The Cedarberg Africa Story
From Fax Machines to Fly-Ins: 30 Years of Safari Magic
I’m Kate Bergh, co-founder of Cedarberg Africa (and head of the South Africa Office), and people often ask why we are in such an unusual, and beautiful, area of South Africa, and not Cape Town or Johannesburg?
The short answer? Love.
I grew up in the UK, but in my mid-twenties I fell for a young South African from the Cederberg mountains, 2 hours north of Cape Town. And so just before the first democratic elections in 1994 – a time of new beginnings for South Africa – I moved here. Having travelled extensively through Africa after university, I already had a deep love for the continent.
In 1995, I convinced my sister Ginny to join me in starting Cedarberg Africa. We had a shared vision: to make independent, tailor-made travel accessible in South Africa and Namibia—places where self-drive travel was possible, but not yet common.
We wanted our clients to have the freedom to explore at their own pace. But with the security of knowing your accommodation was booked and sorted.
30 Years. 16 Countries. Endless Safari Stories.
Fast-forward 30 years, and we now design handcrafted safaris to 16 countries across Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.
We’re still a hands-on family-run company. And we’re still passionate about creating trips around what you love.
But now we have a TEAM of 14, 9 friendly and dedicated safari planners supported by our product, marketing and finance crew. Their enthusiasm, expertise and passion for Africa has led to people travelling with us repeatedly.
What hasn’t changed:
It’s still personal
Every safari is shaped around the people travelling – whether it’s a self-drive escape to the Cape, a fly-in safari to Botswana, or a privately guided safari through East Africa.
We still believe in first-hand knowledge
We travel, inspect, compare and keep learning.
We still believe tourism can be a force for good
Safaris can support wildlife conservation, communities and rural livelihoods.
We have never believed in cookie-cutter safaris. No two travellers are quite the same — whether they are planning a honeymoon, a family safari, or a long-awaited return to Africa. Some are into food and wine, others into walking or scuba diving. Some want a round of golf thrown in; others are keen on trying out a horse-riding safari. We enjoy designing deeply personal trips for each client.
Interested in booking a Safari or Holiday?
Chat to one of our experienced consultants that’s here to help and guide you. We use our expertise to narrow down the choices and present feasible ideas, so you can relax and ENJOY the planning process! Contact us!Cedarberg Africa Story Milestones: Celebrating the Wild, the Wonderful, and the Personal
A Timeline
- 1995–1999: The Pioneering Boom Years
- 2000–2009: Growth, Tech & Challenges
- 2010–2019: Digital Shifts & Experience-Led Travel
- 2020–2023: Crisis, Resilience & Recovery
- 2024 & Beyond: AI, Sustainability & the Road Ahead
1995–1999: The Pioneering Boom Years
Cedarberg Africa began in 1995, with Kate in the Cederberg and Ginny in London, planning tailor-made holidays to South Africa and Namibia.
Before that time, most visitors to South Africa travelled on scheduled coach tours. We saw an opportunity to offer something different: independent self-drive holidays with carefully chosen accommodation, detailed route notes and the reassurance that everything was arranged in advance. We started with two destinations; South Africa and Namibia.
The idea took off. Clients loved the freedom to explore at their own pace, with the security of knowing the important details had been taken care of. Soon we were adding privately guided trips, expanding into selling to North America and Europe and added new destinations such as Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Tech & Marketing: Back then, everything was done by fax, expensive international phone calls and printed adverts in the Sunday papers. Every Monday, we waited eagerly for the phone to ring.
2000–2009: Growth, Tech & Challenges
Some of these years are somewhat of a blur to me. Not only did we have a rapidly growing business, but I was also a working mother of three. (Maternity leave is not a reality when you have a young business.)
The early 2000s brought more growth, a young family for me, more staff and plenty of change. We moved into our purpose-built offices in the Cederberg in 2002, where many of our South African team are still based today.
Our first website had already launched in 1998 — tiny images, a delightful creamy khaki background and all — but it felt revolutionary to us. Gradually, faxes gave way to email, printed brochures began to fade, and more enquiries started arriving through the website.
During this decade, we expanded further into selling East Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. The business grew steadily, though world events such as 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis reminded us how vulnerable travel can be to events far beyond our control.
Tech and Marketing: Early attempts at Google Ads, more website enquiries but clients still loved the feel of a printed brochure. However print advertising in newspapers died a death.
Download our Free Safari Planning Guide
20 pages of Useful Tips: Best time to Travel, Safari Costs, How to Get Around, Special Interests and more… Get our Free Guide2010–2019: Digital Shifts & Experience-Led Travel
FBy the 2010s, travel planning had changed dramatically. Online Travel Agents and booking platforms became far more powerful, and we had to work harder to explain what a specialist safari planner really adds.
One lesson became clear: clients were not paying more by using us. They were getting more: better advice, more thoughtful routing, trusted suppliers, and the confidence that their safari had been properly planned. (Looking back, our industry did not always communicate that clearly enough.)
This was also the decade when Africa travel became more varied and experience-led. Alongside classic safaris, clients wanted walking, food and wine, culture, art, history, horse riding, diving and soft adventure. That suited us perfectly, because the more personal the brief, the more valuable good advice becomes.
We also added more destinations, including Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia and Madagascar, and finally said goodbye to the printed brochure as the website and blog became central to how new clients found us.
Tech & Marketing: VOIP phone calls allowed us to more easily chat to clients at length, but first experiments with WFH (working from home) were mixed as we didn’t have the tech yet to fully engage as a team..
2020–2025: Crisis, Resilience & Recovery
Like every travel company, we were deeply tested by the Covid years. Our 25th anniversary celebrations were quietly shelved, and for a long time, travel stood still.
But after 25 years in business, we had the experience, loyal clients and committed team to weather the storm – though 2 years without significant revenue was hard. When travel returned, it came back with renewed energy. Clients were ready to explore again, with a renewed appreciation for the value of personal advice, careful planning and trusted support. And we were more grateful than ever to be doing what we love.
Tech & Marketing: Online digital itineraries, using videos in proposals and an online Client Portal with everything clients need for their trip are some of the innovations.
2026 & Beyond: Sustainability, AI & the Road Ahead
Today, Cedarberg Africa is over 30 years old. We are still owner-led, and still focused on creating personal, tailor-made safaris and holidays across Africa and the Indian Ocean.
We offer a hybrid working model to our team with some days in the office and some at home. Online meetings are the norm. And gratifyingly much of our business comes from repeat clients and referrals.
We have no plans to expand beyond Africa, though we have added the fascinating island of St Helena
Some things have changed enormously since 1995: how we communicate, how people research travel, how our digital itineraries are presented. And now how AI can support our work behind the scenes.
But the heart of Cedarberg Africa has stayed much the same: first-hand knowledge, thoughtful advice, personal service and a belief that travel in Africa should benefit both the traveller and the places they visit.
Our sustainability work is becoming more central to how we choose and present our partners. Many of the lodges and experiences we recommend play a vital role in conservation, community upliftment and protecting wild places for the future.
Three Decades, Thousands of Journeys, One Passion: Africa
We are excited about what comes next. But, in many ways, we are still doing what we set out to do in 1995: helping people discover Africa in a way that feels personal, rewarding and wonderfully memorable. Whilst supporting the places, wildlife and communities we cherish.
Kate and Ginny
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