Welcome to Wagon Trails, a company known for our uniqueness on the long African overland roads.

Welcome to sunny Africa where the fun-filled adventure never stops. In just fifteen years, Wagon Trails has made adventure tours into Africa an undisputable success. We can proudly attribute our popularity to providing small group overland tour opportunities to travellers wanting a more personalised experience. Wagon Trails offers highly affordable packages without skimping on the luxuries, highlights or activities.

We offer our clients a comprehensive holiday that is great value for money, all in a time span suited to your requirements. With our tours ranging from 3 to 24 days, there is definitely a tour suited to your needs, whether it's spotting wildlife in the Kruger National Park, exploring the wetlands of the Okavango Delta or quad biking across the dunes of the Namibian desert. To make your African dream a reality, join one of our organised tours, safaris or overland trips for a fantastic journey through the enticing plains of Africa.

Development and upliftment

Wagon Trails is a locally based company, which means you benefit first hand from our crews' experiences and knowledge. You can also be assured that the majority of your tour cost is used within the African continent, so contributing to skills development, employment and upliftment of the local people. We are committed to supporting the small local businesses on our travels – so giving you a face-to-face view of your contribution to Africa.

Why choose Wagon Trails

1. We guarantee all our departures once your booking is confirmed.
2. We offer unbeatable prices – compare our prices to similar holidays.
3. We take a maximum of 9 people per minibus, 10 on our custom-built four wheel drives and 16 per custom-built safari tour vehicle.
4. We guarantee personalised service and great flexibility.
5. We include all essential highlight excursions – we pre-book all game drives, sunset cruises, entrance fees, etc. so you won't miss out on any of the highlights of the tour.
6. We provide you with the real experience – we do not substitute genuine excursions for cheaper or shorter options.
7. No hidden costs – this means that even when something is not included, we clearly state this in our brochure along with the cost of optional excursions.
8. We are a genuine African company – we give you a thorough insider's view of Africa.

Vehicles

We utilise minibuses with fully-equipped safari trailers for luggage and equipment. Each vehicle takes a maximum of 9 passengers. On some itineraries we use our addventure 4WD's - custom built for us. On certain of our African overland trips we also utilise overland and safari vehicles that are specially built for optimum game viewing.

Camping tours

Two-person tents and sleeping mats are provided for all our tours. The campsite facilities vary from place-to-place, so be prepared for everything – from basic facilities to 5-star campsites with pools, shops and bars. Our pre-departure information, supplied on booking, has more specific information.

Participation tours

Putting up your own tent and helping your guide prepare dinner over the fire, is all part of the fun of getting to know your fellow adventurers – so join in and enjoy the African adventure.

Wagon Trails' crew

Our most important link between Wagon Trails and our clients are our guides. Our guides are all from Africa and are friendly, knowledgeable and they have a passion for Africa and its people. All our guides undergo comprehensive training courses that include all aspects of wildlife and nature guiding as well as the finer details like preparing campfire meals and general safari etiquette. Our guides are chosen for their leadership skills and are wonderful ambassadors for the company and our beautiful country.

Meals 

Wagon Trails provides the majority of the meals on the trip. We do not operate a food kitty system but include the meals in the tour package. Each itinerary states what meals are included on tour. If a meal is not included, we stop at suitable and reputable places where food can be purchased at reasonable prices. This means you get to savour another local African experience. The traditionally African camp meals are prepared out in the open, on fire or cookers. Tea and coffee is provided at campsite meals. The tap water is fine to drink at most places but your guide will advise you when it is best to buy drinking water. Every effort is made to cater for special dietary requirements; however, due to local supplies, this is sometimes not possible. If you have a particular requirement, please contact our office personally to ensure we can cater for you.

Wagon Trails' small Groups

Our small groups are unique in Africa overland tours . All our minibus vehicles carry 9 people and are fitted with trailers, our custom-built safari vehicles carry a maximum of 16 people. Our vehicles ensure easy access into those remote areas large overland trucks cannot reach, whilst providing you with the comfort, efficiency and speed of a small group. Travelling with Wagon Trails is like travelling with a party of friends – so make your adventure more of a personal experience by joining the fun.

Your cultural experience

We design our tours to give you the opportunity to experience the diverse cultures of Africa. Our group size contributes greatly to conservation, as fewer people in an area means less impact on the environment. So whether you are sitting round a campfire singing songs with your Tswana guides in the Okavango Delta, or camping in the Shangaan village near the Kruger National Park , you will be in touch with the people who make this such a magical continent.

Quality assurance

Every effort is made to ensure each and every overland and safari tour we operate is carried out to the standards laid out in this brochure. Bearing in mind that you have purchased a camping holiday, and for whatever reason you are not satisfied with services provided by the crew en route, it's your responsibility to contact us immediately while on tour, so giving us the opportunity to correct the problem or deal with any misunderstanding. We pride ourselves with giving you the best value for money and rely on your input to maintain levels of quality.

Backup service 

Our company is based in Johannesburg where we have a workshop dedicated to the maintenance of our overland and safari fleet. This workshop provides an excellent backup service in Africa and our experienced workshop staff will sort out any difficulties personally, so limiting any tour downtime.

Local payment

The local payment is in US Dollars cash on departure. Due to fluctuating exchange rates in many African countries, local suppliers fix their rates in US Dollars. The local payment goes directly to the local companies who organise excursions, entrance fees and food. It is not a kitty for food alone but pays your way throughout the tour.

Inclusions and exclusions included in the tour portfolio:

• The services of an experienced and registered Wagon Trails driver/guide
• Camping equipment (two-person dome tents, sleeping mattresses, camping chairs)
• Mobile safari kitchen
• Camping fees
• All ground transportation in overland and safari vehicles
• Meals as per itinerary
• All prominent highlights needed to get the full African experience.

Not included in the tour portfolio:

Your personal spending money

• All visas (if required)
• Flights and travel insurance
• A sleeping bag (these may be hired from us upon booking), and activities not included as tour highlights.

To avoid hidden costs, we state next to each itinerary what activities are included in the tour cost and those that are optional. We include all highlight activities, but adventure activities (such as white-water rafting) that may not suite everyone's interests and budget are left optional on all tours. For an up-to-date and comprehensive list of these activities and rates, please ask.

Your visas

As visa requirements can change, please contact the appropriate embassies or a visa agent for up-to-date visa information and requirements one month prior to departure. Please note that visas are the responsibility of the traveller and that Wagon Trails will not be held responsible for clients being denied entry. Clients must keep valid onward/return tickets as proof, enabling the traveller to leave the country in which your tour concludes or proof of sufficient funds enabling you, the client, to purchase an onward ticket to leave the country. Be sure to have a multiple entry visa, for the relevant tours, to facilitate your re-entry into the country.

Your passport

Your passport must have sufficient pages for all visas required en route. Your passport should have one page free for every country you will be visiting. Your passport also needs to be valid for at least six months after your departure from Africa . It is also advisable to have a copy of your passport – remember to keep it separate from your passport. You are responsible for ensuring your passports, visas and/or other travel documents are in order.

Pre-departure information

Once you have chosen Wagon Trails for your awesome adventure in Africa and made a booking, we will send you comprehensive pre-departure information, with a list of what to bring, what to expect, guideline to visa requirements and optional excursion costs. The accompanying confirmation slip will indicate the time of departure and collection point. Make sure you ask for these important documents to prepare you for your African adventure. Our reservations team is also available via email or phone to answer any questions you may have.

Anti–malaria precautions are recommended for all tours and clients are advised to bring insect repellent.

Tailormade itineraries

We tailor-made options for groups of any size, using any type of accommodation, going anywhere. If you have a group of friends or family who would like to travel together - let us know and we’ll send you a quote free of charge!

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