Design your own South Africa safari
Get started with our trip designer or chat to our experts to help you plan your dream trip.
Our guests rate us 5 out of 5 stars
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Cape Town
Beach, culture, mountains, wine and bright lights, this stylish city has everything, and a bit more.
Why you'll love it
The sheer variety of experiences on offer in South Africa is overwhelming, and never has the phrase "there’s something for everyone" been more true. Explore the arid Karoo, where the night skies are enormous, or settle back and sip wine in the Cape Winelands while the kids tear around on mountain bikes!
South Africa tips from our experts
Off the beaten track
The guide books will tell you about Cape Town and Kruger, but why not head up the Western Cape coastline to the quaint fishing village of Paternoster (a Timbuktu favourite!), hike through the Cederberg mountains and marvel at the spring flowers in Namaqualand?
Something to think about
There are lots of five-star, all-singing and definitely all-dancing safari lodges in South Africa. They are truly magnificent, but if you’re looking for somewhere more low-key and slightly off the beaten track, a safari in South Africa might not be right for you.
Our top places in South Africa
Planning made easy
1. Pick a trip
Start with one of our recommended trips or create your own from scratch.
3. Book with an expert
Our experts will help you refine your trip, and then take care of all the details.
Find out why our guests rate us excellent with 5 out of 5 stars.
What our guests say
Our guests rate us 5 out of 5 stars. See what they say
2. Choose your lodges
Discover 100s of handpicked lodges to suit your style and budget.
Sara • 12 nights in South Africa
We loved our experience booking our safari with Timbuktu. Obviously with the pandemic things got crazy in terms of making our trip happen. Timbuktu worked with us and made sure we would be able to go on our safari! We are very pleased with their company.
Lauren • 11 nights in Botswana & Zimbabwe
Timbuktu’s website is extremely user friendly whether you’re booking a trip from scratch or you’re using one of their recommended trips! If you need advice or help, their customer service is top-notch. Never have I ever been more thrilled to have someone else do my vacation planning!
Gid • 8 nights in Tanzania
Kristin was amazing at helping us get our trip organized. She is great with communicating updates. This was very easy to plan and come up with new ideas we hadn’t thought about. Even just trying to build the trip on our own the website is intuitive and easy to use!
Mark • 9 nights in Kenya
Easy and responsive planning, perfect itinerary, incredible guides, unbelievable responsiveness at every level! I have nothing but good to say about Joanna and our hosts in Kenya. If you are traveling with young children, Joanna gets it. She picked the perfect accommodations and activities for our family!
Kruger National Park
Famed for its Big Five sightings and luxurious lodges, this is a classic all-round game reserve.
Cape Winelands
Glorious views combined with some of the best restaurants and vineyards in the world. Yes please!
The Garden Route and a spot of safari in South Africa
Traverse the country from west to east taking in city sights and the glorious scenery of the Garden Route, before ending with an Eastern Cape safari.
Our recommended South Africa safaris
Add your own lodges and customise each trip to suit your style and budget.
11 night trip
10 night trip
The road less travelled in the Western Cape
Leave Table Mountain in the rear-view mirror and explore the lesser-known parts of the Western Cape - the Cederberg and Paternoster.
13 night trip
The highlights of Southern Africa
Leave no stone unturned on this journey across Southern Africa – with time on safari, in the city and at the beach, it’s a route-of-a-lifetime!
Our mission to create an alternative
For years, travelling to remote corners of the world has been complex and overwhelming to research and more than a little tricky to book independently. In fact, the only viable way to travel to the world’s wild places has been with the help of a traditional agent.
At Timbuktu we’re on a mission to change all that and instead want to empower you, our curious travellers, to easily design your own trip, with help and guidance from our destination experts whenever you need it.
Johnny
Co-founder & CEO
Chat to an expert
Get in touch and one of our travel experts will answer any questions you may have and help create your dream trip.
Or call us at
USA: 646 542 0667 • UK: 0203 8083 860
Where we would love to go right now.
Easy and responsive planning, perfect itinerary, incredible guides, unbelievable at every level!
Mark • 9 nights in Kenya
Show all 334 reviews
Design your trip with an expert
Get started with our trip designer or chat to our experts to help you plan your dream trip.
Or call us at
USA: 646 542 0667 • UK: 0203 8083 860
Ellerman House
A discreetly glamorous cliffside retreat with some of the best views in Cape Town.
Our favourite lodges
Singita Boulders Lodge
A first-rate safari experience in a corner of paradise
Babylonstoren Farm Hotel
An impeccably stylish farm-to-table retreat amid eight acres of beautiful gardens.
Discover 100s of handpicked lodges to suit your style and budget.
We are the No. 1 Tour Operator in the world 2024!
As voted for in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards