Top Durban Likely To Sell Out

This day safari takes you to KwaZulu-Natal, a coastal province known for its beauty and diverse array of wildlife. The tour has two stops: the African Raptor Center, with over 100 birds of prey, and the Tala Private Game Reserve, home to kudu, hippo, buffalo, giraffe, wildebeest, eland, and other big game animals. Cover both sites in just half a day, a difficult feat to do on your own.

Get a comprehensive overview of Durban's highlights and landmarks, with transportation in between, on this full-day tour. Listen as your guide delves deep into the history, culture, architecture, and environment of this South African city. Stops include the Moses Mabhida Stadium, Umhlanga Rocks Promenade, Ushaka Village Walk, City Hall, Victoria Street Market, Durban Botanic Gardens, and others.

The Sani Pass is known for its hairpin bends and for being one of the highest mountain passes in South Africa. Safely explore this challenging road with a professional driver to transport you in a private 4x4 vehicle. Along the way, access spectacular views of the mountain landscape, stop off in a traditional Basotho village, and benefit from the flexibility of being able to customize the itinerary.

Explore the Mountain Kingdom of South Africa, where the temperature drops as the altitude rises. Travel to Himeville and swap your transport for an off road vehicle, and make your way up the winding trails of the Sani Pass. Enjoy the panoramic views all around as you climb higher and higher, and cross the border to Lesotho to see a typical Basotho village, and visit the highest pub in Africa.

Start the day strolling through Africa’s oldest surviving Botanical Gardens with a passionate horticulturalist tapping into its history and their unique collection. Meet the loneliest man on planet Earth and learn about the secret to invisibility. Yes you heard right. Drop in at the vibey suburb of Umhlanga Rocks en route for a spot of lunch at the award winning street food dive, CaneCutters, and taste Durban’s Indian Heritage (own cost). Bunny Chows are their speciality. Ready for an immersive primate experience? Monkeyland KZN is the world’s second free-roaming multi-species primate sanctuary offering a range of experiences including monkey safaris where you will encounter species such as capuchin monkeys, black-and-white ruffed lemurs, buff-cheeked gibbons and black howler monkeys in their forest home. Connect with your primate friends at leisure.

Get a fresh and intimate perspective on Durban on this immersive city tour, with a maximum of six travelers and a wealth of local encounters. Stroll the botanical gardens with a horticulturalist; track down street art with a local artist; meet local merchants at Victoria Street Market; and meet the dancing curator of Phansi Museum, dedicated to South Africa's diverse art and design. All this, and artisan gelato too.

A great pick for time-tight travelers who want to do all their wildlife spotting in a day, this trip takes you to two game reserves—Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park Wilderness Area and Manyoni Private Game Reserve. Enjoy game drives in an open-top vehicle, learn about local wildlife and the African bush, and enhance your wildlife sighting opportunities with provided Carl Zeiss Terra ED 8x42 binoculars. Hotel pickup is included for added convenience.

Over the next two days, we will explore the pristine wildernesses of the Zulu Kingdom. Our first stop is Lake St Lucia — the largest estuary in Africa for a 2 hour boat cruise along the lakes ecosystems which is renowned for large hippo pods as well crocodile, kingfisher and fish eagles. Next up is the reserve that saved the southern white rhino from extinction. Start with the iMfolozi side which is typified by the open plains. As the sun begins to set we head into the hilly Hluhluwe side where we will track rhinoceros and other plains game. Check into our overnight accommodation before enjoying dinner at Ngweni Railroad Brewery & Cafe. Day two is all about predators! Head to Manyoni, meet your ranger and jump into an open safari 4x4. Go on a 2 hour game drive tracking the big cats. Stop at a scenic spot for breakfast before continuing on your game drive tracking wildlife like giraffe, elephant and rhino. At 10h00 we will make our way back to Durban via Zamimpilo Community Market.

Today is all about context, immersion and relevance. We will start where all things should, at the beginning. Meet the dancing curator of Phansi Museum who will introduce you to a vast collection of indigenous art and crafts before sampling Pan African Cuisine. Time to head to Isithumba — a living Zulu cultural village. A local resident will help you to explore the village on foot as you begin to understand a different way of life. If the ancestors are kind you may even meet the village chief or the local spiritual healer for an immersive exchange. The Markets of Warwick are our final stop. This curious quarter represents the beating heart of indigenous culture. Meet the Lime and Imphepho Gogos (female elders) and watch them create their goods before you witness the culture shock that is Muthi Bridge or as we like to call it — “Sangoma Central”. Unlock this mysterious place and get a feel for where the culture is heading.

We’re hitting the road at 05h00. As you know wildlife, especially predators, are most active around dawn and dusk. Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is renowned for White Rhino — after all it saved the Southern White Rhino from extinction. Enter the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve via Nyalazi Gate and explore the Imfolozi side of the reserve on our Hyundai H1 vehicle. Please note: This is not an open safari vehicle. Imfolozi is characterised by its flat plains which makes it popular amongst Elephant and Rhino. Travellers will have access to our Zeiss binoculars and multilingual safari guide books (English, German & French). Time for a spot of lunch at Hilltop Restaurant. Enjoy your meal while taking in the panoramic views over the reserve and put those binoculars to test. After lunch we will explore the northern sector of the reserve while keeping our eyes pealed. Spend another 3.5 hours traversing the Hluhluwe side of the reserve. At approximately 16h00 we will start to make our way back to Durban.