Going on an African safari probably isn’t the first thing you imagine when you think about a cruise shore excursion.

However, if your cruise visits South Africa, it is entirely possible to step off your ship in the morning and spend part of your day travelling through a game reserve looking for elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebra and other African wildlife.

I did exactly that twice during a South Africa cruise on Norwegian Dawn, visiting two different game reserves from two different cruise ports. Both showed just how much of a safari experience you can fit into a single port day.

There are some important things to understand before you book. Your time in the reserve is limited, part of your day will be spent travelling and, of course, nobody can guarantee which wildlife you will see.

However, if you’ve always wanted to experience a safari, a South Africa cruise can give you a rather extraordinary opportunity to try one without adding a separate safari holiday to your trip.

So what is a safari shore excursion actually like, how much time do you really spend looking for wildlife and is it worth using one of your South African port days for one?

Having done it twice, here’s what you need to know.

Where Can You Go on Safari From a South Africa Cruise?

If going on safari is high on your South Africa wish list, look carefully at the ports on your cruise itinerary before you book.

Some South African cruise ports are much better positioned for safari shore excursions than others, and the distance between the ship and the game reserve can make a considerable difference to how much of your day you actually spend looking for wildlife.

Gqeberha

Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, is one of the best South African cruise ports for safari opportunities.

The Eastern Cape has several game reserves within reach of the port, including Addo Elephant National Park and a number of private reserves.

This was where I took my first safari shore excursion from Norwegian Dawn, travelling to Pumba Private Game Reserve, around 100 kilometres inland.

Richards Bay

Richards Bay is another excellent safari gateway, this time for the wildlife reserves of KwaZulu Natal.

My second safari shore excursion was from here, travelling to Zulu Nyala Private Game Reserve.

Despite taking place during the same cruise, it gave me a completely different safari experience from Pumba.

What About Mossel Bay, Durban and Cape Town?

Mossel Bay can also offer safari opportunities, with game reserves along the Garden Route accessible on shore excursions. My own planned day in Mossel Bay was cancelled, so I didn’t get the opportunity to experience one there myself.

Depending on your itinerary, you may also find safari shore excursions from Durban, with access to game reserves in KwaZulu Natal.

Even Cape Town can offer safari day trips to private game reserves outside the city. The distances involved mean you should look particularly carefully at transfer times before booking.

If safari is one of the main reasons you are considering a South Africa cruise, research the possibilities before choosing your itinerary, rather than waiting until you’ve booked your cruise to see what excursions are available.

Two cruises visiting South Africa could give you very different opportunities to experience its wildlife.

Do You Need to Visit Kruger National Park?

No. Kruger is probably the name many people immediately associate with safari in South Africa, however it isn’t the only place to have a fantastic wildlife experience.

For cruise passengers with a limited number of hours ashore, reserves that can be reached from ports such as Gqeberha and Richards Bay can make far more sense than trying to incorporate one of South Africa’s most famous safari destinations into a port day.

You don’t need to visit Kruger to go on safari during a South Africa cruise.

What Is a Safari Shore Excursion Actually Like?

You won’t usually step off the ship and straight into a safari vehicle. First, you need to reach the game reserve.

On both of my excursions from Norwegian Dawn, the day began by coach. From Gqeberha we travelled inland to Pumba Private Game Reserve, while my second safari took us from Richards Bay to Zulu Nyala Private Game Reserve.

Once you arrive at the reserve, that’s when the safari really begins.

What Are the Safari Vehicles Like?

At both reserves, we transferred from the coach into open safari vehicles with a ranger.

These give you a fantastic view because there are no windows between you and the landscape. You’re sitting higher than you would in an ordinary car too, which makes it much easier to look across the vegetation and spot wildlife.

They are not luxurious vehicles, though. You can expect bumps, dust and wind, and depending on where you’re sitting, climbing aboard can involve quite a step up, there are always people to help you and one reserve drove up to a concrete platform for you to enter very easily.

Once everyone is onboard, your ranger heads into the reserve in search of wildlife.

And that really is what they are doing: searching.

There isn’t a predetermined collection of animals waiting beside the route. Your ranger is constantly looking around, watching for movement and signs of wildlife and communicating with other rangers about sightings elsewhere in the reserve.

Sometimes you’ll drive for a while without seeing very much.

Then suddenly everything changes.

An elephant might appear beside the track. A giraffe can emerge above the vegetation. Another safari vehicle may have stopped because its ranger has spotted something you haven’t even noticed yet.

That sense of not knowing what you’re going to find is a huge part of the experience.

How Close Do You Get to the Animals?

Potentially, very close. Some wildlife will remain in the distance, while other animals may come remarkably close to the vehicle.

On my safari excursions, elephants walked close enough to make you very aware that there was absolutely nothing between you and an elephant. We also had rhinos nearby, while other sightings were much further away.

Your ranger controls how the vehicle approaches wildlife and will tell you how to behave during an encounter. This is definitely a time to listen to them.

Is Lunch Included?

It depends on the excursion, so check before booking.

Both of my Norwegian Dawn safari excursions included lunch, giving us a break from the safari vehicle before continuing with the rest of the day.

By the time you return to the coach for the journey back to port, it can feel almost surreal that your day began on a cruise ship.

A few hours earlier you were walking down the gangway.

Now your camera roll is full of African wildlife.

What Wildlife Could You See on a Safari Shore Excursion?

This is probably the most exciting question when you are choosing a safari excursion, and also the hardest one to answer.

There are no guarantees on safari.

The reserve may be home to lions, elephants or rhinos, however that doesn’t mean you will see them while you are there. The animals are moving freely around the reserve, which is exactly what makes finding them so exciting.

Between my two safari shore excursions, however, I was amazed by how much wildlife we managed to see.

What Did I See at Pumba Private Game Reserve?

Pumba gave us an incredible variety of sightings.

We saw elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebra, hippos, cheetah, warthogs, baboons and several different antelope, as well as plenty of birdlife.

And then there were Pumba’s extraordinary white lions.

Some animals were quite a distance away, while others came remarkably close to the safari vehicles.

What Did I See at Zulu Nyala?

Zulu Nyala was completely different.

We saw elephants, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest and rhinos, among other wildlife, however the encounter I remember most was arriving at a waterhole where a large number of rhinos had gathered.

It was one of those sightings that demonstrates why doing a second safari doesn’t necessarily mean repeating the first.

What Are the Big Five?

When you start looking at safari excursions, you’ll almost certainly come across references to the Big Five.

They are lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and African buffalo.

Some game reserves accessible from South African cruise ports are home to all five, while others aren’t, so check the individual reserve if this matters to you.

However, I wouldn’t choose an excursion purely according to how many of the Big Five you might see.

One of the pleasures of safari is discovering how interesting everything else is too. Giraffes drinking at a waterhole, zebra standing together in the grass or a warthog doing zoomies are every bit as fascinating to watch.

A list of resident species is not a sightseeing schedule. Your ranger can look for the animals. The animals get the final say.

How Much Safari Time Do You Actually Get?

An excursion might be advertised as a full day experience, however that doesn’t mean you will spend the entire day in a safari vehicle.

You need to factor in the journey from the cruise port to the reserve, transferring into the safari vehicles, lunch and the return journey to your ship.

How Long Is the Actual Game Drive?

This varies considerably between excursions and reserves, so don’t judge an excursion purely by its total duration. Look for the actual game drive time in the description.

A seven or eight hour excursion could include several hours of travelling, while the safari itself may only last a couple of hours. That might sound quite short, however a surprising amount can happen during a single game drive.

Is a Day Safari Long Enough?

If you are expecting the same experience as someone staying at a safari lodge for several nights, no.

Guests staying in a reserve have the opportunity to take multiple game drives, often at different times of day. As a cruise passenger, your safari has to fit around the ship’s time in port.

However, a day safari doesn’t need to compete with a longer safari holiday.

It is a different proposition.

For someone who has never experienced safari before, it can be an incredible introduction. If you already know you love wildlife, it can be a very good reason to look particularly closely at cruises visiting ports such as Gqeberha and Richards Bay.

Look at the Transfer Time Before You Book

When comparing two safari excursions, don’t automatically choose the reserve with the most impressive list of wildlife.

If one involves a significantly shorter transfer from the ship, you may get considerably more time in the reserve.

Ask two questions: How long is the journey from the port? How long is the game drive?

Those two pieces of information tell you far more about how your day will actually be spent than the overall excursion duration.

Should You Book Your Safari Through the Cruise Line or Independently?

You can arrange safari excursions independently from some South African cruise ports, however this is one occasion where booking through the cruise line can have a real advantage.

Both of my safari excursions were booked through Norwegian Cruise Line.

For me, the biggest consideration was the distance from the ship.

A safari may take you a considerable distance inland. Add several hours in the reserve and the return journey to port, and there is far more scope for delays than on an excursion that stays relatively close to the ship.

Why Book Through the Cruise Line?

The obvious advantage is reassurance if something goes wrong with the timings.

If an official cruise line excursion is delayed, the cruise line knows exactly where you are and can make the necessary arrangements.

There is also the convenience of walking off the ship and having the transport, reserve visit, game drive and return journey organised for you.

What About Booking Independently?

An independent safari can still be a good option.

You may find a smaller group, a different reserve or an itinerary that gives you more time on the game drive. It is certainly worth comparing what is available rather than assuming the cruise line excursion is your only choice.

However, I would be much more cautious about the timings than I might be in a port where I planned to stay close to the ship.

Check exactly how far the reserve is from the port, allow for traffic and make sure there is a generous margin between your planned return and the ship’s all aboard time.

This isn’t an excursion where I would want to be watching the clock from a safari vehicle while sitting a long drive from the coast.

Compare the Experience, Not Just the Price

If an independent safari is cheaper, find out why before deciding it offers better value.

Compare the transfer time, actual game drive duration, group size, type of safari vehicle and whether lunch or refreshments are included.

The cheapest option isn’t necessarily the best value if you spend less time actually on safari.

Equally, paying more through the cruise line doesn’t automatically mean the experience itself will be better.

For me, booking through the cruise line made sense because these were long days taking me well away from Norwegian Dawn.

What Should You Take on a Safari Shore Excursion?

You don’t need to buy a whole new safari wardrobe for a day trip from your cruise ship.

You do, however, need to remember that you could be sitting in an open safari vehicle for several hours, exposed to the sun, wind and whatever the South African weather decides to do that day.

Dress for an Open Safari Vehicle

Loose, light comfortable clothes are the priority. Layers are useful because it can feel considerably cooler once the vehicle starts moving, even if it felt warm when you left the ship. A lightweight waterproof jacket is also easy to carry and useful if the weather changes.

You don’t need to dress head to toe in khaki either. For a straightforward game drive, comfortable and practical is far more important.

Wear Comfortable Shoes

Trainers or comfortable closed shoes are ideal. You may not actually do much walking, however climbing into an open safari vehicle can involve quite a step up. There is always someone to help you climb up. If you have limited mobility, check the excursion information carefully before booking. The safari vehicles aren’t necessarily as easy to get into as a coach.

Take Sun Protection

Don’t underestimate how exposed you can be in an open vehicle.

Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat are all useful, particularly if your game drive takes place during the middle of the day. Although choose your hat carefully. Something that stays on your head when the safari vehicle starts moving is considerably more useful than one disappearing into the bush.

Binoculars Are Worth Taking

Not every animal will be standing beside the vehicle. A small pair of binoculars can make a huge difference when your ranger spots wildlife some distance away. If you don’t own any, check whether your reserve or excursion provides them rather than buying a pair specifically for one day.

What Camera Should You Take on Safari?

If you enjoy photography, this is definitely a day to take your camera rather than leave it on the ship. A camara on your phone will be great too.

A zoom lens is particularly useful because the distance between you and the wildlife can vary enormously. One animal might be across a waterhole, while another could walk remarkably close to your vehicle.

Make sure your battery is fully charged, take a spare if you have one and check your memory card before leaving the ship. You’ll probably take considerably more photographs than you expect.

Is It Worth Doing Two Safaris on the Same Cruise?

If your itinerary gives you the opportunity to do more than one safari, you might wonder whether you will simply be repeating the same experience. That certainly wasn’t the case for me.

I visited Pumba from Gqeberha and Zulu Nyala from Richards Bay during the same cruise on Norwegian Dawn, and the two days felt completely different. At Pumba, some of the standout sightings were the white lions and cheetah, while at Zulu Nyala the large gathering of rhinos around the waterhole was extraordinary.

The landscapes were different too, as were the routes we took through the reserves and the way the wildlife appeared throughout each drive.

Should You Choose Safari in Every Suitable Port?

Not necessarily. A South Africa cruise gives you the opportunity to experience far more than its wildlife, and you may also want to use your port days to explore the country’s cities, coastline, history and food.

However, if safari is one of the main reasons you are excited about visiting South Africa, I wouldn’t rule out a second game drive simply because you already have one booked.

Having experienced two very different safaris during the same cruise, I was very glad I did both. If I were choosing another South Africa cruise, I’d happily book more than one safari again.

Is a Safari Shore Excursion Worth It?

For me, absolutely. You will spend part of your day travelling and your actual game drive may only last a few hours.

However, think about what you are getting the opportunity to do.

You can walk off your cruise ship in the morning and, a few hours later, be travelling through a South African game reserve in an open safari vehicle.

That is a pretty extraordinary shore excursion.

Who Would I Recommend It For?

If you love wildlife or photography, I would put a safari very high on your list when looking at shore excursions for a South Africa cruise.

It is also a fantastic opportunity if you have always wanted to experience a safari, however aren’t ready to plan an entire holiday around one.

And you certainly don’t need to be an experienced wildlife watcher. Your ranger does the searching, explains what you are seeing and will often spot animals you would never have noticed yourself.

Would I Do It Again?

Without hesitation.

My two safari shore excursions from Norwegian Dawn gave me some of the most memorable experiences of my South Africa cruise. Would I love to return to South Africa one day and spend several nights at a safari lodge? Absolutely. However, that doesn’t make the experiences I had from a cruise ship any less worthwhile.

If your South Africa cruise itinerary gives you the opportunity to go on safari, don’t dismiss it because you only have a day.

You might leave the ship after breakfast and be back onboard for dinner.

What happens in between could be one of the best days of your cruise.