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An Amazing South African Safari Holiday

Cashan Africa Review

giraffe and rhino on a south african safari

Have you ever dreamt of a South African Safari holiday, exploring the wilderness and seeing wild animals like lions and elephants in their natural habitat? Cashan Africa can make this dream come true. They offer South African wildlife Safaris and tours to the Pilanesberg and Kruger National Parks, to the Cradle of Humankind and around Gauteng and Capetown. Their wilderness safaris and tours cater for small private groups and their South African safaris can be customised to suit your interests.

The Pilanesberg and Kruger National Parks

On a safari holiday in South Africa, you have a good chance of seeing the “big five” in the Pilanesberg and Kruger National Parks. Lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo and leopards live here. And with an experienced guide like Chris Green from Cashan Africa, you are much more likely to catch sight of the amazing South African wildlife. It’s an exciting experience to come across a huge bull elephant in the wilderness and to see lion tracks in the dust. In South Africa’s National Parks, large herds of buffalo and elusive leopards roam free and you’ll easily spot stripey zebras and tall giraffes as they graze on the plains.

An Amazing South African Safari with Cashan Africa

I had an amazing time in South Africa with Cashan Africa. I usually travel independently as a solo female traveller but I was a bit nervous about travelling alone to South Africa and Cashan Africa had the local knowledge I needed. They offered helpful planning advice and some wonderful wilderness safaris. So I decided to trust them with my South African Safari holiday, and I’m glad I did!

Cashan Africa made arriving in Johannesburg stress-free by arranging an airport pickup and comfortable accommodation. Penny helped me plan a fantastic itinerary that included a fascinating Johannesburg city tour, a cycling tour of Soweto to Nelson Mandela’s house, and a day trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Cradle of Humankind.

But the highlight of my safari holiday in South Africa was wildlife spotting with Chris Green on an exciting Pilanesberg National Park Safari. Chris is a highly experienced wilderness safari guide and is good company. He knows the right time and place for finding South African wildlife and we saw giraffes, elephants, rhinos, buffalo & lions and lots of birds and even hungry tortoises in the waterhole. Chris’s experience with wild animals kept us safe from a large bull elephant that was getting cranky and clearly didn’t want us around.

Hot air balloons at sunrise in the Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa
Hot air balloon Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa

A South African wildlife safari in a hot air balloon

Another highlight of my South African Safari in the Pilanesberg was a hot-air balloon Safari arranged by Cashan Africa. Floating peacefully over the plains of the Pilanesberg was a beautiful experience. Our balloon took off at first light and we watched the sunrise over the National Park from the air.

The early morning was incredibly beautiful and while were floating gently above the lake, we saw hippos blowing bubbles under the water. South African wildlife spotting from above was lots of fun. Did you know that giraffes actually glow in the morning sunlight? 

Johannesburg & Soweto city tours

I thoroughly enjoyed Chris Green’s Johannesburg tour, especially the bustling Maboneng market, and the colourful street art around the city. A bicycle tour of Soweto was another fun and educational experience arranged for me by Cashan Africa.

Soweto is a township that sits beside the city of Johannesburg. During apartheid, Soweto was where black people lived separated from the white South Africans in Johannesburg. It was the home of Nelson Mandela, the father of modern South Africa, a former president and an anti-apartheid activist. Soweto is a place of hardship and poverty and, although things have improved, there’s still a lot of poverty. In Soweto and in Johannesburg there is a high crime rate. It’s an interesting place to visit and I enjoyed pedalling around on a bicycle with a local guide.

But a highlight in Soweto was visiting Nelson Mandela’s house. Mandela’s words painted on a wall in the township are very moving: “As I walked out the door towards the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison. (Nelson Mandela 2018 – 2013)

a colourful streetart painting of a black woman singing into a microphone in Johannesburg
Johannesburg street art

Gauteng & the Cradle of Humankind

Another fascinating day trip from Johannesburg is the Cradle of Humankind. About 50km northwest of Johannesburg is the place where our earliest human ancestors lived. There are fossils, tools and other evidence of their existence dating back around 3 million years. The Cradle of Humankind is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site in Gauteng and one of 8 heritage-listed sites in South Africa. Cashan Africa’s tour was a fascinating way to see this incredible archeological site and the transport they provided from Johannesburg made visiting easy.

Final thoughts

I had a great experience with Cashan Africa and can personally recommend their friendly, knowledgeable and helpful service!

** I’m under no obligation to write this review but I had an amazing time on my solo South African Safari holiday and want to share that with you. Check the excellent trip advisor reviews to see what other people think.

For peace of mind make sure you buy travel insurance before you go, especially if you are travelling solo. I use Travel Insurance that covers me for overseas medical, lost baggage, and other expenses and I can concentrate on enjoying my trip without worrying about something going wrong.

giraffe enjoying a salt lick on a South African Safari holiday
Giraffes enjoying a salt lick in the Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa

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6 Comments

  1. Such a dream I love seeing the the animals, those giraffes are so cute

  2. I am so glad you had a great time visiting our beautiful country. Pilanesberg is a great safari destination and one does not have to travel too far to see the wildlife. I am sure your tour through Johannesburg was interesting as well.

  3. It’s always so lovely reading about other people’s adventures and experiences in SA, as a local. Hope you’ll come back again soon! 🙂

  4. The Cradle of Humankind UNESCO World Heritage-listed site in Gauteng is one of the things I would love to do on a trip to South Africa. And of course, a safari! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  5. Ha Truong says:

    Traveling with Cashan Africa sounds hassle-free! I’d love to see the wild safari in the air balloon too. The animals look amazing!

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