Reviews

Average User Rating
5.0/5

Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 71
  • 4 star 1
  • 3 star 0
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 0

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 1-10 of 72 Reviews
Peter G   –  
Canada CA
Visited: August 2024 Reviewed: Sep 5, 2024

Email Peter G  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The most amazing safari guide - MUST BOOK
5/5

We were a group of 9 family and friends spending 4 days in Skukuza and 3 in Olifants Camp. We were absolutely thrilled by this safari - in large parts as a result of our amazing guide: Shoes Mathebula is the best!

Every step of the trip was perfect:
1. Planning: absolute professional, very responsive to emails and helpful when we booked him with easy and safe international payment options.
2. Flexible pickups at Skukuza Airport to transfer to Skukuza Camp (our group came in on 2 different flights).
3. And of course: the game drives! We saw more wildlife than in our wildest dreams. We also gained many fascinating insights. This was in no small part due to Shoes' expertise, easy going personality, dedication, knowledge, flexibility and enthusiasm to make us happy and show off 'his' Krueger Park. Tracking lions hunting, figuring out where they are by triangulating the direction monkeys in trees are looking towards, observing tracks on the road, ... Shoes added so much to these game drives - careful observations, interpretation of the signs, the patients, the excitement, the action. He is very knowledgable and informative and spots every animal, all while driving very safely.

One last comment: if you are contemplating the self-driving option you need to realize that the elevated view from the safari vehicle in combination with Shoes' expertise and explanations makes for a completely different safari experience. I would definitely opt for the latter and can enthusiastically recommend Shoes Mathebula, the owner of Khalanga Safaris.

Ilaria   –  
United States US
Visited: July 2024 Reviewed: Sep 4, 2024

Email Ilaria  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Professional
5/5

We booked an 5 days safari ( panoramic route and Kruger). The safari with Khalanga exceeded all expectations and left us with beautiful memories. From start to finish, their attention to detail, professionalism, and genuine passion for wildlife made our adventure extraordinary.
The booking process was very easy and Shoes answered all the questions very quickly to meet our requests. I really suggest Khalanga Safaris :)

Barbara   –  
Austria AT
Visited: July 2024 Reviewed: Aug 9, 2024

Email Barbara  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Perfect safari with a very experienced guide!
5/5

Before booking, we got many different proposals, programmes and ideas to find the right one to fit within our needs (travelling with children) and budget.
Everything was perfectly organised and the accomodation well-chosen. The programme was spontaneously adapted to our interests and Shoes, the guide taught us so many background information about the savannah, took us to places without any other visitors and shared his experiences in wildlife observation! Thank you for those unforgettable 4 days!

Weijie   –  
Singapore SG
Visited: July 2024 Reviewed: Jul 24, 2024

Email Weijie  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Great private experience :)
5/5

Shoes and team was very prompt with response from planning/booking the trip. The entire experience my wife and I had was really excellent, from the private dining with chef Desmond (whose food really helps fighting the home sickness while camping), game drives were well planned and we had encounters with 4/5 Big 5! With two leopard encounters :)

It was a really unique yet fulfilling experience!

Do give Shoes a chance to plan your private safari experience! (the tents do get quite cold in winter, though extra blankets were provided but good for everyone else in the future to be ready!)

Vanessa   –  
New Zealand NZ
Visited: June 2024 Reviewed: Jul 1, 2024

Email Vanessa  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Amazing Tour Operator
5/5

Shoes is by far the best Safari Tour Guide you could hope for. His skills and passion for the wildlife and nature is very evident.
A very well planned trip that went like clock work.
I highly recommend Khalanga Safari Tours!!

Marie   –  
Australia AU
Visited: June 2024 Reviewed: Jun 30, 2024

Email Marie  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Amazing tour guide!
5/5

We did a 5 days panorama route and Kruger national park and the whole experience was amazing! We had the chance to see the big 5 in Kruger (even a rhino in the last day) and the time we spend with our tour guide Derrick made the whole experience even better. He was full of knowledge and really interesting to chat with. I strongly recommend the private tour.

Soes Vilhelmsen   –  
Denmark DK
Visited: March 2024 Reviewed: Jun 15, 2024

Email Soes Vilhelmsen  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Another amazing day tour in Kruger.
5/5

Khalanga Safaris is amazing. It is easy to book a trip, the communication is super good, and pick-up at a Kruger camp was arranged. It was our 5 or 6 trip with Khalanga's owner Shoes. Shoes was born and raised in the bush, and has a great deal of knowledge about the landscape, fauna, animals and not least about our great passion birds. I can highly recommend Khalanga safaris for your Kruger trip. This is not the last time we drive with Khalanga /Shoes. Hopefully next time with overnight stays in Kruger national park.

Sarah   –  
United States US
Visited: April 2024 Reviewed: Jun 14, 2024

Email Sarah  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Absolutely top notch safari operator. Could not imagine a better experience
5/5

I cannot imagine a better safari experience than the one I had with Khalanga Safaris. They are a locally-owned and operated tour company. Shoes and Ishmael were born in Kruger National Park and were incredibly knowledgable about the park and all the animals and where to find them. I went with a friend and our tour was entirely customized exactly as we requested. Our guide went above and beyond to give us the experience of a lifetime. I cannot possibly recommend Khalanga Safaris highly enough. We saw so many animals and they were incredible. Our guide cooked delicious meals for us and was so friendly and kind and brilliant. We had a wonderful time. Do yourself a favor and book with Khalanga Safaris. I am so glad I did!

Mohsin   –  
United States US
Visited: May 2019 Reviewed: May 10, 2024

Email Mohsin  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Great Safari experience with a personal touch
5/5

My wife and I had a wonderful time w/ Khalanga Safaris. Shoes and Johanna were very responsive and helpful when it came to planning our trip and looking through different options . They helped us organize a 6 day tour including the Soweto tour, time in a private reserve (Klaserie), Panaroma Route, and two nights in Kruger park itself. Our guide in Kruger SK was really wonderful and made us feel well taken care of, even making Breakfast and Dinner for us. He also had a lot of knowledge about the wildlife. We had great sightings especially of Elephants. I plan to recommend Khalanga to any family or friends traveling to South Africa.

Connie   –  
Hong Kong HK
Visited: April 2024 Reviewed: Apr 27, 2024

Email Connie  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Met with my need, plan is unique for me
5/5

I was well connected with Shoes from the start to end. Whatever I got any problems she’s ready to get them solved for me in a very short time. It made my planning more easier & smooth.
My group consisted 2 parties. One of them can only spare 3 days for Safaris, while my couple stayed for 5 days. It’s a great luck for us to have Guide Derrick to be with us.
As he said, I was Guide Derrick, Driver Derrick, Helper Derrick, Chef Derrick & Joke making Derrick….
Derrick is full of enthusiasm for the nature & animals. He knows about the meaning of the sound made by animals. He can imitate the sound of a hurt animal to attract the attention of the lion. His observations are keen & precise, following the animals’ footprints on the muddy road & bringing us to the sites with elephants & lionesses.
I enjoyed very much the adventures with Derrick. I was thrilled when he’s chasing the hidden one of the Big five in the bushes. The tour was short but memorable. My whole group gave a big thumb to the services Derrick provided to us. It’s a great heartfelt appreciation!

Average User Rating
5.0/5
Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 71
  • 4 star 1
  • 3 star 0
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 0
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