Safari Lifestyles
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $1,900 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Mike | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing Safari with Great Prices and Great Planning!
I've visited Africa every year for the past few years (6 trips total) and this was my 4th trip to Botswana. I've booked with several different tour operators, and I can't say enough about how great it was to work with Safari Lifestyles.
I did all of my planning via email with Roger, and he was incredibly helpful from start to finish. He gave me lots of advice and suggestions on which camps to visit, and being that Safari Lifestyles works with so many camps, there were a lot of options and Roger could give unbiased advice. He listened to what I was most interested in and told me which options he thought would suit me best.
We decided on 3 camps - Lebala, Machaba and Splash. Lebala and Splash are both run by the same company, Kwando, and I've been to some of their other camps in the past. When all was done, I compared Safari Lifestyles' prices (averaged out for the whole trip, per person, per night) vs my trip from 2019 booked with another company, and the prices from Safari Lifestyles were significantly better. That was impressive considering that on this trip I had one more flight (camp transfer) than in 2019. If I remember right, Roger did break out the prices for the transfer flights separately, but on my 2019 trip the tour operator bundled everything together so I didn't know much much the transfers cost. So for the sake of comparison I combined everything, and as I said, Safari Lifestyles was better.
As far as the safari itself, we had an amazing safari, to the point of being spoiled with sightings. I think it will be a very long time before I have a safari with this many unique sightings. It was unbelievable to pack so many events into the trip. For example we watched male lions competing for territory at Lebala (roaring, chasing, and a brief fight), and there was a couple on the truck with us who has been visiting Botswana 1 - 2 times a year for 19 years, and they said this was the first time they ever saw that from start to finish. Not to mention many leopards and cheetahs. Cheetahs are my favorite, and we saw them on almost every drive at Splash. We also saw two separate packs of African wild dogs, including hunting lechwe and fighting with a hyena. I couldn't have scripted a better safari.
At Machaba, the camp manager, Shaun, guided for us. We really enjoyed spending time with him, and he couldn't have been a nicer person. I felt like he loved being out on safari just as much as we did, and that he really wanted us to see as much as possible. He made a really touching video of our sightings and shared it with us on our last morning, it's one of my favorite memories of this safari. Our guides and trackers at Lebala and Splash were also great. I look forward to seeing them all again on a future visit.
After this trip I'm confident that Safari Lifestyles is knowledgeable and reputable, and I look forward to working with them next time!
Email Mark Pullar | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari of a Lifetime organised by the best
This holiday was for a special 50th birthday event and after doing some research we are very thankful we chose Roger at Safari Lifestyles who guided us with his expertise on this amazing country of Botswana to arrive at an itinerary which suited our budget and wish list. All details and numerous queries were clearly explained in a very timely manner so we knew what were booking.
The holiday went off without a hitch and our very high expectations were smashed by the amazing three Kwando camps we stayed at - Tau Pan, Lagoon and Splash. The accommodation, facilities, food, beverage and especially the friendly staff and guides at each camp was exceptional.
Even though this was low season (for the northern camps), the animals we saw at close range was incredible especially as the game drives could go off road which meant some amazing adventures following wild dog and lion hunts. We have secured some spectacular photos which still do not fully capture what lifetime memories we now have.
Thank you so much to Kwando and Roger for making this the most memorable birthday holiday ever!
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Email Vidyasagar (Vidya) | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Exceeded our expectations
We contacted Roger a year in advance for our trip in Aug2019. We explained our interests, time period and safari history and he matched us with Kwando camps. It turned out to be a perfect match of expectations.
His communication from the start to the end and even the feedback after the trip was prompt, timely and with a lot of details. I had discussed with him about night photography, luggage, animal list - very knowledgable and got us some wonderful guides who matched our wavelength.
Logistics between arrival and departure out of Maun were organized very well and worked in a clockwork fashion. The logistics of booking, information and sending us updates was done in a timely manner - we had made additions as late as weeks before the start of the trip and the whole transaction was handled very professionally.
We had a great safari and have become huge fans of Botswana - I highly recommend Roger for all of your safari bookings and travels
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Email DeaneG888 | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A great and memorable trip thanks to Roger at Safari Lifestyles!
Roger is knowledgeable, responsive and a pleasure to deal with. We looked forward to receiving his thoughtful email replies with information and recommendations based on his personal experience.
Roger provided well thought out options for us and clearly explained the differences between them. Our itinerary included a good mix of camps, each with its own memorable features. He also tailored the dates to get us reduced rates at very desirable locations.
We appreciated Roger’s patience with our additions, changes, and many questions and requests – spanning from my initial inquiry through to the time we were anxiously packing for our trip and even after reaching our first camp in Botswana. He was always ready to assist us.
He customized our itinerary, such that besides the camps in Chobe, Linyanti and Okavango Delta; Roger also booked our stay in Victoria Falls, a private river cruise on the Chobe and all transfers in between. Everything went very smoothly. Several camp guides mentioned that we had booked an ideal series of camps.
Safari Lifestyles has a comprehensive website with beautiful photos, a number of which Roger took himself.
It was a wonderful travel experience – comfortable, beautiful accommodations; delicious food with a nice selection of dishes; friendly attentive service; and most of all amazing wildlife. We feel lucky to have selected Safari Lifestyles and Roger Turski!
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Email Sean Schofield | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing service - perfectly curated trip to Botswana!
We found Roger w/Safari Lifestyles after doing extensive research on this site and others. The five star reviews are legit folks. Roger specializes in Botswana but he can also book side trips to Victoria Falls, etc. and I'm sure he can help with other countries as well.
Roger has an amazing knowledge of all of the camps and lodges in Botswana. He visits them regularly and follows up with his clients after the trip to make sure he is on top of the situation. Once he knows your timeframe and budget he will go to work building the perfectly customized experience for you.
In our case, we decided last minute to book our trip and some of our first choices were already booked for peak season. Once Roger understood our criteria he went to work finding suitable alternatives. The camps were amazing and his recommendations were spot on.
I was particularly impressed with how patient Roger was with answering questions by email and Skype. You are spending a lot of money, this is a very different vacation from what you are used to, etc. Roger gets all of that.
When we arrived at the first camp our guide was regularly checking in with our 14 year old son and making sure he was ok with seeing certain potentially stressful things. We found out later that Roger had fully briefed the camp on our son's anxiety issues and made sure they gave us an experienced guide who understood his situation. He did this on his own accord - just to make sure things went smoothly for us on the trip.
I've already recommended Safari Lifestyles to a few different people we ran into at Africa and we'll definitely be using Roger again.
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Email Tom F | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic group for a once in a lifetime vacation!
My wife and I just got back from our trip and you nailed it! Wow, what an incredible experience... Just amazing. We asked to see large cats and your itinerary was ideal. We saw lions, leopards and cheetahs, including leopard and lion cubs. We even got to see wild dogs and pups.
The mobile safari was fantastic. It was our favorite mainly because it felt like an African safari and the tour group was great. The camps were great too and we saw incredible wildlife in both areas, Kwara and Lebala.
Thanks for making our vacation one we will always remember. Your advice was spot on!
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Email Sue Petrus | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great detail - Astonishing safari
Safari Lifestyles were by far the most responsive and knowledgable of the 3 tour operators we looked at... they were the only one local in Botswana and it was clear from the outset that they stood head and shoulders above the rest... Very happy we chose them.
Firstly we wanted to go to Chobe... where the other two operators just provided lodge recommendations, Roger asked us why we wanted to go to Chobe, stating that it was a very busy area... he was right as we just wanted to go for the name and have since found out that there are much quieter areas... The rest of Botswana was simply unmissable
We took Safari Lifestyles advice and ended up having the best 9 nights imaginable. Unbelievable wildlife experience.
Information was very quick, payment was safe and feedback superb... backed up with a comprehensive website with all the lodges.
Already planning a trip in 2019 and will definitely be using them again.
Great Tailor Made Safari in Botswana
I came across Safari Lifestyles through safaribookings.com and I'm very glad I did. I corresponded with Roger for several weeks before settling on an itinerary. Roger was a mine of information and was able to supplement and/or correct the information I had researched for myself. The result was that my wife and I enjoyed a superb tailor made safari in Botswana with an extension to Victoria Falls. Thanks Roger - great work!
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Email Gavin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Roger is tremendous at planning a great safari
Roger from Safarilifestyles.com was great planning our safari. He listened to exactly what we wanted (game key more than amenities), answered a multitude of questions via email, made suggestions, and changed things as needed. His website is excellent and his follow-up making sure everything worked perfectly was great. I was nervous wiring a large amount of money across the world but need not have been, everything was delivered as ordered.
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Email Paula A. | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Roger Turski is knowledgeable, professional, competent, and addressed questions with clarity.
Having done some exploratory investigation on Botswana beforehand and relying on my previous trips to Africa, I presented my wish list to Safari Lifestyles which, in turn, addressed my requests quickly and within a budget I had presented. Safari Lifestyles and the safari experience were beyond expectations, a lifetime memory that has enriched my life. I feel privileged and humbled to have been able to connect to this beautiful part of the world and to witness the incredible bush and people of Botswana. Words cannot express my grateful thank you for a job well done by Safari Lifestyles.