South Africa Safaris & Walks

South Africa offers wildlife-rich savannahs, dramatic coastlines and rugged mountains, with the best regions to explore including Kruger National Park, the Drakensberg Mountains, Cape Town, the Garden Route and the Wild Coast.

Kruger National Park: Kruger protects vast savannah ecosystems where travellers search for Africa’s Big Five.

Drakensberg Mountains: The Drakensberg range offers superb trekking through dramatic escarpments and alpine valleys.

Cape Town & Table Mountain: Cape Town sits beneath the cliffs of Table Mountain where coastal landscapes meet the Atlantic Ocean.

Garden Route: The Garden Route reveals forests, lagoons and spectacular coastal scenery.

Wild Coast: The remote Wild Coast offers rugged cliffs, beaches and traditional rural landscapes.

The best time to travel to South Africa for hiking, wildlife viewing and adventure touring is generally March to May and September to November, when temperatures are mild across many regions.

South Africa has a varied climate with warm summers and cooler winters influenced by both coastal and inland environments. Temperatures typically range between 10°C and 30°C (50°F–86°F).

Summer brings greener landscapes and longer daylight hours, while winter often provides excellent wildlife viewing as animals gather around water sources.

South Africa is +2 hours ahead of UTC/GMT

South Africa’s 1996 constitution gives official status to 11 different languages, with two West Germanic languages and nine Bantu origin languages broken down as follows: Zulu (23.82%), Xhosa (17.64%), Afrikaans (13.35)%, Northern Sotho/Sepedi (9.39%), English (8.2%), Tswana (8.2%), Sotho (7.93%), Tsonga (4.44%), Swati (2.66%), Venda (2.28%) and Ndebele (1.59%). Other languages account for 0.5%.

South Africa is an extremely linguistically diverse country, with most people speaking multiple languages. Afrikaans and, increasingly, English being the predominant languages of business and education.

Rand (Divided into cents)

We recommend that you travel with your local currency (EUR, USD, AUD, NZD, GBP) in CASH as this is the easiest way to change into local currency of the country you are travelling in . We recommend that you exchange your foreign currency at the bank located at your airport of arrival or your guide will arrange this on entry to each country.

Travel with some ZAR cash or US Dollar cash, preferably in small denominations. Pre-2006 USD notes are not accepted due to the high number of counterfeits in circulation.

Automatic teller machines (ATM’s) are regularly available in South Africa to draw money.

Visa & Mastercard are accepted in major and tourist centres such as Johannesburg and Cape Town. Outside these areas it is difficult to use (credit cards widely accepted except in rural areas). Most lodges visited are able to accept credit cards for meals however, American Express and Diners are NOT readily accepted. Note that merchant fees can be high on credit card purchases.

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Electricity in South Africa is 220 Volts, at 60 hertz. The most common pin type is M. (3 round prong). Not compatible with any other plug types. In some areas the pin type C (2 round prong) can also be found.

Visas for South Africa are exempt for a stay of less than 90 days for passport holders from the following countries:-

Australia

Canada

United States

United Kingdom

New Zealand

*All other nationalities should check with your nearest embassy or consulate.

Your safety is our number one concern. Our safety track record is exemplary thanks to careful management and thorough consultation with local partners. Our industry leading risk management procedures have become a skill that we continue to refine. Our leaders in the field are highly trained and have safety as their number one priority. Expert leaders, risk assessments, quality inclusions and your financial security all come standard when you travel with us.

Please refer to our Travel Advisory page for updates on recent events, travel warnings and advice.

We strongly recommend that all clients take out travel insurance at the time of booking to cover against sickness, accident, loss of baggage, unexpected alterations to travel arrangements and travel disruption, emergency evacuation, cancellations, etc. Insurance information is enclosed with your pre-departure information. Please contact us if you would like to obtain a quote for your trip duration.

We suggest that you consult your doctor, local government inoculation centre or a travel medical specialist in order to get the most current advice regarding vaccination requirements.

Money and valuables should always be stored safely when travelling. Keep your passport with you at all times and do not leave it in your main luggage. You will need it to change money and check into hotels. Where safety deposit boxes are available, we recommend that you use them. Keep jewellery and valuables to a minimum.