This Tour Is Offered By
I'm Craig your dedicated host & safari guide
Southern African Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- SATSA & CTT
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
-
ZA
Craig Lucke, owner/guide of Southern African Tours is deeply embedded in his work and has an intuitive knowledge built up over a lifetime of growing up on the continent. His tangible passion for travel in Africa that was born years ago when he decided to cross the length of the continent in a not so trusty Land Rover. Nothing could have prepared him better for his next adventure which was to be the birth of SATOURS. His team have been creating unforgettable African safaris since 1999.
Reviews61
US
Our favorite holiday!
We wholeheartedly recommend Southern Africa Tours. Craig and Bianca are experts in their field and dealing with them was a pleasure.
We told Craig and Bianca what our interests were and they planned a trip that was perfect for us. We had a fantastic time: 12 days of seeing and doing what we had hoped for. The memories of animals, sights and experiences will remain with us forever.
Before we return to Africa, we will first contact Southern Africa Tours to organize our next trip.
US
Exceeded Expectations on Safari & Cape Town City Tour
Our experience with Craig and Bianca with Southern African Tours was exceptional. They were incredibly easy to work with, responsive to messages, and provided solutions to our specific travel needs. We were delighted with our Kruger safari and accommodations at Umbhaba Eco Lodge. Our game driver, Fortune, was knowledgeable and highly skilled in spotting animals. I had read "80% chance of spotting the big 5 in a three day safari". We saw them all (repeatedly) in our first day! We were astonished by how close we were to the animals. I never would have believed how many animal species could be viewed so close in Kruger and with the exceptional skill of our guide. My husband and I had booked a semi-private tour and the company of a Danish couple and Spanish solo traveler added to our enjoyment. Also more eyes in helping to spot animals. We also visited the Elephant Whisper. It was neat to learn more about the elephants and get to interact with them directly.
We did the Panorama Tour one day and visited God’s Window, Bourke’s Luck potholes, and Blyde River Canyon-3 Rondavels. It was a private tour with Nicky as our guide. Nicky was very knowledgeable and set the pace to ensure the best viewing times (to avoid the fog). We enjoy hiking and it was a pleasure to get out and walk/hike these unique and beautiful settings.
We completed our trip with a private 2-day Cape Town city tour. Gareth was our guide and organized and timed everything perfectly. We stayed at Radisson Red which is an ideal location to safely enjoy the city night life. We had a wonderful dinner at Den Aker (French/Belgian) and highly recommend. A few of our favorites included Table Mountain, the Boulder Beach penguin colony, and Cape Good Hope. There was high wind and Table Mountain had been closed the day prior. Gareth was on top of all details and was monitoring the situation and our itinerary to ensure we were able to see it and at the optimal visibility. Sightings of wild baboon and ostrich right at the side of the road were an unexpected delight. After wine tasting at De Grendel, Gareth surprised us with a stop at a lovely beach and we were able to tip our toes in the water. We ended our adventure with a drummies and dinner show before heading to the airport for a late night flight back to the USA.
We truly had the most wonderful time. Without hesitation, we felt completely safe and well cared for. Our program was customized with the safari, panoramic tour and Cape Town and we would not have changed a thing. We give Southern African Tours a 5+ star rating and highly recommend.
Five star, luxury 10 day trip of a lifetime in Western Cape and Kruger
Craig and Bianca arranged an amazing 10 day itinerary for our first visit to South Africa which blew all of our expectations.
Our accommodation in each location was absolute luxury; from Whale viewings from our bedroom window in Hermanus, to relaxing in an outdoor pool on the outskirts of Kruger, we benefitted from Craig and Bianca's connections and experience in the industry at each point, which also translated into amazing value for money.
Our guides in both locations were outstanding - Christopher from Kurt Safari in Kruger, and Gareth in Cape Town. Both had such a wealth of knowledge about the local areas, history and culture; there was never a dull moment on the journeys.
This was the only company who we communicated with where we really felt like our trip was completely tailored to exactly what we wanted, with helpful tips and suggestions added in if we wanted. We were catered for from start to finish, each stage of the trip was carefully planned and communicated throughout.
Furthermore, upon learning of an unplanned flight delay on our final day, Bianca went above and beyond to find us alternative accommodation, transfers and dinner; all in beautiful and safe locations. She made what could have been a stressful end to our holiday (thanks to the airline) an absolute breeze, we are incredibly grateful for her help in our hour of need. This just epitomised the personal level of service we recieved from start to finish.
Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime. We have already recommended Southern Africa Tours to friends and family and can't wait to come back!
BE
Flexible tour arrangement in function of best timing to visit all places to be seen and much more
We (myself and my son) contacted Southern African Tours for a tailor made 7 days tour arrangement for Cape Town, the Cape and the Garden Route till Port Elisabeth, where we left towards Kruger by plane. Our wish list was given by someone who lived for three years in Cape Town. Craig and Bianca were able to organize a tour after which we were able to check mark every line of our wish list. No surprises about the fee that was agreed for in front. The road trips were animated by Craig and Bianca. Because of their long experience they had a lot to tell about South Africa's history, culture, language (Afrikaans and English), nature, etc . The places where we stayed during the night were well chosen and variable. We had a fancy hotels in Cape Town nearby the Waterfront, B&B's in front of the whales or above the lagoon in Khysna, a studio in front the Indian Ocean, an exceptional lodge in Addo. They also helped us to find the wright places to eat. They even prepared a 'braai' for us. It is a tour that will stay unforgettable and it gives also a reason to come back.
PS: a security topic ... don't call a traffic light a traffic light. South Africans call them 'robots' ?!
CA
Longing to relive an amazing experience!
It's been close to 3 weeks since we got home and if there was ever a trip we didn't want to end and would like to repeat without changing anything, it would be the trip my family took in Southern Africa in August. From the beginning when I reached out to Craig, the experience had been excellent. Between Bianca and Craig, every detail was worked out keeping our requests and tastes in mind while leaving an enormous amount of room for last minute requests and changes. And the suggestions both Bianca and Craig gave were definitely worthwhile and they also worked with us when we wanted to books specific Marriott hotels as I had tons of points to spend.
Initially a trip that should have only been 10 days ended up being 27 days when the planning ended and included 5 countries - Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. And we enjoyed every minute of the trip regardless if we needed to get up at 3 AM to take a hot air balloon ride. We just saw so much including incredible scenery, animals on the various safari, Cape Town (one of the most beautiful cities I have seen). And we also had amazing food and stayed at some excellent bed and breakfast places, farm houses and hotels.
But the best part was the time spent with Bianca and Craig. Not only did they take care of our every request, but they made sure we an amazing experience. And it's the extra things they did which made the experience great. One of the places we stayed at suggested a restaurant for our dinner, but before it was decided on, Bianca and Craig checked them out and their menu. There were many similar behind the scenes things that Southern Africa Tours did from the first time I reached out to them and this made the difference. We can't wait till August, 2025 when we return for Malawi, Namibia and Zambia and look forward to traveling with Bianca and Craig again.
