Home to an incredibly diverse population of both people and wildlife, extraordinary natural landscapes and 11 national languages, South Africa has plenty to offer every kind of traveller. Whether you prefer adventures like shark diving, exploring museums and vibrant cities, or leisurely drives through countryside bursting with flowers, there is something for you in tour comparison South Africa.
To help you choose the right South Africa tours for you we’ve compiled a list of the best of the best below.
Seductive Cape Town
The southern ‘Mother City’ is blessed with panoramic coastlines and mountains – most notably the hiking and cable car hotspot Table Mountain. By night, mingle with the multicultural population on Long Street or enjoy a homebrewed Mageu inside a township’s friendly shebeen.
Hop over to Robben Island
The notorious prison in Table Bay offers the chance to see Nelson Mandela’s cell of 18 years. The eye-opening tours are conducted by former convicts and advanced bookings are essential.
Diving with Great White Sharks
Come within nose-tip distance of the razor-sharp jaws of South Africa’s fierce Great White Sharks, separated only by a metal cage and a scuba mask. This is the closest you will ever get – and would want to get! – to the underwater predators.
Safari in Kruger National Park
The first sight of lions rolling in the bushveld is enough to make any visitor addicted to safari. Pile in the jeep after dusk for one of Kruger’s famous night safaris, where the wilderness takes on a whole new version of game viewing.
Vibrant Johannesburg
Apartheid has long gone and, despite some tensions between the rich and poor, the capital ‘Joburg’ of ‘Jozi’ remains a compelling city. A trip to the Apartheid Museum is a must for a candid understanding of the country liberated by Mandela.
Travel the Garden Route
This is one of Africa’s most photogenic touring routes. Travel past dolphin harbours, craggy coastlines, fields of wildflowers, and scenic Knysna along the ecologically diverse coastal trail.
Discover Durban
SA’s multi-ethnic cake is laced with surf beaches, food markets, and creative galleries. Free spirits roam in popular Indian communities while laid-back vibes reign supreme in KwaZulu’s most cherished city.
Spectacular scenery at Blyde River Canyon
Grand and green, this steep-sided ridge is unique in colour. Hike or white water raft over the Sabi River for dramatic photo-worthy views.
Mandela’s home in Soweto
Make a trip to Johannesburg’s most famous township, colourful Soweto, once home to the national hero Nelson ‘Madiba’ Mandela. This impoverished but spirited community with remarkable street art is worth visiting on an organised tour.
Explore the Cape Winelands
Rolling vineyards and orchards hold world-renowned wineries and breath-taking landscape you never knew existed in southern Africa, especially in the student town of Stellenbosch – a grape’s throw from Cape Town.
Drive the Namaqualand Flower Route
This picturesque route begins roughly five hours north of Cape Town, passing through Richtersveld National Park, Goegap Nature Reserve and Skilpad Wild Flower Reserve. Almost 4,000 species bloom to life with the unpredictability of nature, meaning no two years offer the same spectacle. July through to October is the best time to enjoy the colourful creation.
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
