Southern Tours and Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Luxury tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $106 to $1,277 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Jürgen Linke | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had the feeling to travel with a friend, not with a guide...
Very good organisation, if there are problems there is a good and quick solution. Our guide is absolut well informed about the places, knowed the best items and the best times to visit the points. We hope to spend some other tours with him and southern tours!
Email Rama | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
it was uneventful.
I find its reliable and well organised. The informations are accurate.
Email Lynne | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fabulous holiday, amazing experiences for all the family, touring the Rainbow Nation
The 18 day safari through South Africa & Swaziland with our guide Bongi was absolutely amazing, a first long haul holiday for my 2 teenagers and we couldn't have picked a better company to go with. From collection at the airport to our final farewell, everything was done to ensure everyone in our group (6 persons) was happy, comfortable and having amazing experiences throughout this tour. If you want a more personalised, small group tour with lovely, varied accommodation, pick Southern Tour and Safaris, I can highly recommend this company, especially if your lucky enough to get Bongi to show you his fabulous country. There were so may amazing places, its hard to pick favourites, but visiting a home and primary school in Zululand (armed with pens, pencils and sports toys) was a brilliant day. Awe inspiring views at Blyde River canyon, getting close to nature around the camp at Mlilwane, rest and relaxation at the beautiful beach in Cintsa, were just some of the great times. We stayed an extra night to tour Robben Island and I would definitely recommend this tour, not to be missed. After months of research about holidays to SA, all sounding amazing, I'm really pleased I chose a small group tour, where you could opt to do different activities such as Bungy jumping ( not me, but my very brave daughter), Elephant Park and wine tasting, to add that personalised touch. Already saving for another trip in a couple of years, hopefully to Botswana and Namibia, and will definitely go with Bongi.
Email Michaela | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari experience and tour of Joburg
Bongizwe has been an exceptional tour guide. We spent together a week touring the different parks and he's been always helpful and ready to "amend" the plan to satisfy our requests. He's very knowledgeable about African culture and nature and we couldn't have asked for anything more.
DE
Email Tom | under20 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
great time-great tour-great guide
I enjoyed very much out tour in South Africa and Zwaziland seeing many animals especially my favourite hippos. Lodges were perfect and it was never boring. Great talks with our guide Jacob. We had a lot of fun together.
DE
Email Sven | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Trip to South Africa, this was an Experience i will never forget.
Great organization, we were picked up from the airport, our driver and guide "Jakob" became our friend and guide, who took care of everything and accompanied us for 11 days through South Africa. He went with us to a Soweto tour, went with us to the football station in Durban and looked for the lions in the Kruger National Park. I have always felt safe and well-guarded, thank you. At the end of the trip, the farewell was really difficult.
US
Treasure at the End of the Rainbow
We recently completed Southern Tours' 18-day circuit of the "South African Rainbow Route." We enjoyed it immensely and recommend it strongly as an introduction to the richness and variety of this beautiful and complex
Out of Town: The tour takes in a wide range of landscape, wildlife, small communities, and agricultural settings. Big-city sightseeing is not a high priority but can be added at the beginning and end of the rainbow.
Accommodations: The lodgings exceeded our expectations in quality and variety, from furnished rondavels in the national parks to comfortable inns and upmarket hotels. We slept indoors and well every night.
Meals: The pre-paid meals were varied, ample, and consistently excellent. Most lunches were improvised picnics. Pre-paid dinners became rarer during the second half of the tour, and Mrs. W. suggested that the package be tweaked to include more meals and less posh accommodations. (Mr. W. did not second the motion.)
Drinking Water: Tap water is not safe to drink at every stop. All travelers bought large containers of potable water for personal consumption along the way.
Transport: We had a spacious, comfortable, air-conditioned, late-model van. Except for Days 4 and 5, long driving days alternated with shorter ones, so that our time in the van did not become oppressive. Rest stops were 2-2.5 hours apart and blessedly negotiable.
Our Guide: Bonga did the work of two men, guide and driver. As guide, he shared his extensive knowledge of South African geography, geology, flora, fauna, peoples, and history. He has an uncanny eye for discerning animals in a landscape, whether near or far. He speaks English fluently and knows several other South African and European languages as well. Every evening he gave us updates on our plans for the next day and answered our questions fully and patiently. He was responsive to suggestions for minor changes of plan and flexible in dealing with unanticipated developments. He was also highly effective in securing favorable treatment for his clients in crowded situations.
As driver, Bonga's top priority is the safety and comfort of his passengers. He abides by the the laws and unwritten rules of the road, and he considers the needs of other drivers. We never felt unsafe, even when he drove some distance in reverse to stay beyond the reach of an angry elephant coming straight at us on a narrow road.
In other words, Bonga is outstanding in his chosen profession. He is informed and decisive yet always courteous and helpful. We never saw him behave impatiently or rudely or angrily with anyone, be they clients, service providers, or total strangers. He is the model of a true gentleman.
We didn't know quite what to expect at the beginning of the rainbow, but by the end we had discovered a treasure.
IT
Email Cristina Arosio | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The most amazing tour in South Africa
Starting from Johannesburg we had a great experiance through the Drakensberg mountains, Saint Lucia, Hluhluwe game reserve, Swaziland and Kruger National Park.
Every day spent in South Africa was a different and beautiful experience, where we got the opportunity to see the fantastic landscape and wildlife.
Bongi is a smart guy, very competent guide and sensitive to customer needs.
I really reccomend this tour to whom want to have a special time in their life.
IT
Email Sylvia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Memorable South Africa tour
I and my two Italian friends came back from a memorable South Africa tour a few days ago. Southern tours organized a customized 13 days tour for us. After our arrival in Johannesburg we went straight to the beautiful Drakensberg mountains where we spent one night in a wonderful lodge surrounded by a fantastic landscape. From there we continued our journey to St. Lucia, Hluhluwe, Swaziland, Kruger and then back to Johannesburg. Also all the other lodges have been chosen very well by Southern tours, especially at Hluhluwe game reserve and Kruger where we stayed inside the parks.
Bongizwe is not only a very professional guide, but also a very polite, responsable and helpful person, he always did the very best to meet our expectations and to make this trip an unforgetable adventure. He knows the bush very well and without him we would not have seen so many animals. It did not take us much time to see the Big 5!!
During this trip we also had the possibilty to learn a lot about African culture. Moreover Bongizwe has an excellent knowledge in history.
We are looking forward to planning our next trip with Southern tours!!
DE
Email Karin Kedem | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Marvellous experience
I traveled with a friend of mine for about 10 days from Johannesburg round trip through KZN-Swaziland_Krüger and Blyde River Canyon. Bongizwe prepared that tour, that we booked very shortly before, in a perfect way and he took care of everything 100 %. He is a great game observer and we saw not only the Big 5 already after a short time. I appreciated his flexibility and admired his knowledge about history, animals, plants etc. A highly recommended guide who will fulfill all your travel ideas and wishes.