Personal & Genuine African Safaris
Siya Phambile Expeditions
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $14 to $828 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Jim and Zena Parson | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond our wildest expectations!
Days after booking our trip in March 2020, COVID shut down the world. Benjamin kept in regular contact with us for over two years and when travel became possible again, honored our two-year-old deposit and did not change our pricing. My wife and I had a 12 day private tour with Siya Phambile, just the two of us and every step of it was perfect. Cape Town and Victoria Falls were wonderful but the best part of the trip were the safaris in Botswana and Kruger National Park. Benjamin was the perfect guide and even in the rain was able to provide more Big 5 and wildlife sightings than we ever imagined we might see, including rare white rhinos, caracal and sable. Not only was he the perfect host and guide, the price was cheapest by half of any other tour company and believe me, we checked out at least a dozen of them before booking with Siya Phambile. When little issues popped up, as they always do, he solved them instantly. We would gladly pay triple what we paid for the service and private itinerary we experienced. If you want a safari in South Africa, I promise you, you will not do better for service or price than Siya Phambile. We are already planning our next trip and would never consider anyone else but Benjamin.
Email Philippa | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unassuming, easy to get on with, extremely competent and well priced!
Ben arranged the accommodation in Kgalagadi with quite short notice and got us a selection of great camps. He picked us up at the airport in Upington and drove us around for seven days, catered and found an amazing array of birds and animals for us to photograph. He was very knowledgeable about the birds and could spot like a champion. He knows the park well and was always happy to explore just one more waterhole. He was an excellent guide, sensitive to our needs, easy going, great sense of humour, never intrusive. We stayed at Twee Rivieren, Nossob, Bitterpan and Kalahari Tented Camp. Nossob was our favourite with fantastic sightings at the waterholes north of the camp. Every day we saw some amazing birds and animals - leopard, lion, cheetah, Cape fox, pygmy falcon, baby owls, raptors - too many to name. The Bataleur was my prime target and on the fifth day there he was, in the waterhole, waiting for us. It was brilliant! Ben catered for our various dietary requirements without a problem. He was efficient and always on time. The cost was very reasonable. I will definitely return for future trips with Ben. We couldn't have done it without him.
CL
Email Isabel | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic first experience at Kruger Park
Ben is an excellent professional, friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgable and flexible.
He replied all questions on emails on time.
He arranged great accommodations at Satara Camp, which is laid back non pretentious and comfy, and to end my trip, at Kruger Shalati Train, which is Fantastic and luxury style
Ben was THE BEST TOUR GUIDE possible surpassing all my expectations. He has a wide knowledge of South Africa history, wild life and birds. He has excellent ears and eyes to spot all the animals, and I was really lucky to see many of them on my first time in Kruger thanks to him.
Also he arranged to take me to Blyde River Canyon for great views and pictures, with flexibility, which is very much appreciated.
This trip of 4 days in Kruger Park and the Canyon has been a total dream and beyond perfection thanks to Ben.
LU
Email Thanos | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very friendly, highly motivated and knowledgable
Already during our written communication prior to the trip, Benjamin was responding very quickly to our requests adjusting the schedule to our wishes but also giving us his useful recommendations. Having booked with Siya Phambile our 4 nights tour in Kruger National Park removed any stress and hustle about planning (routes to take, accommodation, vehicle rental, etc.).
During the trip, Benjamin was patient to answer all our questions, also related to South Africa in general (as this was our first time there) and eager to drive us for hours around the park to watch the animals for as long as we pleased. Also he shared some of his books he had in the car, so that we could study a bit more about the animals and their behaviors.
Our vehicle (Toyota SUV) was comfortable and in a good state and Benjamin was a very careful driver.
Another important point is that Benjamin was always punctual on our appointments, be it early morning waking ups or evening dinners.
Next time we visit South Africa we will meet again for trips in Kgalagadi desert or elsewhere!
FR
Our best expedition ever
We are a fairly fit elderly couple who really wanted a real 'bush' experience without staying in 5* lodges all the time.
We got it! Well done Benjamin! You gave us an experience to cherish for a life-time. We also appreciate every time you went the 'extra mile' on a game drive to see something special or the lovely meals in the bush. Really enjoyed your company and nice evenings around the fire with Scott your assistant.
Your selection of the itinerary, mixing it up with camping( nice tents and quality stretchers!) and then a day of two in luxury accommodation in between,
was on target- thank you! We spent two weeks in your company and enjoyed every day of it.
We can really recommend Benjamin and his tailor-made expeditions!! We thought great value for money.
GR
Email Georgios | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Benjamin is incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly companion
I recently went on a safari trip in South Africa, exploring Kruger, Hlane, iMfolozi, iSimangaliso National Parks, as well as a short stay in St Lucia.
Our guide Benjamin was simply exceptional - passionate, helpful, and incredibly friendly.
His expertise in the African wilderness, coupled with his genuine passion for wildlife, made for a memorable and fun 15 day adventure.
The prices were quite reasonable, in fact we didn't expect the kind of service provided at this price ooint.
I strongly recommend Siya Phambile Expeditions to anyone seeking an extraordinary safari adventure that is both educational and immensely enjoyable.
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Email Patrick O'Connor | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded expectations
Just returned home from two fantastic weeks in Africa. Benji, the tour owner, did a fantastic job organizing our itinerary and addressing all of our individual requests and needs. We had an exhilarating schedule that allowed us to see so much of Africa. We began with 5 days in Cape Town and the lower portion of South Africa, then flew to Zimbabwe to do a couple days Safari in chobe National Park, flew to see Bryce canyon and the beautiful landscape around there. Then on to Kruger for 5 days of Safari and finally to Johannesburg to end our trip. As I am a wheelchair user, Benji did a great job with all our accommodations and travel plans. We saw everything we wanted to see and much more. Thanks again Benji for a once in a lifetime bucket list trick.
BR
Email Luciana Boccia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Traveling with Siya Phambile Expeditions was wonderful and everything was perfect.
I couldn't have made a better choice, traveling with Siya Phambile Expeditions was wonderful. Everything went according to plan, incredible accommodations and sensational tours. Our guide, Benjamin, is great, super kind, attentive and knows a lot about what he does and best of all, he is an excellent Chef. I really liked the flexibility, at times our itinerary needed or we wanted to make some arrangements and, that was ok!!!!!!! It was a dream trip! Thank you Siya Phambile Expeditions!
BR
Email Catia di Stasi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceeded my expectations in quality of service, itinerary and reliability!
Benjamin is an extraordinary guide and human being. He took care of every detail of the trip and provided an excellent service before and during the tour. The trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana has been memorable with the best choices for the itinerary, hotels and attractions. Very patient and flexible always trying to meet our needs and exceed our expectations.
Email John W. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Personal service, flexible, knowledgeable expert, we saw all of the Big Five in one day.e day
This is a small but excellent company run by Ben who is also chief guide. Very knowledgeable both prior to and on safari proving a personal and flexible service. We only spent 4 days with him in Southern Kruger but impressive. Able to vary what we did because of weather and delivered on Big Five and many more animals and birds. Ben accompanied us and led our game drives but also arranged game walks and night drives with Park rangers. Obviously has a wealth of experience in Kruger, knows it extremely well, but also appeared to be very capable in Botswana, Vic Falls and elsewhere. We highly recommend Ben to anyone for small or large private parties.
