SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa's standouts.
A shortlist of the 10 guided tours most worth booking in South Africa, with what each one is like on the day, who runs it, and what it costs.
Skip the ferry ticket line and meet an ex-prisoner guide for a moving Robben Island prison tour, including Mandela’s cell.
“Everything ran smoothly and on time. Instructions were clear throughout and all parts of the visit were well paced and managed in friendly and professional way. Very good value for money and a great trip.”
Full-day Johannesburg and Soweto tour with Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Mandela House, and key 1976 and Nobel sites.
“Mandela House visit, Apartheid museum, Soweto. Seeing how soweto has evolved as opposed to what i read about Soweto when it was in its formative years.”
3-hour Table Mountain hike with an expert guide: Fynbos, wildlife spotting, photo stops, and a cable car ride down.
“We have a great experience! It was very well organised with clear instructions, the route was amazing with great view when arriving to the top! You can miss it if you are around Cape Town!”
4-hour Soweto walking tour with a local guide, lunch, and minibus taxi to the Soweto Towers. Visit Mandela and Tutu sites.
“Amazing Tour with Mawezi including dancing, history and not sparring the sad sides of Soweto. Highly recommended”
Guided Lion’s Head sunrise or sunset hike in Cape Town with head torches, photo help, and 360-degree views over the city.
“Great tour! Robert was an amazing guide and found us a secluded spot to watch the sunset without anyone else around.”
3 hours in an open game drive vehicle at Botlierskop Private Game Reserve near Mossel Bay, with big wildlife odds and 200 bird species.
“Botlierskop is a wonderful, upmarket place for a game drive. Despite not seeing any lions (there had been lots the day before, we were told!), we had a great time and saw numerous other animals and birds, from giraffe to zebra to rhinos. We were confident that our driver/ranger wanted us to see as much…”
Cape Town township tour with hotel pickup, District Six and Langa walks, then Robben Island ferry to see Mandela’s prison.
“This was one of the best trips I have ever done! Me and my sister went on the township/Robyn island tour and it was such a good day. Our tour guides were so knowledgeable about the South African history and taught us so many things we did not know and were shocked by. It was…”
Express Big Five safari from Cape Town with Breede and Hex winelands stops, buffet lunch and champagne at Aquila.
“Mike was an amazing tour operator who made sure everything went smoothly and made us feel comfortable from start to finish. Great way to see a lot in a short space of time.”
Small-group half-day Soweto walk and Apartheid Museum lesson with hotel pickup, Mandela and Tutu sites, and a 4–5 hour plan.
“It was wonderful. Nathi was an excellent guide. Very friendly & knowledgeable. I learned quite a lot. The next time I'm in Johannesburg, I will look up Phillipians 4 Travel again. One note - the Apartheid Museum is currently closed on Mondays & Tuesdays, so we went to Constitution Hill, which was also eye-opening. If…”
9-hour Cape Peninsula guided loop in an a/c minibus: Chapman's Peak Drive views, Cape of Good Hope, and penguins at Boulders Beach.
“Elie was an amazing driver/tour guide!! We had a smaller group for this tour, and Elie catered the time at each stop to our interests since we had the added flexibility. Elie also adjusted the order of the stops to account for which stops would be more crowded later in the day, having us do…”
