Viva Safaris team look forward to seeing you soon!
Viva Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 1991)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Mid-range tours that, when possible, use accommodations owned and operated by them
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $81 to $200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
US
Email Steve Ingraham | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Value if Wildlife is your primary interest
I spent 6 days at Tremisana Lodge and 4 days at Mark's Treehouse Lodge. Both lodges are comfortable but not lavish. The Treehouse Lodge is more of a bush experience and seems to attract a lot of young people. Bush walks, night, sunrise and sunset game drives, and the full day game drives in Kruger, met and exceeded expectations. Staff and guides were excellent. Guides in particular took real pleasure in showing us every animal they could find. Saw the big five, and so much more. I have a special interest in birds and they made every effort to accommodate me. On top of that the price was unbeatable. A great experience overall and I highly recommend Viva Safaris for your South African safari.
NZ
Email Lynn & Jacqui | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top value for money Safari experience
From the time we were picked up from the plane we were made welcome. The friendly unpretentious staff, home style food, and traditional accommodations all combined to make our Safari experience one we will remember always. Over our 4 days we met some great people from all around the world and were lucky to see all the animals on our "wish list". Well done Viva, we fully recommend you to anyone who asks.
Super helpful and friendly lodge managers
My wife and I had a great 5 day safari to both private game reserves and Kruger National Park with Viva Safaris. The organization by Viva Safaris was very helpful because they are able to organize tours that visit the private game reserves without having to pay the exorbitant prices to actually stay at the private game reserve. By far the highlight of the trip though were the super friendly and helpful lodge managers. We picked a trip that included accommodations in "an intimate lodge next to Kapama in luxurious tented chalets with private splash pools". The lodge was named Katekani and it was an amazing experience. The rooms were gorgeous and spacious, the food was delicious and custom cooked to our tastes and requirements and the couple that ran the lodge: Allan and Elena went out of their way to make sure we had an incredible time.
IT
Email Paola | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience of wildlife and nature, with a perfect organization
We really had a great time, and everything was perfectly organized with Viva Safaris! Nothing was wrong, we did everything as planned and scheduled: a real “Swiss clock” organization, from picking up at the hotel to game drives and walking tours, from accomodation to food!!!
SuperPatti helped us to organize our 5 days tour exactly as we wished, with a perfect sequence of activities perfectly scheduled: we really had the best for each minute we spent on the tour!
The staff was simply wonderful: everybody, drivers, guides, cookers (excellent food also for vegetarians!), men and women at the lodges, did their best to assist us with professionality, kindness and friendship, to make us feel at home, to solve every little problem or request (at Marc’s Tree House they even found an electricity adaptor for us, which we had lost!), to let us appreciate Southafrican nature and culture. They all had a smile and a helpful hand for us! We really would like to thank them all: Pretty, Victor and all the staff at Tremisana and Marc’s Tree House, Meynarth (we do not know if the name is correctly written!) who made our tour to Kruger really unforgettable, Rex with his peculiar way of teaching, and the rest of the staffs and guides whose names we do not remember or know... but we remember all they friendly smiling faces!
Nature and animals are amazing, we met them all (but hyenas and wild dogs), and some of them very, very close!! It was incredible to see all those beautiful animals ... it was like being on Discovery Channel and our guides let us know a lot about them, the way they live, the environment, wildlife problems and projects to help... it was very good for us to realize the love and attention they all had for their natural environment, and the deep knowledge they share with their guests.
Viva Safaris gave us a really great experience, which was far beyhond what we expected! We surely recommend it!
Paola & Mauro
Excellent experience
Viva Safaris is amazing! This was my first trip out of the country and I was a little nervous. Viva Safaris was very good about answering questions and getting back to me in a timely manner. Everything was easy and accurate. I want to go back and use Viva Safaris again!
ES
Email Maria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good safari operator
Best guides were James (thanks to giving us so much information about wildlife) and Tania (for the fun at our afternoon game drive).
Well organised and nice and knowledgeable guides and other staff in general.
Email Lesley | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
You couldnt get a better safari experience
I wanted to take my whole family, (8 of us - 7 adults and 1 child) for a safari and am so pleased I chose Viva Safaris. Our ages ranged from 13 to 84 so we were quite diverse, but everyone was accomodated. The more adventurous of us went on the bush walks and saw a black rhino, which was heart stoppingly fantastic. We saw every animal we wanted to and more and close up. The drivers were informative and friendly and polite.
The first night braie in the bush was really in the bush and we saw hyenas cleaning up our bones - what a start to the holiday.
The accomodation in the tree houses was unbelievable and such a great experience.
The food was freshly cooked and lots of it - different every day and the staff serving were very happy.
I was anxious that this wouldnt be all I wanted, but it more than surpassed my expectations and we all had a great time.
I wouldnt hesistate to recommend this to anyone, in fact, I would insist you couldnt get better for animals, accomodation, staff and safari experience.
Thank you for giving us all a great time
Email Pam Brindley | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic lovely people great sightings
Viv completed all listed activities on and at the correct day and time.
The days activities at Trimasana and Marc's camp were full and interesting
The accommodation was varied. Beautiful at Trimasana but more adventurous at Marc's Tree houses.
All care was taken to look after us well by lovely cheerful people
IL
Email David | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was an experience of a life time and a unforgetable experience
Every element of the trip exceeded our expectations. However, what makes Viva Safari so special are the employees. We have never encountered a warmer , more helpful and kinder staff. Nothing was too much. There only goal was to please us. Each stage of the way, from the pick up in Johannesburg, to the meals, bush walk, drives in the game reserve, etc, everything was very well planned and executed. Going with Viva Safari allows you to sit back and have an incredible time. They take full responsibility and all you have to do is enjoy yourself.
SE
Email Jan Fleischmann | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Exciting bushadventure
Everything from the first transport at the Johannesburg international Airport where I arrived from Cape Town to the transfer from Marc´s Treehouse to J-burg went perfect. I am impressed how well they organized everything each night so everyone know exactly where to go and how to prepar for the following day. All drivers and guides worked very hard and showed there passion about the wild animals and nature. Within one week I made 2 educational bushwalks, 1 afternoon and spotlight drive in Balule reserve with a braai (barbeque), 1 game drive in Balule, 3 full days in Kruger NP, 1 visit to a Rehab center where I could feed a vulture and meet a rhino calf, 1 afternoon drive in Tshukudu reserve where I discussed poaching antipoaching and antipoaching with the nature guide, and had Close ups with lions, white rhinos and cape buffaloes. The last morning in Kruger so much action was within 1 km. Lions, nearby the large waterhole where elephants, baboons, kudus, giraffes, impalas and even a white rhino came to drink and nearby a leopard was hiding. I only wish it would be lunchboxes for Kruger or (If the camp Satara where we had luch/one day a take away so we could go off directly) could organize a mobile service. Booth accomodations 1 night in Tremisana lodge and 5 in Marc´s Tree House are excellent with boot the environment food and also very nice with Daily Close contacts with the wonderful nyala anthelopes at the Tree House camp. This was my 3 thrd South Africa journey and I have been out tracking wild endangered animals since the age of 15. Have met in the wild snow leopards, jaguars, bengal tigers, lowland gorillas, white sharks and more fellows.