My love for nature started a couple of decades ago, not to mention miles away (from Johannesburg) in this tiny, village called kwaMagwanxa, in Hluhluwe, which stood a stone throw away from the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park. The advantages of growing up close to this infamous park meant that I was surrounded by lush mountains and the magnificent Hluhluwe dam. Needless to say, I loved to “blissfully” immerse myself in all that wonderful nature around me. And seeing animals on a daily basis was a major highlight for me. I was so intrigued by everything they did. I watched them for hours trying to understand their behaviour and learn their unique callings.
The second highlight (and perhaps the icing on the cake) was watching a boat full of tourists cruise around the dam. I guess seeing us was a highlight of their tour too, as they would often reach out for their cameras and start taking pictures of us, while we mindlessly went about our daily chore of heading cattle along the bank. Back then, we had no idea why they were travelling through our village. But we were still fascinated, nonetheless.
How I became a Tour guide
Years later, tourism in the area started developing and more villages were introduced to it. Surprisingly, tourists themselves became more interested in “interacting” with the villagers and would often visit local schools. Needless to say, for me, the novelty of seeing tourists soon wore off and I became more intrigued by what brought them there in the first place. That’s how I learnt about “tour guide”. That soon became my very first job. I delighted in taking tourists around the area and showing off our beautiful village.
Fast forward to adulthood, since my days of heading cattle, I have done intensive training to consolidate my passion and shape myself as a knowledgeable tour guide. In addition to training, I also decided to travel and explore our continent and see as much of Africa as possible.
How Southern tours started
It was during my travel that I came across “like-minded” travellers and we would sit and talk about our plans for improving the tour operating industry. That’s how Southern tours was born. We came into existence as a beacon of change in the tour operating industry but quite frankly, we are also a force to be reckoned with.
Why should visitors choose us?
We invite visitors to join any of our safaris and experience our tour guides. Having travelled extensively, we can proudly say that nobody tells stories like they do. Visitors are in for a real treat. Also:
- We have an intimate relationship with our customers and understand their unique needs and we have customized our tours to satisfy those needs.
- We stay abreast of new developments or trends in the tour operating industry and constantly offer our clients new and exciting adventures.
We provide our clients with authentic African adventure, not to mention an experience of a lifetime.