South Africa Tours & South Africa Travel Guide

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Best of South Africa

15 Days

13 Locations

South Africa reveals itself here through game drives in Kruger, a visit to a Swazi Chief’s village, the Garden Route, Knysna and Cape Town’s Table Mountain, coast and cosmopolitan energy, all wrapped into one trip.

From 2027, this tour will become a Small Group tour, with an average of 18 guests. Enjoy a smaller group setting while discovering the places, people and stories that make each destination special.

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$5,108

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$5,675

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Essence of South Africa

10 Days

6 Locations

Internal flights included

FROM

$4,167

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$4,550

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The best of South Africa unlocked for you

Experience South Africa differently. Enjoy one-of-a-kind experiences and uncover local secrets when our friends across the country open their doors to you. Here’s just a sample of the rich experiences you can expect.

5 million happy guests and counting

Table Mountain seen from Bloubergstrand in Cape Town, South Africa

Currency

South African rand

Capital Cities

Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein

Winter avg

84°F

Language

English, Afrikaans, Tsonga & others

Summer avg

64°F

Good morning

Time Zone

GMT+2

Good evening

"With gorgeous beaches, superb vineyards, starry deserts, soaring mountains, lively cities and national parks filled with wildlife, South Africa makes it hard to leave."

Travel Director

Go on a private safari in Kruger National Park

Experience the wonders of Kruger on a private safari with Trafalgar. We’ll take you through one of the largest national parks in Africa, home to 135 mammal species including the iconic Big Five. See elephants chewing on mopane trees, wildebeest running through open savanna, and big cats lurking in the grass.
Take in the cosmopolitan spirit of Cape Town

From the slopes of Table Mountain to the rocky Atlantic shoreline, a tour of Cape Town is one of the best things to do in South Africa. Our Local Specialists will show you the sprawling City Bowl, the golden vineyards of the Cape Winelands, and the spectacular Cape Peninsula.
Enjoy the views of the Drakensberg Mountains

The Drakensberg Mountains are the highest peaks in South Africa, towering up to 1,422 feet. We’ll explore this UNESCO-listed Site, with magnificent views and rock art dating back several thousand years. You’ll also have the chance to join a 4x4 Sani Pass drive, for lunch at Africa's highest pub in Lesotho.
Connect with Swazi culture in a local Chief's village

We’ll travel to beautiful eSwatini, where your South Africa guide will show you around a Swazi Chief's village. You’ll see their traditional crimson dress, sample some local cuisine such as pap (cornmeal porridge) and meat and vegetable stew, and gain a deeper understanding of the community's way of life.
Go up the Table Mountain by Cable Car

Soaring 3,558 feet to form a flat-topped peak, Table Mountain is one of the most iconic South Africa attractions. We’ll take you to the top in a cableway, where you’ll discover bright Cape fynbos, the curious rock hyrax, and panoramic views of the City Bowl and Atlantic Seaboard.

Our top 5 things to do in South Africa

We’ll show you what to do in South Africa, from searching for the Big Five in Kruger National Park, to ascending Table Mountain for breathtaking views over Cape Town.

Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town

Founded in 1825 in the historic Company’s Gardens, the South African Museum houses extensive collections of natural history, zoology and archaeology. There are more than 1.5 million specimens in the museum, ranging from 700-million year old fossils, to stone tools made 120,000 years ago.
Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg

The Apartheid Museum commemorates the era of racial segregation in South America, providing a chilling insight into the apartheid system and sharing moving stories of the fight for democracy. You can easily spend a few hours here, taking in the wealth of information on this dark period.
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, Port Elizabeth

Originally opened in 1956, this museum was renamed in 2002 in honor of Nelson Mandela. It houses a fantastic collection of South African art, along with international pieces. You can see artworks from the Eastern Cape, British art, Chinese textiles, Indian miniatures and international printmaking.

Best museums in South Africa

Our South Africa travel experiences take you to the country’s superb museums, from the moving Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, to the vast historic collections of the Iziko South African Museum.

Biltong

As South Africa’s favorite snack, you’ll find biltong throughout the country, from markets to restaurants. Biltong is made from cured meat, usually beef and game, and is served in dried slices, spiced with herbs. In South Africa, game refers to the animals of the bush like ostrich, kudu, impala and wildebeest.
Biryani

South African biryani is a traditional dish originating from the Cape Malay culture. It’s made with lentils, meat like goat or chicken, vegetables like tomatoes and potatoes, and seasonings like garam masala, turmeric and chilli powder. It’s served with parboiled rice for a hearty meal.
Amasi

Amasi is a popular dairy snack in South Africa, made from unpasteurised cow's milk stored in a calabash container to allow it to ferment. The thick liquid that remains tastes like plain yoghurt and is traditionally served in a clay pot, or poured over pap porridge.

Best Food in South Africa

South Africa food is wonderfully diverse and our Local Specialists will show you all the best places to taste the classics, from dried biltong to warm biryani.

What to pack for South Africa

Pack for sustainable travel

Consider your environmental impact when you next take a trip and go single-use-plastic-free by packing a reusable water bottle, a steel straw, your own shopping bags and refillable toiletry bottles.

Adaptor plug

In South Africa, the standard voltage is 230 V and the power plugs and sockets are of type D, M and N. The standard frequency is 50 Hz.

Binoculars

Bring your binoculars for wildlife spotting when we take you on a private safari through Kruger National Park, one of the best destinations for wildlife viewing in all of Africa.

Sunscreen & sunglasses

You’ll be much closer to the equator when you travel to South Africa, so you’ll need to protect your skin and eyes with strong sunscreen and UV protected sunglasses.

Swimsuit

South Africa is known for its spectacular beaches, so pack a swimsuit if you’d like to take a dip in the Indian or Atlantic Oceans that border the country.

Versatile clothing

From the dusty savannah and sunny vineyards, to the chilly mountains and windy coastline, you’ll need a range of versatile clothing when you visit South Africa.