Ivory Manor Boutique Hotel

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 1 more + 2 more

Waterfalls to Waterfront

South Africa, Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls, Kruger & Cape Town.

11 days

from £5,595 pp

including flights

Bergs, Battlefields & Bush

Safari Adventure + 2 more + 3 more

Exploring the history & wildlife of KwaZulu-Natal.

13 days

from £4,750 pp

including flights

The Best of South Africa

Romantic Classic + 3 more + 3 more

Cape Town, wine & wildlife: South Africa's highlights over 11 days.

11 days

from £3,225 pp

including flights

Classic South Africa

Family Classic + 3 more + 3 more

A classic South African holiday, with a few lesser-visited surprises.

17 days

from £3,655 pp

including flights

Unexplored South Africa

Romantic Wildlife & Nature + 3 more + 3 more

Leave the tourist trail behind and experience a different South Africa.

14 days

from £9,350 pp

including flights

Go Local in South Africa

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 3 more + 3 more

Real people, real stories, real South Africa.

19 days

from £6,690 pp

including flights

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in South Africa

Soweto Cycling Tour

Any tour of Soweto is not a township tour in the traditional sense, as Soweto is much more a (relatively affluent) suburb these days than an informal settlement. The houses are permanent, well-constructed and well-tended and there is a thriving community and growing economy here. So your tour of Soweto is much more about the culture and history of the place, and there is plenty of that to see. One of the defining places in the struggle against apartheid, Soweto boasts the only street in the world home to two Nobel Laureates: Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a key part of the cycle tour. You'll also visit the Hector Pieterson Memorial, where you learn about the 1976 Soweto Uprising. But the tour is also forward looking, with stops outside the highly decorative residence of famous opera singer Abigail Khubeka, and looking out over the Orlando Pirates football stadium, site of the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. By cycling rather than taking a car, you interact much more with Soweto and her people, who are always ready to exchange greetings and have a chat. There's also the chance to sample traditional street food, which is much tasty than you might at first imagine! The tour concludes where you began, at Lebo's Backpackers, a Soweto institution where Lebo has been welcoming international visitors since 1999; you bid farewell to your guide and fellow cyclists with a calabash of traditional beer.

Rovos Rail from Pretoria to Cape Town

Your Rovos Rail experience begins amidst the delightful surrounds of the restored Art Deco station Capital Park, in Pretoria. You’ll be drawn by steam train for the first few kilometres before being hooked up to the diesel that will haul you the rest of the way to Cape Town. Leaving Capital Park at 3 pm you can relax and get to know your fellow passengers before dinner. The following day you arrive in Kimberley for your tour. Kimberley is one of the more remote towns right in the heart of South Africa but has played an absolutely crucial role in the nation’s history, for it was here that diamonds were discovered and men like Cecil Rhodes made their fortunes; doubtless the presence of such massive mineral wealth also helped shaped Rhodes’ belief that the area should be governed by the British Empire. The Big Hole is Kimberley’s most striking feature, a vast hole 463 metres wide and originally excavated down to 240 metres by hand, yielding 2,700 kilograms of diamonds in its life as a mine. A visitor centre has grown around the mine and offers a great introduction into this remarkable period of South African history. You have dinner back on board before retiring for the night. As you wake the next morning you are in Matjiesfontein. Matjiesfontein is situated on the edge of the Klein Karoo, just north of the Winelands of the Western Cape. Founded in 1884 and originally a staging post on the Imperial British railway, it soon became known as a health spa – the dry air was reckoned to be the perfect cure for chest complaints. The remoteness of Matjiesfontein is part of its appeal and perhaps also why the 21st and indeed the 20th century appear to have passed her by. A National Monument, it has been preserved exactly as it was in Victorian times. Your tour will take in a ride around the small town in a historic bus, a visit to the museum and a drink at the Lord Milner Hotel. You continue on from Matjiesfontein through the stunning Winelands before arriving in Cape Town at 6 pm.

The Apartheid Museum

The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg is recognised as being one of the very best explanations and illustrations of what apartheid was, and what it meant to be classed as anything other than “white” under this system. This official policy, which segregated the population by race and upheld minority white rule, whilst oppressing the non-whites and denying them their basic human rights (including the right to vote), lasted until 1994, and the museum examines the reasons behind the creation of apartheid, how it was imposed and enforced, and the events that ultimately led to the arrival of full democracy and the election of the apartheid regime’s most famous prisoner, Nelson Mandela, as President. It’s a very well thought out museum and tackles a harrowing subject in a sensitive and informative manner.

Bill Harrop's Original Balloon Safari

Brace yourself for an early start, but it's well worth it. As the mist lifts slowly in the pre-dawn haze, the roar of burners filling the balloon is the backdrop to a welcome coffee at the club house, before you climb into the basket. After the pre-flight checks, the tethering rope is released and you rise elegantly into the sky, at first skimming over the trees and fields before climbing higher. The stunning landscape of the Magaliesberg Mountains now begins to reveal itself, patchwork farms bounded by craggy ridges (locals will tell you these are the second-oldest mountains in the world); in the distance you may be able to spot Sun City and the ancient volcanic landscape of the Pilanesberg National Park. Your pilot will expertly use the different airstreams to control the direction of the balloon, and this accuracy thankfully extends to finding a good landing spot and setting you back down on terra firma for a quick glass of fizz before you're whisked back to the club house for an extremely hearty breakfast.

The Voortrekker Monument

The Voortrekker Monument was built in 1938 to symbolize the unity of the Afrikaner people, descended from those early pioneers who set out to settle the interior of South Africa, and establish a state in keeping with their religious views. The monument is a vast, imposing edifice, a huge brick Cenotaph surrounded by a wall bearing the frieze of 64 Great Trek wagons. These symbolize the 64 wagons at the Battle of Blood River, a pivotal event in early Afrikaner history when a small raiding party of Voortrekkers held of an assault by several thousand Zulu troops. This event gave the Voortrekkers the idea that their enterprise was favoured by God, and is why it was the inspiration for the monument. There are also murals depicting scenes from the Great Trek and a museum: it’s an important place to visit to understand the origin and role the Voortrekkers and their Afrikaner descendants have played in South African history.