South Africa Budget Safaris & Tours

South Africa Budget Safaris : Where to Begin?

South Africa : A World in One Country

South Africa is a country so unique and diverse, in terms of it's people, geography, fauna and flora, that you could spend a very long time exploring it without ever feeling like you've seen all there is to see.

Witness the 'African Renaissance' in Cape Town and Johannesburg

The cultural melting pots of Gauteng and Cape Town are great entry points to the Rainbow Nation and we have a number of short city stay tours which are an ideal introduction to the African urban experience.

Check out Johannesburg, take a township tour of Soweto, see Liliesleaf farm, scene of the Rivonia Raid where Nelson Mandela was captured, or take in the Apartheid museum in the city centre. Learn about the genesis of Apartheid under Dutch and British rule, and the hard-won struggle for freedom that followed, contrasted by the cultural cacophany of 21st century urban South Africa.

If Gauteng doesn't take your fancy, head straight for cosmopolitan Cape Town - recline on the beach at Clifton, Llandudno or St James, hike or take the cable car up Table Mountain, explore the fynbos kingdom, a family of plants unique to the Western Cape at Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, or see them in their natural environment complete with ostriches and baboons at Cape Point.

Cape Town Activities, shopping, dancing, adrenalin sports and some good eating to boot!

Sample world class shopping in the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, or explore the bohemian restaurants, live music venues and arts and craft stores in Kalk Bay. Go clubbing in the city centre or do something adventurous like learning to surf at Muizenburg or paragliding off Lions Head down to world-famous Camps Bay Beach below. Cycle along one of the world's most dramatic pieces of tarmac along the sheer cliff faces of Chapmans Peak Drive, which stretches from Noordhoek to Hout Bay winding its way above the surging Atlantic 300 metres below, or try out the singletrack with the mountain bikers at Tokai Forest. We guarantee you will not be bored in Cape Town.

Cape Wine Route - go on an empty stomach!

Immediately to the North of Cape Town on the outskirts of town lies the culinary and viticultural paradise that is the Cape Wine Route. Franschoek, Paarl and Stellenbosch are dotted with world class wine estates and restaurants which are not to be missed, not to mention the unique Cape Dutch architecture and dramatic mountainous landscape.

The Western Cape's Garden Route - it's not all watering cans and compost

To the East lies the Garden Route, a stretch of pristine coastline 1000 kilometres long, extending from the whale spotting mecca of Hermanus outside Cape Town, past the shark diving capital of Gansbaai, to George, Knysna and Wilderness, through the indigenous Tsitsikamma forest and on to a surfers' paradise, the world class point break at Supertubes and Jeffreys Bay, through Port Elizabeth and ending more or less at Port Alfred at the Eastern Cape end. Here Grahamstown, South Africa's cultural capital and home to the National Arts Festival in July, is only a stones throw away, not to mention the world's best malaria-free big 5 game viewing at Shamwari and Kariega. A self drive tour or Overland tour through this part of the world is always going to be an unforgettable experience.

Kruger Park Safaris

If it's a safari you are after, you can do no better than head for the Kruger National Park in the North West of the country. The options there are endless and we have another dedicated page where we have broken down what is possible for travellers in this part of the world.

Kwa-Zulu Natal - mountains, beaches, gumboots and curry

In Kwa-Zulu Natal Province you will find a sub tropical climate, the home of the Zulu Kingdom and, in Durban, a strong Indian community which brings with it more cultural diversity and a culinary feast for the gastronomic tourist, not to mention the sensory banquet in the form of the weekend bazaars with their spices and Indian fabrics.

Incredible beaches lie to both the North and South of Durban with great surfing and best of all, warm water for bathing. Schools of dolphins swimming close to shore are not an uncommon site in this part of the world.

Ski in Africa - only in the Drakensberg

Further inland is the mountain Kingdom of Lesotho and the fabled Drakensberg region, full of dramatic snow-capped peaks. If you're here in winter and you want to tell your mates you went ski-ing in Africa, this is the place to do it.

Find out more with our South Africa budget travel guide page.