TOURS & SAFARIS
We’ve brought together an assortment of appealing packages
for some of the finest destinations in Southern Africa.
We offer tours from the tip of the Cape to the top of Kruger National Park and down the Eastern “Wild Coast” through the Garden Route. We are committed to presenting a well rounded itinerary, including wildlife, history, culture and an insight into what makes today’s South Africa a unique destination. Our expertise includes Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and other Southern African destinations.
GARSONS home base is the province of KwaZulu Natal, with headquarters in Umhlanga on the Sugar Coast. While Kimberly and Johannesburg lured fortune seekers with diamonds and gold, KwaZulu Natal enticed the farmers, the lovers of land. The Zulu people saw in her rolling green hills visions of fat Nguni cattle and plots of mealies and pumpkin to feed their families, whilst the Boers saw mixed crops, dairy herds, sheep, beef cattle and fruit trees. The English saw glimpses of home in the soft morning mists of the Midlands.
The very richness of this corner of the South African landscape is, no doubt, what caused it to be the scene of some of South Africa’s bloodiest conflicts. GARSONS Expeditions presents the history and culture of our home base in an array of tours ranging in length from a half-day to twenty days.
Please note that we are also able to produce customised itineraries for those with special needs or interests. Corporate clients are welcome. We are an email away for you to discuss our complete range of corporate services from airport transfers, conference hosting and team building to private tours for visiting international clients or executives.
GANDHI'S JOURNEY
A lively and accurate account of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s 21 years in South Africa.
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Each year in May and June, Garsons Expeditions field-guide participants on the Gandhi Legacy Tour – South Africa. If you would like to join Dr Arun and Tushar Gandhi’s on one of their exclusive Legacy Tours…… Through the years, company owner Greg Garson has marveled and enthused at the incredible international history that unfolded right here in our own backyard.
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http://www.gandhitour.info/category/blog
http://www.gandhiforchildren.org/category/gandhi-blog/
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If you would like to join Dr Arun Gandhi’s exclusive annual Gandhi Legacy Tour to South Africa, merely drop us a line and we will ensure that a Gandhi representative will make contact with you. Garsons Expeditions is in the third year of providing ground handling services for the Gandhi Legacy Tour – South Africa. The tour is led by DR Arun Gandhi, grandson of the Mahatma and
Kasturba Gandhi and for Greg Garson it is a wonderful privilege to be the resident field – guide for this prestigious tour in June of each year.
To listen to Dr Arun Gandhi recounting events and occurences that unfolded as he sat at the Mohatma's knee, is to listen to contemporary, living history. We invite the discerning visitor to join us on this epic journey into the life and times of the great soul!
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Please note that Garsons Expeditions does do tours to the Mahatma’s home in Inanda throughout the year. You will find details in our Day Tours section.
HLUHLUWE GAME RESERVE & ST LUCIA WETLANDS (ISIMANGALIZO)
Exclusive 2 Night 3 Day Itinerary. A stimulating combination of wet and wild, this tour encompasses two diverse game viewing venues – each one unique!
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The “wet” is represented by the St. Lucia Wetland Park: Declared a World Heritage Site in 1999, this Park presents an ever-changing panorama of lake, marshland, forested coastal dunes and grasslands. The lake is home to large populations of hippo and crocodile and is considered a wetland of international importance. In addition to the fauna, over 350 bird species have been recorded in the Park’s rich diversity of habitats and ecosystems.
Our “wild” component is comprised of the Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Game Reserve. Originally two separate Reserves, Hluhluwe and iMfolozi are now a single amalgamated game reserve. In the 1950’s these two areas were the oldest proclaimed wildlife sanctuaries in Africa and received worldwide recognition for their efforts in saving the white rhino from extinction. Hluhluwe/iMfolozi is the genetic home of the southern species of white rhinoceros, and all populations in the world have their origins here. The park also supports one of the largest black rhinoceros populations in the world today. However, the Park is not
just a rhino reserve: over eighty species of mammal, including the Big Five - Buffalo, Rhino, Leopard, Elephant and Lion – and over 300 species of birds are supported by a wide range of habitats in its 96000 hectares.
EXPEDITION INTO ZULULAND
2 Nights and 3 Days. This expedition is an introduction to Zululand’s historical significance. While this tour is informational and educational it is also first class entertainment.
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Starting with a day and night of game viewing at the Hluhluwe Game Reserve, you will get a glimpse of what it must have been like when the area was King Shaka’s private hunting ground. Moving through Zululand we follow the path that lead to a clash of empires on the Battle Fields at Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift.
We travel to the scene of the single greatest victory of traditionally armed native troops over a modern army and the place where a handful of men held off over four thousand attackers. Cetshwayo’s Zulu impis soundly defeated Lord Chelmsford’s British, Colonial and Native troops encamped at the base of a hill called Isandlwana. Meanwhile, on the same day at a Mission Station known as Rorke’s Drift some 139 Imperial troops held off 4500 Zulu warriors for over twelve hours. The two battlefields each have a distinct and different ambiance and their history is brought to life by our expert guides.
UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS
Our twenty-day “kaleidoscope” tour takes you from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
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From your first exposure to the Afrikaner culture at the Voortrekker Monument through Zulu culture as experienced in the Drakensberg Mountains and Durban you will enjoy a rich sampling of South Africa including seven days of game viewing in National Parks and Private Game Reserves across the country.
You will also visit World Heritage sites, historical mining towns, world class wineries, amazing sea coasts, on both the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans, view prehistoric rock art, and lunch in the highest pub in Africa located at the top of the Sani Pass in Lesotho. Under the Southern Cross includes Kruger National Park, Addo Elephant Park, Ithala Reserve, Hluhluwe Game Reserve, St. Lucia Wetlands Park, Pilgrims Rest, Durban, the Tsitsikamma forest, Knysna, Hermanus and Cape Town
ZULU HEART - AN EXPEDITION
14 Night 15 Days: Our signature tour, Zulu Heart is a fully escorted 15 day safari through Zululand.
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It offers a unique opportunity to visit the heart of untamed Africa: viewing wild animals at close range and soaking up history and ancient cultures in an ancient land. From the mighty crags of the Drakensberg Mountains down through rolling, grass-covered hills, to the golden sands of the Indian Ocean this province is steeped in history, cultural clashes, battles and the path to peace through passive resistance.
The complex history of the region will be presented in an entertaining, engaging fashion against a backdrop of World Heritage sites, world class game reserves and incredible scenery. With your GARSONS escort, a personal Game Ranger and superb resort accommodation, you’ll experience it all in safety and stylish comfort. Zulu Heart’s two exhilarating weeks include 5 days of Game Viewing, Stone Age Rock Art, Durban City, the Oribi Gorge, Zulu Cultural Sites and Anglo-Zulu War Battlefield Tours.
CLASSIC SOUTH AFRICA - THE CAPE EXPERIENCE
Touring the Mother City and Peninsula, 5 Nights 6 Days from a Eurocentric perspective, Cape Town is where it all started as a provisioning and watering centre for the ships of the Dutch East India Company.
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These Dutch were plying the trade route from India to Europe. From this toe hold on the tip of Southern Africa the Dutch and the English launched expeditions to the interior that resulted in the eventual establishment of the Republic of South Africa.
Nestling in the shadow of Table Mountain, Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Situated on a peninsula where two great oceans meet, Cape Town is a city of towering mountains, white sandy beaches and a vibrant culture all its own. Visitors from all over the world marvel at the breathtaking setting, diverse cultures and historical significance of this most cosmopolitan of cities.
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Our tour encompasses wine tasting, whale watching (in season), Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Table Mountain, Robben Island, Cape Point, Hout Bay, Stellenbosch and Paarl. This tour can be done as an unforgettable stand-alone or as an add-on to any of our other tours.