Encompass Africa
- Located In:
-
Australia
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, CATO & ATAS
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $228 to $1,953 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Travel experiences that are VERY rare
Excellent attention to detail and follow up. We had 4 different safari experiences and amazing times had at each. Not only the standard t accomodation but the staff are what made the holiday special.. When your kids hug the guide at the end and have no interest in their iPhones... you know you have been somewhere pretty special. Jacks Camp in Botswana is an incredible place. Very special indeed.
Email Helen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful & wild trip thanks to the knowledge, coordination & quality care of Encompass Africa
I did a lot of research before deciding to book a photography tour through Encompass Africa. The tour was arranged in collaboration with photographer Pete Dobre and was designed to provide a broad overview of Namibia - without rushing. I wanted time to enjoy Namibia and was not disappointed.
Communications: The tour was clearly mapped out and even the finest details were outlined. I knew exactly what to expect. Encompass Africa has an office in South Africa as well as in Australia, which also provided back up support to the tour group.
Service: Prior to the trip, Encompass Africa were always available to follow up any inquiry. Throughout the tour, the service received was exceptional. The lodges, were brilliant, the staff always friendly and helpful - and the quality of the lodges...(you are not meant to rave about the accommodation, after all, that is not what you are there for - but, they were fantastic and the lodges reflected the local environment and culture promoting sustainability and eco-friendly.
After a long day out in the safari vehicle, it was very nice to come back to good food and a decent shower.
The tour/s:The local tour operators engaged by EA were also first class, whether it was the 4WD specialists or the safari team and guide, (who was a wealth of knowledge) and was dedicated to ensuring we got the best safari experience! We were never left wanting. Food was excellent at each stopover and special needs were catered for (I am gluten intolerant).
The safari tour was excellent, the agenda carefully planned with at least 2 nights at each stopover - alas, except for the last night - none of us were ready to leave! We spent 5 nights, 6 days roaming Etosha, 3 days in Sossuvlei including a balloon flight. We went 4WDing from Swakopmund and boating on Walvis Bay. Our days were filled with exceptional quality activities.
The trip was everything I could hope for, there are no negatives, none!
Email Caroline | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Once in a lifetime Safari
From the first phone conversation with Encompass Africa, I could feel their passion about Africa and their enthusiasm to tailor make the perfect safari / holiday for us. They listened carefully to all our needs, enquired about what we had seen or done before in Africa, what we liked and did not like from previous experiences, etc, and were very eager to learn exactly what we wanted to get out of this experience. They came back very quickly with various unique options in different price ranges, through a personalized webpage that we could access from home. This website with "our" safari options was so professionally made and had all the details that one could think of (I actually struggled to find some questions to ask after reading it all). There was lots of photos, maps, detailed info on the accommodation, transfers, etc. but it was also very concise and easy to read. It made the preparation of our trip so much more exciting! We chose an option out of the two, selected some dates, and Encompass Africa organized all the flights, accommodation, transfers, etc. (including Durban for the Comrades Marathon that I was going to run before the safari). They notified us promptly of some special prices on flights as well. They were very flexible and it was easy to reach them by email, on the phone or in person at their office. The whole trip went awesomely smoothly and we enjoyed every minute. The safari that they organized for us was a once in a lifetime experience with close encounters with animals in their natural habitat in a camp where wildlife is the main focus and where the rangers are very knowledgeable and very friendly. We have only been back for two weeks, but are already talking to Encompass Africa about next year!
Email Jeff | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jeff's 70th Birthday African Adventure
The planning after we provided some must dos was spot on with provision of detailed itinerary, information on the countries we would be visiting, health requirements etc. Any questions were answered promptly. The safaris themselves were different as one was Davisons Camp in Hwange, Zimbabwe and the other was Katana in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Both Camps were very efficiently run and provided very good service with expert guides and we managed to spot a large number of game including 4 of the big 5, only missing out on the Rhino. Encompass via their local staff had a birthday cake arranged on the Blue Train and at Katana as well as a welcoming bottle of birthday champagne. The trip was exceptional and we would not hesitate to recommend Encompass as a safari organiser and would use them again if we get the opportunity.
Email Kim hui | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service with excellent operators
Safari was even better than what I had imagined.organization skills were excellent.communication fantastic.would recommend to all
Email Tony | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Australian travel agency that really knows Africa
This was our second trip organised with Encompass, the first in 2014 to Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. The second this year was to Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. Encompass work with you, finding what interests you then puts together suggestions and work with as a partnership to end up with an itinerary that suits you and your budget. This could happen quickly or take some time, Encompass are happy yo take phone calls, emails, etc., to reassure you. Having a representative on the ground in Africa is another assurance for the first time traveller. Very professional and personable family travel agency, great people to deal with.
Email Sarah | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Another outstanding African trip with Encompass Africa
We cannot thank Jonathon and Danica Wilson at Encompass Africa enough for organising yet another fabulous trip to Africa for us! It has taken us a while to get around to visiting Tanzania but boy was it worth the wait! We were completely blown away by this amazing country, its beautiful landscapes, wonderful people, warm hospitality and incredible wildlife. The trip completely exceeded our expectations and I am sure that this had a lot to do with Jono and Danica's careful choices for us of what local companies to use, camps to go to, locations to visit and careful planning. Jono and Danica knew that one of our reservations about going to East Africa was the potential for lots of vehicles and especially lots of vehicles interfering with the wildlife and their behaviour. Their advice on when and where to go and with whom made all the difference. We had an absolutely amazing experience which was so far from the busy and touristy experience we had feared, even in the very popular Ngorogoro Crater, so we are so thankful to them for understanding our concerns and using their expertise to make sure we were not disappointed!
Mirko had an amazing climb up Kilimanjaro with Summits Africa. They were absolutely fantastic and took such great care of him, I was incredibly impressed! What an awesome experience it was and the care taken by all the team to make sure the climb went well contributed so much to the positivity of the experience.
The camps in the Serengeti we visited were all great, well situated, set up, appointed and managed with great teams of people in each who were warm, welcoming, kind, helpful and hospitable. I must make a particular mention of Rodger and Annabel at Sayari who were just the most wonderful managers, professional, warm, hands on, very respectful to their teams and they made such a huge effort to make our stay special, with amazing birthday treats for Mirko and even a celebratory private candle lit dinner and champagne the night we got there to celebrate Mirko's successful Kili summit!
Our guides were fantastic, very respectful of the wildlife, knowledgeable, passionate, and great company. Kevin, who was my guide for the week I was on my own was just wonderful and made sure I had an absolutely fabulous time.
I also want to especially mention Joseph who was our guide at Sayari - he was such a lovely young man, intelligent, professional, knowledgeable, motivated, driven, with a great sense of humour, kind manner who was great to spend time with and very passionate about the bush.
Travelling on my own was not a problem at all, I felt safe, welcomed and cared for all the time, both out and about and in the camps. Everyone was incredibly friendly and kind to me.
Asilia is a fantastic company and I am so glad Jono and Danica recommended them to us. They really walk the walk, not just talk the talk! Eco-conscious and eco-friendly, great conservation and community initiatives, great guides, respect and care for the environment and wildlife, very supportive of their staff and providing great career progression opportunities, as well as great camps in great locations with wonderful wildlife.
We had so many amazing sightings that I cannot list them all but a few highlights were a cheetah and her 3 small and adorable cubs, lost of cheetah, 2 servals, an African Wild Cat, tree-climbing lions, seeing >100 lions, a pride of >25 lions all together, a female leopard and 2 playful young cubs, the migration, black rhino and calf, morning tea in a herd of 70,000 wildebeest and so so much more! Cant wait to share stories and photos!
We couldn't have asked for more and as always Jono and Danica and the Encompass Africa team have exceeded our wildest expectations! We are already thinking of returning to Tanzania.....as well as visiting some more countries on the beautiful African continent! Cant wait to book our next safari with Encompass Africa!
MX
Email Alejandro | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Company
I went on Safari for 15 days and everything was impeccable. Great attention and fair value for your money. Many Safari operators try to charge higher costs than what you can get online, however, Encompass was very fair with the rates.
Highly recommend this company to book your Safari
Email Ann | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very knowledgable, and professional company. Listened to our brief and created an amazing itinerary.
Our African Safari was an amazing holiday thanks to the planning done by Encompass Africa. The guiding company (Wayo) they are associated with and the accommodation they booked for us in four different camps was of a very high standard. Our itinerary also offered the diversity we required (culture, game driving, variety of different landscapes etc) when travelling with three children as well as ensuring we were taken care for when transferring through the airports to our hotels before arriving in Tanzania. There was not a day on our safari that we would of changed and this was also attributed by our fantastic guide Alloyce.
Email Sandy & Andrew | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Encompass Africa planned and delivered our dream African holiday.
When we first met Jono & Danica from Encompass Africa at a travel expo in Adelaide we were impressed with their approach and their obvious passion for and knowledge of Africa. Jono is from South Africa and travels back there regularly so you are dealing with a company that has local knowledge and that gave us confidence that we would be getting expert advice.
When we were ready to plan our trip Jono spent time talking to us on the phone, providing detailed information and options and taking our budget into account. A personalised package was then put together for us.
Before we left for Africa we received a detailed itinerary including contact details for the places we were staying and the travel partners in Africa. We travelled independently and it was reassuring to know that we had private car transfers organised to pick us up and get us to our hotels/ lodges/ the airport/etc.
We were very happy with all aspects of our trip including flights, accommodation & transfers. The highlight of our trip was a wonderful 3 night safari experience at Kapama Buffalo Camp in South Africa.
In all of our dealings with Encompass Africa we have found the travel consultants to be friendly, helpful and efficient. Upon booking we were given a timeline of when final payments were due, when our travel documents would be provided and a very comprehensive guide with information on the countries we were visiting, luggage guidelines, foreign currency, what to pack, etc. This was really useful & very much appreciated and ensured we felt as prepared and ready as we could be leading up to our departure.
We would definitely recommend Encompass Africa when planning & booking an African holiday.