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
Email Sonia and gordon muir | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Living an African dream with jovial John the expert tour guide with flair and knowledge!
An African trip of a life time - exceeded expectations
We travelled with John Cooper's African adventures in May 2017 for a three week fully escorted safari through Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Both countries delivered amazing opportunities to experience Africa and exceeded our expectations.
We are not usually tour people but truly John's tours are so professionally run, customised to meet time constraints, specific needs and budgets. He provides excellent briefing newsletters and always answers question so you are well prepared before you take off.
Our tour was intimate with only four other people two of whom had travelled to Africa with John before (I think this is a resounding endorsement for his tours).
We often felt less like tourists but more like a group of friends traveling together.
John takes care of just about everything, has insider knowledge and so much is included there were no hidden surprises only extra options if you wanted.
The accommodation he sourced provided us with a range of experiences including some mind blowing luxury.
We had the most amazing time. John knows Southern Africa inside out and upside down. He is a font of knowledge and negotiated with authorities as required which was comforting and knows where to go to maximise you exposure to animals. We saw the big 5 which is always a dream of anyone going to Africa as this is not guaranteed.
We highly recommend African adventures to anyone wanting to go to Africa without the stress of figuring out out where to go, where to stay and what to do. It was indeed value for money.
Email Jenifer Roth-Magar | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exciting and action packed,John Cooper what a amazing holiday could not fault anything.
The service at each park we stayed in was such high quality,the food the staff and the accommodations were the best I have ever been in.
Johns knowledge in Africa was outstanding,we were in Zimbabwe,Botswana and Nabia and I can't wait to do it all again with African Adventures Safari Company.
US
Email Karen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The "adventure"of a lifetime
This first trip to Africa was a trip I took as a gift to myself for my birthday . The trip was something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember. My family came with me, ( my daughter and her boyfriend and my son). John had 2 women, a mother and daughter who also joined our tour. They were such great company and really added to our enjoyment.
I knew I had wanted to use John for the trip. My friends used him, they are very well traveled and only had very good things to say about John.
From my very first contact with him our relationship became very easy and confrontable. John kept in contact with me throughout the planing process. For me that was almost a year. John was always cheerful, helpful, conscious of our aloted time for the trip, desires of what we wanted to do, the "must" things we felt were things we had to do, all the while being conscious of our budget. He planned out the most amazing adventure with such beautiful lodges( some of which he was able to get upgraded for us). He sent out frequent information so we had no surprises about what to expect when we arrived in Africa. We were so well prepared for the trip.
When we arrived John was sure we were greated and well cared for. All of the places we stayed and all the guides we used were know personally to John, making our experiences very special. We formed close relationships with our guides who were entrusted with our safety as well as being our link between the wildlife we saw and learned about. We experenced Africa in ways that were wonderfully overwhelming to us. It was/is an experience that is very hard to articulate about. So special . The best thing I could say about the tour, John himself, as well as our experience, is that we will return and would only use John's company. When visiting a foreign land and venturing into the wild, you want to know who you can depend on personally, John and African Adventures Safari Company is that touring company.
Email Kelly | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime holiday!
John had been recommended to me by friends that had been on safari with him. The places we went to & the people & animals we seen was unforgettable! Truly one of the best holidays I have ever been on & I will defiantly be returning one day very soon..... thanks for the memories John
Email Jess McCombe | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Tour to Rwanda!
We were lucky enough to travel to Rwanda in March 2017 to visit the amazing Mountain Gorillas. We used the services of African Adventures Safari Company to assist us in booking our trip and we had a very positive experience. Both Scotney and John were fantastic at responding to emails, and providing a variety of different options for our trip. They were able to utilise their contacts on the ground in Africa to provide us with a brilliant, tailored itinerary for our trip. From the moment we arrived in Kigali to the moment we departed, we were totally looked after. The pricing was very reasonable, particularly as our tour was private, and almost everything was included (minus a couple of meals and tipping, which was easily handled from our end).
They answered any questions we had, even when they weren't necessarily to do with our tour (eg. flights, visa queries etc..)
John and Scotney were very friendly and easy to deal with and their experience when it comes to travel in Africa is clear - we now have the bug and look forward to experiencing more of Africa with you!
Email Bryan and Joan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best 60th Birthday trip ever!!
In September, 2016, my wife Joan and I embarked on a bespoke Safari trip to Zimbabwe and Botswana organised and accompanied by John Cooper, Owner and managing Director of the African Adventure Safari Company. After months of research, emails and discussions with John, who remained extremely patient during the whole process, my wife finally confirmed the venues that we wanted to visit and John completed the rest of the planning process, leaving us only flights to book from and back to Perth Australia to Zimbabwe (Bulawayo) and from Botswana (Maun).
John proved to be a rather remarkable guide and travelling companion and we became good friends during the trip. He “sold” our safari to another Australian couple, Karen and Julius from Gosford NSW, who joined us on the trip, in order to keep costs down. They were really lovely and their company really made our holiday something special.
Our trip started with a flight to Johannesburg and then onto Bulawayo where we were met off the plane by John, who had previously picked up Karen and Julius a day earlier in South Africa. At this stage I informed John of my heart problem and from then on nothing, and I mean nothing, was too much trouble for him. I could not have been in better hands! So we started the trip proper with a lovely lunch at the Bulawayo Club that was followed by a few hour’s drive to our first stop, the Big Cave Camp in the Matabo Hills region for 2 nights. From there we drove to a railway station a few hour’s away to catch the Elephant Express to Bomani Camp in the Hwange Game Reserve for 3 nights, leaving by the same means to move onto the Lokathula Lodge in Victoria Falls for 3 nights. From Vic Falls we drove into Botswana to visit the Chobe Game Reserve on the Chobe River for 3 nights, then flew from Kasane to a bush landing strip on the Okovango Delta for a drive to our final destination, Kana Kara Camp for 3 nights. Departing Kana Kara by light plane for Maun, then onto Johannesburg and back to Perth WA, completed the return trip.
John is a really nice guy, garrulous and informed with a great repertoire of stories and jokes! He is very knowledgeable about all things African and calmly negotiated our way through various police checks, roadblocks and customs border crossings with his easy going friendly manner. He also had a great network of contacts at the various lodges and camps and was clearly a well-respected tour operator. We would unequivocally recommend John and his company to anyone wishing to experience a Southern African safari. We intend to return at some stage in the near future and will be using John once again as our guide.
In conclusion, Joan and I differ in our thoughts as to what was the best venue on the trip, Bomani in Hwange or Kana Kara in the Okavango. It is so hard to choose between them. For me the addition of lots of water at Kana Kara and the Lions made it special. For Joan the variety of game and the proximity of the lodge waterhole and all that it brought, as well as the quality of the food and accommodation tilted the balance in favour of Bomani. Needless to say we would return to both tomorrow!!!!
FYI, we thought Chobe came in third and well worth doing, followed by Big Cave (interesting and worth doing for the Rhinos) and then Vic Falls, where two nights would have been sufficient.
John, thanks again for a great time and a fantastic trip. You are a legend, man! Always happy to be contacted by prospective clients.
Email Sue Johnston | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An unforgettable African photographic safari adventure
My sister and I had the good fortune to go on a photographic safari in 2016 with African Adventures Safari Company, led John Cooper, through John Ralph’s Camera House at Erina, NSW. We had an amazing safari. This was my second trip to Africa and John Cooper’s intimate knowledge of all things African – history, geography, wildlife, politics (as well as border-crossing protocol!) – added to our appreciation of all the regions we visited, from Cape Town up through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. John always went out of his way to ensure his guests were happy, comfortable and safe; he accommodated his guests’ requests with grace (especially those like me with not-so-normal dietary requirements); and his good humour was an added bonus. We travelled with like-minded companions and had lots of laughs along the way. One of the best aspects of the trip was that we weren’t rushed (no 5 am starts!) and we had plenty of time to explore. Apart from the Big 5 and usual African safari wildlife, we had the good fortune to encounter wild dogs, a pangolin and an aardwolf, and I finally achieved my goal of capturing wonderful images of elephants and hippos against the African sunset. The lodges were clean and comfortable, and the meals excellent, but it would be hard to beat The Fort at Onguma, bordering on Etosha National Park, for an amazing luxury safari experience. I would definitely recommend AASC for an unforgettable African safari.
Email John R | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A life-changing experience
Having read books on Africa and heard the stories for over 60 years, finally I had the chance to experience it. Absolutely fantastic - the people, the animals , the landscapes and all bought together in a compact form by John Cooper and African Adventures. A series of emails prior to the trip help set the scene and make sure we were prepared for the excitment to come.
My trip was just two weeks and started in Harare, Zimbabwe travelling to Great Zimbabwe, Matobo Hills, Hwange National Park, Victoria Falls and finally Chobe River in Botswana. The adventure started slowly allowing participants to feel the atmosphere - then the tempo increased -the animals got bigger -more dangerous - as we were able walk among elephants, rhino, and also view from bunkers as they visited the water hole. Vic Falls was a welcome break and allowed a few days shopping interspersed with helicopter flights over the falls and sunset cruises on the Zambezi.
Finally the tour reached its' climax -Chobe River and floating amongst the animals in the Pangolin Safari photographic boats. This is certainly not the cheapest safari but the money is well spent in getting to the best spots and having the flexibility of a small group tour. John was most attentive and ensured each persons needs were taken into account with his planning and tour delivery.
I am looking forward to going back
Email John R | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Seeing the places I wanted to see, the way I wanted to see them
This was the second adventure that I had been on with this company. I wanted to see something different even though it was hard to imagine a better selection than I had seen first time. Before the trip, I was well informed by a series of emails on all aspects of African travel. We even had a meeting of the group to get to know each other.
I was away for 5 weeks and the trip covered over 6000kms from Capetown in South Africa up the West Coast of Africa - Namibia, Botswana and I finished in Vic Falls, Zimbabwe. On a trip this long there were many unexpected events - some good such as rare animal sightings -pangolin, black rhino and more, and some not so good such as being bumped from a planned stop for some reason. In every case, John Cooper was able to use his knowledge and contacts to obtain an alternate of equal or better quality.
The group was generally under 10 people - some joined and left- and this enabled a very flexible itinerary to take advantage of local conditions or special sightings. The trip was planned to limit the number of long drives and where possible to stay an extra day or two in interesting locations.
This was another once in a lifetime experience for my wife and I made possible by African Adventures and in particular John Cooper.
Email Jess M | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible
I've been lucky enough to travel with John twice now and loved both trips. First trip was from Victoria Falls down through Hwange National Park, Bulawayo and into Kruger National Park. Second trip was through Namibia across to Victoria Falls. John has this infectious love of Africa and its history. Every location we visited was because it had spectacular views or the ability to get up close for animal viewing. Absolutely incredible trip - I can't wait to go back. John is a great host full of stories and experiences and wouldnt travel to Africa without him there. John travels in small groups in air conditioned vehicles and knows his way around. Highlights for me were Africat in Namibia and Nehimba Lodge in Hwange National Park. Two spectacular locations for animal viewing.