Don't be fooled!
Visitors often misjudge the vast distances they'll have to travel in Southern Africa. For example: South Africa is 32 times larger than the Netherlands, yet many people still think it is possible to travel across the country in merely three weeks... To a large extent this misconception is due to misinformation from other tour operators, using Google Maps to calculate and plan their tours. On this page we try to illustrate why travel times outlined by many other tour operators do not hold true.
Let's look at a trip from Johannesburg airport to Mkhuze Game Reserve.
There are lots of things to take into account when planning your tour: speed limits, road conditions, road-works, closing of certain lanes, being stuck behind a truck on a single lane high-way...
Let's look at a trip from Johannesburg airport to Mkhuze Game Reserve.
There are lots of things to take into account when planning your tour: speed limits, road conditions, road-works, closing of certain lanes, being stuck behind a truck on a single lane high-way...
Stereotypical travel agent proposal
Your travel agency proposes the following time line to you:
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Why is this not correct? |
Reality
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Do you want to spend your holiday like this?
After a day like that, do you want to take part in another activity or even cook dinner?
After a day like that, do you want to take part in another activity or even cook dinner?
Our solution
Book a custom-made tour with Tailor Made Safaris
and let us handle the stress and logistics.
Breathe! You're on holiday!
Challenges you may encounter on the road
Driving through Game Reserves
Driving through a game reserve takes time. The average speed limit is 40km/h and keep in mind you’ll be stopping for lunch breaks and viewing animals along the way. All of these delays could result in an average speed of only 20km/h. So, while it seems easy to cover 200km between two camps in Kruger in just one day, it may actually take you up to 10 hours to cover that distance.
Travel times with Tailor Made Safaris
At Tailor Made Safaris our travel time is usually well estimated and we endeavour to not spend too much time in the car, thus ensuring that you have more time available to enjoy and experience your destinations. However, a long drive between destinations is, at times, inevitable. The extensive self-drive pack we’ve complied for you clearly sets out distance and travel times expected for each day’s journey. Thus, providing you with peace of mind, so that you may enjoy your vacation without the worry of whether-or-not you will arrive in time.