A Safari That Never Asks You to Leave Your Chair Behind

Ask most travelers with a disability what tops their travel bucket list, and a safari is rarely far from the top. Ask them why they haven’t gone, and the answers are just as predictable: the vehicles, the transfers, the bathrooms, the long distances between locations. A safari can sometimes feel like the trip that accessibility forgot.

We started Access2Africa Safaris because we refused to accept that. Since 2007, we’ve been bringing the safari to travelers the industry left behind — and we’d love to bring it to you.

Where we’ll take you

We’re based in Hluhluwe, in the heart of KwaZulu-Natal’s Zululand — about ten kilometres from the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Reserve, home of the Big Five and the park famous for saving the white rhino. Our signature trips are seven- to twelve-day accessible safaris through KwaZulu-Natal from Durban, and to Kruger and Eswatini from Johannesburg, with day tours that range from elephant interactions and a cheetah rehabilitation centre to hot air ballooning and whale watching.

Then there’s Cape Vidal. After your morning drive, our floating beach wheelchair takes you straight into the warm Indian Ocean surf — with turtles and whales sometimes in view. An ocean swim and a Big Five sighting in the same day, chair and all, is the kind of thing many of our guests spent years being told wasn’t possible.

Arriving by sea? We also run accessible shore excursions from Richards Bay and Durban into Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and a Zulu cultural village.

What ten days with us looks like

Here’s our classic 10-day KwaZulu-Natal safari, so you can picture it properly:

• Days 1–2: Durban. A warm welcome at the airport and a transfer to your 4-star hotel in Umhlanga, near the warm Indian Ocean. Then a full day at uShaka Marine World — accessible beach wheelchairs and mats, shark feeding, dolphin, penguin and seal shows, and accessible snorkelling in ponds home to over 5,000 fish.
• Days 3–6: Hluhluwe. Into the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the Hluhluwe Reserve, staying at Leopard Walk Lodge in chalets with private outdoor Jacuzzis. Extended ranger-guided safari drives — black rhino, nyala, kudu, hippo and remarkable birdlife — plus a traditional Zulu village with energetic Zulu dancing, an elephant interaction, and the Cat and Cheetah Rehabilitation Centre.
• Days 7–9: St Lucia. A safari boat trip among hippos and crocodiles in a village surrounded by five distinct ecosystems, local markets and wild beaches, a safari drive at Cape Vidal, and the Crocodile Sanctuary and museum. Nights at a 4-star guest house.
• Day 10: Transfer back to Durban airport — already planning your return, if our guests are anything to go by.

The details that make it work

• No forced transfers. You travel in our ramped van or hydraulic-lift bus with wheelchair tie-downs and air conditioning — you stay in your own chair the whole way.
• Accessibility beyond mobility. Our tours are designed for deaf and blind travelers too, not only wheelchair users.
• Families welcome. Accessible family lodging includes interlinking rooms for parents, children and carers, plus beach mats, accessible snorkeling and boat safaris with hippos, crocs and fish eagles.
• One guide, start to finish. We meet you at King Shaka Airport, and the same guide stays with you for your entire trip — guides who, in our guests’ words, know how to assist without taking over.
• Malaria-free options. Our itineraries include malaria-free routes, removing one more barrier for travelers managing medication interactions or compromised immunity.

The wild is waiting

South Africa is one of the most diverse and enchanting countries in the world, and everyone deserves to experience it — its landscapes, wildlife, people, and history. Whether you’re a wheelchair user, deaf, blind, traveling with family, or simply want a tour run by people who sweat the details, we’ll make sure your visit to our rainbow nation is one you never forget.

If a safari is on your someday list, this is your sign to move it up. Reach us at info@access2africasafaris.com, or send us a booking enquiry right here on the site — and let’s start planning.

The wild has never been the barrier. The way you were taken there was. Let us show you the difference.