Sunway Safaris

Exceeded expectations: organized, knowledgeable, fun and that's just the guides

The Botswana Wild Parks accommodated photo safari offered and delivered on everything we'd hoped for from a first visit to South Africa. True, we didn't see rhino but who can blame them from hiding in the bush? Keeping the group to a manageable size (12 max) meant we all got to know each other and luckily, enjoyed each other's company. Jacques, though young, is very knowledgeable and passionate about wildlife and quite a good organizer. Simba exudes such warmth, kindness, good humor and life-loving spirit that he was a joy to be with. At Moremi, the local guide, Moses, is an absolute treasure. Not only does he have deep, deep knowledge about the birds and animals, he's a fantastic driver, and was willing to share about the culture and economics of eco-tourism as well. On the search for lions, on our last day in Moremi, with the trailer carrying our gear and bags already attached to the 4-wheel drive vehicle, he sighted a lioness and then drove off road to follow her into the bush. We all got National Geographic worthy photos of this gorgeous animal when she finally stopped moving because we were only 2-3 meters from her. The food was delicious and the varied accommodations were part of the adventure. Our favorite was Hyena Pan where we could watch elephants and giraffes and other creatures right from the deck. All in all, a memorable and enjoyable vacation. We would recommend Sunway Safaris to others and would book with them again.

what more could you ask for?!

What can I say?....if you're reading this in contemplation of going away with Sunway...all I can say is stop contemplating, and book!!

I did the Rainbow Route with 9 others plus our guides Wayne and Mosses
The organisation is fantastic- Wayne and Mosses are true masters in co-ordinating our tour, taking us to stunning places, providing outstanding food, knowing so so much about the wildlife/areas/people we saw (quite incredible)....and being such vibrant characters- they were duly held on a pedalstal by the end of the trip :)

The accommodation was brilliant- very characterful places, often boutique-style. The vast majority was great for cleanliness and facilities, but please remember the places are c. 3 star, some slightly more basic....if you want 5star, this isn't the tour for you.

If you want to embrace adventure, where there are no guarantees (to coin a phrase from the guides!) ...you'll love this trip!

A wonderful experience

A trip to Africa for most is probably just a dream and maybe one taken with a degree of trepidation . But this trip certainly allayed any concerns. We have done a fair bit of travelling in the last number of years and must say this one was one out of the box. Our guide Chris Z was amazing. He made everyone feel at home, he was interested in all his passengers and did everything to make our trip memorable. His offsider, Matthew, who is learning the game, was also great to travel with.
The places we visited, the things we saw, the variety offered and of course the animals we saw - difficult to explain how fantastic these were. It's hard to imagine camping out in the Okavango Delta and having the campsite surrounded by elephants- but it happened and it was all very exciting!
The places we stayed in varied in quality, depending where we were, but overall were great - all were clean and friendly and some very flash! Food was good, especially the 'home cooked' meals. We were lucky, we had a great group of people who all got on well and who were all willing to dig in, get involved, help out and enjoy the experiences offered!
A trip is what you make it. There was a lot of distance covered but that is necessary to get anywhere ! Our trip took us from Capetown, to Namibia, Botswana and finally Victoria Falls. A wonderful trip which we will never forget. We would recommend Sunway Safaris any time! Well done.

Highly recommend, an unbelieve experience

We have recently returned from a wonderful 21 day Sunway Safari from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, August 2015. It was the most amazing adventure we have had in our travels around the world. We were on the accommodated tour and the accommodation was always clean and comfortable and in some amazing scenic spots. Although the first night was at the Sweet Lemon Guest House and we were separated from our group as they were in another guest house, we would have preferred to be together in one location for our first night.
Our guide Chris Z was an expert guide, driver and cook. The food was so delicious and healthy and we all joined in with the preparation of the meals. We would even rate the food better than some of the restaurant meals we had. Chris was such fun to be with and his planning was amazing, he gave us a timetable each day but we did not feel rushed at all. He was so knowledgeable and answered all our never ending questions about the country, animals etc. We were so fortunate to see so many animals and birds and loved watching the animals in Etosha and Chobe National Parks and even saw a large number of animals while driving on the roads. The highlight of our trip would be the elephants coming close to our camp at the Okavango Delta. The most memorable occasion was all the polers singing Beautiful Africa on our return from the Delta. Chris always engaged the locals and we had all the polers in the area singing for us. It was just unbelievable. Chris always ensured that our needs were met even going out of his way to arrange an airport transfer at the best price.
Matthew our trainee guide was very knowledgeable on the regions we visited, animals and birds. We were always putting questions to him. He was fun to be with and had some great jokes. He loved his country and enjoyed telling us about and his experiences.
Overall, the Sunway Safari was one of our best travel experiences ever. We highly recommend Sunway Safaris to anyone who is organising a safari in Southern Africa

highly recommended

this is the second time I have done a safari holiday in africa and the first time with sunway. I was certainly not disappointed and infact the holiday and accommodaion were far better than I had expected. I did a 2wk 'beach and bush' from johannesburg through swaziland and mozambique. the tour was very well organised, guides farai and william highly knowledgeable on all our questions, either flora or faune, and did their jobs very professionally. the tour included 3 nights in several places, a welcome break from the long days in the truck, which obviously was a big part of the trip. we did several safaris in a couple of parks, and saw loads. the food on the tour was top quality and rarely convenience foods, lunches often picnics on the road sides and dinners usually a fabulous meal around the camp fire. the 'permanent tents' were far from being tents, all with very good sanitary and hot water, and the places we stayed one night in were more 4* than basic. the programme, although it included thousands of kms and long travelling days was...excellent. I think the entire group would agree that there was nothing we would have changed in hindsight. well done to the guides and organisers

From the mighty Vic Falls to the dunes of the Namib and the Okavango Delta -a superb tour

We have had the most amazing trip that lived up to all expectations and exceeded them. The service provided by Greg and Dee, our guides, was superb; from the food to driving and most of all their experience and sharing of their love and knowledge of Africa. All the communications before the trip were spot on, and during the trip we were looked after perfectly so that the distances covered and array of activities laid on seemed effortless and relaxed. The weather was great (June) with sunshine days and heat and we had been given all the advice on clothes for cooler evenings and mornings so were perfectly prepared- all the information you need is in the itinerary - we just did take more than we needed! Would highly recommend Sunway and this tour to anyone wanting to see a beautiful part of Africa on an accomodated tour.

It was a time that my husband and I will never forget

My husband and I did a 14 day camping safari with our guide ;Jonathan Clements and Ende. We had the best time,they gave us an experience that we will never forget. All the way from the animals, birds that we saw, to the camping experience, great food,education of the country. If you want to do a safari- request these 2 gentlemen. They were the best.

Well organised, great guides from Sunway and hooked us up with fantastic local guides, in the Delta and elsewhere (Oliver our game guide in Moremi, Savuti and Chobe was truly excellent!).

Sunways offers great safari’s at affordable prices

Botswana-Zimbabwe game trail ZB16
What an awesome 16 day adventure I had with Marcus as our guide and Succeed as our driver. There were only 6 tourists and we all got on so well. The food was outstanding, the wild life mind blowing and the locations exceptional. There were highlights in each destination but the Sunset cruise on the Chobe river was my personal favourite. Well done Sunways on making my dream come true.

Zimbabwe & Botswana Game Tracker - worth the price, some challenges

We did Sunway Safaris Zimbabwe & Botswana Game Tracker (ZBa16) in March-April 2024 with a Sunway Safari truck and all together 12 participants and 2 guides. Here is a summary of the trip. All in all, the level of the tour operator was reasonable by Arfica's standards and the trip was generally worth the price. The guides were of a good average level and the arrangements were generally smooth. The food was average.

The car's safety level had some shortcomings (three-point seat belts were missing and a lot of loose items were kept in the passenger compartment), but the driver's driving skills were good. It is worth noting that the car is built on a truck chassis and the suspension is therefore very stiff. Spending tens of hours on bumpy roads in Africa is therefore quite uncomfortable. In addition, the car's air conditioning is insufficient for hot climates, so you should be prepared for discomfort. Contrary to what is said on the website, there is no drinking water tank in the car, but passengers are advised to buy their drinking water from shops.

The itinerary was mostly good. The biggest disappointment was that a few weeks before the trip, the tour operator announced that Khama Rhino Sanctuary was removed from the plan, as seeing Rhinos was one of the main reasons we booked this particular trip. It was replaced by Goo Moremi Gorge, where we did a small nature walk in a large group of tourists and where there was practically nothing to see. The reason for the change was that one of the couples participating in the trip had booked earlier flights, which is why we had to be at the airport earlier and therefore travel further the day before and miss the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. In my opinion, it is not fair that the route of those who have already booked the trip is shortened and destinations are left out, so that those who booked later can book earlier flights.

Another big disappointment on the trip was the game drive arrangements of the Hvange nature park. The itinerary promises 4WD game drives in the park led by a local guide. We also booked the night game drive offered as an extra. In practice, we got an ancient truck from the 80s and a non-English-speaking driver who couldn't drive it and wasn’t interested in the animals or guiding. At the very beginning, we got stuck twice in the sand, from which we had to shovel the tires and push the car (the safety instructions prohibit not getting out of the car, but we had no choice but to push the car out of the sand). After this, the driver refused to drive on the dirt roads anymore and only drove back and forth on the main road of the park, with the result that we saw nothing but a couple of elephants that were in the middle of the road. Also, the night game drive light used by the driver was so weak that you couldn't spot animals in its light. Despite our complaints, the Sunway safaris guide didn't do anything about it, but went himself to another car, which drove small dirt roads and saw a lot of animals. When we demanded a refund for the payment, the guide didn't even try to find a solution, but bluntly stated that we should pay for these "game drives".

There was also one very dangerous incident on our trip. In the Okavango Delta, a hippo attacked one of our group's canoes. A local paddler barely managed to keep the canoe afloat by jumping into the water himself and hitting the hippo with a stick, which broke in a flash. Fortunately, no one was injured, only the clothes and belongings of the people in the canoe got wet. However, the situation was life-threatening.

The accommodations were mostly as described, some quite basic, some better and even luxury.
The Great Zimbabwe hotel turned off the electricity at night to save electricity from 1-5, with the result that the air conditioning did not work and we stayed up sweating almost the whole night. You couldn't open the windows because of the monkeys and mosquitoes, which was very uncomfortable.

Okavango Delta tent camp was very basic, as promised. It was quite nice there as long as the weather stayed good, but on our last day there it rained non-stop, which made it quite uncomfortable. We also had to leave the camp in the pouring rain, so all our things were soaking wet after the trip.

Hermits Peak Guest Lodge in Matobo, Nkosi Guest Lodge at Victoria Falls and Goo Moremi Gorge Resort were the best and good quality accommodations of the trip, the rest were quite ordinary.