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“There is always something new out of Africa” [Pliny the Elder]

At Satpack Travel we offer a radically unique approach to supporting travelers to South Africa.

We believe a travel agency should be responsible for your entire holiday experience, from the moment you start thinking about where to go to getting you the deals the locals get, from preparing a personalised itinerary including pre-loading all your routes on a satellite navigation device to ensuring your safety and enjoyment on-the-ground.

It’s based on how we like to travel. It’s about more than just following the herd. It’s about enhancing the experience of travelling, what is learned on the way, giving you flexibility and peace of mind and allowing you to have an authentic experience. It’s about using the latest technology and a personal touch to ensure that you are the master, rather than the victim, of your itinerary.

We know you have worked very hard for this holiday. So every hour that is wasted, every minute that you are disappointed and every second spent worrying means that some of that hard work was in vain. It would be our privilege to share your holiday experience with you.

We believe in five simple principles.

The process of planning your holiday should be as enjoyable as the holiday itself.

Before you travel we provide opinionated advice and recommendations based on what you tell us you want. Unlike other travel agencies, we don’t provide generic information about only those hotels and destinations that pay the highest commission. Satpack Travel will recommend boutique hotels and guesthouses that they have probably never heard of and tell you the truth about the places they are recommending. See our Top Fives to see what we mean.

Concerns about crime shouldn’t prevent you having an adventurous holiday. There’s more to South Africa than Cape Town and Kruger National Park.

The biggest concern of tourists visiting South Africa is their personal security. But with a little common sense and local advice (for example our Safety Advice and Driving Tips) you can avoid the trap most tourists fall into of only staying at the most expensive hotels, in the most-visited places and bypassing the real South Africa. By getting off-the-beaten-track you can stay in luxury for less, have the beach to yourself or visit the game reserves that other international tourists have never even heard of. We will help you to be as adventurous as you want to be.

Technology can help, but only if used with a personal touch.

The internet, satellite navigation, mobile phones and email are great but create almost as many problems for travelers as they solve. For example..

How do you find the right information online when there’s so much rubbish out there and everyone is trying to sell you their particular brand of rubbish?
Satellite navigation devices are fantastic but you have to know where you're trying to get to and then take your chances that the route it recommends isn’t one through a dodgy part of town and happens to take in the most scenic route.
Mobile phones and email are indispensible, but you go on holiday to get away from them.

We exploit new technology that is very easy-to-use to ensure only the helpful bits are used and it enhances rather than intrudes on your holiday experience. We provide you with a world first in terms of services on-the-ground, a nifty handset that is:

A satellite navigation device with the latest maps. By following the screen instructions and voice directions, you can ensure that the getting there can be as enjoyable as the being there.
Pre-loaded with all your driving routes that we recommend. So we can ensure you avoid the wrong parts of town as well as taking in scenic routes and points of interest. Not all satellite navigation devices are the same. For example a normal GPS device will take you straight through a township if it is the quickest route from A to B. However we ensure you only take safe routes through towns.
A phone, as well as having email and internet access, so we can communicate with you and you can stay in touch with friends and family (including through Facebook and Twitter) at local call rates.
Pre-loaded with emergency service numbers on speed dial.
Set up with a panic button. When you press this, your location is sent to ourselves and our friends at eblockwatch. Their Travel Buddy Program swings into action - we can offer you expert advice immediately over the phone, call the emergency services on your behalf or we can activate their network of over 60,000 volunteers across South Africa to come and help you on the ground. Have a look at our unique approach to reducing the risk of crime happening to you.

You can’t beat honest, local advice. Get the ‘inside-track’.

We have extensive experience of travelling all over South Africa. You are allocated a dedicated local expert from the moment you land. At Satpack Travel we call them our “Fundis”. It is their job to help make your holiday as effortless and enjoyable as possible. Whether that is recommending a local wine, booking a restaurant, changing a booking based on a weather forecast or sending you information on local points of interest. If we don’t know the answer immediately, we will find it out.

We only recommend the places we have been to. If you need somewhere we haven’t been to, we will do our research and present some alternatives, but will never put our name to something we’re not proud to recommend.

All we ask of you is to tell us how we’re doing and give us feedback on your experiences.

Come. Explore with Us.