Insight Safari Holidays takes you to South Africa for the ultimate safari experience.
Are you a solo traveller seeking fulfilling personal experiences or a couple on a safari to South Africa? How about a group of friends or a family affair, we tailor every safari to suit your needs and preferences.
South Africa is one of the top safari destinations in Africa. This is because you can watch over 300 different kinds of mammals and more than 500 different kinds of birds living in their natural habitat, the national parks. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to see the famous “Big Five” – lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and rhinos. Nearly half of Africa’s pride of lions and 80% of the world’s African rhinos are found in South Africa.
You can go on safari anytime in South Africa since the weather is pretty good all year round. But if you want to see lots of animals, the dry winter months (May to September) are the best. It’s easier to spot animals during these months because they gather around water. South Africa gets 21 million visitors a year, and many of them come during these months. For birdwatching safaris in Africa, the summer months (November to February) are great because many bird species migrate to South Africa from across other parts of Africa and the world. In fact, the country has over 900 different bird species!
A typical safari in South Africa begins by a game drive in the morning then a lunch break, followed by a late afternoon safari trip when the wild animals are roaming around. With over 42 National parks and game reserves in South Africa, there are plenty of safari activities to do including nature guided walks, hot air balloons, horseback safaris, birding and so much more. Africa your safari, the evening and nights are perfect for sitting under the stars as you dine and wine, listening to the African stories of centuries ago.
Kruger National Park is one of the most visited safari park in Africa and South Africa. The wild animal species count is about 147 mammals, 114 reptiles and over 507 bird species that you can watch. This explains why over 1.4 million tourist come to South Africa to specifically visit Kruger National Park for a true wildlife experience.
Known for its pure red sand dunes and the eye catching dry river beds, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is perfect for a photographic safari and instagrammable pictures. You wont miss lots of animals such as the leopards, lions, cheetahs and so much more. This area has over 38,000 kilometers for you to explore.
Another African safari park to tour is the Addo Elephant National Park with over 600 African elephants. Much as this park is popular for the big five wild animals, that is the elephant, buffalo, lion, rhino and leopard, you will also see the other 2 marine mammals including the white shark and the southern right whale to make the big seven animals.
Walking Safari tours are very common in South Africa. Phinda Private Game Reserve is one of the best south African safari destination to go for a walking safari . Phinda home to lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, rhinos, and over 400 wildlife birds. Each year, thousands of people visit, and around 30% of them join an African walking safari. Kruger National Park is famous for walking trips. It’s so popular that over 50,000 people come every year just for the walking safaris. But there are even more places to go for a walk. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Marakele National Park, and Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park all offer worthwhile walking safaris.
When you take on a birdwatching safari in South Africa, expect over 900 bird species, making it 10% of the birds in the whole world. Kruger National Park has over 500 bird species including the Martial Eagle, Ground Hornbill and Kori Bustard. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, has over 280 bird species including the birds of prey. Among the birds here are the Pygmy Falcon, Secretary Bird, and the Sociable Weaver. Find the aquatic birds in Isimangalo Wetland Park, about 520 species including the Flamingo, African fish Eagle and Skimmer. Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park and Marakele National Park are also top destinations for birding in South Africa. The former, with about 340 bird species, is known for species like the Narina Trogon and Pink-throated Twinspot, while the latter, with around 400 species, is famous for sightings of the Cape Vulture and the Crimson-breasted Shrike.
The Ant’s Nest and Ant’s Hill bush homes in the Waterberg region are popular for horseback safaris, with over 90 horses available for visitors. Other destinations where you can observe the big five animals while on the horse back include Makalali Game Reserve near Kruger National Park ,The Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in the Western Cape and the Karongwe Private Game Reserve.
Hot air balloon rides are considered as Luxury safaris in Africa. Its fun floating above the ground while in the midst of wildlife. The Magaliesberg region near Johannesburg is one of the most popular places for hot air balloon rides in South Africa, watch the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Pilanesberg National Park helps you to see the Big Five. Hot air balloon rides over the vineyards of the Western Cape are another unique South African experience. From above, visitors can take in sweeping views of the vineyards and mountains in regions like Stellenbosch and Paarl. The Drakensberg Mountains also provide a spectacular backdrop of peaks and deep valleys.
The Zulu cultural safaris in KwaZulu-Natal are a highlight for many visitors. Here, you can experience traditional Zulu hospitality, tour the African village, and learn about their history and way of life. Visit the Western Cape, in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town to learn about the Cape Malay community, their culture and food. The Lesedi Cultural Village near Johannesburg offers insights into the cultures of various South African tribes including the Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho, and Ndebele. Experience traditional dance and local music performances, visit homesteads, and try local foods. In the Northern Cape visit the San people (Bushmen), their ancient rock art, and their deep connection with nature.
Chris Goldsmith2025-04-02 I have booked a family holiday for later in 2025 and I have been dealing with Calah who is the head of reservation at insight safaris and she has been absolutely amazing with all questions and requests. I am also dealing with other companies in south Africa and Zimbabwe and Calah is by far the most accommodating to our requests and nothing seems like too much trouble. Richard Dimblebee2025-02-06 Our unbelievable once in a lifetime trip in Uganda was brilliantly organised by Calah. She was so responsive to us by email and extremely helpful. Once we arrived in Entebbe, we were welcomed by Godwin, our tour guide. You will struggle to find a better tour guide anywhere in the world, extremely knowledgeable about his country and also a fantastic human being. Such an incredible experience. Thank you so much Insight, Calah and Godwin! Karin Namba2025-02-06 We booked with 3 friends a 9 days tour through Uganda. The country is very beautiful and safe and the people very welcoming. The communication with the agency through WhatsApp was very easy and they adapted the tour according to our wishes. We spent all 9 days with the same guide called Ayub. He was extremely nice and always made sure we would have the best experience possible. A big thank you to him for making our stay amazing. I would recommend Insight Safari Holidays to anyone seeking for an authentic journey in Uganda. P. Schmidt2023-08-17 Our visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Murchison Falls National Park with Insight Safari Holidays was outstanding! Calah was easy to work with and patiently answered questions and provided new quotes as we sorted through where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. Our guide, Godwin, was knowledgeable about not just the animals, but also history, industry and culture. He went out of his way to make sure we had a great experience. We were impressed with how much we were able to see in just three days, without ever feeling rushed. Abigail Stallworth2023-07-30 3-Day Murchison Falls Safari - one of the best trips of my life! A friend and I (two women) had an amazing experience with Insight Safari. Calah was very communicative and transparent about the trip, including logistics and costs. Our guide Jones was nothing short of outstanding - warm, friendly, funny, and intelligent. The game drives were beautiful and fun, the Nile river cruise exciting, and the top of the Falls just an indescribable place. Bronte Forsgren2023-07-21 Insight Safaris planned our three day Gorilla Trekking experience from Kampala to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We had an absolutely fantastic experience and cannot recommend them more! In particular, our driver Jones was excellent, friendly, safe, personable, and fun. They coordinated everything well for us, and each stop was easy, including (more importantly) the gorilla trekking itself. Cannot recommend more! Linn Tomasdotter2023-05-25 Thank you Edmund and Calah for the best service one can get, You enabled experiences that I will never forget. Edmund went above and beyond to a true Ugandan adventure create, Met friendly honey makers and the most delicious fruit & food we ate. Learn from lodge managers, locals & rangers, About nature, birds and how Ugandan excel in making friends from strangers. Encounter the beautiful gorillas - from silverback to babykid, Was one of the best thing I ever saw & did. Feel the breeze of the Bwindi mountain woods, The busy markets and Western UG community neighborhoods. Edmund showed plantations for banana, coffee, ground nut and passion fruits, He shared insights into country development & found the right & effective routes. He is so knowledgeable, kind, flexible, service-minded & fun, If you like a booker who answers you rapidly, Calah is number one. Communication with Insight was accommodating, nice, efficient & clear, They will your wishes to the best of their ability adhere. The lodge staff & people we met was welcoming & friendly, We had interesting and insightful conversations unendly. I highly recommend Insight for those looking for relaxed, personal and unforgettable moments, I hope you after times of pandemic challenges get many safari enrollments. Again, appreciation and thank you of all my heart, I really don’t want from you incredible country depart. Matt Lanigan2023-05-02 Insight brought myself and a group of friends on an incredible (custom-crafted) trip through Uganda - which included setting up a surprise birthday party for a friend and accommodating us wanting to meet up with another group during our trip. Edmund was a great tour guide - knowledgeable and fun! I would absolutely book a tour with Insight (especially with Edmund) again! Joy and Dave Temple2023-04-12 Our Insight Safari Holidays was a magical tour of the southwestern national parks in Uganda. It exceeded my expectations from our fabulous driver Edmund, to the accommodations and meals, to the spectacular animals we saw in the parks. Edmund was not only a fabulous driver, he knew so much about the areas, and the animals and their behaviors and we learned so much from him. He had an uncanny ability to locate where the animals were so we saw so many animals. Everything went smoothly from the excellent communication and payment processes with Calah in the office to our excellent lodging hosts and most importantly to our fabulous guide Edmund. We even got him to join us on our white water rafting trip on the Nile at the end of our trip since he had never experienced such a thing! Matt Temple2023-04-11 We had a lovely time with Insight Safari Holidays. The tour that Calah helped plan out was lovely. I really appreciate all of the help sorting out the details. And spending time with Edmund (our tour guide and driver for the week) was an absolute treat. He is such a lovely man and a wonderful host. Thank you both so much for making our holiday wonderful!
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