15 of the best South Africa holidays and tours

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1. Cape Town and Winelands highlights, Flight Centre

£ | Group size private tour

This trip is perfect for couples who want adventure — but who value some luxury in their break too. It’s a week long and ideal for first-time visitors to South Africa, providing the chance to experience the highlights of the country. You might take a cable car up to the top of Table Mountain or head to Boulders beach to see the penguins. A visit to Unesco-listed Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, is a must; while Stellenbosch promises some of the world’s finest cabernet sauvignons — and even the option to take a Segway tour of the vineyards. Price includes flights and accommodation in four-star hotels, but not meals.

• Best things to do in Cape Town

2. Classic tour of South Africa, Riviera Travel

££ | Group size maximum 50

As the name suggests, this is a tour that ticks all the boxes for those wanting a taste of some of South Africa’s best-loved spots — a 15-day trip where you’ll go on safari in Kruger National Park, sample the wines of the Western Cape, tour the battlefields of Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana, explore Cape Town and Johannesburg, experience the Garden Route, and even dip into the less-visited country of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). It runs on various dates throughout the year, and the price includes flights, activities, accommodation and some meals.

3. South African safari adventure, Titan Travel

£££ | Group size maximum 14

This 15-day tour is all about the wildlife — whether that’s the big five or hyenas or hippos or a host of bird species. You’ll visit four very different reserves and stay in some welcoming lodges, while enjoying jaw-dropping landscapes on the journeys in between. Among the highlights are bush walks in Mapesu Nature Reserve, visits to the Unesco-listed ancient kingdom of Mapungubwe, San rock art sites and no fewer than 13 game drives. There are various departures between May and October and price includes flights, excursions, four or five-star accommodation in lodges and tented camps, and most meals.

• Best safaris in South Africa

4. Cycling the Cape and Winelands, Exodus

££ | Group size 4-14

For those who love nothing more than being on two wheels, check out this cycling tour of the Western Cape. The 12-day trip starts and ends in Cape Town, passing through the wine valleys of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek and down to the southernmost point of Africa at Cape Agulhas. There are nine days of cycling, accompanied by a support vehicle, along mostly paved roads; you can pay extra for an e-bike. The total distance cycled is 310 miles, with the longest day being 56 miles. The trip cost doesn’t include flights (unless requested), but covers accommodation, local transport including bicycle hire, tour leader, excursions and all breakfasts.

5. Highlights of South Africa, Jules Verne

££ | Group size 6–28

This is a ten-night introduction to the best that a South Africa holiday has to offer. You’ll taste wine in Stellenbosch, enjoy game drives in Kruger National Park, and join fascinating city tours in both Cape Town and Johannesburg — this trip packs in a lot, but the schedule also includes some free time for rest or independent exploration. The tour includes all accommodation (three and four-star), flights, guided tours, breakfasts and four dinners.

vjv.com

• Best things to do in Johannesburg

6. Travel with purpose in South Africa, &Beyond

£££ | Group size private tour
Ideal for couples with an interest in conservation and sustainable travel, this 11-day tour — running all year round — will introduce you to varied community and wildlife projects. You’ll track wildlife at the Phinda Private Game Reserve and speak to locals to learn about efforts to improve healthcare and education. For an additional fee, you can learn how to identify rhinos in a rhino-notching experience; ear-notching plays a key role in protecting the species. From there, you’ll move to Cape Town to enjoy its food scene and the quality wines of the Cape Winelands, before heading to the “Whale Coast” where you can meet those being trained in conservation at the Green Futures Horticulture and Life Skills College at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. You can also visit the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, and — between June and December — book a whale-watching excursion. The tour includes all accommodation, meals and drinks, but not flights.

andbeyond.com

• Best wildlife to see in South Africa

7. Sardine run adventure, Dive Worldwide

££ | Group size maximum 6

In June and July each year a remarkable natural phenomenon takes place when millions of sardines swim up the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal coastline, attracting a host of predators — sharks, dolphins and whales, sometimes including orcas. Dive Worldwide offers five solid days of diving and snorkelling to experience the spectacle as part of a ten-day trip. Over those five days, the boat heads to the heart of the action out at sea — around the sardine bait balls, you might spot Bryde’s whales, megapods of dolphins, dusky sharks and sailfish. The package includes flights, accommodation, excursions and most meals.

diveworldwide.com

8. Cape Mountain zebra self-drive safari, Expert Africa

££ | Group size private tour

This self-drive holiday comes with a dash of luxury. With a focus on fine food and top-end accommodation, the 13-day tour takes in Cape Town, the rugged landscape of the Cederberg, the Cape Winelands and the Whale Coast. You’ll visit Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve, a luxurious retreat in the Cederberg offering everything from canoeing and hiking to San rock art tours. You’ll taste sumptuous food and wine at Babylonstoren, a working wine farm, and stay at Grootbos Garden Lodge, with its views over Walker Bay. Starting and ending at Cape Town, and available all year, the tour includes accommodation and some meals, but not flights.

expertafrica.com

9. Gondwana conservation experience, Gane & Marshall

£ | Group size private tour

Spend five nights at the 27,000-acre Gondwana Game Reserve — located on the much-loved Garden Route — and immerse yourself in the conservation work taking place here. You’ll join the conservation team to participate in several ongoing projects; the precise activities will depend upon the focus at the time of your visit, but is likely to involve bush skills, bird identification, monitoring Cape leopard cameras, community work, game drives and bush walks. There’ll be plenty of time to relax around the pool, too. You’ll stay in the solar-powered eco camp — in an en suite tent on a raised platform — and eat meals in the main tent. The tour includes accommodation and meals, but not flights, and could be part of a longer tailor-made trip that includes Cape Town and its surrounds.

ganeandmarshall.com

10. Western and Eastern Capes, Gane & Marshall

££ | Group size private tour

This tailor-made, 18-day self-drive itinerary takes you from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape via a luxury reserve in the Cederberg Mountains, the Franschhoek winelands, the coastal town of Hermanus, the beaches of Plettenberg Bay and Kwandwe Private Game Reserve for a three-night safari. At the end of the trip, you’ll drop the car at the airport in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) and fly back to Cape Town for your flight home. Price includes accommodation, most meals, car hire, transfers and internal flights.

ganeandmarshall.com

11. Walking the Drakensberg and the Wild Coast, KE Adventure Travel

£ | Group size 6–12

This adults-only, ten-day walking trip is well suited to solo travellers wanting to join a friendly group led by an expert guide. And it has a blockbuster opening — the tour kicks off in Golden Gate Highlands National Park with a hike up Brandwag Rock for an unhindered view of the sunset. After that, there will be walks in the Drakensberg Mountains and then the chance to explore the less-visited Wild Coast, a stunning stretch of coastline. Tours depart in July, August and November. Price includes accommodation and some meals, but not flights or transfers, which can be added if requested.

keadventure.com

• Best hikes in South Africa

12. Cape Town and the Garden Route, Llama Travel

££ | Group size Maximum 18 (usually around 10)

This is a good one for first-time visitors — a 13-day tour of the highlights of Cape Town and the Garden Route. Start in Cape Town with an excursion up Table Mountain, by cable car or on foot, and a visit to Robben Island prison, before driving to Hermanus, a land-based whale-watching hotspot. Further along the coast, the town of Knysna is a great base for hiking or seafood dining. Driving back towards Cape Town, you’ll finish your trip in the Cape Winelands and the historic town of Stellenbosch. Tours run throughout the year with the price including flights and hotels.

llamatravel.com

13. Exploring South Africa’s natural beauty on foot, Reef and Rainforest

£££ | Group size 2–10

You’ll need to be relatively fit for this 16-day self-drive itinerary, which is targeted very much at the active and adventurous traveller who wants to explore South Africa on foot. The tour takes you through a range of landscapes, from the forests of the Garden Route and the peaks of the Drakensberg — where you’ll see Tugela Falls, one of the two tallest waterfalls in the world — to the bushlands of Kruger National Park, with its lions, leopards and rhinos. Price includes accommodation and some meals — but not flights, which can be added if required.

reefandrainforest.co.uk

14. Cape, wine, Garden Route and Kruger, Wexas Travel

££ | Group size private tour

Soak up the beauty of Cape Town before heading off for a road trip along the Garden Route, stopping for some world-class wine along the way. After that, it’s a short flight to Kruger National Park for a fabulous safari, staying in a luxury lodge. This 13-day tour is aimed at couples and includes international flights, transfers and domestic travel, a week’s car hire and B&B accommodation (all-inclusive for three nights on safari).

wexas.com

15. Spectacular South Africa, Luxury Gold

£££ | Group size maximum 16 (average 10)

For those in the market for a high-end holiday, Luxury Gold has a nine-day South Africa tour with all the trimmings. The first five days are spent in and around Cape Town, where you’ll stay in the renowned Twelve Apostles Hotel at the foot of Table Mountain on the Atlantic coast. Visit the penguins on Boulders Beach and see sunset from Table Mountain; enjoy wine tastings and excellent food in the Cape Winelands and browse the market at the Old Biscuit Mill. A visit to Robben Island is followed by lunch with a former prison guard. Then you’ll head to the Kruger for three days of safari drives in open-sided jeeps and a special dinner under the stars. The price includes top accommodation, door-to-door airport transfers at both ends, and food and drinks; international flights are extra.

luxurygold.com

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Additional reporting by Heather Richardson

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