Detour Africa Reviews 

My wife and myself just recently had our honeymoon in South Africa. We contacted Detour Africa and was corresponding with James. James is a very professional travel specialist, where we were updated regularly, answered any questions for us, and went over and above to secure the accommodation choices we had. The Garden Route and Addo Park Safari was amazing, and the tour guide, drivers and guest lodge owners were so friendly and knowledgeable. The Klaserie Drift Luxury Safari was outstanding, the accommodation was beautiful with elephants viewable from our balcony. The game safari driver we were assigned was very safe, knowledgeable, and was able to track every animal in the reserve that we wanted to see. I would highly recommend Detour Africa for anyone that wants a stress free holiday planner that delivers what they promise.

We had a private tour from Livingston to Windhoek, it was a little out of the ordinary and took a little extra time to put together but Elana was great and kept us regularly updated. The driver, Ambition was great and made sure everything worked perfectly. Would thoroughly recommend Detour Africa.
Ross & Heather Clayfield

We really enjoyed our 12 Day camping tour through Namibia. Elana organized it all for us and always replied promptly to any queries that we had. Our guide Cheelo and camp assistant Bronhil were great too. If you consider booking this tour, be aware of the distances you will need to travel across some very rough roads. But the scenery out of the window will keep you amazed. Although we did have a vehicle breakdown on the Skeleton Coast (in the middle of nowhere) our guide was immediately in touch with head office and a replacement vehicle was sent to our next campsite, where we managed to reach that evening. The points of interest are wonderful, especially if you are into landscapes or geology, but Etosha in the North had heaps of animals and we saw four of the big five, heaps of zebras, springbok, oryx, wildebeast and many more. Thanks Detour Africa!

Booking with Detour Africa was a delight. Mandy made the process easy, straightforward and answered all my questions with great detail and speed. The trip itself with earthstompers was incredible. 6 days garden route with our amazing tour guide Gareth, who was very friendly and knowledgeable. The locations were beautiful, activities fun and the accommodations were top tier. All in all this was a brilliant first trip as a solo female traveller.

The whole 19 day tour was amazing. the guide, cook Brian was so incredible at his job keeping everyone entertained and feed along the trip. Gift the drive was very safe and very helpful in all areas. The places we visited, and the accommodation was great and often above our expectations. My wife has some issues with food intolerances and all efforts were made for he needs. We also had my wife 60th birthday and Brian bought a cake and made her day so wonderful. we will definitely be doing another trip and hope to have the same staff on board.

We did the Cape Winelands Tour and booking through Detour Africa was a hassle free experience and they corresponded with me quickly and answered all questions that I put to them. The tour operated they used was fantastic and our guide/driver, Bruce, for the day was great - knowledgeable, engaging, ensured that our experience exceeded expectations and he even went beyond expectations when we lost our mobile ohone and he tracked it down and returned it to us the next day. Couldn't have been happier or more relieved.

We had a one day tour to a Pilanesberg National park in South Africa. Out transportation and the tour itself was perfect. We got lucky and encountered quite a lot of animals, some of them up close. The whole family of elephants, boars, giraffes, baboons and even a leopard.
The guides were helpful, the collection from the hotels process was managed well.

Only problem i should mention is the lunch we were served at the park territory. The forms to choose your meal and beverage were handed to us in the bus on our way to the national park and were prepared well before we started the game drive. Upon our arrival to the reserve those forms were sent to the cafe. However when we arrived after the first game drive to the lunch area it turned out that our lunch wasn't prepared yet and awaits our confirmation (that we want exactly what we ordered previously through the forms we were handed out). We were told that we have an hour to eat when we sat at the table. However the first food itself arrived only after an hour and change, due to the queue of orders the cafe were serving. The food itself was ok but this waiting for a food delayed us for the second game drive which we had therefore less time for.

Booked a Nomad safari -Cape to Victoria Falls with James from Detour Africa.Amazing service .James was quick to answer any questions .The safari was amazing and we saw wonderful wild life .Our fellow travellers were great to be with and we all became a family for the 20 days we were together .The age mix was also good .Highly recommend this -a trip of a lifetime

As a tour operator based in Kenya, I was recently tasked with organizing a safari in South Africa for some of my valued clients. After an extensive search for a reliable and professional company that would not let me down, I found Detour Africa — and what a gem they turned out to be!

From the very beginning, their communication was prompt, clear, and courteous - A big shoutout to Mandy & James . They truly understood what my clients were looking for and went above and beyond to ensure every detail of the trip was well handled. The safari experience they delivered was nothing short of exceptional seamless logistics, quality accommodation, knowledgeable guides, and unforgettable wildlife moments.

My clients returned with glowing feedback and wonderful memories, and I couldn’t be more grateful. As someone who understands the pressure of trusting another company with your own reputation, I can confidently say Detour Africa delivered with excellence.

Highly recommended for anyone whether you're a traveler or a fellow operator looking for a dependable partner in South Africa!

The organization by elana was perfect! She organized our trip perfectly and helped us with every issue we had! Can 100% recommend!!

The Garden Route tour I booked was spectacular and very much worth the money. Elana from Detour Africa was very quick and kind to respond to any queries I had and the guide/driver who accompanied us, Elroy, was outstanding.I wish i could have extended my tour even longer!

I would recommend Detour because everything was well organised according to our request and expectations. The answer from Travel agent are very quick via email even during the tour (for ex. postponing a transfer last minute). Everything absolutely perfect even the reservation process and payment.

Not worth the money! Bad organization!

Rip-off and deception!

- we paid over 6000 euros for 2 adults and 1 child for 6 nights + extra costs for national and international flight! - what we got was a bad joke -

- Accommodation near Krüger not even worth 3 stars (unclean, furnishings aged, long way in the desolate state) - Meals below average = among other things great advertised brunch while Krüger was cheap toast, chips, muffins and each a broken apple! We didn't eat any of the ...

- Lodge manager unmotivated, safe was broken and was not repaired, Detour had organized a panorama tour, the manager wanted to charge us again and was supposedly not on her schedule.

She had also tried the same sche a day later at the next table!

Tour guide to the panorama tour rather bored, we and other fellow travelers had to ask again and again where we actually go, how long it takes, etc. = Answer was "surpriseNot worth the money! Bad organization!

Rip-off and deception!

- we paid over 6000 euros for 2 adults and 1 child for 6 nights + extra costs for national and international flight! - what we got was a bad joke -

- Accommodation near Krüger not even worth 3 stars (unclean, furnishings aged, long way in the desolate state) - Meals below average = among other things great advertised brunch while Krüger was cheap toast, chips, muffins and each a broken apple! We didn't eat any of the ...

- Lodge manager unmotivated, safe was broken and was not repaired, Detour had organized a panorama tour, the manager wanted to charge us again and was supposedly not on her schedule.

She had also tried the same sche a day later at the next table!

Tour guide to the panorama tour rather bored, we and other fellow travelers had to ask again and again where we actually go, how long it takes, etc. = Answer was "surprise"

Via Google we then informed ourselves about the sights

Morning Walk the same, only different guide.

We walk 1 hour in the rain for nothing .... An explanation of the fauna, that's it.

To Detour: I booked this tour to have less time for planning, etc., the opposite was the case ... constant email or WhatsApp messages, everything was confirmed a hundred times. Where we actually needed help, namely visas / entry to Zimbabwe, the answer was: book a visa specialist !!!???? What!! This tour is organized by you!
After we had complained about all this to Elana, the answer came: can I do anything else for you !!!???

I am speechless!

From the outset customer service was very helpful, our emails were answered promptly and the booking and payment process was straightforward. We were collected promptly and our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the area with lots of fun stories as well. It was a pleasant and easy way to visit all the places of interest.

it was bychance thatI chose to book with Detourafrica, and found acompetent adviserin James! he helped me find the right tour to suit me.He always responded to my enquiries and during the trip was at hand or from his side checked to see how i was getting along.much appreciated.
The tour was really everything I was hoping for and I enjoyed the long drives and the heat,as I was prepared for these things! honestly the whole trip was more than I wished for, the changing scenerary the aktivities enlightened our group in many ways.
Our guide Rimson did a grand job,and our driver VictorI can only take my hat off to, the roads were horrendous in parts and I had total trust in him.
Our truck did have issues which these two sorted out with a calmness.
I would chose Detourafrica again. thank you so much James.

Namibia was a super experience with Detour Africa!! We were looking for a trip that was a good mix of adventure and pleasure but having never been before we didn't know where to start. James, from Detour Africa, advised us on everything, supporting us in choosing and preparing the tour and making sure everything was ok during the trip. He has always been very available (24/7) and precise in satisfying every request and answering every question.
Highly recommended!!

I had a super fun Garden Route tour with Detour Africa and their affiliate Earth stompers.
The booking and information beforehand was super swift, friendly and efficient and I was given several option, advices and all my questions were usually answered on the very same day .
Special thanks also for various hotel recommendations while in Cape Town.
The tour itself was so much fun, constantly a change of scenery and even though we had to change the tour around a bit our tour guide Mark made always sure we were happy and aligned with the new plan.
I can recommend taking a tour with Earth stompers whole heartedly to single travellers as well as couples!
Thank you very much!

We dealt with James at Detour because of his prompt, friendly and professional responses to our questions over a period of months. Through him we booked two overland tours that were truly the most amazing adventures we could have hoped for. If you are thinking about this kind of adventure you should contact him.

It was our first time visiting South Africa. James at Detour Africa was really helpful with planning our booking and was always prompt in addressing any issues or questions we had and with making changes to our reservations. The accommodation in each area was very good. We ate at some lovely restaurants along the route and sampled some new foods.
Benjie was an amazing guide and shared lots of information with us about the Garden Route, the places we visited and the animals we saw. He got to know everyone in our group and was very attentive to the groups needs.
Overall we were really happy with Detour Africa Tours both in the planning and delivery of our private tour.
We all really enjoyed seeing the beauty of South Africa.

Incredible experience. Great accomodations and lto of opportunities to see animals. I saw the Big 5 during the 5 day tour.
My guides were very kind and welcoming.
Thanks a lot!