A team of specialised detectives are on the hunt for a gang of heavily armed robbers who attacked nine tourists in Limpopo.

The attack occurred at a holiday house on a smallholding in Phalaborwa on Thursday night.

Three men, armed with handguns, held up the tourists, robbing them of 10 cellphones, a laptop, jewellery and over R5,000 in cash.

Police have declined to reveal the nationalities or identities of the tourists who returned to their home countries on Friday.

Police spokesperson Brig Vish Naidoo said in a statement the suspects escaped in the tourists’ rented Mercedes-Benz, which was later found abandoned in bushes 10km from the smallholding.

He said earlier this month the police and tourism ministries signed a memorandum of understanding to deal decisively with crime against tourists, which included increased police visibility in hotspot areas and training tourist monitors as police reservists.

Anyone with information on the suspects identity can contract Crime Stop on 086 00 10111.