Savannah Southern Safaris at Trade Show in Lusaka
Savannah Southern Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Member Of:
- ZTA, LTA & TourCert
- Tour Types:
- Short mid-range tours (½ to 3 days)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $25 to $250 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Dave & Jennifer Sutherland | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome guide, great tours & bird watching
In early March, we scheduled 3 activities with Savannah Southern Safaris: two half-day bird watching walks, and a half-day nature walk into Mosi-oa-Tunya with the possibility of seeing white rhinos (which we did - take the afternoon walk, since they know where the rhinos are from the morning!). Our guide, Chiinga, was perhaps the best guide we had during our 3 weeks in Africa. What made him so special was a deep passion for nature that went beyond his job - this guy is for real. He loves birds with his heart, and loves sharing and showing. He was funny, fun, and possesses an unusual balance of being relaxed yet intensely engaged with the wildlife. As a birdwatcher, I felt it was more like being out in the field with an expert friend than being on a guided activity. If you go birding with Chiinga, DO NOT MISS the Livingstone sewage treatment ponds. Doesn't sound like much, but it's a twitcher's paradise with species I never saw anywhere else. The only reason Savannah Southern doesn't get 5 ***** is the difficulty paying for the trip - their credit card reader doesn't work well, and we left Africa owing them $$ which we are still trying to figure out how to pay. You may need to pay cash for your trip. In our experience, it is well worth the effort.
Email Beth | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Close up with rhinos
We were staying in Zimbabwe at the Victoria Falls and Savannah Safaris came to the border station to pick us up and take us on this tour. They made us feel very safe and the three hours of walking in the bush passed quickly with sightings of buck and giraffes until we finally found a group of rhinos, including a mum and her calf. Fresh muffins by the Zambezi river at sunset finished the afternoon. We we're thrilled that they dropped us right back at the Zimbabwean border crossing as it was very dark at the end.
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Email Rene Tobin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A wonderful way to end out trip!
We went on the Rhino walk. Chinga was our guide. He was perfect for us! He was a true nature nerd:) He showed us all the little things you would miss on a bus or boat. Bugs, birds, plants, foot prints and poop. Of course we saw the Rhinos too! The armed guard with us was also very knowledgeable and the driver who picked us up and dropped us off was great as well. We saw so many animals in Zambia and Botswana. We were very lucky, but we had not seen any Zebra. I had hoped we would see them on the walk. We did not. I was so disappointed. Then we saw them on the drive out of the park! The driver pulled over for us to watch them and take photos. It was magical. We flew out that afternoon and had plenty of time.
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Email Victor Mutelekesha | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Walking Safari!
First, Savannah Southern Safari is owned and run by an incredible human in Chinga Siavwapa whose knowledge of ecology around Livingston is unmatched, the game rangers he works with are as passionate about the preservation of the incredible natural resources within the Mosi oa Tunya National Park making he and his team one of the most important teams tasked with making me enjoy mother nature, learn about her and make me understand why I need to care. I will for ever appreciate and remember my tour of Mosi oa Tunya National Park with Chinga Siavwapa!
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Email Darryl Caillouet | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Rhino Walk was one of the highlights of our vacation
My daughter & I spent 17 days in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe & Botswana. Going on the rhino walk with our guide Chiwele was one of the things we both enjoyed very much. I really liked being able to walk for hours across the open savannah instead of being in a vehicle or a boat. Naturally we were not able to get as close to the animals but I wouldn't have wanted to (especially the big herd of hundreds of Cape Buffalo & zebras). I liked the perspective and the slower pace. Chiwele was extremely knowledgeable about the plants and animals and we learned a lot. Seeing the rhinos at the end of the walk was a great ending to an already spectacular morning.
Email Darryl | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The guides were extremely professional and spoke fantastic English. Everything was like clockwork!
We booked a whole day with Savannah and we did not know what to expect in all honesty. Chinga kept us updated before the day and checked to see if there was anything we needed help with. They even made accommodation for one of our group's dietary requirements of not eating bread. We felt very at home the home time and they took an interest in us as individuals and got to know us as persons which was great. Emma who took us on the boat cruise was on her induction but got stuck in with talking to us to make sure the whole group were having a great time. This was above our expectations!
Email Colin. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Different perspective.
Savannah Southern Safaris provides a relaxed and informative walking tour through the eastern section of the Mosi-au-Tunya National Park in Zambia. Although the park is small we were able to view Impala, Buffalo and Rhino on foot and therefore a more natural perspective. The guides provided a well presented feast of information on the local vegetation, birdlife, the wildlife encountered and the spoor trails they leave. This Safari is well worth it for anyone who likes to experience the landscape on foot and learn about it along the way.
Email Jenny & Lew | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extremely informative, easy walk and very caring.
Our booking was made the day before and Chesmo (driver) and Chiwelli (guide) were prompt to pick us up at 5:45 am. They were both very friendly and enthusiastic to make our trip as informative and interesting as possible. Were were accompanied by another young American couple who were friendly and interesting. We picked up our armed guard at the gateway of the national park and headed off to sign our indemnity forms beside the Zambezi river as the sun rose over the African savannah behind us. We then took a short drive to our drop off where we headed off to find their dependant rhino's. Dependant because they rely heavily upon their 24 hr guards to keep them safe from poachers. Our guide and guard were in constant contact with the Rhino's carers and after a comfortable walk we found the rhino's quietly grazing; they were shortly joined by two other Rhino's. They were fascinating to watch as we listened to our guide and guard tell us of their history. The guard was also one of their carers and so had a very empathetic relationship almost as if they were his own children. This walk was finished off again down by the Zambezi river with tasty muffins and juice. It was well worth the time, money and effort. Excellent!
Email Mike | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A taste of the wild.
With only one full day in Livingstone, we wanted to try and pack in as much as we could - in addition to a visit to the Victoria Falls of course. We chose to go on a early morning walking tour with Savannah Southern Safaris with the hope of seeing at least some of the country's wildlife.
We were picked up early (6am) from our lodge and following one extra pickup from a nearby lodge we headed out for the very short drive to the start of our safari.
Our first sighting, as we looked across the Zambezi, was of two hippos calmly making their way along the river. We then started the walking part of the tour.
The guide was excellent with a real in depth knowledge of the plants, birds and animals that we encountered. We were accompanied by an armed guard just in case there were any unwelcome encounters but the guides were expert in getting us close enough to observe the wildlife without them getting disturbed by our group.
The trails were generally flat and the walking wasn't difficult, however stout shoes were definitely recommended for the two hours or so that we were out in the bush.
Our walking and patience paid off with sightings of Wildebeest, Zebras, Buffalo, Impala and a fantastic view of White Rhino. This was interspersed with various birds, facts about the trees and vegetation.
Overall we greatly enjoyed the safari and we saw more wildlife than I expected. For a touch of Zambian safari which fitted into a tight schedule this was perfect.