Barbara and Peter Plebankiewicz - owners
Safpol Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1997)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $190 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Eva | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
It is the best tour operator I had been experiened.
The communications, service, living up excellent, above my expectations. Safari tour very interesting and full of excitements.
Tour guide with great knowledge. The best selection of the most interesting places in South Africa. I fully recommend Safpol service to everyone.
US
Email Mark Maxey | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We had a personalized experience of a lifetime in beautiful southern Africa.
My son (18) and I just completed making a lifetime of memories thanks to Safpol. With a few tweaks, we were treated to a reasonably priced private tour of southern Africa. We had 3 distinct guides for the 3 regions we visited. They were awesome! They drove us everywhere, knew our schedules and preferences, knew the optimal times to arrive, kept us on schedule, and talked extensively about the local history and culture. We were always treated like VIPs. They were our advocates at every location even looking out for my son’s dairy allergy.
We were blessed to be able to have dinner with Barbara and Pieter (the owners). We ate at a "carnivore" restaurant feasting on crocodile, Kudu, pork, chicken and more. The food was good and the conversation even better.
While South Africa is cheap compared to the US dollar, Zimbabwe is expensive. Be careful up upselling once you arrive in Zimbabwe. It will seem all the more expensive compared to South Africa which (at this time) is cheap compared to the U.S.
DE
Email Peter | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent trip!
I cannot rate this company enough!!! Our trip included South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The vehicles were comfy and the guides very knowledgeable. We didn't have one bad experience and we would 100% use them again. Highly recommended for people like us with no idea of where to start – the office helped us to build perfect itinerary, had brilliant suggestions and gave lots of priceless advises. Don’t hesitate to book with Safpol, you won't be disappointed!
PL
Email Wiesia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great tour to amazing and beautiful places in South Africa
I am very happy that I was able to take part in this trip to South Africa in November 2018. I was delighted with Cape Town, Stellenbosch wine land and Kruger Park. The trip plan and service during the trip was very good. Mrs. Mariola, very interestingly told about history and life in South Africa. Hotels and food during the trip were on a very good standard. That's why I rate a trip to 5.
PL
Email Jola | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was amazing experience as everything was organized on a high level
I returned very happy and satisfied after a tour in November 2018. Ms Danuta lead the tour through majestic Cape Town and most beautiful surroundings with great enthusiasm. We truly enjoyed wonderful places such as Cape Of Good Hope, Stellenbosch winelands. Ms. Mariola shared her great knowledge and showed us the rest of the other remaining attractions.
We were really impressed by Kruger Park Reserve. The hotels in which we stayed were superb with wifi available. The meals were excellent. One thing to make note of is the drive through Swaziland, we spent most of the day on the bus. Maybe it would be worth rearrange this day somehow to utylize the time better
Generally I give rating 5 for this tour. My foto story with regards to the whole trip may be found on www.trip4cheap.pl entitled Panorama Africa or Touring RSA.
US
Email Alfred Msezane | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Peer into Nature's Wonders in Seven Days
The organization and execution of the wonderful venture was excellent. The service and living conditions at the various places as well as the abundance of a spectrum of animals was beyond my expectation of a seven day safari. For those who simply want an exposure to nature at its best in seven days, I strongly recommend this Safari by Safpol Safaris. Wonderful was the professionalism of the owner----Within two days of our first communication with him (we did not have time on our side), he had every thing communicated clearly in writing. And he followed the commitment to the letter of the law! Indeed, it was a wonderful peek into nature's dynamics in seven days.
PL
Email Bartekd | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safpol Safaris offers services at the highest level and that's why I recommend them.
I used their services four times (South Africa with Botswana and Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Seycheles, Mauritius).Preparation of the program and fine tuning of all details took place very smoothly.Barbara and Peter are the best guides I have ever met.
US
Email KC | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb....and a few suggestions
Safpol came highly-recommended by friend of mine who took a customized tour of S. Africa, Zimbabwe/Victoria Falls and day trip of Chobe last year. Basia Combrinck worked tirelessly with us for weeks via email to put together our itinerary (3 nts in Cape Town, 2 nts in Kruger, 1 nt at Tshukudu Private Game Reserve, 2 nts in Johannesburg, 2 nts in Victoria Falls [day trip to Chobe] and 1 nt in Hwange). Basia was responsive and accommodating. She suggested that we move our travel dates forward one day to take advantage of lower domestic airfares. This worked well with our international airfares too, so good call from Basia! One thing to note: I had previously used foreign travel agencies (in Asia) which did not charge credit card fees, so I was taken by surprise when it came time to pay Safpol and was told I had to cover the extra 4% VISA card fee (4.5% for AMEX). I had also gotten a different visa card with the sole intention of taking advantage of its free travel insurance... When it's all said and done, I ended up paying Safpol via bank wire transfer and buying separate travel insurance. It would have been helpful if the cc fee was disclosed upfront.
The safari tour most definitely met all our expectations: our private tour guides (Warren Tilling in Cape Town and Per Larsen in Kruger, Tshukudu and Johannesburg) were knowledgeable, friendly and caring. We learned a lot about not just the tourist sites, but also the people, history, current affairs and etc.. Prior to our trip, I had (in hindsight, unnecessarily) worked my anxiety up via internet searches and was quite apprehensive about S. Africa, esp. Johannesburg and Kruger. Per Larsen took such good care of us that we always felt safe. The best part of our 2-nt in Johannesburg was that we did get to visit Soweto and even Cyrildene(our special request). We saw all the Big 5...which we were told, had a lot to do with luck. If we had to go it again, I'd definitely add one extra night in Cape Town to give ourselves time to recover from our long flight from NYC (19 hrs incl. transit at JNB and flight times) . Even though safari tours weren't not on our Cape Town agenda, the city and surroundings had a lot to offer...we actually didn't get to visit a couple of tourist spots such as Greenmarket Square and Signal Hill due to weather and (ofc) our action-packed schedule.
In terms of accommodations, we loved the Lagoon Beach location, except when we had noisy neighbors one night and found ourselves unsure whom to contact ...as there's no actual front desk (security guards were on site). Luckily, neighbors did quiet down eventually.
Kruger Park Lounge was spacious, clean and very comfortable. There was, however, slight confusion with whether we got breakfast on date of our departure (though it was stated as included in our itin.). I went to the front desk to have it straightened out and yes, we did get our included breakfast.
In general, we found food prices in S. Africa very reasonable and food very good.
The one damper on our trip was the theft of an old mobile phone (used as backup) from our son's suitcase en-route from CPT to JNB. Our 2 bigger and heavier suitcases made their way out onto baggage claim sooner than son's lighter midsize suitcase. The Masterlock (combination) lock and luggage strap were gone. Phone was removed but phone case was left, so son didn't realize phone was stolen til a couple of days later. ....Along the same vein, even though South Africa Airways will book you on their domestic connection from JNB to CPT within 2 hours after your international flight arrival (ours from JFK), do NOT be tempted. We RUSHED the whole time: through immigration(40-50 people line), extra time for baggage, and a shock to us: the 'fast bag drop re-check desk' still had a 10+ people line (we had our bags through-checked to CPT).....then 20-30 people security line at the domestic terminal.......we had to plead our ways through all these lines and relied on kindness of fellow passengers and security personnel. It's a journey in itself which I vow never to repeat! (Basia did warn us about the tight transit....live-and-learn...sigh)
Our 3 day visit to Zimbabwe was also arranged by Safpol but run by ShearWater Victoria Falls. Our guide Dingee was as well-informed and detail-oriented as our two guides in S. Africa. As happened to my friends during their 2017 visit, there was again confusion wrt airport transfer on the last day. Luckily, Dingee called the ShearWater office and made last-minute arrangements to accompany us to Hwange Safari Lodge for the day and take us to VFA the following morning. Accommodation-wise, the two hotels in Zimbabwe (Rainbow Hotel in Victoria Falls and Hwange Safari Lodge in Hwange) were definitely a step-down from what we had in S. Africa. Both looked outdated and somewhat worn. I'd definitely look for alternative in Victoria Falls given the vast number of options. Hwange Safari Lodge looked very promising as it abuts Hwange National Park. You can see wildlife visiting the watering hole from our room windows. We arrived on a hot afternoon (90's) after a 2-hr drive. Flying insects everywhere: ladies room in the lobby, the restaurant where we had our late lunch, and our rooms. Somehow very few bugs were found in the same restaurant during dinner and breakfast the following morning. So I'm praying/hoping that hotel management could do something more about the 'bug' situation, as it would be a shame given how beautiful the hotel ground is.
Despite minor hiccups, the trip was very worthwhile. Thank you Basia, Warren, Per and Dingee for making our trip to Africa most memorable.
US
Email Amanda Chenault | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bogdan was the backbone of our trip! Incredibly knowledgable, fun and a true delight!
The tour through Swaziland to Durban was a bore. Otherwise, the package was well worth every cent spent. Memories of a lifetime!
CA
Email Marek Adamski | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extraordinary and excellent!!!!!
Service like that will bring us to Africa again! Thank you Safpol Safaris