John Cooper (Coop) owner of African Adventures
African Adventures Safari Company
- Located In:
-
Australia
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $206 to $950 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
SG
Email Merin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip, great adventure! Efficiently coordinated by Coop.
Logistics between flights, 4WD's, mini buses, and also finding and retrieving lost luggage was all managed well .
Loved the variety of accomodations within various different settings so close to wildlife and waterholes.
Best view from the loo on the Elephant Express. Train was fun for the kids too.
Lunching with the elephants at Camelthorn Lodge and going down into the hide was the closest encounter I've had with an elephant.
The staff had endless smiles every time we returned and welcomed us with warm face washers.
White Water Rafting was a breathtaking experience for my family.
Visiting the school was interesting. The children sure can sing and have great rythm.
Loved the cultural atmosphere around the fire at night.
Highly recommend Coop as your guide on an Awesome African Safari.
Email Julie and Nick Hockey | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extrodinary African Adventure !
Nick and I had the privilege of spending August adventuring with John Cooper. We were overwhelmed with John's knowledge and passion for all things Africa !. The itinerary was outstanding and it was seamless travelling throughout South Africa , Zimbabwe and Botswana .Johns expertise and narrative on tour was very unique and memorable. Accommodation and food was fabulous . We highly recommend travelling with John in fact we wouldn't do it again unless it was with African Adventures Safaris Company.
Email Jan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable and amazing! The trip of a lifetime! Seamlessly executed by John Cooper.
I recently returned from a 30 day safari with John Cooper's African Adventures Safari Company. The experience was everything I had hoped for and more. As a solo female traveller I was eager to fullfill a lifelong ambition to visit Africa, to see the wildlife up close and experience the culture and the scenery ..... but I was unsure how to achieve this. John's Safari Company came highly recommended and I'm so glad I chose to travel with him.
From my arrival in Johannesburg to delivery to the airport at the end of the trip, John was there all the way to ensure a trouble free, seamless execution of all elements of the trip.
The accomodation was excellent. Luxury tented accomodation and private bungalows out in the remote safari camps of the Okavango Delta (Botswana), Hwange National Park and the Matopos Hills (Zimbabwe) and Kruger National Park (South Africa) to name a few provided comfort at the end of each day.....usually with a stunning vista out over the pans where the animals gathered to drink. The staff at these lodges were exceptional! Friendly, helpful and fun, often entertaining us with joyful singing and dancing! The food was excellent and beautifully presented!
Most days there was an early morning and afternoon safari included. It is hard to describe the excitement of being out on the plains (vlei) amongst the myriad of beautiful animals living in their natural environment. We saw lions hunting buffalo, cheetah stalking impala, herds of elephants, wilderbeast, hippos, giraffe, leopard, kudu, waterbuck, eland, warthogs, hyenas, baboons, not to mention the exotic birdlife that abounds ...... all in great number.
The drivers of the safari vehicles were all experts in their field and provided running commentary about the animals and their behaviours which really enhanced the experience. Each afternoon we had drinks out on the vlei at sundown - a truly magical experience.
The safari was interspersed with several days in Victoria Falls and later in the Drakensburg Mountains where we were free to pursue our own activities. John provided excellent advice on where to go, what to see, where to eat and shop etc, often joining and ferrying us to and from these activities. I highly recommend the helicopter flight over Victoria Falls and the evening dinner cruise on the Zambesi River. Others in my group said the jet boat ride to the base of the Falls was a great adventure although I did not do that myself unfortunately.
With John as our driver throughout, we were all constantly entertained and informed by his extensive knowledge of the history, politics, economics and culture of this part of Africa and this provided an invaluable context to everything we were seeing.
I would highly recommend a safari with John Cooper's African Adventures. Excellent value for money and an unforgettable experience.
Email Allan & Sally Kling | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing African Adventures
My husband and I went on a fabulous 4 week safari to Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia 2 years ago. Everything was incredibly planned and managed by John Cooper, who is extremely knowledgeable about all things African. The places we visited and accommodation were all different and memorable in unique ways. The people we met on the trip are now good friends and we are meeting 2 of them for another trip to Cape Town and up the west coast of Namibia in a few months time with John. Can't say enough about him, his wonderful management and how safe and special we always felt. We have since recommended him to friends who have had similar amazing experiences.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experiencing a little part of Southern Africa!
We’ve just returned from 23 days with a small, fun group organised through African Safari Adventures Company’s John Cooper, experiencing a little part of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. John’s knowledge of local and broader history and customs greatly enhanced our travels as we drove between destinations. We can’t pick just one highlight, every day was full of interest, new sights, wonderful accommodation and meals and very often excitement and adventure. We had looked forward to this experience for at least 5 years so our expectations were high… The best way to explain our ‘safari’ experience with John Cooper is when asked would we do it again: You betcha we would!!!
Email Sue & Peter Evans | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kruger, Zimbabwe,Namibia Botswana......loved the people and the animals...OMG!...AWESOME!
I can highly recommend John cooper. He delivered over and above what we expected.......the client is his top priority....WE came first. He took us to unique accomodation and the services they provided were EXCELLENT.
The safaris were the BEST. I went for the animals and was not disappointed....saw the big five....and many more. You can never tire from watching these beautiful animals in different environments. I urge you to GIVE John a go..he is a wealth of knowledge too..you won't be disappointed....we will be back for more ASAP.
A fabulous 29 day safari with Africian Adventures Safari experiencing Lodges, wildlife and more.
In August 2014, my wife Maureen and I organised a 29 day private Southern African Safari with John Cooper of African Adventures Safari Company to travel to South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and return to South Africa . We asked a couple of friends to join us and together with a help of our tour leader John, we managed to arrange a great itinerary, a group of 6 terrific participants (3 couples) and a date that suited all of us (this was one of the hardest parts to be arranged).
With the basics out of the way it was then a matter of us booking our flights and arranging any additional tours we wanted to do on completion of our planned safari tour.
For us, the trip was one of the best holidays we had ever experienced. The tour was ably led by John Cooper who shared a wealth of knowledge of the people, the countries we visited, the native animals and birdlife as well as the history of Southern Africa. We stayed in the most magnificent safari camps from extremely up market to some that were basic but covered all our needs right in the middle of some of the best Southern African game parks.
Some of standout activities for us included:
• Being met by the smiling welcoming face of John at the Johannesburg International airport and being whisked away to the delightful and safe African Sky Lodge located close to the airport but without the airport noise;
• Staying for 2 nights at Meno A Kwena Lodge. This truly was most impressive accommodation in which to stay. The individual sleeping quarters were perched on top of a low mountain overlooking the Boteti River which teemed with wild life particularly in the evening when they came down to drink. Our quarters included a tented bedroom with a covered service area for sitting and relaxing and for making teas and coffee as well as an area for shaving and hand washing. The shower area was separate, uncovered and it viewed the whole valley whilst the toilet area was covered and had a huge array of memorabilia and artefacts. Hot water was provided on request at any time. The main dining area included a table for about 20 where the guests joined the staff for a scrumptious dinner prepared by the local staff. There was a large open fire where the hot water was prepared and where we could gather for a relaxing ‘Sundowner” - enjoying good company, great views and beautiful ambiance.
• Chobe Safari Lodge was also a stand out as the accommodation was excellent. We stayed in a large lodge that had a balcony that overlooked herds of elephants, hippopotamus and water buffalo grazing on the river grasses. We got up close and personal to these magnificent animals when we did an afternoon/evening boat trip on the river. The stay at Chobe also included two tours into the Chobe/Kasane Game Park where we witnessed female lions teaching their young to track and follow a herd of water buffalo whilst the male watched on. A truly unique experience.
• Another destination was Big Cave Lodge. We arrived amongst the rocks at the parking area for Big Cave Lodge and soon had a 4 wheel drive appear from around the rocks to take us up to the Lodge. The Lodge was spectacular as it is perched on the rock face and built into the rocks with tall vaulted ceilings and walls that exposed the rock as a huge natural feature. Our accommodation was a separate rock hut on the side of the hill face overlooking the valley below. Big Cave Lodge adjoins the Matobo Hills National Park and is ideal for spotting White and Black Rhino. One of our tours took us into the park where we managed to get extremely close to a heard of white Rhino. It was simply magic.
• To round of our safari, we spent quite a few days at various lodges in Kruger National Park. Kruger is one of the best known Game Reserves in Southern Africa and is home to most of the animals to be found in those parts. The accommodation varied between each of the camping areas and included Safari tents, Rondavels and huts. We stayed in three camps which each had a program of evening safari tours. The highlight was our guide finding a lion eating its kill of Water Buffalo on our evening safari from Satara Camp.
• We also enjoyed time on a House Boat on the Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls by helicopter, walking with the lions, riding an elephant, visiting the old city of Great Zimbabwe and many more excellent activities.
All in all, it was a fabulous trip and the notes above do not do it justice as they are only a small record of what we did during our time on our African Adventures Safari. The weather was great, the company excellent, activities brilliant and the attention to detail by our tour leader John - superb.
We would highly recommend John Cooper and the African Adventures Safari Company to anyone who is interested in exploring the real untamed area of Southern Africa.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Adventure
Our trip with African Adventures Safari Company was just amazing. We stayed in wonderful accommodation, met interesting people and saw so many different animals, some I knew, some I had never heard of and if we missed any I don't know what they were. We were a very lucky group. John is fantastic, very organised, very knowledgeable about all thing African especially their laws which did help at times. We all felt very safe in his hands. We were with him through Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, however, my husband and I went to Cape Town at the end of our tour and John also recommended a wonderful place to stay there also. I have no hesitation is recommending John as your guide is Africa and should we be lucky enough to go again he will be the first person we will call.
Email Jane | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most touching, life changing holiday ever
My husband & I spent two wonderful weeks traveling with Coop in 2010. We had an original meeting with him and discussed the kind of safari we were interested in and Coop followed that perfectly and developed our ideal itinerary. We went to South Africa and Zimbabwe with a mix of rustic and luxury. Throughout the two weeks Coop was always a wealth of information, a guide, a friend, an excited companion and an enabler. It is because of Coop and all that Africa has to offer that we had the most enjoyable and touching holiday of our lives. We can't wait to do it again, this time with our daughter.
Email Roz, Tasmania | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
This was my second trip with John, going through South Africa, Namimbia and Botswana. I'd go again!!
After comparing my safari with AASC with other companies, ...there is no comparison. Every detail is attended to by John and "nothing is too much trouble". Very well organised, and always helpful and kind.
His knowledge is vast on all of Southern Africa and I observed that he was well liked and respected by local bureaucracies ...eg borders etc. He has an excellent knowledge of animals, towns and folklore.
I will be going again with him.