South Africa & Botswana Active Family Safari - Older Teens & 20s
Biking, the Big Five & Luxury Game Lodges
There's no other Africa trip like this. And you'll know it when you're eye-to-eye with a giraffe—from the seat of your bike, on foot or in an open-top 4x4. This family adventure vacation more than you can imagine and everything you expect: premiere lodges, untamed landscapes and once-in-a-lifetime cycling and hiking—all seamlessly connected by our private charter flights.
THIS ITINERARY: 11 days, 10 nights
ACCOMMODATIONS: Premiere Hotels
South Africa & Botswana
Start Cape Town / End Johannesburg
Start/End locations may vary. Do not book flights until your trip details are confirmed.
- Explore sophisticated and strikingly beautiful Cape Town, a captivating place to start your family's active safari
- Bike among magnificent wildlife, including elephants in Botswana, antelope in the Cederbergs and penguins on the Cape
- Hike along iconic Table Mountain to world-renowned Kirstenbosch garden, then discover Constantia's winelands
- Safari with family in open-topped Land Rovers with our expert local guides and spot the legendary Big Five
11 Days Premiere Hotels
Gain insight into South Africa's traditional and contemporary culture from our local friends | Hike along Table Mountain's base to extraordinary Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden | Bike from Cape Point to Chapman's Peak, looking for ostrich, baboons, rare Cape Mountain zebras and elands.
A historic manor house in the Cape winelands with stunning views of Table Mountain. A Relais & Châteaux member. (pool, spa)
Vacation, walk and mountain bike at Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Retreat, where ancient Bushman rock art and red hartebeest embellish the scenery | Taste local vintages or grab a paddle and go canoeing.
This wilderness retreat features a gorgeous landscape and is home to a wide variety of antelope and birds. A Relais & Châteaux member. (pool, spa)
In remote Mashatu, learn to track classic African animals on a guided safari mountain bike ride teeming with wildlife, including giraffes, the big cats and hundreds of bird species | Bike in Botswana among elephants on their ancient paths | Tonight, dinner is served under the African sky around a blazing fire—an unforgettable family meal!
A spectacularly remote luxury camp built around a water hole where one of southern Africa's largest elephant herds congregates. (pool)
Open-top Land Rovers make for great game viewing in Mpumalanga, where hippos and vervet monkeys abound | Hike the rarely visited Great Escarpment, where wild vistas of the bush await.
These luxurious tented lodge suites are nestled in a secluded valley along the Sabie River, where hippos sometimes bathe at dusk. (pool, spa)
In Londolozi, spot the Big Five and other fascinating creatures, like dung beetles and lilac-breasted rollers, during exhilarating bush excursions on foot and in Landies | In a traditional Shangaan community, join our friends from the Africa Foundation to learn about local projects.
An elegant game lodge on the Sand River offering chalets with balconies for observing elephants and hippos in the wild. Travel + Leisure World's Best. A Relais & Châteaux member. (pool)
Dates & Prices
The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind — you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due. View cancellation policy
Click on dates for pricing, itinerary variations and to book your trip. Price is per person, double occupancy.
Activity Level: 1-3
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. Several routes and a range of levels are offered each day so you can choose how much or how little activity you want to do. Learn more about how we determine activity levels.
Route notes
On this trip, we'll be using titanium mountain bikes that are just right for the non-technical dirt road riding as well as the paved riding. (Approximately 50% dirt and 50% paved). The walking terrain includes rugged bush trails, with the focus on game viewing. The biking routes on this trip follow narrow rocky paths and dirt and paved roads. All the walks and bike rides in game reserves are optional with game drives as an alternative activity.
Daily Route Options
What's Included
Available Bike Options
The key to a stellar day's ride is a bike that's perfectly in tune with your cycling style… Backroads has you covered with the best bike fleet in the world! Read on for your available bike options for this trip.
On this trip we locally source the best bikes we can for the terrain (we’re not able to import our custom titanium bikes to this locale).
Also Included
- All breakfasts, 10 lunches, 10 dinners
- Expertise and services of our experienced Trip Leaders
- Snacks and beverages between meals
- Additional guides and experts from the region on many trips
- Van shuttles to support a variety of route options
- Comprehensive Travel Planner with detailed pre-trip information
- Private guided tours at museums, historic sites, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the Travel Planner
- All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
- Special events, including wine tastings and other select attractions as mentioned in the Travel Planner
- On biking and multi-adventure trips, use of fully equipped Backroads titanium bike plus helmet and accessories
- Trailercycles, carriers, and kid-sized helmets for Family Trips
- Equipment and experienced guides for kayaking, rafting, snorkeling, sailing and canoeing as described
- Park and other entry fees
- Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the Travel Planner
- Select coach transfers
- Baggage transfers and porterage
Straight talk
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
On this trip we occasionally travel by air to reach the exclusive hotels and activities this destination has to offer. We'll be flying by charter with Avalon Aviation and Federal Air aboard turboprop planes that seat 10 passengers.
Game hunters in Africa originally coined the phrase "Big Five" to describe the five animals deemed hardest and most dangerous to hunt on foot: the...
