Everybodies favourite guide, Trevor
Elephant Herd Tours & Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Member Of:
- SATSA & MISA
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $69 to $1,104 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
AT
Email Pia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Misleading and dishonest
I cannot recommend booking any Safari tours with Elephant Herd.
We booked 2 tours with them on two subsequent days. Since the weather was supposed to be awful in the early morning on the second day, we thus discussed with Brendon & Rene to shift our private tour to start a bit later that day. They agreed to re-arrange our tour, picked us up at 7:30 am (instead of 5:30 am) but then brought us back 2 hours before tour end!! Instead of a 6-hour tour we only got a 4-hour Safari! We never received any money back nor did they apologize for miscommunicating and misleading us
Reply from Elephant Herd Tours & Safaris
Posted on Oct 17, 2023
At around 19h00 on the evening after your first safari, we received a request from you, via the guesthouse, requesting a different guide for the second safari on the following day as you wanted another guide’s perspective of the Kruger. We advised that, due to the lateness of the request and the fact that it was peak season, we could not oblige as all our other guides were already booked for the following day. As is standard practise, when guests book multiple safaris we normally schedule the same guide for all their safaris. You then requested to cancel your booking for the following day due to the prediction of possible rains. We advised that we could cancel the safari but that 100% cancellation fees would apply, as is the industry norm. We had previously, in emails, provided you with the link to our website which has the Terms & Conditions very clearly stipulated.
Then, instead of cancelling, you instead requested a later pick-up time for the following morning - not wanting a 05h30 start but a 07h30 pick-up, to which we complied. Our guide was at your premises by 07h15 for the scheduled 07h30 pick-up however, you only boarded the vehicle at 07h50, thus you were 20 minutes late for the scheduled and requested pick-up time – a fact you omitted to mention. Your safari was originally booked for the morning time slot being 05h30 -11h30. Smiley, our guide, dropped you off at your accommodation venue 12h03. The fact that you requested a later pick-up does not automatically qualify you to extend the drop off time which was clearly your assumption, and never our commitment to you. The safari vehicle was already pre-booked for an afternoon safari, with other guests collection scheduled for 12h30, which we explained to you telephonically when you called from the vehicle complaining that the guide was going to be exiting the park.
During said telephonic conversation you demanded a 50% refund and threatened that should the refund not be forthcoming that you would write bad reviews on every possible review channel/social platform, which threat you are now clearly following through with even though we did advise the guide to continue with the safari for an additional half hour, thus the 12h03 drop off but he could not extend any later as we had a 12h30 guest collection.
99.5% of the approximate 800+ guests per month that book and participate in a safari with us, have only positive reviews on the trip review sheets that the guests complete on a daily basis as well as on the various social media and advertising platforms. Our reputation, dedication, attention to detail, guides’ knowledge and professionalism are all highly rated and the vast number of positive reviews, as well as the number of “return” guests, can attest to the fact.
IL
Email Zvi | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Pleasant to deal with the management, but the guide left something to be desired
Management was fine, price was reasonable. We had a half day safari; it was our first. The guide took extended breaks during the day and acted annoyed when we asked questions
US
Email Steve | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best possible safari experience
My friend and I contacted elephant herd to plan a 5 day safari trip with only about 4 weeks of notice. We specifically requested a quote from elephant herd because they limit occupants in the safari vehicle to 6. As it turns out this matters quite a bit in how easy it is to photograph animals and how quickly you can move through the park. If you’re considering a safari with greater than 6 I would advise against it.
Every human interaction I had from the time of requesting the quote was phenomenal. Brendon planned and arranged everything for us, including van transfers from JNB and back, and he gave us a taste of both Kruger National Park and a private reserve called Karongwe which is a few hours north of Hazyview. Brendon even took us to and from dinner both nights we were in Hazyview. Our safari experience in Kruger was perfect. We did a sunset safari on our first evening , followed by a full day safari the next day, and a super epic morning safari on our third day. We were fortunate enough to have Keegan as our guide on the 6 person full day safari. That was so enjoyable that we requested him as our guide for the morning safari with only my friend and I in the truck. So we basically ended up with a private safari for 5 hours, during which we saw all the big 5, plus a honey badger, plus a rare glimpse of wild dogs getting chased away from a kill by a lion! And this is during a time of year (November) when it’s typically more difficult to spot wildlife. Keegan has a wealth of knowledge about the animals and plants in Kruger which was both interesting and helpful in locating the animals we wanted to see. I would absolutely recommend Elephant Herd for safari bookings based on the quality of the safari experience and the high level of customer service. Many thanks to Brendon, Keegan, and Big Ray!
NL
Email Uwe | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent sundowner game drive
This was our third tour in three days with Elephant Herd…
First we had the panorama tour, then full day Kruger and finally the sundowner safari/game drive.
We had three different guides and with every day we had a better one, Smiley was the last guide and definitely the best of these three.
During the both game drives we saw the big five and lots of other animals more than once.
The guides explained a lot and drove the cars with elegance and safely.
What can be improved:
1.Full Kruger, second break: we were brought to a luxury hotel in Skukuza Safari Lodge - why not in the middle of the camp where more action was? At least the guides Elsa’s could have asked. Rest of the day was fantastic.
2. Panorama tour was nice but compared to the game drives too expensive, also our guide (cannot remember his name) wasn’t very communicative. The lunch location was again top.
All in all, we would do the game drives again with Elephant Herd Tours but would skip the panorama tour or would do it by ourselves.
NL
Email Haenen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just great
Great tour. We regret we only booked the half-day because it wasn’t tireing at all. Well worth the money though and the guide was great.
The fact we booked a private tour enhanced the experience.
Email John | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
First class from start to finish.
From the moment they picked us up at the airport to dropping us off a week later, this company was brilliant. Picked up exactly when you were told you would be and the driver/guides were so polite and knowledgeable. During the safari they went above and beyond and made our trip so much better than we expected. We saw the big 5, on our first safari and many more animals than we expected to. Commentary was great and we learned so much, not only about the animals and Kruger but about SA in general.
Even using them as transport to and from restaurants in the evening they were so attentive. Having the desk in reception also made it easy to talk to and find out things from the rep. If we ever go again we wouldn’t go past them.
BR
Email Jalmar Junior | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing Team, kind and extremely helpful.
We booked transfers and a Kruger safari. Everyone was very kind and punctual, always giving tips and explaining the culture!
DE
Email Jen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Elephant Herd provided a well-organized tour with a very friendly and helpful team
We recently had the pleasure of touring with Elephant Herd and were very happy with our experience. The team was incredibly responsive before and during the tour and answering all our questions and regularly checkin in to ensure everything was going smoothly. Our tour guides were very friendly and knowledgable and always on time. B. with his eagle-eyes spotted every animal close and distant making the Safaris a great experience! The accomodations provided were comfortable and very nice places. We can recommend Elephant Herd for anyone looking for a well-organized tour experience with the option of pre-arranged tours and the possibility to tailor activities to your own needs.
Email Cara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most amazing experience ever
The whole trip was organised to our needs and wants. Brendon and Bev made sure all our questions were answered and checked in throughout the trip. This reassured us as two females travelling to South Africa for the first time they made us feel safe. We were picked up by Bhekifa from Johannesburg, he was an amazing driver and very knowledgeable and had so much love for the animals when talking about them. Our tour guide on the morning Game was Trevor, he managed to find 4/5 animals of the big 5 within the first hour of our drive. He was so passionate and knowledgeable on all the animals and Kruger National park. The Accomodation we were provided exceeded our expectations. Zarafa was our first stop and absolutely breathtaking, so beautiful and the service from the staff and owner was so accomodating to our needs. Overall had the best time on our 5 day safari tour with the Elephant Herd Tours and Safaris and you should definitely book with this company.
BE
Email Roeland | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The perfect mix of expertise, customer orientedness and quality
Feedback to Bev Miller and colleagues : THANK you for the unforgettable experience you gave us with this magnificent travel arrangement. It will be a lifelong highlight for me as long as my brain will work properly.
A nice compliment to Trevor who helped the full day Kruger safari to become an unforgettable birthday.
Specifically to Bev : you are the BEST person who crossed our path during our wonderful South Africa trip. Hannah and I will always remember your friendliness and how your arrangements and efforts were targeted and did contribute to our joy of travelling through your country.
Feedback to Zarafa (if you want to pass it on) : very nice setting and environment.
Enough space, beautiful accomodation, coffee and tea available.
Barry was very welcoming and friendly.
We received a very nice breakfast and lunch box for the full day Kruger safari, very much appreciated.
Some minor attention points :
- I would have loved a table in the (spacious sleeping) room to sit at, and to arrange my papers and read
- I missed a good reading lamp at the bedside
- Several power sockets were not easily accessible
Feedback to Umkumbe River Lodge (if you want to pass it on) : nice and professional welcome by our guide Shannon who looked after us during our stay.
The 'Buffalo' lodge was big, nice and clean. Coffee and tea available.
The careful arrangement of the mosquito nets was appreciated.
The safari drives with Shannon were excellent (4 x leopard, pangolin !).
Good meals : lunch, BBQ diner and buffet breakfast.
Beautiful river view at the restaurant.
Some minor attention points regarding the lodge :
- The outside shower was difficult (temperature either too cold or too hot, balance was difficult)
- WiFi in the lodge would have been appreciated
- International power socket would have been nice