Test Match Tickets
Our packages include the all-important, guaranteed test match tickets in to the first two tests in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Find out more about your match tickets
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South Africa v England –1st & 2nd Tests – Impala + Safari
Package includes:
- Guaranteed Test Match Tickets to the first two Tests
- 21 nights' 4★ accommodation on a B&B basis (safari lodge is full-board)
- International flights
- Airport Transfers
- Exclusive Gullivers cricket evening
- Dedicated Gullivers Tour Manager escorting the tour group
- Gullivers Tour Merchandise
- Welcome Drinks & Tour Group Dinner
- Exclusive Christmas Dinner!
- Please contact us if you would like a quote from us for international flights from an alternative airline
Highlights
- Safari extension to the beautiful Pilanesburg National Park
- The first opportunity to travel to and be in South Africa for a red ball series since 2019/20!
- Get the inside scoop during the tour at our exclusive event
- Be part of a tour group with fellow England cricket fans
- See in the New Year in Sandton
- Optional add-on sightseeing opportunities to enhance your South Africa experience
- Unmatched Expertise & Destination Knowledge
Experience it live from
£5,999
per person
based on 2 sharing a room
single supplement +£1,249
secure with a 25% deposit
Need some help?
Whatever you need, one of our friendly and experienced team can help. Enquire online or just give us a call on:
01684 293175*
At a glance
4★ Accommodation
Follow the England side around South Africa with 17 nights' 4★ hotel accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis (safari lodge is full-board). This tour includes stays in Sandton and Pilanesberg.
Find out more about your hotels
Flights
Return international economy class flights from the UK to South Africa are included in your package. Business Class upgrades available +£2,199pp, Premium Economy upgrades available +£1,095pp.
Find out more about your flights
Safari Extension
Enjoy 4 fantastic nights' on Safari in the Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa's fourth largest National Park and home to the Big 5
Transfers in South Africa
Airport transfers by coach are included as well as any overland touring while in South Africa. Return stadium transfers by coach with your group are also included in your package.
Exclusive Gullivers Cricket Evening
A highlight of many a Gullivers trip, our popular Gullivers cricket evening will be back in South Africa. Past guests have included Jonathan Agnew, Phil Tufnell, Steven Finn, Sir Alastair Cook, Steve Harmison, Alec Stewart and many, many more. This is a fantastic opportunity to get a unique insight into the game.
Gullivers Tour Manager
To ensure you have the best possible experience on tour, you will have a dedicated Gullivers Tour Manager escorting your tour group in South Africa - our Tour Managers are knowledgeable cricket fans, supported by an on-site operations team and UK based office team that has vast experience of working in South Africa.
Tour Merchandise
Included in your package is some Gullivers merchandise to help you support the team in South Africa.
Optional Sightseeing Excursions
To ensure that you can enjoy and experience South Africa to its fullest, whether you are looking for adventure thrills or sampling local food and drink, we will have a range of optional excursions for you to add into your package so you are only paying for what you want!
Find out more about the optional excursions
The Cricket Experts
Gullivers Sports Travel have been touring to South Africa for many years. We have followed England around the globe for all formats of the game, from the T20 World Cup's in Australia and the West Indies, to the CWC in India, and of course the red ball side in New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and beyond. Our team are passionate cricket fans, experienced in travelling to cricket destinations with fans on escorted tours.
We know South Africa
Gullivers Sports Travel have been touring to South Africa for many years for supporters trips to major events such as The Lions, Summer Tours and of course following the England Cricket Team. This red ball tour promises to be our biggest and best yet. We’ve perfected the art of creating unforgettable, well-organized experiences for sports fans. Whilst it will have been 7 years since travelling England fans have been in the crowd for a red ball series in South Africa, we have been touring the country more recently, with trips for the white ball series in 2023 and the Welsh Summer Tour a year before that. We’re ready to make this series one for the history books.
Book with Confidence
Gullivers Sports Travel is fully ABTA bonded, and ATOL protected when flights are included. This offers you financial protection and means that you can relax and book your trip safe in the knowledge that your booking is fully protected with a reputable tour operator.
Full itinerary
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Day 1
Depart UK
Make your own way to the airport, check in/drop your bags off and make your way through customs. Once through customs make your way to the gate to board your flight to South Africa.
London Heathrow to Johannesburg
This will be an indirect flight via Frankfurt, Germany. Economy class flight from London included with upgrades available; Return Business Class upgrade +£2,199pp, Return Premium Economy upgrade +£1,095pp
- Departs:
- 16:30
- Arrives:
- 09:30 (+1)
- Airline:
- Lufthansa
-
Day 2
Arrive South Africa
Upon arrival into Johannesburg, after clearing customs and immigration, your Tour Manager will meet you in the airport to transfer the group to your hotel to check in for 17 nights on a bed and breakfast basis.
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Day 3
Day at Leisure
Enjoy a day at leisure.
Sandton is considered South Africa's economic powerhouse and there are many amenities in the area.
This evening the group will get together with the Tour Manager for Welcome Drinks. Get to know your tour group and tour manager, reminisce on past tours and trips and share the excitement of the upcoming series!
Welcome Drinks
Meet with your Tour Manager and the rest of your group and enjoy a drink together. It's a great chance to get to know each other and have a relaxed start to the tour.
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Day 4-8
1st Test - South Africa v England
The first test of the series! After breakfast, join the group and your tour manager on the coach for the short transfer to the stadium for the day's play. After play, the coach will bring you back to the hotel.
England will know how important the first test is in a three match series and will be looking to impose themselves on South Africa at The Wanderers.
In the evening, find yourself on Nelson Mandela Square - a vibrant piazza for dining and upscale restaurants.
The Wanderers - 1st Test
A return coach transfer is included for this test match
- Play Starts:
- 10:00
Gullivers Cricket Evening
On Friday night, enjoy the Gullivers Cricket Evening as we get together with friends from the cricketing world to hear the inside track on the England team, the series, and the game in general.
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Day 9-11
Days at Leisure
Three days at leisure to relax between test matches and explore Sandton and the wider Johannesburg area.
We would recommend a visit to the Apartheid Museum - the pre-eminent museum that deals with 20th century South Africa. Rosebank Mall is a good spot to do some shopping, and the botanical gardens are well worth a visit for some serenity.
We have a number of optional excursions available on these days - please see extra's tab for more details.
Optional Excursions Available
We have a number of additional excursions available to make your package truly the most memorable trip!
We have a great variety of leisure, educational and cultural excursions to personalise your trip to you! Relax by the sandy beaches at Sun City in the Valley of Waves waterpark, visit Constitution Hill and the Mandela House in Johannesburg or travel out to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cradle of Humankind where you can explore early evidence of human evolution at one of South Africa's most significant paleoanthropological site! To find out more information on our full list of optional excursions, visit the extras tab.
Please note, each excursion is a full-day activity and therefore please arrange to book onto one added excursion per day. -
Day 12
Christmas Day in South Africa
Join your fellow Gullivers clients for Christmas Day. All our escorted tour travellers come together for a festive yet informal celebration. Return transfers will be included. Indulge in a delicious lunch with live entertainment.
Christmas Day
Join Gullivers staff and fellow supporters at this exclusive event ahead of tomorrows Boxing Day Test against South Africa!
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Day 13-17
2nd Test - South Africa v England
Nothing beats test cricket on Boxing Day!
After breakfast, join the group and your tour manager on the coach for the transfer to the stadium for the day's play. After play, the coach will bring you back to the hotel. The journey time is approximately 35/40 minutes each way depending on traffic.
In the evening, find yourself on Nelson Mandela Square - a vibrant piazza for dining and upscale restaurants.
SuperSport Centurion Park - 2nd Test
A return coach transfer is included for this test match
- Play Starts:
- 10:00
-
Day 18
NYE
Enjoy an unforgettable New Year’s Eve in Sandton!
With its vibrant atmosphere and an incredible selection of top restaurants and stylish bars, Sandton offers endless ways to celebrate and welcome the new year in style. We will be putting on an event at an additional cost - more details to come soon!
New Year's Eve
We will be offering an exciting event for New Year's Eve - details coming soon!
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Day 19
Sandton to Pilanesberg
Check out of your hotel this morning and transfer to Pilanesberg for a 4 night stay. The journey is approximately 3 hours, depending on traffic, with plenty of opportunity to take in more of South Africa's beautiful scenery along the way.
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Day 20-22
Days at Leisure
Enjoy 3 full days at leisure on Safari!
Make the most of the twice daily game drives included in your stay in Pilanesberg National Park. Set in the root zone of an extinct volcano which provides some fascinating scenery, Pilanesberg National Park is home to Africa's Big 5 as well as scores of other flora and fauna. How many of these wonderful animals will you spot during your time on Safari?
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Day 23
Depart South Africa
Check out of your hotel this morning and transfer with the group to the airport to check in and clear security before boarding your flight back home. Upon arrival back into the UK, clear customs and make your own onward arrangements. We hope that you head home with some fantastic lasting memories and new friendships formed from a special trip to South Africa.
Johannesburg to London Heathrow
This is an indirect flight route via Frankfurt, Germany.
- Departs:
- 19:45
- Arrives:
- 08:45 (+1)
- Airline:
- Lufthansa
-
Day 24
Arrive UK
Upon arrival back into the UK, clear customs and make your own onward arrangements. We hope that you head home with some fantastic lasting memories and new friendships formed from a special trip to South Africa.
Tickets
1st Test - South Africa v England
Play Starts: 10:00
England have won their last two test matches at The Wanderers, most recently in January 2020 thanks to an outstanding perofrmance from Mark Wood, taking 9 wickets in the match including the key wicket of Quentin de Kock in both South African innings. The Wanderers is sometimes known as 'the bullring' due to it's intimidating atmosphere for away sides and has been host to a number of memorable test cricket moments. England fans will remember Mike Atherton batting for over 10 hours to save a test match in 1995.
- Tickets:
- TBC
- Venue:
- The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
- Capacity:
- 28,000
2nd Test - South Africa v England
Play Starts: 10:00
One of our favourite test match grounds, with a lush outfield and grass embankments, the pitch here is known for being a little quicker than others, which helped Jofra Archer take a third innings fifer the last time Engladn played a test here in 2019. England did go on to lose that match though, and don't have a particularly good record here. Their only win came in 2000 which was marred by the infamous Hanse Cronje match-fixing scandal, when both teams forfeited an innings to force a result in the face of rain delays. Cronje orchestrated this as he needed to force a result for the bookmakers. England will be hoping to rectify that record this winter.
- Tickets:
- TBC
- Venue:
- SuperSport Park Centurion, Pretoria
- Capacity:
- 20,000
Accommodation
Southern Sun Hyde Park Sandton, Hyde Park, Johannesburg
Situated in the heart of Johannesburg’s most exclusive suburbs, Southern Sun Hyde Park hotel offers guests the perfect blend of style, sophistication, relaxation, and elegance. The hotel’s en-suite rooms feature a range of amenities, including iPod docks, DVD players, mini bars, and in-room tea and coffee facilities. The hotel forms part of the Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre with a selection of shops and restaurants, making it a great base from which to enjoy time in Johannesburg exploring nearby attractions.
Features:
- Pool and Fitness Centre
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
We chose this hotel because:
- Directly connected to Hyde Park Corner mall
- Wide selection of bars in the hotel
Bakubung Bush Lodge, Pilanesberg National Park
Bakubung Bush Lodge is concealed within the rich expanses of the malaria-free Pilanesberg National Park - set in an area where the Big 5 roam, a mere 2 hour drive from Johannesburg. Bakubung, or “People of the Hippo”, offers you everything you need in regards to comfortable and luxury accommodation. With the bush just outside your window you will be able to relax and take in everything about the bush and the animals living around you.
Features:
- Fantastic amenities
- Game Drives included
- Please note children of all ages must be accompanied by an adult on game drives
We chose this hotel because:
- Full-board basis
- Game Drives included
- Stunning location in Pilanesburg National Park
Extras
Full Day Pilanesberg Safari - 22 Tuesday
+ £235pp
Home to the big 5.
Head out into one of the largest national parks in South Africa on a malaria-free guided open-vehicle game drive. Departing Sandton at 6:30am, board the coach shuttle from your hotel to Pilanesberg National Park. This incredible park, spanning 55 thousand hectares, is situated in a volcano crater that last erupted 1300 million years ago. It is home to the largest collection of animals indigenous to Southern Africa with over 7,000 animals, 360 bird species and more than 200 kilometers of roads.
Stop for lunch at the Pilanesberg Centre (included) after your first drive before heading out again for your afternoon safari. Some of the most beautiful scenery within the entire park can be captured in the Mankwe Dam region, where Wildebeest, Zebra and Impala make a stopover on the grassland bordering the dam.
You will head back to Sandton approximately around 15:45, arriving back by 18:00.
Please note: As this is a full-day activity, only one excursion can be booked per day. To make the most of your day, please plan for only one additional excursion per day.
Johannesburg City & Soweto Highlights Tour - 22 Tuesday
+ £135pp
A comprehensive cultural and historical experience featuring Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum (festive hours permitting), Vilakazi Street, and key Soweto landmarks.
Depart Sandton at 08:30am and head to the first stop, Constitution Hill, a former prison and military fort that has been turned into a very moving museum that tells the story of South Africa's journey to democracy. This package includes entry into Constitution Hill and the Apartheid Museum.
Stop for lunch (included) on Vilakazi Street, the only street in the word to have been home to two Nobel Peace Prize laureates: Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
In the afternoon, visit the Mandela House, the former home of Nelson Mandela before facing 27 years of incarceration. Today, it's a museum that has carefully preserved the legacy, presentation and heritage of President Nelson Mandela's home and life as a whole. The final stop on this tour is Hector Pieterson Memorial, dedicated to preserve the memory of the 12-year old who became a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement when he was killed by the police during a student protest during the 1976 Soweto uprisings.
You will return back to Sandton at 16:30.
Please note: As this is a full-day activity, only one excursion can be booked per day. To make the most of your day, please plan for only one additional excursion per day.
Sun City & Pilanesberg Safari Day Trip - 22 Tuesday
+ £205pp
Your action packed day starts at 06:30 when departing from Sandton and heading to Pilanesberg.
Head out into one of the largest national parks in South Africa on a 3 hour malaria-free guided open-vehicle game drive. This incredible park, spanning 55 thousand hectares, is situated in a volcano crater that last erupted 1300 million years ago. It is home to the largest collection of animals indigenous to Southern Africa with over 7,000 animals, 360 bird species and more than 200 kilometers of roads.
With the big 5 hopefully all ticked off the bucket list, join the coach transfer to Sun City. Included in this excursion is a day visitor pass for Sun City which also includes the Valley of Waves waterpark. Themed as an ancient, lost civilisation overgrown by jungle, this waterpark has something for everyone with sandy beaches, wave machines and a number of thrilling, adrenaline-hungry rides and tubing slides, including Temple of Courage with its almost 17 metre vertical drop!
Enjoy 3 and a half hours of free time in Sun City before departing at 16:15 and returning to Sandton by 18:30.
Please note: As this is a full-day activity, only one excursion can be booked per day. To make the most of your day, please plan for only one additional excursion per day.
Full Day Pilanesberg Safari - 23 Wednesday
+£235pp
Home to the big 5.
Head out into one of the largest national parks in South Africa on a malaria-free guided open-vehicle game drive. Departing Sandton at 6:30am, board the coach shuttle from your hotel to Pilanesberg National Park. This incredible park, spanning 55 thousand hectares, is situated in a volcano crater that last erupted 1300 million years ago. It is home to the largest collection of animals indigenous to Southern Africa with over 7,000 animals, 360 bird species and more than 200 kilometers of roads.
Stop for lunch at the Pilanesberg Centre (included) after your first drive before heading out again for your afternoon safari. Some of the most beautiful scenery within the entire park can be captured in the Mankwe Dam region, where Wildebeest, Zebra and Impala make a stopover on the grassland bordering the dam.
You will head back to Sandton approximately around 15:45, arriving back by 18:00.
Please note: As this is a full-day activity, only one excursion can be booked per day. To make the most of your day, please plan for only one additional excursion per day.
Lesedi Cultural Village Experience - 23 Wednesday
+ £125pp
An immersive cultural experience showcasing the traditions and heritage of South Africa’s five major cultural groups.
Depart Sandton at 10:00am, arriving at the Cultural Village tour for 11:30am. Lesedi Cultural Village is located in the heart of The Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This experience includes a guided tour of Lesedi's five cultural villages, Basotho, Ndebele, Pedi, Xhosa and Zulu. Experience a traditional dance and song performance where ancestral folklore and rituals are bought to life in spectacular fashion.
Sit down for an authentic African meal for lunch with your group.
You will return to Sandton at 16:30.
Please note: As this is a full-day activity, only one excursion can be booked per day. To make the most of your day, please plan for only one additional excursion per day.
Full Day Pilanesberg Safari - 24 Thursday
+£235pp
Home to the big 5.
Head out into one of the largest national parks in South Africa on a malaria-free guided open-vehicle game drive. Departing Sandton at 6:30am, board the coach shuttle from your hotel to Pilanesberg National Park. This incredible park, spanning 55 thousand hectares, is situated in a volcano crater that last erupted 1300 million years ago. It is home to the largest collection of animals indigenous to Southern Africa with over 7,000 animals, 360 bird species and more than 200 kilometers of roads.
Stop for lunch at the Pilanesberg Centre (included) after your first drive before heading out again for your afternoon safari. Some of the most beautiful scenery within the entire park can be captured in the Mankwe Dam region, where Wildebeest, Zebra and Impala make a stopover on the grassland bordering the dam.
You will head back to Sandton approximately around 15:45, arriving back by 18:00.
Please note: As this is a full-day activity, only one excursion can be booked per day. To make the most of your day, please plan for only one additional excursion per day.
Cradle of Humankind & Sterkfontein Caves - 24 Thursday
+ £110pp
Experience a trip to the Sterkfontein Caves and Maropeng, a premier paleoanthropological site, protecting over 950 hominid fossil specimens dating back 3 million years and part of the Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These famous limestone caves are renowned for their rich fossil deposits, including some of the most significant archaeological discoveries related to human evolution, such as the remains of "Little Foot" and "Mrs. Ples".
Depart Sandton at 08:30, arriving at Maropeng for 09:30. Take a couple hours to explore the impressive information centre and entertainment complex that guides you through the history of the human race since its very beginnings. The tour starts with a boat ride on a lake before entering the exhibition area that leads you through highlights of its evolutionary journey.
At 11:30, transfer to Sterkfontein to get a close up look at the caves geological history that spans 2.5-billion years. You will join an hour long tour of the cave as part of this package.
There's a chance to stop for a lunch (at your own cost) before departing Sterkfontein and returning back to Sandton for 15:30.
Please note: As this is a full-day activity, only one excursion can be booked per day. To make the most of your day, please plan for only one additional excursion per day.
South Africa v England –1st & 2nd Tests – Impala + Safari
Experience it live from
£5,999
per person; based on 2 sharing a room; single supplement +£1,249; secure with a 25% depositpp
