15 Zoos in South Africa Worth Booking

1.Johannesburg: Lion & Safari Park Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 384 reviews · 5 hours · from $167Our pick

Travel from Johannesburg or Pretoria with an English-speaking guide such as Thapelo, Dusty, or Ceepo, then join a one-hour open vehicle drive at Lion and Safari Park. Expect close views of lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas, and possibly a rare white lion.

“Our tour guide for the safari park (Dusty) was absolutely amazing! She was so knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. Our transportation guide was also great! He so so polite, and professional!!! Would highly recommend for everyone!”

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2.Ocean Wildlife Encounter in Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 307 reviews · from $80Top rated

Join Ocean Wonder at the Oceana Power Boat Club for a two-hour wildlife search with guides Paul or Rob. The route changes with sea conditions, and you may see dolphins, seals, penguins, whales, sunfish, seabirds, or jellyfish, plus Table Mountain and Robben Island from offshore.

“Good trip. Very much focussed on wildlife but also nice views of Cape Town and table mountain. We saw dolphins, seals, and a couple of penguins.”

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3.Hartbeespoort: Lion and Safari Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 103 reviews · 3 hours · from $70

Ride in a small-group safari truck through Lion & Safari Park near Hartbeespoort. Your English-speaking guide takes you past lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas, leopards, and antelopes before a relaxing stop beside the Crocodile River. Guides such as Dina, Dusty, and George have earned strong praise for their humor and animal knowledge.

“Simply amazing - guides were funny and entertaining as well as being very knowledgeable. Worth every rand!”

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4.Hartbeespoort: Lion and Safari Park Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 99 reviews · 2 hours · from $38

Join an English-speaking guide such as Thoko, Jabulani, or Mzi for a two-hour truck safari through Hartbeespoort’s Lion and Safari Park. You’ll see lions, antelopes, cheetahs, hyenas, leopards, and wild dogs, with time afterward for lunch, drinks, and souvenirs.

“Jabulani was the highlight of the the tour,his energy and fun facts on the animals was entertaining,we laughed alot,loved him,big ups to him🤌🏿”

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5.Schotia Safaris: Best Wildlife Encounters in Port Elizabeth

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 89 reviews · 6 hours · from $227

Leave your cruise ship in Port Elizabeth for a six-hour Schotia Safaris outing. A local English-speaking guide leads a four-hour open-vehicle game drive, with possible sightings of elephants, lions, zebras, and giraffes. Transport, reserve entry, snacks, refreshments, and water are included.

“Mir ist klar, dass es in einem Reservat keine "normalen" Straßen gibt, dass es eben einfache Wege sind. Aber in diesem Reservat sind die Wege dermaßen stark ausgefahren, dass riesige Löcher und Fahrrillen entstanden sind. OK - das kommt vor. Aber wenn dann der Fahrer mit Vollgas in diese reinfährt, damit er auf der anderen Seite auch wieder rauskommt, dann passiert es leider mehrfach, dass es einen aus dem Sitz katapultiert und man mit dem Kopf gegen das Dach des Fahrzeuges knallt. Das hätte ich nun wirklich nicht gebraucht. Wir haben mit anderen Besuchern gesprochen, die die Safari in diesem Reservat über einen anderen Veranstalter gebucht hatten - die hatten…”

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6.Hartbeespoort: Self-Drive Lion and Safari Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 64 reviews · 8h 30m · from $24Best value

Drive your own vehicle through Lion & Safari Park near Hartbeespoort, visiting lion, wild dog, and cheetah enclosures before continuing on an extended game drive. No guide is provided, so you set the pace. Plan around the 12:00 PM or 3:00 PM lion feeding on weekends and public holidays.

“The restaurant and the vast amount of animals got to see all the animals”

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7.Durban: Phezulu Cultural Village & Reptile Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 37 reviews · 4 hours · from $123

Travel from Durban to Phezulu in the Valley of a Thousand Hills for a 50-minute Zulu dance show, traditional huts, Zulu beer tasting, and a guided reptile park visit. Guides such as Alain, Wendy, and Zamani provide transport and commentary. Pickup includes selected hotels and Durban Harbour.

“What an amazing time at Phezulu Cultural Village!! We were collected from the port gate by Alain and Wendy - 4 guests, 2 hosts 1 private, air conditioned, vehicle. The village is 45 mins from the port, once inside we were treated to a traditional and very authentic Zulu show followed by explanations of the Zulu way of life in different huts. Then on to the reptile park to learn about Snakes, Crocs and Alligators. On he way back from the park we stopped off at the hustle & bustle of the street market. Alain and Wendy were fantastic hosts, nothing was too much trouble, there was no rushing, "take…”

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8.Phezulu Cultural Village & Reptile Park Day Tour from Durban

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 33 reviews · from $114

Travel from Durban to the Valley of 1000 Hills for traditional Zulu huts, a 50-minute dance show, a sangoma visit, crocodiles, and hands-on snake encounters. Hotel and cruise-ship pickup is included, with guides such as Fortune, Aaron, or Christo depending on the day.

“Amazing Zulu show! The guide for the reptile park tour was a professional one. I highly recommend this tour to others.”

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9.Half Day Lion and Safari Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · from $103

Travel from your Johannesburg or Pretoria hotel to Lion and Safari Park with a local guide, then spend two hours in a specialized safari vehicle. Look for more than 85 lions, including a rare white lion, plus cheetahs, hyenas, and wild dogs. Groups are limited to three people.

“It was canceled by the tour company on the day...very disappointing, would never use them in the future”

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10.Walk with Elephants Experience plus Monkey Forest Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 20 reviews · from $343

From Pretoria, your private guide, such as Janine, Sayomi, or Roland, drives you to Hartbeespoort for a monkey sanctuary walk and elephant encounter. Expect feeding, brushing, animal stories, forest paths, a swinging bridge, hotel pickup, and about six hours on the road and at the sanctuaries.

“From the time Sayomi picked us up at the hotel until she dropped us back off it was a great experience! Had great conversation on the way there and she accompanied and took pictures of us throughout the whole elephant walk. The mRead more”

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11.Elephant Sanctuary Tour from Johannesburg

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $274

Travel by air-conditioned minivan with guide Jason from Johannesburg, Sandton, or Pretoria to Elephant Sanctuary Hartbeespoort Dam. Spend two hours learning about African elephant anatomy, habits, rescue, and rehabilitation, with chances to feed, touch, and photograph the animals.

“Feeding and touching an elephant, seeing the animal up close. Learning about their anatomy and habits was fascinating.”

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12.Elephant Sanctuary Tour from Johannesburg or Pretoria

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $247

Travel from Johannesburg or Pretoria to Elephant Sanctuary Hartbeespoort Dam with a driver-guide such as Anton, Patrick, or Norman. The 90-minute program covers elephant biology, behavior, habitat, and conservation, with entrance, transport, and hotel pickup included. An elephant ride costs extra.

“This was a great experience! Anton was an awesome guide. I would recommend this tour and tour company to everyone!”

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13.Cradle of Humankind and Lion and Safari Park Tour from Johannesburg or Pretoria

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6 reviews · from $167

Travel from Johannesburg or Pretoria to Lion and Safari Park for a game drive with lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, giraffes, and more. Then explore Sterkfontein Caves and Maropeng at the Cradle of Humankind with a guide, lunch, and hotel transfers included.

“The caves were very interesting the guide was great and our driver was awesome . Very interesting human history”

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14.Elephant Sanctuary Tour from Johannesburg

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 5 hours · from $245

Travel from Johannesburg, Sandton, Rosebank, or Pretoria to the Elephant Sanctuary near Hartbeespoortdam. With an English-speaking guide, you’ll feed elephants, walk alongside them, and learn about their behavior and conservation. The group is limited to 13 people, and hotel pickup, entry fees, water, and return transport are included.

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15.Half Day Durban City Tour and Phezulu Safari Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 4 reviews · 6 hours · from $223

Spend six hours with an English-speaking guide exploring Victoria Street Market, the Zulu Medicine Market, Durban Botanic Gardens, and Phezulu Safari Park in the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Expect cultural dancing, Zulu huts, a game drive, short meal breaks, and pickup from your hotel, port, or airport.

“Besuch SheZulu Nationalpark zu empfehlen, ansonsten hätte es eine Taxifahrt oder Uber auch getan. Preis überhöht, wenn man bedenkt, dass Eintritt Nationalpark nur 25 EUR kostet und ansonsten nichts geboten wird außer Hin- und Rückfahrt. Botanischer Garten ist eintrittfrei.”

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