A Leading Kruger Park Safari Specialist
Shinzelle Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $427 to $1,098 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
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Email Jacqueline | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The agent to book a resort for guests
Overall, a 3-star experience with a 5-star cost.
• The toilet in the room doesn’t flush well.
• The bathroom light is white, which ruins the vibe. It should be yellow.
• One waiter doesn’t smile while serving. He also spilled red wine on the table without noticing it himself and couldn’t remember the dishes for a group of four. He’s not familiar with the drink list at all. A young waiter on a working holiday, who’s only been here for a week, knows it better than him.
• On a windy day, the waiters kept forgetting to close the door during dinner, even though two groups reminded them multiple times. This was awful and inconsiderate.
• The guide skipped the coffee on the morning safari without explanation. His hospitality changes when there are more white guests on the safari car, raising concerns about racism. Such differentiated treatment is completely unacceptable.
• The suggested tip is 450 ZAR for the guide and 450 ZAR for the villa staff per day, which guests are informed about upon arrival. This doesn’t feel right and isn’t a good practice for a luxury package. While tipping culture exists in the U.S. where employers often don’t pay a good base wage, when we’ve already spent tens of thousands of ZAR on a luxury package, the staff and guide should be paid well and shouldn’t expect tips.
It’s quite disappointing to find so many flaws every day when you’ve booked a luxury package.
Reply from Shinzelle Safaris
Posted on Sep 16, 2024Thank you for your feedback and for bringing your concerns to our attention. Even though your experience occurred at an affiliate property we partner with, we take your feedback seriously and will ensure it is passed on to the relevant parties for immediate action.
At Shinzelle Safaris, we strive to ensure that every aspect of your safari experience meets the high standards we set for ourselves, regardless of the accommodations or service providers we collaborate with. It is unfortunate that this particular property did not meet your expectations. We will address all your concerns with the property in question. Please see our feedback to each of your concerns below.
Room and Lighting Issues: It is regrettable that this did not meet your standards. We will share this feedback with the affiliate lodge so that they can address these specific issues.
Service at the Lodge: We understand how important it is for staff to be both attentive and professional. We will ensure this feedback is relayed to the property’s management to ensure further training and attention to detail is provided.
Safari Guide Conduct: The concerns about differentiated treatment during your safari are concerning to us. While the guide in question is employed by the affiliate lodge, we are committed to ensuring that every guest receives equal and respectful treatment. We will raise this issue with their management team for investigation.
Tipping Policy: We understand your frustration regarding the tipping policy. While tipping guidelines are set by the property, tipping is considered a form of gratuity and is not compulsory. We will communicate this feedback to them and review how gratuity information is shared to ensure guests feel comfortable and informed.
Please note that this experience does not reflect the standards of service we at Shinzelle Safaris aim to provide. We are committed to ensuring every guest has a flawless and memorable safari experience, the disappointment you encountered is regrettable.
We encourage you in the future to bring any concerns to our attention in real-time, through the open lines of communication you had with us via WhatsApp or email. Alternatively, addressing these issues directly with the lodge management on site would have allowed all parties the chance to resolve them immediately and improve your experience during your stay.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We hope that despite the setbacks, you were still able to enjoy certain aspects of your package, such as the unforgettable safari sightings, the tranquil natural surroundings, the delicious meals, and the luxurious accommodations at the lodge. We also trust that the smooth communication and seamless logistics provided by our company contributed positively to your overall experience.
BS
Email Nonny | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very upbeat, excited and friendly.
Truly a life changing experience! Far exceeded my expectations and I can’t wait to do this again! We were picked up on time every day. Our driver (s) were very knowledgeable and explained so much. I really learned a lot aside from seeing the beautiful wildlife and scenery. I would rate the safari experience a 10 out of 10!!!
Email Mark Williams | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect hosts who ensure you have the unforgettable experience possible.
From the moment of our first enquiry we felt we were totally looked after. The booking process was made easy and we were kept updated prior to our arrival. The bespoke App is fantastic!
On arrival nothing was too much trouble and our guide was one in a million ensuring above and beyond the call of duty that we saw all the animals. A truly service focused company.
BS
Email Mor242 | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A M A Z I N G !!!
Wonderful organization, Lodge, guides/drivers, the support of Danielle is absolutely stunning and the package (Lodge and Safaris) are at a very good price.
IE
Email Paul O'Connor | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Shinzelle Safaris were superb throughout.
Great safari experience, would repeat in a heartbeat
PE
Email Jorge | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience and helpfull all the way!
Me and some colleagues were travelling to Johannesburg for a working trip. Due to some last minute changes we had two free days and we wanted to make the most of them.
Luckily, we were able to spend two wonderful days with the help of Shinzelle Safaris.
They did a great job and were very helpful with us.
Having to book a 2 day tour in such short notice and getting great advice to make the most of these two days was what really showed me what a great team they have.
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Email Betty | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
We would book again with Shinzelle Safaris in a heartbeat
As I planned from home, i had so many concerns about our coming trip: would the airport shuttle be reliable? would our accommodations be comfortable? would we see any wildlife? From airport pick up to airport drop off, everything with Shinzelle was a well-oiled machine. Danielle was always available to answer questions and checked in with us frequently. Our stay at Khaya Ndlovu wildly exceeded our expectations.The lodge itself and its setting is dreamlike (think Out of Africa), meals were exceptional and the game preserve itself and our talented drive guide Sammy enabled us to see so much wildlife up close. Our two days in the Kruger park were also rich with animal encounters
MX
Email Karen Volke | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful services, extreme kindness and flexibility!
I definitely recommend Shinzelle Safaris!!
In the first place, we wanted a custom 6-days tour for our family, which Danielle from Shinzelle arranged exactly as we wanted at a good price. Unfortunately, part of our group missed a flight connection and arrived 3 days later than expected with a complete uncertainty about their luck day by day. Danielle was amazingly helpful, trying to set everything "in real time" so that all the scheduled activities would be squeezed in the remaining days and the unlucky ones could enjoy them all, while the rest of us were enjoying nice game drives as planned.
In addition, the quality of all the provided services in the package was awesome. The lodge in which we were accommodated was just fantastic (African Rock Lodge), the guides and drivers (Jeffrey, Vincent, Sibu) were extremely nice, kind and helpful. Thanks to all of you guys, you made our experience great in spite of the mishap!
Email Isadora Brandao | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Even better than we expected
Danielle has literally made my dream come true.
I have always wanted to go on a Safari and we finally had money to do so I started looking online.
I came across Shinzelle here on SafariBookings and they had some great reviews so we went for it.
As this was my first time booking a holiday package online as well as my fist safari, a small part of me was really worried to be scammed. Luckily I was very very wrong! :)
Danielle was super responsive any time I had a question, she sent us an app which had the itinerary and a countdown to our holiday.
We were picked up on time from the airport to to taken to our lodge in Hoedspruit, our drive was very friendly and did a couple of stops on the way there.
The lodge we stay was simply fantastic! The staff was once again, so friendly, the room were beautiful, spacious and clean, the food served in the restaurant was of the best quality and the views from the hotel deck is just breathtaking!
All our meals, game drivers and other activities were all booked and delivered in time. Our guides and drivers had so much knowledge and love for the animals, they made the drivers in better. Let alone all the wild life we saw everywhere.
I was slightly concerned we wouldn't see much as we only did 4 days worth of game drivers, but first, just the fact I was there, in the open car, seeing the nature and the views were already worth the trip, but secondly, wild life is everywhere if you appreciate the smalls things. We saw so many different birds, antelopes, waterbuck, warthog as well as elephants, lions and lionesses, cheetas, white rhinos and giraffes.
I would totally recommend Shinzelle, our lodge Khaya Ndlovu and obviously South Africa as a destination. We honestly had the best time.
Email Shannon | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organised and reliable, Shinzelle gave us a great safari!
The organisation and communication from Shinzelle prior to our trip was excellent. Our guide Jeffery was waiting for us at the airport as arranged. There followed three days of incredible wildlife sightings, thanks to Jeffery's wealth of experience and knowledge of Kruger. Highly recommend.
