Experience Africa:Ethical Safari & Adventure Tours
Safari With Us
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $95 to $450 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
Exceeded my expectations!!!
From the very beginning,Andre Retif was awesome about communication, which took a lot of stress out of the equation in booking my five day safari with VIVA, which I can’t say enough good things about,—they were incredibly organized in getting everyone to where they needed to be—and at various times, etc. It takes incredibly organized people like Thandy and Pretty to manage all the various groups from all over the world.
Saw all the Big 5, and I’m so glad I extended my Safari by one day because that’s when I saw the elusive leopard and rhinos, which were on a private reserve, that I believe backs up to Kruger.
Also making it simple is the safari team from Viva picked me up from the Mariott hotel in Sandton in the morning and dropped me off there at the end of the week! It appears they can pickup any where in Joburg area. We even dropped off a couple at the Joburg Airport as they had a 7 pm flight home.
I went single, but it’s more cost effective if you have a travel partner.
I stayed in the basic lodge at Tresminia, which was great as it has AC and private shower and bathroom. Also a nice pool for between times, where you can take a nap on the lounge chairs. The AC is awesome after a long Safari in Kruger, slept very soundly, but the monkeys do something on the roofs at about 530-600 am, which is a natural alarm clock! The tree houses also has a pool, but the lodging looks a bit more rugged.
At Tresminia lodge, baboons were out to greet us the first evening. At breakfast the next morning , the wart hogs were out in full force and were foraging behind the fence and the breakfast patio.
I would recommend you try all the foods, including impala stew, all the food was delicious, can’t say there was a bad meal the entire week. The fresh fruits and vegetables are incredible and the mangoes and papayas rival what we have in Hawaii! The cooks really try to accommodate vegans and GF people, but they need to know way ahead of time, I felt bad so many Westerners had pretty picky diets. Best to go on safari with an open mind and try everything, it’s experiential right?
It’s a packed full week, but there’s enough down time to relax by the pool too. All the guides were great, but Elios (also known as smiley) for obvious reasons, and young Shannon and Andy are incredible with great first hand knowledge of the Bush, having grown up there near Kruger. Shannon is a fourth generation guide in her family, and Andy’s family owns a private reserve and is also so knowledgeable about the environment and its animals there. I really feel I just lucked out getting on this Safari as I booked it only two weeks before I spontaneously left the states.
If you want four star lodging, Viva does have a new upscale lodge, but I never saw it. If basic lodge is okay for you, Tresminia is just fine.
Heads up: please bring extra money for tipping your guide and drivers, they really depend and need it. Wages are still not great out there. Viva suggests 80 Rand for each guide, per activity, per person, but if it’s great, then I would suggest at least 100, which in US dollars that’s under ten dollars.
Another suggestion: bring the Off Deep Woods insect repellent sachets with Deet, if you’re prone to getting bit, which I am! I tried the natural repellent and it did nothing, thankfully I brought the OFF sachets and those worked. Also take Malaria pills, Andy our guide had Malaria earlier this year and he grew up here, and still ended up in hospital for weeks!
Overall, this was such a great experience and having just retired I can check it off the bucket list, but would still love to return on another safari!
CA
Email Nour | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Above and beyond expectations, highly recommended to all
Since the first day I contacted Safari with us, the service has been stellar. Andre replies thoroughly within a day and answers all questions/concerns. He was very accommodating as well, making last minute changes and getting us bookings in places that usually book up a year in advance. Andre made sure he understood what we wanted on this holiday and booked us in places that matched our expectations and personality. Andre also had the best rates, half the prices quoted elsewhere but the same quality! All our tours were private, accomodations were flawless as well.
Once we arrived, the service continued to be amazing. Everyone with met, Gavin, Etienne, Dakota, Kavi, the team at Nottens Sabi Sands went above and beyond our expectations. The entire trip was perfect. Andre called each provider to make sure things were going well.
I will definitely be doing business with Safari with Us again and have recommended highly to all my friends and family. If I could stress more how perfect the service was I would. Thank you Andre and your team for everything you’ve done for us on our dream safari!
BR
Email Debora | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best days in South Africa
The safari was so nice.
It was good days in our trip
The staff was very, very kind e the lodge was so nice: good beds, good food.
and, the best: we saw the big five.
I come back in love with South Africa.
US
Email Andy Nelson | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
On safari with the best
The entire experience with Safari With Us was incredibly smooth and rewarding. From the get-go, I did not need to worry about how the trip would play out as the Safari With Us team took care of everything. Upon arrival in Johannesburg, they took us under their wings and took care of every detail of the safari journey. I highly recommend Safari With Us for your next experience in South Africa and beyond.
US
Email Marc Verbruggen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very service oriented and everything (accomodation, transportation) turned out as promised.
Had a great experience with Safari With Us - on-line communication with them was great, before safari all our questions were promptly answered. On arrival, logistics were great and the accommodation was even better than anticipated. Throughout safari, the Safari With Us team was available to solve any issues and even after the safari helped out setting up some other activities. We will surely work with them again if/when we return to South Africa.
US
Email Clayton | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible.. it met every expectation we had for the adventure.
This trip, as with most people was on our bucket list, and it didn't disappoint, in fact it was better than we expected. Safari With Us was great to deal with and everything came as planned, Thanks Andre for all the recommendations. The Katekani Tented Lodge was better than we expected, the pictures on the web doesn't do it justice. It was clean, well kept and we went to bed each night listening to the lions talking to each other in the distance. The food was as good as any 5 start resort full breakfast and a 3 courses meal every night. Our safaris were extrememly successful as we ended up see all the big 5 in Kruger. Would like to give special thanks to Nico our guide from the katekani tent resort, friendly, knowledgeable and made the trip for us with the interaction we had. We had him on most of the safaris and he added to the fun and enjoyment.
highly recommended.
Email Chris | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A very well organised trip
Did a 3 day luxury safari trip to Pilanesberg and had the most fantastic time. Massive thanks to Andre who organised the whole trip for me, including the little extras. Communication was great and very friendly. All transfers and accommodation were arranged and we were very happy with it all. The safari itself was incredible, saw many animals on all the drives and the food and accommodation at Black Rhino lodge was very good. The last day we stopped by Sun City to have a look which was nice despite the rain. Would definitely go again on this trip
IL
Email Rinat | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The trip of a lifetime!
My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary and belated honeymoon in South Africa , and the first week was an exclusive safari in Kruger park and the surrounding area arranged by safari with us.
Wow!
From the first email correspondence with Andre until the last hug goodbye with Ettienne our skilled guide- we have only good things to say! Andre was very accommodating and helpful in arranging our trip and updating us right away with anything that came up. He advised us as to what package would suit our needs and answered all questions that came up in a very timely manner.
Ettienne was waiting for us when we landed in JNB and was our fearless leader, guide, driver and advisor throughout the trip. His fun attitude and wealth of knowledge in all things safari and Africa related were a huge plus to our trip. We got insider information on the most wonderful extra activities available near where we were staying and he even spent the time helping us plan the next leg of our journey (self driving down the garden route) so that we get the very most out of our time in this beautiful country. He made sure we were comfortable and happy throughout the trip and was a pleasure to have as a traveling companion throughout.
We would definitely recommend safari with us and Ettienne as a guide for any group, big or small. This company will take care of you , be straightforward about everything, tailor your trip to your needs, and will also be happy to help with anything else if they are able. 5 glowing stars to them!!
IL
Email Boris | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
That was great!
We did 7 days Botswana-Zimbabwe tour and that was great! Everything - communication, accommodation, meals and, the most importantly, game drives - was just terrific and highly efficient. This was not my first time is Southern Africa (I have been there four times already, so this tour was the fifth one), but I have never experiences this level of efficiency and professionalism. Thanks a lot!
CA
Email Bracelet of Hope Crew | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Thank you Ettiene and Safari With Us!
Our host, Ettiene was funny, informative and extremely helpful. He picked us up from OR Tambo, and drove us to our safari lodge, the Adventure Lodge, all the while pointing out interesting spots, discussing history and knowledge about South Africa. Our Adventure Lodge was quaint, beautiful and had delicious food. We did an evening and morning safari in Kruger National Park, and we saw all the animals you would want to see- lions, giraffes, zebras, elephants, monkeys, you name it! It was a great time. We were on a trip in Lesotho doing charitable work for two weeks in foster homes and this was a great way to end our travels. Very professional, very supportive. When I left my group, I travelled to Capetown for a couple days, and Ettiene recommended a tour guide and trip for me with a friend of his- it was fantastic!!! Great group of people, thank you so much!