales 😀”
Spend about nine hours exploring Addo Elephant National Park from Port Elizabeth in an air-conditioned 4x4. Your guide may be John, Sidwell, Wanele, Allen, or another Afroventures team member. Expect close elephant sightings, lions, buffalo, zebras, lunch, hotel pickup, and a small-group setting, but no guarantee of seeing every major species.
“We had a wonderfull day with our guide. Stafford was friendly and looked after us. We saw a lot of Elephants and other animals. We learned a lot about the animals who live in the park”
Travel from Cape Town to Botlierskop and Buffelsdrift on a packed two-day safari with open 4x4 drives, an optional rescued-elephant walk, and one night in Oudtshoorn. Guides such as Neville, TK, Denver, and Uriel have earned praise for their care and local stories. Expect about 900 kilometers of driving, early starts, and a useful wildlife introduction for a short visit.
“Well organized and friendly guide (his nickname: gentle giant GG)! Love the elephant walk and the endless landscape from the safari drive!”
Start with pickup in Port Elizabeth or Colchester, then spend a full day in Addo Elephant National Park on morning and afternoon game drives. A guide such as Steve, Stephen, Siya, or Eddie looks for elephants, lion, rhino, buffalo, zebra, and antelope. Lunch is a cooked South African braai with drinks, and groups are limited to nine.
“We had a wonderful day at the Addo Elephant Park. It was way more that our expectations. Our guide Stephen was amazing, we could not have a better guide than him. He was friendly, funny and answered all our questions. He also gave us a lots information on all the animals that we saw that day. I definitely recommend this activity at 110%.”
Travel from Port Elizabeth to Addo Elephant National Park in a closed, air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking guide. Spend three hours on a morning game drive, pause for lunch, then continue for another three hours of wildlife viewing. Guides such as Nina, Gary, Emmanuel, and Xolisa are known for sharp spotting and lively explanations.
“Great experience and our guide, Lizwe, was fantastic! He was extremely knowledgeable and accommodating to answer all our questions.”
Travel in a small group of up to 12 from Cape Town with an English-speaking guide such as Gareth, Christine, or Mark. You will visit Hermanus, Cape Agulhas, Oudtshoorn, Wilderness, Knysna, Tsitsikamma, Addo, and Mossel Bay, with five nights of lodging, most breakfasts and dinners, canoeing, hikes, wine tasting, and a safari included.
“What an amazing week! Christine was an excellent guide, so full of energy and enthusiasm, making sure that everyone had what they needed and taking us safely from one beautiful place to the other. The places we visited were all so nice, I kept wanting to stay longer in each of them, saying “Next time..”. Yes, we did spend quite a lot of time in the bus to get between them, but that is after all unavoidable if wanting to visit them all. Shorter stops to stretch legs etc in between the main stops made the journeys feel shorter. The program was a good combination of beautiful nature and views,…”
Travel from Cape Town to Gansbaai, then head by boat toward Dyer Island in search of Africa’s Marine Big 5. A marine biologist and experienced crew explain the animals and conservation work. Tea, muffins, soup, equipment, hotel transport, and a visit to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary are included.
“This was easily the highlight of my trip to Cape Town. We have a baby Southern Right Whale swim right up to the boat.. once in a lifetime experience. We saw a total of 6 whales, penguins, seals and sharks. 10/10”
Spend about nine hours exploring Addo Elephant National Park from Port Elizabeth with African Sightings Adventure Tours & Safaris. Guides such as Joel, Allan, and Stafford lead the drive, help spot wildlife, and prepare a traditional braai with vegetarian and vegan choices. Transfers, park fees, drinks, tea, coffee, and shared binoculars are included.
“Joel and Loreen were wonderful hosts and they are fantastic tour operators. They waited for us at the cruise terminal and did not leave until all registered guests arrived. Or tour guide, Stafford, was very friendly, knowledgeable, entertaining and really cared about making sure his guests were treated well and gained the best experience possible. The park itself was huge and Stafford and our driver did their best to spot as many animals as we could. This is a national park, not a private reserve, so the experience is more authentic although more difficult to see some of the big 5. No matter because even though we didn’t see lions…”
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