- South Africa Private Tours
- Best of South Africa - Private Tour
This tour offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Big Five - lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and buffalo - on safari in the world-renowned Kruger National Park. Explore cosmopolitan Cape Town and dynamic Johannesburg, soak up unforgettable scenery along Chapman's Peak Drive and the Panorama Route, and discover the beautiful Cape Winelands region.
On arrival the following day, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
If you are arranging your own international flights, free airport transfers are available and included in the price. Transfers need to be booked with us at least two weeks before the tour starts and you will need to provide your inbound and outbound flight details.
Breakfast
Wake this morning to embark on a full-day tour around the Cape Peninsula. Leaving Cape Town behind, join one of the most spectacular coastal drives in the world; Chapmans Peak Drive, affording exquisite panoramic views. Next, visit Boulders Beach in Simons Town; part of a marine protected area and home to a breeding colony of over 2,000 endangered African penguins. The Cape Point Nature Reserve awaits at the very tip of the Cape Peninsula. A declared world heritage site, the area affords dramatic scenery and extensive views where the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean meet in harmony. Lastly, stroll through the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Unveiling sounds, colours, and aromas of the natural environment, the meticulously maintained gardens trace the history of the region and celebrate the botanical diversity of the Western Cape. Arrive back in Cape Town in time for dinner.
Breakfast
This morning, enjoy a tour of Cape Town. Alongside high-rise office blocks, a harmonious blend of architectural styles has been meticulously preserved, including Edwardian, Victorian and Cape Dutch. Narrow, cobblestone streets and the Islamic character of the Bo-Kaap enhance the cosmopolitan ambience. During the tour you will see the Castle of Good Hope – this pentagon-shaped fort is the oldest surviving building in South Africa, and the Company’s Garden. The tour of this beautiful city introduces you to a rich culture and history. Enjoy an afternoon of leisure, or take an optional excursion (payable locally) including a helicopter ride over Cape Town and Table Mountain, or visit Robben Island (payable locally) where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, or take the cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain and enjoy some magnificent views!
Breakfast
Today, tour the breathtaking Cape Winelands, first stopping at the town of Franschhoek, then onto Stellenbosch. South Africa’s wine industry was first developed by French Huguenots who bought their wines with them and settled in Franschhoek in the 17th century. The reputation of South African wines flourished across the globe in the centuries that followed, even Napoleon had wine shipped to him during his exile in the 19th century. Take some time to explore these delightful towns before enjoying a wine tasting of ‘new-world’ wines.
Breakfast & Dinner
Take a scenic drive into the heart of the gorgeous Garden Route. Stop of at Hermanus, a popular fishing and holiday village, and Swellendam, a colourful agricultural town surrounded by mountains. Drive further along the coastline and arrive at the picturesque coastal, Knysna. This historic logging town is hemmed in between the Knysna Lagoon and the mountainous Knysna Forest.
Breakfast & Lunch
This morning, take a ferry across Knysna lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve taking in views of the imposing Knysna Heads. Explore the nature reserve with a guided walk and 4x4 trailer drive seeking out Blue Duiker, Knysna Loerie and the rare African Oyster Catcher.
Breakfast
Depart for Tsitsikamma National Park, a breathtaking section of South Africa’s famed Garden Route, renowned for its lush indigenous forests, rugged mountains, and dramatic coastline where the Indian Ocean meets sheer cliffs. Wander beneath towering yellowwood trees, listen to the calls of exotic birdlife, and take in panoramic views from suspension bridges over the Storms River. After a day immersed in this unspoiled natural wonder, travel to Port Elizabeth for your afternoon flight to Johannesburg, continuing on to your hotel in Centurion.
Breakfast & Dinner
After breakfast, enjoy a guided orientation tour of Pretoria, fondly known as the Jacaranda City, and discover its rich blend of Afrikaans and African heritage. Explore iconic landmarks such as the Voortrekker Monument, Church Square, and the historic Paul Kruger House, each offering a glimpse into South Africa’s past and present. Admire the grandeur of the Union Buildings, the official seat of government, with their sweeping city views, terraced indigenous gardens, and striking statue of Nelson Mandela. In the afternoon, travel to Kruger National Park, where you’ll settle in at Hippo Hollow Country Estate for dinner and the night.
Breakfast
An early morning start allows you to take advantage of the best time to enter the national park on what is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the tour. Kruger is one of the biggest, oldest and quite simply one of the best wildlife parks in the world. Covering an area of more than 19 square kilometres, Kruger boasts vast landscapes and the greatest variety of animals including the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) as well as giraffe, cheetah, hippos and many species of antelope and smaller animals. Accompanied by an experienced game ranger, you will tour specific areas of the park in an open-sided vehicle offering the very best safari experience with a clear view of the game from an elevated position.
Breakfast
Today is at leisure alternatively, or alternately take part in one of our optional excursions (at a fee) including a second 4x4 experience into Kruger.
Breakfast
Today, travel along the magnificent Panorama Route, one of South Africa’s most stunning scenic drives. Climbing high into the cliff tops witness the fresh mountain scenery and sweeping views over the Klein Drakensberg escarpment at the start of one of the world’s largest canyons; the truly impressive Blyde River Canyon. With awe-inspiring vistas, the route passes natural landmarks such as the spectacular peaks of the Three Rondavels. Continue to Johannesburg for your overnight stay.
Breakfast
Enjoy a short sightseeing tour of the city, with a stop at the Apartheid Museum for a fascinating insight into South Africa's cultural struggles. Later in the afternoon, head to the airport for your scheduled flight back to the UK.
If you are arranging your own international flights, free airport transfers are available and included in the price. Transfers need to be booked with us at least two weeks before the tour starts and you will need to provide your inbound and outbound flight details.
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Mark, our guide, was excellent, and his depth of knowledge on all aspects of the tour was incredible.
Raymond Culmer
19 MaySouth Africa is an amazing country. Vast - easy to get from one part to the next. Great value for money. We loved Cape Town, Garden, and Wine Routes. and Mark our guide was outstanding. He was very organised, knowledgeable, and accommodating. He deserves a special mention. He worked so hard on our behalf during the trip ensuring we saw everything on the agenda and more.
Debbie Pocock
31 DecemberSouth Africa is an amazing country—a jewel at every turn. Our guide Mark was professional throughout but full of enthusiasm, knowledge, and understanding of the country he shared with us. He included at least one WOW factor in every journey.
Julia Greaves
16 OctoberThis was a fantastic holiday. We had a great guide, Mark, who was organised and informative. Even when we had a day travelling we always stopped off on the way to see something. The lunch stops were usually in fantastic places with good views and good food. Even after travelling most of the day, with various stops, it didn’t feel tiring. Such lovely places to see. Would highly recommend this holiday.
Lynn Poole
29 FebruaryOur guide Mark was excellent. His knowledge of South Africa, its geography, economics, and politics was outstanding. He kept the pace of the holiday manageable and he made us feel very safe with his advice at each location.
Alison Morris
17 OctoberThe order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.
If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of £295.00pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.
Your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive and at least 3 blank pages.
South Africa visa requirements
British passport holders are not currently required to obtain a visa to travel to South Africa. This will be granted on arrival.
For clients travelling to South Africa with children under the age of 18: Children travelling with both biological parents must travel with:
• Valid passport of travelling parent and child • Visa, if required • Birth certificate listing both parents (note: these must be the original documents, or certified copies of the originals)
A child travelling with just one of the parents listed on his or her birth certificate must also present:
• Parental consent affidavit not older than 4 months or • Letter of special circumstances issued by director-general of home affairs in the event that a parent or parents are incapacitated or deceased, and no legal guardian has been appointed as yet.
For full details of requirements for travel to South Africa, please visit the Department of Home Affairs website.
We work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange your visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. When calling the Travel Visa Company, they will advise you of any changes to the fees or the procedure, they will also advise you of all information they will require in order to apply for the visa. We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding these.
We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.
It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.
This tour is accessible to most people with an average level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves full days of sightseeing, early mornings, long days of driving, some days with lots of walking and includes some climbing of stairs and getting on and off coaches and boats. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.
The currency in South Africa is the South African Rand (ZAR). Credit cards are widely accepted and ATM’s are available in most town/cities.
We recommend that you exchange your currency before you leave the UK. Some local banks will not change money back into Pound Sterling, so do not exchange too much. It is advisable to carry smaller note denominations as some outlets and vendors may not accept the larger notes.
As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.
You will need to take extra money with you to cover any dinners where these are not mentioned on your itinerary and personal purchases. Approximately £300-£400 per person should be sufficient for the duration of your tour.
Tipping
It is customary to tip both your driver and guide. We would recommend tipping your guide and driver approximately £6 per person per day in total and £6 (150ZAR) per person per day for the ranger. It is customary to tip your guides/rangers/drivers at the end of your time with them. Tipping for restaurants (recommended 10%) and the porters at your hotels will be at your discretion and done on-site. Tips are accepted in the local currency, US dollars, Euros and British pounds for the guides/rangers/drivers however for waiters, porters etc, please tip in local currency.
This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be met on arrival by your national guide who will remain with you for the duration of the tour, ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times. In the Kruger, you will have a Ranger who will be taking you on your safari. Due to the capacity of the safari vehicles, the group may be split with each vehicle having their own ranger.
Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels or lodges. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist compared to what you might expect in the UK. Scheduled power outages, commonly referred to as load shedding, can be a common occurrence in South Africa. While most hotels and lodges are equipped to mitigate the effects of load shedding, ensuring that your comfort and convenience are maintained to the best of our ability, it's important to acknowledge that not all establishments may be fully functional during these times. As a result, you may experience temporary disruptions to certain amenities such as air-conditioning, television services, the operation of electric kettles, etc. The hotels/lodges and your guide however, will do their utmost to minimize any impact on your stay. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs
Western and international food will be served however some establishments will serve traditional meals giving you a chance to experience local flavours. Vegetarian and Vegan options available, please request prior to departure. Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information.
It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way, so to ensure your comfort and well-being, two bottles of drinking water will be provided on touring days.
On your arrival you will be met by a representative from our local agent, African Eagle, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/African Eagle representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your national guide will be on hand 24 hours a day should you have any queries.
If you need to contact your representative during your stay the details are:
African Eagle: Telephone Number 0027 82 325 0201 E-mail duty@ae.co.za
Emergency contact information: Please find below the emergency contact details for African Eagle 24 hour: 002782 325 0201
