Lalibela Lentaba Lodge

Bergs, Battlefields & Bush

Safari Adventure + 2 more + 3 more

Exploring the history & wildlife of KwaZulu-Natal.

13 days

from £4,750 pp

Unexplored South Africa

Wildlife & Nature Luxury + 2 more + 3 more

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

14 days

from £9,350 pp

South African Grand Tour

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 3 more + 3 more

Three weeks, one unforgettable road trip across South Africa’s greatest highlights.

21 days

from £4,295 pp

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 1 more + 2 more

Waterfalls to Waterfront

South Africa, Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls, Kruger & Cape Town.

11 days

from £4,950 pp

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

Kruger, Canyons & Cape

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 2 more + 3 more

The perfect South African summer holiday.

14 days

from £3,995 pp

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in South Africa

Addo Self-Drive Safari

For those not staying on a private reserve, but staying in the Addo National Park or a nearby hotel or lodge, self-driving through the Addo is an interesting alternative to a guided safari. Unless you really know a lot about safari, it should never replace the experience of guided game drives and walks in the company of an expert who can not only find the animals but also explain them to you. However to complement guided game drives, or for those who feel they know their way around their African wildlife, it makes an exciting and rewarding way to see game. The park is laced with a network of roads, some tarmac and many more graded tracks (passable in a normal saloon car). There is a real thrill in setting off into the park, under your own steam, equipped with a map showing roads, waterholes and notable features, a pair of binoculars, a bird and mammal guide, and perhaps a packed lunch. You can then do whatever takes your fancy: spend half an hour with a herd of zebra or impala (which would never happen on a guided game drive), or head for a waterhole and sit with your bird book trying to identify as many species as possible, or simply to drive slowly around, taking in the amazing scenery and hoping to spot some big game.

Horse-back safaris

The Addo Elephant National Park offers a range of rides for inexperienced and experienced riders. Some of the rides go through the Nyathi section of the park: here you may encounter big game (although not lions or hyenas, which spook horses), as well as plains game. So your ride will focus on the game, getting close to impressive herds of antelope, and maybe even spotting elephant or rhino from horseback. The Zuurberg Mountain section of the park, there is no large game, just wonderful plains game, and miles and miles of the most amazing mountain views to enjoy. The rides are all organized by the South African National Parks board and riding hats are available. Booking in advance is essential. If you’re staying at somewhere like Elephant House, where safari activities are not included in the price, they will happily book the excursion for you and, if you wish, transfer you to and from the Addo. If you are staying on a private game reserve, they are normally prepared to transfer you to and from the Addo, although this varies from lodge to lodge: please check with us. Game viewing on horse back is a specially experience: because the animals do not perceive horses as a threat, you can get much closer to the game than you can on foot, and you can do it without the sound of a game drive vehicle. It makes it a much more intimate game viewing experience, and one you should definitely consider.

Eastern Cape Bush Walks

Most lodges in private game reserves, in the period around lunchtime between the two usual daily safari drives, offer guests the chance to go on a short safari walk. The focus on these is not the game you’d see on drive. Instead you’ll concentrate on learning about the trees and plants, including their various uses in bush medicine and bush craft. You’ll also have the chance to look at the much, much smaller animals like spiders and millipedes, no less worthy of your attention than the bigger animals in the reserve! Some of the private reserves offer a more intensive walking safari experience, where you’ll walk for large parts of a day through the bush, or even for a couple of days, camping out. Sometimes these will be to walk with cheetahs, which seem particularly comfortable being accompanied or tailed by humans; other times it will just be about the thrill of spending protracted amounts of time on foot in what has become an alien and fascinating environment for modern man, never knowing what is around the next corner, and really getting the chance to understand and appreciate nature. If this is something you are particularly interested in, please let us know so we can direct you towards appropriate lodges and reserves.

Eastern Cape Game Drives

When staying at a private safari lodge, the bulk of your game viewing will be done on safari drives. These take place in the early morning and late afternoon, as many of the animals everyone wants to see (notably the predators) are most active around dawn and dusk. In the morning you'll be wakened by a call from your ranger, who will then be waiting for you with coffee or tea before you get into the safari drive vehicle. You may stop during the morning drive for more coffee! After a drive of around three hours, you'll be returned to the lodge for a massive breakfast. Your time is then yours to do as you please until mid/late afternoon. Usually lunch will be served (although sometimes not during their winter) and you may have the chance to go on a safari walk. Then you meet your ranger again for afternoon tea before heading off on your evening drive. You'll stop for sundowner drinks, and the last hour or so of your drive will be in the dark, using a spotlight to try and spot some of the nocturnal creatures. Upon your return its time for a gorgeous dinner before retiring to bed in order to be as fresh as possible when that morning call comes! Drive times are determined by dawn and dusk. So in their summer, morning drive starts very early and the evening drive starts quite late, allowing for a big chunk of free time in the middle of the day. In their winter, these times get compressed as the day is shorter – hence some lodges skipping lunch during the winter months. When out on drive your ranger (and his tracker in those reserves where they are used) will use his skills and experience of the bush, plus information from other rangers out on game drives, to pinpoint the best game viewing. He (or she!) will also provide a running commentary on the animals you are seeing – it is truly amazing how much information they are able to pass on. If you particularly want to see certain animals, do let your ranger know and he'll try to oblige wherever possible, although much is dependent on the animals cooperating, and of course the wishes of the other guests in your game drive vehicle (unless you have paid for a private vehicle).