Everyone deserves a chance to travel no matter where you come from, what your physical condition is, or how much you can afford to spend. I may be over-generalising but I assume everyone knows at least one person with some kind of disability, whether they are a family member, friend, or a someone in your neighbourhood.

There are a lot of general assumptions regarding those with handicaps, some of which people don’t even realise they’re doing until it’s pointed out to them, such as talking in a loud slow tone to someone who is blind (just because they can’t see doesn’t mean they can’t hear). With the multitude of travel options out there for able bodied folks, you probably don’t realise that there’s also a variety of travel options for those with handicaps or disabilities. As such, the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) is implementing the Universal Accessibility Grading Scheme and their grading levels currently range from Bronze (passable) to Platinum (exceptional).

With that in mind, here’s a list of some of the best travel and tour operators around South Africa, who cater specifically for those with some kind of special need. It’s important to remember that travellers who have vision or hearing impairments will have different requirements than those who have limited mobility.

• Endeavour Safaris is a good option for almost anyone with a disability. They cater for those who require regular kidney dialysis and oxygen tanks, those who want wheelchair accessible travel and they also offer visual and hearing impairment safaris. Some of the regions they visit include the Cape area, Botswana, the Garden Route and the Kruger National Park, with beach days and city tours scattered in between. According to their guestbook, Professor Stephen Hawkins has been one of their clients, and thoroughly enjoyed his trip with them.

• Rolling S.A is a reputable tour operator, with a variety of travel options available such as a nine-day African safari, a four day Garden Route tour, right through to a four day winelands tour in the Cape. They also list the accommodations they use which are wheelchair-friendly across South Africa.

• Epic Enabled is another established tour operator who caters for any and every kind of traveller. They do tours around South Africa, as well as Zambia and Namibia. Their safari transportation has a hydraulic passenger lift and a spacious interior, and they can also provide carers or qualified medical assistants for an additional fee and plenty of notice. They have their own blog where you can interact with them, read previous guests testimonials and more.

• Disabled Travel is a local website written by an occupational therapist, and rates and evaluates South African disabled facilities, such as accommodations, attractions and restaurants. This website also has a decent sized list of reputable tour and travel operators around the country, along with contact details.

Some online forums:

It’s always great when you find a community you fit in with, be it gaming, anime, sci-fi or hiking. For those who’ve thought of planning a trip but hesitate due to uncertainty, the below websites offer great travel forums. They’re filled with advice and queries from those who’ve been travelling or are planning their own travels, and you can interact with the members to find out more.

• Gimp on the Go promotes itself as the Internet’s Premier Disabilities Travel Publication, with travel tips, advice and forums where you can interact with other disabled travellers.

• Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH) provides information on disabled travel opportunities in South Africa, with several event reviews.

• World on Wheelz provides information and links to companies which specialise in senior travel, those who use walkers and those in wheelchairs.

Some interesting facts:

• Guide dogs are allowed on local South African flights, most notably Comair and SAA.
• Avis has a range of hand controlled vehicles on offer for those with disabilities.
• Annually in February, the Outeniqua wheelchair challenge takes place in George, with a full marathon, half marathon, fun run and 10 km run.
• Our constitution supports universal access to tourism attractions across South Africa.
• Mount Snow in Vermont gives those with mobility issues the opportunity to participate in skiing, via events organised by Ability Plus. Ability Plus also organises snowboarding, kayaking, cycling, waterskiing, swimming and equestrian activities.
• Sharm El Sheikh by the Red Sea in Egypt offers diving for disabled people in Naama Bay through Camel Dive Club & Hotel. They will help you plan your dive and assist during it.
• In Thailand, “Baan Khun Daeng” will help you arrange an elephant back tour to various temples in the area.

I hope this post has helped raise awareness for those who simply assumed handicapped people couldn’t enjoy travelling as much as an able bodied traveller. For those who are handicapped or those who’ve travelled with someone handicapped, we’d love it if you could share your story with us below in the comments, and add any agencies or operators you’ve used and would recommend to others.

Main image credited to Szymon Kochanski (Flickr)