Expertise and Specialisation

We specialise in small group safaris with an emphasis on wildlife viewing, cultural interactions and exploring some off the beaten track areas.

With a maximum of 12 clients, with 2 qualified guides on every departure, it ensures that safari experience is of the highest quality. We visit wildlife, cultural, and scenic areas away from the tourist highways where ever possible. We try to get out and do things.

 

Licences and Associations

Sunway Safaris is a member of the South African Tourism Services Association (SATSA #520) – and as such adheres to strict codes of conduct, as well as assuring its clients of internationally accepted insurance and liability covers. 

Planet Okavango (our Botswana operating company) is a member of the Hotel and Hospitality Association of Botswana (HATAB). All of our guides are members of the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa, and of South Africa, and all guides are accredited with the South African Tourism Council.

 

Responsible Travel

Sunway’s responsible tourism and environmental awareness policy applies to everyone travelling with us and allows us to experience the lands we are visiting but also have a positive influence on the communities and ultimately the natural environment of Southern Africa. Our tour leaders will help you with the implementation of these policies, many of which will seem like common sense.

Some of the initiatives we have in place:

General:
* Cooking on gas when feasible so that we don’t have to burn firewood which depletes limited resources (particularly in desert environments),
* Requesting clients to purchase small wooden carvings curio instead of large pieces, again to conserve the forests around the carving markets,
* Ensuring that we take all of our rubbish out of wilderness areas and use proper waste disposal facilities on all tours (and in the workshop).
 

Village visits:
* We support the local community outside Mkuzi Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal by employing local guides for a village visit. This provides a truly authentic experience but also fosters a better relationship between the park, its visitors and the surrounding community (gain direct value from our visits as well as a portion of our camping fees)
* Zulu traditional village in St Lucia, a World Heritage site
* Xhosa village on South Africa's Wild Coast. As above this provides a truly authentic Xhosa cultural experience but also fosters a better relationship between local communities, tourists and tourism establishments.
* Himba village in Namibia, where these traditionally nomadic people are trying to keep a hold on some of their customs and cultures by deriving financial income from tourism.
* Cape Maclear in Malawi, where we use local boatmen to provide our snorkeling excursions.

Employment of local guides wherever possible – this provides direct revenues into the communities in the areas we visit, thus ensuring that local people gain benefits from Sunway visits to their areas.  The employment of local guide adds value to your visit because you can gain specific local knowledge and expertise from the people who actually live permanently in the area you are visiting. These people live in these areas and have exceptional local knowledge about the wildlife in those areas. By supporting and employing these people we are helping to ensure that their wildlife areas, scenic beauty and historical significance, generate value for the community and are therefore appreciated and protected from development and exploitation. As a Sunway traveller these interactions give you the chance to meet local people and see how tourism is benefiting Africa. Below are a few examples of where we use local guides:

* Mkuzi village KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
* Okavango Delta polers trust, Botswana
* Botswana local national park guides, Botswana
* South Luangwa local walking and night game drive guides, Zambia
* Lower Zambezi river safari and rafting river guides, Zambia
* Hlane walking guides, Swailand
* San rock art guides, Brandberg Namibia
* San game walk guides, Kalahari Botswana
* Chobe River cruise guides, Botswana
* Cape Maclear local activity guides, Malawi
* Benguerra Island local dhow guides, Mozambique
 

Accommodation and Campsites:
* Sunway tries to book accommodation that is locally owned and involved in local responsible tourism initiatives. As at November 2007 we’re in the process of auditing all establishments we book to determine levels of commitment to community upliftment projects in their area.
* Campsites used are either locally owned, or a percentage of their income goes towards, schooling, or nature conservation & community projects.
 

Entrance Fees:
* All entrance fees go directly to the maintenance of National Parks of places of interest
* Entrance fees help with nature conservation practices and anti-poaching activities
These local initiatives help to maintain local cultures and also sustain the ideals of wildlife conservation.Tourism, goodwill and conservation all work together and Sunway aims to maintain the delicate balance at all times!
 

Educational Responsibility:
Sunway operates a number of tours into the National Parks of South Africa for underprivileged children from the SOS children’s village based in Johannesburg, South Africa.SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental and social development organization. Its activities focus on neglected and abandoned children and orphans, as well as disadvantaged families. We try to run these tours as often as possible during the course of a year. We believe that they are Africa’s future and that environmental education is important. Sunway secures sponsorship from corporate companies, donations from clients, and income generated from our own tours to take the children to National Parks. This opportunity allows them to see for themselves wildlife, nature conservation at work, and also show them the many unique employment opportunities that are available in the conservation or tourism industry. Should you wish to contribute to these trips by donation or sponsorship please speak to your guide.

 

Camping Safaris

Season: Year round

Small group participation safaris throughout Southern Africa on a variety of routes, and with scheduled departure dates.

Cabin Safaris

Season: Year round

Small group cabin safaris throughout Southern Africa on a variety of routes and with scheduled departures.

Vehicle Charter

Season: Year round

Any of our safari vehicles can be chartered out to groups.

Private Group

Season: Year round

We can arrange a private safari with an itinerary that includes those special places that you would like to visit that are not included on our scheduled departures. This is ideal for friends and family.

Botswana Safari

Season: Year round

We have an operational base in Maun with our own 4WD game viewing vehicles, so that we put together a truly amazing wildlife safari to the National Parks of Botswana .

Family Safaris

Season: Year round

We have experience in putting together trips that are aimed at families with young children.

Food and Beverages

Food: Sunway generally provides 3 meals per day as itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner):
Breakfast - Cereals and milk or bread/toast, jam and fruit with coffee and tea or the occasional cooked breakfast.
Lunch - Cheese, cold meats, fish, fruit, pasta salads and bread or rolls.
Dinner - Potjies (stews), braais (barbecue), stir fries, curries etc prepared on a wood fire or gas stove. 

Beverages: Fruit juices and tea and coffee at breakfast. We carry drinkable tap water in a tank on the safari vehicle for the group, but the purchase of bottled drinking water is recommended. All other beverages (soft drinks and alcohol) are for clients own expense.

Accommodation

Camping safaris: 

• Sunway supplies all the camping equipment (with the exception of your sleeping bag and pillow)
• The tents are very comfortable (2.2 x 2.2 x 1.8 meters) The tents have built in insect nets on doors and windows.
• Mattresses, which are about 5 cm thick
• Camp chairs have a backrest
• All cooking and eating utensils will also be provided.

Cabin safaris: (see itinerary for details)

• Medium budget range hotels/guesthouse/lodges/chalets (frequently using national park chalets).
• Generally twin rooms with en-suite facilities (occasionally 2 twin rooms will share a bathroom) and on very rare occasions twin rooms with shared bathroom facilities.

Transport

Your Safari Vehicle: African conditions are incredibly diverse and we travel in custom built Sunway safari trucks that allow us to be completely self sufficient on safari. Our reliable fleet of safari trucks have proven themselves.

We have put years of safari experience into the design of the Sunway Safaris trucks. Sunway trucks are built to comply with the latest South African transport and safety regulations. Your comfort is catered for with individual seats (with safety lap belts), ample legroom and large vertical sliding windows for unobstructed viewing and photography.

There are roof hatches for excellent "open" views and an integral cab and passenger compartment so contact with the driver is easy. Each truck also have large packing compartments, built in kitchens, freezers, drinking water tanks, interior lights and gas stoves (to minimise use of wood and destruction of forest areas).

We also use minibuses and all of our vehicles are bought new and serviced by Mercedes and Toyota agents, thus ensuring trouble free touring with backup support in practically every town in Southern Africa.

For the national parks of Botswana we use custom built 4WDs, with individual "bucket" seats, with trailers for the equipment. Game viewing from an “open” vehicle is the best way to go for Botswana – small groups in Land Rovers and Land Cruisers have the best wildlife sightings!

Local Guides

Sunway has a team of over 20 tour leaders. Our friendly and professional guides will show you the beauty of this fantastic continent and explain the nature, history and culture of the land and its people. The guides are well trained, experienced and enthusiastic professionals dedicated to providing you with the holiday of a lifetime in Africa. They are licensed with both the Field Guides Association of South Africa (FGASA) and the South African Department of Environment and Tourism (DEAT) and are fully trained in First Aid.

Their knowledge of their home region, local conditions, the African bush and their willingness to share this knowledge ensures that your safari is enjoyable and successful.

In local areas and points of interest we use local guides who live in the area and have an in-depth knowledge of the areas:
* Mkuzi village KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
* Okavango Delta polers trust, Botswana
* Botswana local national park guides, Botswana
* South Luangwa local walking and night game drive guides, Zambia
* Lower Zambezi river safari and rafting river guides, Zambia
* Hlane walking guides, Swailand
* San rock art guides, Brandberg Namibia
* San game walk guides, Kalahari Botswana
* Chobe River cruise guides, Botswana
* Cape Maclear local activity guides, Malawi
* Benguerra Island local dhow guides, Mozambique

Age Restrictions

Minimum of 12 years (with accompanying adult). No maximum age limit although a medical certificate is required for clients over 65 years old and clients must be made aware of the nature of the tour.

 

 

What to Bring

• 1 bag not exceeding 12kg per person. Please use a soft sport type tog bag. Backpacks and hard suitcases are bulky and difficult to pack and therefore NOT recommended.
• 1 small day pack in which to store spare clothes, cameras and other personal effects.
• Sleeping bag and small traveling pillow
• Money Pouch. A small body hugging flat money pouch to keep your money, passport and airline tickets out of sight.
• Camera, lots of film, spare batteries and Binoculars.
• Water bottle (minimum 1 litre).
• Torch and spare batteries.
• Note pad and pen.
• 6 T-shirts
• 3 pairs of shorts
• 2 small towels rather than 1 large one
• 2 pairs of long casual trousers / jeans
• 1 light cotton dress / Sarong for the ladies
• Swimming costume
• Jersey & waterproof windbreaker
• Warm Jacket!! (This is very important during our winter months)
• Sun block, sunglasses and hat
• Socks and underwear
• A pair of walking/running shoes and a pair of sandals
• Insect repellent
• Personal toiletries (including biodegradable soap)
• Please bring a set of casual evening wear for restaurant visits – please note that some hotels/restaurants do not allow T-shirts or jeans.

Personal Medical Kit:
• Plasters
• Anti-septic spray or cream
• Cotton wool
• Sterile dressings,
• Tweezers, small pair of scissors
• Painkillers
• Lip-balm
• Anti-diarrhea pills & laxatives
• Anti-nausea tablets
• Anti-analgesic tablets / cream
• Eye drops
• Re-hydration powder
• Anti-malaria tablets (See Malaria section)
• Any other medicines that you regularly use•