Rare Mammals of South Africa 11-Day Tour

11-Day Tour

Durban – Zululand – Drakensberg foothills – Maloti Mountains – Kimberley – Hanover – Beaufort West – George

Tour Information

Aardvark, Temminck’s ground pangolin, cape caracal, black-footed cat, serval, African wild cat, honey badger, southern aardwolf, brown hyena, striped polecat, cape fox, bat-eared fox, suricate (meerkat), black rhinoceros, white rhinoceros, cheetah, Southern African hedgehog, cape porcupine, spotted-necked otter, cape clawless otter, side-striped jackal, elephant shrews (sengis), cape mountain zebra, bontebok, common tsessebe, mountain reedbuck, grey rhebok, cape grysbok, suni, oribi, sable antelope, roan antelope, red rock hares, white-tailed mongoose, large grey mongoose, cape grey mongoose, water mongoose, red forest duiker, angoni vlei rat, greater cane rat, bush karoo rat, large-eared mouse, etc.

Other mammals:

Cape buffalo, common eland, southern giraffe, blue wildebeest, Burchell’s zebra, gemsbok (Southern Africa oryx), red hartebeest, greater kudu, nyala, blesbok, common waterbuck, springbok, impala, klipspringer, grey (common) duiker, steenbok, black-backed jackal, common warthog, thick-tailed bushbaby (brown greater galago), slender mongoose, banded mongoose, rusty-spotted genet, cape genet, small-spotted genet, springhare, savanna hare, cape hare, scrub hare, rock hyrax, Southern African ground squirrel, four-striped grass field mouse.

Private wildlife and birding guide
Accommodation (may change subject to availability, in which case similar will be found)
All ground transport – maximum 6 participants and 1 guide per luxury touring vehicle
Specialist guided tours and activities:
- 9 x Guided open safari vehicle day and night drives – 4 x Manyoni, 2 x Marrick, 2 x Khoisan Karoo, 1 x Karoo NP.
- 1 x Pangolin monitoring night tour – 1 x Manyoni.
- 2 x Sengi (Elephant Shrew) and Suricate (Meerkat) morning tour – 1 x Marrick, 1 x Khoisan Karoo.
All road tolls and parking fees
All meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner
Bottled water in vehicles
All entrance fees, conservation and community levies to parks and reserves
Trip guide
Personalised species checklist

Exclusive use of vehicles on activities (Shared with other guests if present. Exclusivity can be provided at an additional charge on request)
Airport departure taxes or visa fees
Travel and medical insurance (incl. personal equipment and repatriation)
All snacks and drinks (except bottled water)
Optional excursions
Specialist guide fees and activities not specified
Items of a personal nature
Laundry and telephone charges
Tips and gratuities
Anything else not mentioned in “Tour Includes“

Distance:

Total driving distance (including around sites) = ~2,900 km.

Scheduled Dates:

07 − 17 June 2027

Or alternate dates on request

Validity:

1 April – 30 September annually

Duration:

11 days, 10 nights

No. of Pax:

Maximum 6 guests per vehicle and per guide

Tour Starts:

At King Shaka International Airport in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

Tour Ends:

At George Airport in George, Western Cape.

Price:

2026: ZAR 84,470 per person sharing, and ZAR 8,730 single supplement

2027: ZAR 90,810 per person sharing, and ZAR 9,390 single supplement

Terms and Conditions apply.
Minimum of 3 participants per vehicle required to undertake the trip – should the number of guests change, the cost of the tour and the per person cost will change accordingly.
The species mentioned in the itinerary represent only some of those we may view on the tour, however, none of these can be guaranteed even though every effort will be made where possible to locate them. A full list of possible species appears on your checklist, although vagrants and rarities may also surprise us.
This itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions at the time and other factors beyond our control.
All images taken on tour with Sustain Safaris.

Tour Insight

Durban – Zululand – Drakensberg Foothills – Maloti Mountains – Kimberley – Hanover – Beaufort West – George

This guided rare mammal 11-day safari tour package with Sustain Safaris will lead you to some extraordinary destinations within the magnificent country of South Africa, including 7 unique reserves renowned for amazing rare, elusive and shy mammal sightings, and many other diverse wildlife and bird species too.

On this specialized safari you can expect to see a large number of the shy and cryptic species that some people only dream of. The tour has strategically selected certain key destinations within South Africa that provide some of the very best chances for discovering these treasures in the time available. In addition, probabilities are very good for discovering the Big 5 and a multitude of other diverse wildlife and birdlife.

The route caters to a large mammal list in excess of 50 species, with a tremendous hit rate on many of the rare species. If birding is also your interest, the bird list totals over 600 species in the region and we should spot over 270 of these, including raptors, owls, cranes, bustards, and endemics.

Valid dates:

Between 1 April and 30 September every year. Price to change annually.

Tour Overview

Comfortable private lodges and national park resorts. Luxury accommodation can be arranged at your request (additional cost).

The climate is subtropical and mostly hot during the day in the summer and cooler in the evenings with a chance of mist. Rain is possible, usually in the form of summer convection thunderstorms, and in the event of a cold front moving up from the south, cool wet weather is possible. This is a summer rainfall region, with an average rainfall of between 500mm and 1100mm per year (19.6in and 43.3in). Temperatures range from -8˚C (17.6˚F) in winter to an average maximum of 18˚C (64.4 ˚F) and an average minimum of 10˚C (50 ˚F). The driest month is July, the most rainfall falls in January, and the warmest month is February at 32˚C (89.6 ˚F).

Woodlands, savanna, wetlands, grassland, mountains and cliffs, scrubland, and rocky slopes, which host numerous regional endemics, threatened and endangered mammal and bird species, as well as great floral diversity. Each destination offers extraordinary scenery, providing you with unparalleled photographic opportunities.

Optional extensions:

Garden Route to Cape Town: A two-day continuation from George along the gorgeous Cape south coast to the world-renowned city of Cape Town. Kindly select this option when booking.

Kruger National Park and Blyde River Canyon: Add on several days by exploring the iconic Kruger National Park and the Blyde River Canyon, by proceeding from northern KwaZulu-Natal through Eswatini.

Tour variation:
This set-departure tour is also available as a private or custom tour on request. Kindly submit an enquiry with your preferred dates and group size.

Manyoni Private Game Reserve, Zululand (2 nights): Verdant bushveld region with pangolin monitoring and open vehicle Big 5 night and day game drives.

Spionkop Nature Reserve & Golden Gate Highlands National Park (2 nights): Lush grasslands and the scenic mountain landscapes of the Drakensberg and the Maloti/Maluti Mountains.

Marrick Safari, Northern Cape (2 nights): Harsh grasslands and savanna. Sengi tours and productive night game drives for rare nocturnal predators.

Mokala National Park, Northern Cape (Day drive): Grasslands and savanna.

Khoisan Karoo Conservancy, Northern Cape (2 nights): Stark Karoo landscapes. Open vehicle drives in search of the “Shy 5” mammals and other wildlife.

Karoo National Park, Western Cape (2 nights): Unique Big 5 national park in the Karoo with dramatic mountain ranges and valleys.

George, Western Cape: Descend an extraordinary mountain pass to the evergreen coastal town of George, our final destination before departure.

Medium-paced with optional mid-day breaks (advisable on hot days). If you’re a keen photographer (and so are we), there will be many opportunities to capture moments to make you the envy of your friends!