Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our South Africa specialists
Experiences you have as you travel often hold the longest memories. As part of their research trips, our specialists seek out authentic ways to get to know South Africa, and the best local guides. These activities reflect some of their best-loved experiences.
Cape Town city tour
Take a guided tour of the “Mother City”. You’ll visit the Castle of Good Hope, the Parliament Buildings, and the brightly painted Bo-Kaap district for a grounding in the city’s history and culture, as well as riding the rotating cable car up to Table Mountain’s summit.
Cape Peninsula scenic tour
The Cape Peninsula is an area of dramatic natural beauty and huge ecological significance, which manages to retain a wild feel despite its huge popularity with visitors. As you drive south from Cape Town, you pass through the exclusive suburbs of Camps Bay and Clifton before continuing onto Hout Bay and through Constantia, where the road meanders behind Table Mountain and down onto the coast.
A journey on Rovos Rail
Travel across Southern Africa in the restored trains of Rovos Rail. With several luxury journeys to choose from, you can explore the regions that most interest you in both comfort and style.
Table Mountain tour
Guests are taken to the lower terminal for the cable-car up Table Mountain. The cable-car is a very modern affair, and completes a 360º rotation during the ascent, affording you fantastic views over the city.
Johannesburg, Soweto & Apartheid Museum tour
You’ll explore the contrasting areas of Johannesburg and its surroundings on this full-day tour, from the leafy suburb of Houghton to the inner-city residential area of Hillbrow, the township of Soweto, and the city’s modern heart.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden occupies a large swathe of beautiful land on the lower slopes of Table Mountain. It houses a huge collection of indigenous flora, such as heathery fynbos, flowering proteas and dramatically colored strelitzias.
Robben Island tour
Led by a former inmate, you’ll tour Robben Island’s old prison buildings, from the communal cells to the tiny solitary cells of B-Section, where Nelson Mandela spent much of his incarceration. You’ll also explore the wider island and find out more about its uses over the years.
Museums of Cape Town
Cape Town boasts a variety of museums that help tell the story of the city’s multi-layered past, as well as that of South Africa as a whole and the wider continent. We share a few that we particularly recommend visiting during your stay.
Winelands tasting on horseback tour
Explore the natural beauty of the Winelands on horseback, riding through vineyards, forests, and over mountains between tastings.
Tour of KwaZulu-Natal’s battlefields
Explore Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift with an expert guide who’ll bring the battles to life. They’ll explain the tactics and movements of both sides and what led to the outcome, along with the impact the battles had.
Franschhoek wine tram
This wine-focused tram service runs from historic Franschhoek Village and stops at some of South Africa's oldest and most renowned wine estates.
Sani Pass & Lesotho trip
Lesotho is isolated from KwaZulu-Natal by the towering Drakensberg Mountains, and the Sani Pass is the only way through them. The road cuts the slopes, switching through tortuous hairpin bends and offering dizzying views of valleys far below.
Winelands tour
Learn about the Winelands of South Africa and sample a variety of its wines as you visit the towns of Paarl, Stellenbosch, and Franschhoek.
Plettenberg Bay safari
These ocean safaris are quite exciting as they involve beach launches and landings, crossing through the surf.
Oudtshoorn & Cango Caves tour
This taster to the Karoo Desert is a beautiful place, not quite as harsh or barren as the Karoo, but still stark and impressive. The climate proved ideal for rearing ostriches, and thanks to the Victorian craze for ostrich feathers, the town of Oudtshoorn flourished.
Active Storms River & Tsitsikamma Forest
Visit Tsitsikamma National Park, where with a guide, you will experience a sea kayak trip on the open ocean to the Storms River mouth and onward, passing under its photogenic suspension bridge. The upper reaches of the river gorge are explored by lilo, which are better able to navigate the shallower waters.
Drakensberg Mountains trip
Royal Natal National Park is found in the Northern Drakensberg and is famous for the Amphitheater, as well as the Tugela Falls that plunges over a 500 m wall of rock. There are many hiking trails in the region to explore this outstanding scenery.
Tsitsikamma Forest trip
At the eastern end of the Garden Route, and easily accessible from any of the Garden Route destinations, is the Tsitsikamma Forest, a dense cloak of deep green that coats the mountains.
Plettenberg Bay sailing & sea kayaking
There are a few outfits that offer sailing trips into Plettenberg Bay as well as sea kayaking. Apart from spectacular offshore coastal scenery, it is very likely that at some stage, a close encounter with the marine animals will occur so you can get very close to them.
Trip through KwaZulu-Natal’s Midlands
The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands is a region of sky-punching mountains, sparse grasslands, and creative communities, all steeped in a rich history. A guided tour gives you a chance to explore its landscapes, culture, and complex past through the eyes of a local expert.
