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Close Encounters is a family-run tour operator which specializes in small group, personalized, budget-conscious trips to Africa. Most of our tours take place within South Africa, allowing us to showcase the magnificence of this "world in one country". All of our trips are accompanied by knowledgeable local guides (3 of which are part of the family) and the size of each group is limited to 8 persons, offering an intimate experience that would be difficult to find anywhere else. We have been operating since 1998, and have successfully completed many tours with hundreds of happy guests.

Come and have fun with us - you will not be disappointed!

Close Encounters truly cares about the wildlife of Africa. We hold a number of fundraising events every year, and all of the proceeds are donated to conservation. In addition, $50 out of every booking is added to this fund. Our primary beneficiary is Rhino Revolution - click on the image below to find out more: -

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Latest News - April 2021

Greetings from South Africa! The weather is perfect at this time of the year - warm days and cool nights, and just the occasional thunderstorm to break the monotony. It is starting to get a bit colder (we have already had our first snowfall on the Drakensberg Mountains), but it really is the best time of the year to be out and about in the wild blue yonder!

It is now exactly 12 months since the first lockdown restrictions were imposed in South Africa because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it feels much longer than that. It is has been a year of extreme ups and downs, drama, heartache and hardship, but most of us ...

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