South Africa Travel Guide

Absolutely Amazing

This trip was the first stop on our African Honeymoon and I would not have changed a thing. We had a fantastic time and loved all of the amazing and thoughtful details of our trip. We had THE MOST amazing guide, Abrie, who was incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating. He made our trip exceptional. I cannot express how much we loved our trip and how the planning was all taken care of. Thank you so much for such an amazing trip and honeymoon!

Absolutely fabulous!

Our safari to Madikwe Game Reserve was spectacular. We saw more wildlife than we could have hoped for; the accommodations and food were outstanding. Our guide went out of his way to show us all that he could. I hope to come back and spend more time in the future.

It is one of the best experiences i ever had

Wow, i had the best of times. The service that these guys gave me was top notch. I enjoyed my holiday and will use and recommend you guys again.

Incredible nature

The safari was great. Everything is according to the program as described. The staff in the lodge and the ranger were friendly. During the 2,5 days of the safari, we saw the big five and many other animals. The prices on the website were at least 30% more expensive in comparison to the prices for tours that could be booked in the lodge directly. So, the tours at the travel agency may be reduced.

Listen to advice on safety and you will the best holiday ever

Listen to advice on safety and you will the best holiday ever

An extraordinary trip

It was a 180° different trip from what we had done, the Compass Odyssey operator, and Darren the agency contact, are 10 professionals, the entire 14-day trip without any setbacks, everything ran like a precision clock.
From our trip to South Africa we were in Cape Town, the Kruger National Park and Johannesburg.
In Cape Town we had the opportunity to see the penguins and whales, the weather was a little cool and rainy, but our guide Sarah knew how to take advantage of it and made us have wonderful days, we were able to climb Table Mountain with a view spectacular.
In the Kruger National Park, since we entered the park we started to see animals, giraffes, zebras, impalas, all of these before arriving at Lounge Senalala, our very pleasant surprise was seeing a group of super friendly and expert young people, On the first morning safari we were able to see a pride of lions, something spectacular!! Of the big five we were able to see 4 in Kruger Park.
The weather in the mornings and in the afternoon when the sun set was cool, which was solved with a jacket.

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Beautiful scenery and animals. And the dignified Big 5.

Sukukuza is a convenient camp with shops and lots of people.
Malelane is a camp where we can feel the quiet nature with no shops and few people. Also, the accommodations at Malelane Satellite Camp were clean and very comfortable. We also saw shooting stars at night.
We stayed 2 nights in Sukukuza and 1 night in Malelane and were able to complete the Big 5. Thank you to game drivers Mornay and Opa.
We would like to thank Wade from Endless Summer Tours for all of the arrangements for Johannesburg, including preparing the meals and providing airport transfers.
Safaris are generally safe, and we should have some coins to use the restrooms at gas stations along the way to Johannesburg.
Game drives in open vehicles early in the morning or during rain can be quite cold, so warm clothing is recommended.
In Cape Town, we had Danny from Beyond Africa Safaris & Tours guide us for a day. Thanks to his very thoughtful suggestions and planning, we were able to visit the main spots efficiently, even on New Year's Eve, the busiest day.
The views from Chapman's Peak Drive are most recommended and the most beautiful.
We also had a lot of fun getting a sense of the local atmosphere by purchasing souvenirs at the Green Market.
Thank you so much Danny. We want to see you again.

South Africa is so amazing, I ended up never wanting to leave... so I haven't!

I first travelled to South Africa over New Years 2008/9, I loved it so much it was only 8 months before I was back and then I've stayed here (in various Game Reserves) since Dec 09.
My experiences vary -
I initially did a short trip through the country: Game Drives, cultural tours, (a bit of partying), visiting the sites. I visited most of the National Parks on the East side of the country and would say my highlights were Addo, Cintsa (Buckanners Backpackers) and Cape Town.
My next trip started in South Africa but was an overland trip through Southern and Eastern Africa, South Africa didn't feature too heavily but I did manage to get to The Cape of Good Hope which, even in bad weather, is still definately worth the trip. My advice for Tabe Mountain - get there as EARLY as possible, the crowds alone is the main reason but if the wind is high enough, the close the cable cars. (Take the double decker bus too - it's cheap and you get a tour all over the city and surrounds)
Since I've been back I've now experienced a variety of volunteer programmes. You'll find these vary in facilities, organisation, tasks, activities and what's included. I can say I've gotten a mix of everything. I have specifically vounteered in the wildlife area but some of this will be relevant for any area.
If you're interested in volunteering, ask what facilities the place has, we have so many people now that "expect" things and you simply have to say that you're in the bush, you're lucky to get a lot of what we do provide! Some places might vary in terms of hot water, electricty, how many people to a room, food situation (very important for me being a vegetarian!), vehicles.
In terms of what you'll be doing, don't volunteer if you're just looking for a cheap safari - volunteering means that although you get so much more of an experience than a lodge guest (you'll learn more, spend more time, get to know specific animals and not be as stressed to "tick off your list") you do need to give a bit in return. Enjoy what you're doing though - you'll learn so much more by being enthusiasic about helping out (and usually get better opportunities out of it as well - staff are always more willing to help out a great volunteer rather than one who's not)
Some places will say what's included but be aware, some may still "forget" to mention that the price only partially covers extras like excursions. Kruger trips would be a big example. Many don't mention that you will have to pay the conservation fee out of your pocket in addition to whatever they have said.
Most importantly though, have fun when you're volunteering - meet new people and get to know the locals more than you would normally.

I was in the bush for 5 days, and saw large amounts of wildlife every time we went out. Leopards in trees, elephants, rhinos, impala, lions, giraffe, zebra, hippos, etc etc.. even had a rare siting of 4 male cheetah.... truly amazing. The scenic beauty was amazing. It is a majestic feeling. You are a million miles from anywhere and you truly feel as if you are witnessing something spectacular. You get a feeling of being a part of something that is extremely secretive. Hard to explain, its just simply an amazing experience. You are in the back yard of these animals home. The colors of so many of the birds were just amazing too. I don't recall the name of the bird, but this one bird was a deep blue color and was just beautiful. Some of the birds are just huge too.

A world in one country - from berg to bush to beach to battlefields - with friendly people.

South Africa offers the international tourist a wide range of national parks and game reserves across it length and breadth for tourists to experience game viewing in which everything from the big five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) not to mention hippo, crocodile, cheetah, zebra, wildebeest (gnu) and a vast array of different breeds of antelope, including springbok and impala may be seen. The parks are also present a paradise for serious bird watchers. Coupled with this, whales and dolphins may be seen respective either lazing not far beyond the breakers in the oceans or surfing in on the waves and cutting away just before they break on sandy shores of rocky coves. The National and Game Parks have very different characteristics depending where they are located in the country, ranging from semi desert in the Karroo, Mountain Zebra, Camdeboo and Gemsbok National Parks, to the grass and bushveld mosaic in the Kwazulu-Natal Parks of Hluhluwe-Mfolozi, Mkuze, Tembe and Pinda to the bushveld of the Kruger National Park with its flanking upmarket private parks of Sabi Sand, Londolozi, MalaMala, Thornybush, etc., to the grasslands set amongst the yellow sandstone crags of the Golden Gate National Park, to the grassland of the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Trans-frontier Park straddling KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho and with its Yellowwood scarp forests on its steep south facing slope valleys.
The scenery of the country ranges from the pristine white sand beaches and knarred, twisted and buckled mountains of the Western Cape, dating from when the Falklands were torn from the African continent (then Gondwanaland), to the stark and serene beauty of the Karoo with it unique vegetation and iselbergs, to the majestic basalt topped mountains of the high Drakensberg (+- 3000 metres)with their deep valleys with crystal clear waters, to the subtropical forests of KwaZulu-Natal coastal belt, to the bushveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo which stretches the length of the Kruger National Park – a reserve larger than many countries. And yet this is not even half of it!
The climate, in Northern hemisphere terms, is nearly always pleasant. A winter’s day is generally warmer than a summer’s day in Europe. Rainfall generally occurs in winter in southern Cape with the rest of the country experiencing the majority of its rainfall in summer, and then it is often short and sharp where after the sun comes out again. It is not for nothing that South Africans generally prefer a braai (barbeque) any day to a formal inside meal.
A variety of accommodation is available for tourist from the most luxurious (and expensive) to the good clean but reasonably priced; be this within the national parks, along the highways and byways, or in the international cities of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
Food to suit most, if not all tastes, is available throughout the country. To many locals eating out is a national pastime so finding a suitable restaurant should not be a problem! Many of the parks however require the tourist to bring in their own food as only limited food is available in the park. Best to check beforehand! With the odd exception, the local water may be drunk without any fear of after affects. Bottled water is however available for those who would rather not take the chance.
South Africa is served by an excellent infrastructural network with freeways or motorways in and beyond all the major cities; high class roads link them and offer the opportunity for those that would prefer to self drive with hire cars from Avis, Budget, Tempest and others. Major and International Airports serve the country and is by far the easiest and quickest way to travel around a country as large as South Africa. Apart from South African Airways and British Airways, there are budget airlines such as Kulula, Mango and One Time where a considerable saving may be made. While there are Greyhound and other bus services, this is perhaps the least favoured means of travel. There are however many tour bus company, both large and small, which the tourist may utilise if they are less adventurous and would prefer to leave their direction and choice of accommodation to others.