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South Africa Luxury Safari Tours
South Africa’s luxury safari tours take in some of the highlights of what is arguably the continent’s most diverse and developed tourist circuit. A trip might include the impressive cities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, the fossil sites of the Cradle of Humankind, the ancient rock art of the Drakensberg mountains and the spring flowers of Namaqualand. The country’s 2,700km/1,680mi coastline is varied and scenic. As if that were not enough, South Africa is also a fabulous wildlife-viewing destination – from the vast Big Five country protected within the Greater Kruger, malaria-free Madikwe and Pilanesberg and the desert landscapes of Kgalagadi to the seasonal whale-calving grounds below Hermanus.
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Best Seller
5-Day Malamala Exclusive Fly in Safari
$4,559 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), MalaMala GR (Greater Kruger), Johannesburg (End)
Ranger Buck Safaris
5.0/5 – 26 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
10-Day Self-Drive: Drakensberg, Battlefields and Safari
$2,763 pp (USD)
South Africa: Self-driveLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Durban (Start), Umhlanga (Town), Drakensberg Mountains (Mountain Range), Spioenkop GR, Nambiti GR, Johannesburg (End)
Wayfairer Travel
4.9/5 – 149 Reviews
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4-Day Unforgettable Kruger Park Safari & Panorama Tour
$860 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)LuxuryHotel
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Southern Kruger, Kruger NP, Panorama Route (Highlight), Nelspruit (End)
Elephant Herd Tours & Safaris
4.8/5 – 83 Reviews
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Best Seller
4-Day Sabi Sands Elephant Plains Lodge Safari
$1,515 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 9 people per vehicle)LuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Sabi Sands (Greater Kruger), Johannesburg (End)
MoAfrika Tours
4.9/5 – 1049 Reviews
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4-Day All-Inclusive Kruger Safari with Hoyo Hoyo
$1,500 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Safari.com
4.7/5 – 186 Reviews
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3-Day Luxury Mdluli Game Lodge Kruger National Park
$528 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 9 people per vehicle)LuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Gems of Africa Safari and Tours
4.9/5 – 98 Reviews
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5-Day Kruger Park, Private Game Park & Canyon Explorer
$1,515 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 9 people per vehicle)LuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Hoedspruit (Town), Central Kruger, Blyde River Canyon (Panorama Route), O.R. Tambo Airport (Johannesburg), Johannesburg (End)
Shinzelle Safaris
4.9/5 – 62 Reviews
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3-Day Fly-in Luxury-Eco Safari to Madikwe Game Reserve
$1,989 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Madikwe GR, Johannesburg (End)
Viatu
5.0/5 – 41 Reviews
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5-Day Enchanting Fly-in Safari to Timbavati Game Reserve
$10,260 to $10,728 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxury+Lodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Timbavati NR (Greater Kruger), Johannesburg (End)
African Wildlife Plains
5.0/5 – 2 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
3-Day Madikwe Luxury Safari
$1,312 to $1,427 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Madikwe GR, Johannesburg (End)
Safari With Us
5.0/5 – 215 Reviews
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5-Day Luxurious Greater Kruger Safari
$1,623 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)LuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Hoedspruit (Town), Johannesburg (End)
Safari Reinhardt
5.0/5 – 8 Reviews
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6-Day Hoyo Hoyo Safari Lodge, Kruger National Park
$2,849 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
BST Tours
4.8/5 – 30 Reviews
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5-Day The Best of Both Worlds-National and Private Parks
$1,795 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 8 people per vehicle)LuxuryTented Camp
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Balule NR (Greater Kruger), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Wildlife Encounters
5.0/5 – 20 Reviews
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7-Day Kruger Safari Experience Bush and Buffalos
$2,752 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxuryLodge & Bungalow
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Olifants West NR (Greater Kruger), Kruger NP, Balule NR (Greater Kruger), Panorama Route (Highlight), Johannesburg Airport (End)
Ku Sungula Safari Lodge
5.0/5 – 10 Reviews
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5-Day Luxury Safari Big Five
$1,955 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)LuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Waterberg Biosphere, Johannesburg (End)
Go Touch Down Travel & Tours
4.6/5 – 151 Reviews
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3-Day Sabi Sand - Umkumbe Safari Lodge Riverside
$595 to $653 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Nelspruit (Start), Sabi Sands (Greater Kruger), Nelspruit (End)
Traipsing Africa's Safaris and Tours
5.0/5 – 99 Reviews
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4-Day Zula Mdluli Safari Lodge
$1,917 to $2,033 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Waterval Boven (Village), Kruger NP, Panorama Route (Highlight), Hazyview (Town), Johannesburg (End)
Zula Zula Adventure Bus
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7-Day Panorama Route, Blyde River Canyon & Kruger Park
$3,608 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxuryLodge & Guest House
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Panorama Route (Highlight), Moholoholo (Wildlife Sanctuary), Blyde River Canyon (Panorama Route), Kruger NP, Central Kruger, Greater Kruger, Johannesburg (End)
Mmilo Tours
5.0/5 – 121 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day 3 Nights Luxury Fly in Safari Kruger National Park
$3,555 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourLuxury+Lodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Sabi Sands (Greater Kruger), Johannesburg (End)
African Welcome Safaris
5.0/5 – 229 Reviews
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4-Day Panorama Luxury Kruger Safari
$1,272 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 10 people per vehicle)LuxuryHotel
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Panorama Route (Highlight), Johannesburg (End)
Socioolite Travel and Tours
5.0/5 – 17 Reviews
6 Questions About South Africa Luxury Safari Tours
Answered by
Philip Briggs
Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Bradt guidebooks to African destinations, including the guide to South Africa.› More about Philip
6 Questions About South Africa Luxury Safari Tours
Why should I choose South Africa for a luxury trip?
“South Africa has many private reserves and concession lodges that cater specifically to the luxury market. All the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) are present in good numbers in the major private reserves. On luxury safaris, game drives and walks are generally guided by knowledgeable and experienced guides and trackers. A bonus of most private reserves and concession lodges is that night drives are permitted, as is a certain amount of off-road driving. This enhances the likelihood of close encounters with lions, leopards and other carnivores. As a bonus, South Africa has a very organized and efficient tourist infrastructure by African standards. This, combined with a luxury safari, makes it a reliable holiday choice for nervous first-time visitors to the continent.”
1What is included in a South Africa luxury safari?
“A South Africa luxury safari usually operates on an all-inclusive basis. This covers four- or five-star accommodation, all meals, and expertly guided activities such as game drives in open 4x4s. Some top-end lodges also include laundry and drinks in their prices. Booked directly through the lodge, prices are unlikely to include transportation there and back. However, any package price quoted by a tour operator should include road or air transfers from the specified starting point. Tips are not included in either case, and these can add up.”
2What parks do you recommend for a South African luxury safari?
“There are plenty of choices. In my opinion, the first choice for general wildlife viewing and Big Five sightings is a cluster of private reserves on the western border of Kruger National Park. These reserves are collectively managed and marketed as Sabi Sands. The only drawback to Sabi Sands is that some (not all) properties share traversing rights with several neighbors. The strict rules limiting vehicle numbers often result in a long wait to join a sighting or being hurried off to make space for another lodge’s clients. A better option, from this point of view, is Timbavati Nature Reserve, which borders Kruger, and has a scattering of exclusive concession lodges. A trip to Greater Kruger carries a low but genuine risk of contracting malaria, in particular during the hotter, wetter months of November to April. Many safari-goers, particularly those with young children, prefer to head to malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve for this reason. Madikwe boasts some superb luxury lodges and fine Big Five wildlife viewing. Convenient for those whose South African holiday includes the Western and Eastern Cape is a cluster of malaria-free private reserves situated in Addo Elephant National Park, inland of Port Elizabeth. The pick of the private reserves in KwaZulu-Natal is Phinda. It offers great Big Five viewing and is also maybe the most reliable place in South Africa to spot cheetah.”
3Can you describe a typical day on a South Africa luxury trip?
“Most lodges set in private reserves or concessions are exempt from the restrictions on driving between sunset and sunrise enforced in most national parks and public reserves. This has an impact on a typical day, allowing for a schedule that makes the most of the wildlife-viewing hours when predators are active. A typical day starts with a pre-dawn wake-up call and a pot of tea or coffee, before heading out on an early morning game drive. Return to the lodge mid-morning for brunch or late breakfast. Then plan on a long and relaxed lunch break, especially during the southern hemisphere summer when days are longer and temperatures higher. Following a nap or swim and a light afternoon tea, you head out on an evening game drive. This usually incorporates a sundowner drink and a night drive, where the tracker will use a spotlight to pick out wildlife ranging from chameleons and nightjars to genets and bush babies. After this, it’s back to the lodge for a three-course bush dinner and a drink around the campfire. Some lodges offer guided game walks to see birds and smaller wildlife, either first thing in the morning or – more commonly – after breakfast. These provide a welcome change of pace for those people spending more than two days on safari. Ideally, a game walk is undertaken in the morning cool rather than the heat of the afternoon.”
4What type of accommodation can I expect?
“Your South Africa luxury safari will almost certainly be based at exclusive small lodges offering the safari equivalent variation of a three- to five-star city hotel. Most of these lodges are designed to make the most of their African bush surroundings and are constructed from a combination of stone, canvas, wood and thatch. Some pricier lodges offer even more ambitious designs and facilities. Wherever you stay, accommodation will likely be spacious, comfortable freestanding units with en suite showers and private verandahs. Many lodges also have swimming pools, spas and/or quality gift shops. World-class cuisine is usually complemented by carefully selected Cape wines. The service is top-notch. The upmarket lodges in South Africa’s numerous private wildlife reserves are scattered all around the country. The most important and best of them are clustered in three areas: along the western border of Kruger National Park, in northeastern KwaZulu-Natal close to iSimangaliso and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, and in the Eastern Cape in the vicinity of Addo Elephant National Park. In addition to the private reserves, similarly exclusive lodges can be found in various concessions set within public reserves such as Kruger National Park and Madikwe Game Reserve.”
5How much will this safari cost?
“The price of the safari leg of a South Africa luxury tour depends on which part of the country you choose and how much luxury you want to experience. You’d be lucky to pick up an all-inclusive luxury safari package for less than US$250 to US$300 per day per person sharing. At the absolute top end of the range you might be looking at an all-inclusive daily price of US$700 to US$1,000 per person. Safaris in Sabi Sands and Phinda are more costly, while the concession lodges in Kruger and Madikwe are somewhat cheaper. Most lodges offer discounted low-season rates and special one-off packages during the southern hemisphere winter (May to September). This is the best time of year for Big Five sightings in most parts of the country.”
6South Africa Reviews
Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
South Africa is rightly celebrated for its magnificent natural beauty and excellent choice of parks
South Africa has a wonderful range of landscapes, a near-perfect climate, and the choice of destinations, activities and itineraries is virtually inexhaustible. Aside from its beautiful coastline and cosmopolitan cities – both of which I...
Anthony is a photographer and writer for travel magazines and Lonely Planet, including the guides to Kenya and Botswana & Namibia.
South Africa: World-class Safaris
South Africa is one of my favourite places to go on safari, with all the necessary ingredients for a wildlife experience that will begin your enduring love affair with the continent. Primary among these ingredients is the wildlife....
Life changing experience, especially Kambaku Lodge, Tibavati Nature Reserve.
Timbavati Nature Reserve, Kambaku Lodge, was an incredible experience. Our ranger ensured that we saw every form of wildlife, it seemed like a dream. The warm hospitality of the staff, food, drink, was exceptional. It felt like a family...
A land of beauty and warmth
My husband and I have been wanting to experience a Safari so for my 60th birthday we chose to go to South Africa. In all honesty, we chose SA because it was an easier destination to get to from Hungary, where we currently live. The...
How to feel a deep connection with wildlife
We visited Madikwe and our experience was beyond words. The feeling of connection with wildlife without feeling like we are disturbing the animals or inducing new behaviors due to our presence meant a lot to us. Seeing them in their...
AMAZING
We visited Cape town which we found spectacular! Table Mountain was outstanding! We also visited Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth and Richards Bay. People are nice and warm coming. Scenery is beautiful and temperature was really nice at day...