Johannesburg to Cape Town overland tour

Our South Africa and Mozambique Explorer is a mixture of the old and the new, wildlife and culture. We visit a number of National Parks in South Africa and Swaziland and the park fees we pay for entry into the Kruger, Umfolozi/Hluhluwe, Addo, Tsitsikama National Parks and the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in Swaziland all contribute to the long-term conservation and wildlife management of these areas. Additional optional activities are also available for client to do adding to the income contribution to these areas.

Throughout the tour we stay in campsites either run by the National parks themselves or while in Mozambique we camp in locally run and managed campsites on the coast, creating jobs for the community, and helping the community to grow. Here to there are a number of optional activities such as diving, snorkelling, watersports horse riding all run by the local campsites. We encourage our passengers to purchase goods made locally, and to be aware that craft market income is the only income for many families. Food is purchased at local markets where possible. On all our tours we make use of gas for cooking; only getting firewood where it is readily available. The fridges on the expedition vehicle are powered by batteries on the truck, which are in turn charged using solar panels when we stop over for more than a day or two. We also only carry a maximum of 16 clients on our tours thus lessening the impact on local communities we visit.

Apart from using local guides during the tour we employ a crew of three on our expedition vehicle who are all employed within the African continent. Both our driver and Tour leader are employed from South Africa and have exceptional local and regional knowledge and photographic skills to enable you to gain a better understanding of the areas we travel through. Our cook is from Kenya and has become quiet a legend at producing gourmet meals from local produce.

Freeplay Foundation: Finally, as part of our commitment to responsible tourism, we support the Freeplay Foundation. This charity supplies wind-up radios (needing no electrical or battery power) to children in Africa who have been orphaned by Aids or genocide and who are trying to bring up their younger siblings alone and unaided.

Each radio costs only £35. It provides these children with health care information and how to obtain free testing and drugs, as well as general education and help on growing their own food crops and advice on issues such as safe pesticides.

We aim to donate at least one radio per overland trip to help these children. If you would like to make a contribution towards this and would find it easier to do so before departure (rather than into the collection box on the truck) please send us a cheque to our UK address made out to “Freeplay Foundation” and we will forward it on.