African Ubuntu Safaris
- Located In:
-
Australia
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, AFTA & ATAS
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $250 to $3,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Bernard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I've had the privilege of 2 perfect seamlessly organised life enhancing Africa Ubuntu Safaris trips.
As already mentioned I've been on 2 Safaris organised by Cuan of African Ubuntu Safaris and am in the process of organising a 3rd trip to South Africa(Kruger).
Your dream of going on Safari to Africa begins to convert to a magical reality on meeting with Cuan,whose African accent,passion and local African knowledge ensure that you're in very capable hands.Cuan has the rare great quality of listening to your every requirement and thus tailors your experience accordingly.
The service and communication supplied is impeccable with any changes to your itinerary accommodated promptly.
A huge advantage in using African Ubuntu Safaris lies in Cuan's intimate African knowledge,his local contacts and crucially ongoing local support as his dad Gerald is stationed in Johannesburg and therefore meets one on arrival-a memorable beautiful personal touch!
My previous trips to Botswana/Zambia(May 2013) and Kruger/Zambia(June 2014 were nothing short of excellent with great organisation of transport,variety of accommodation and superb game viewing.
My wish for all who want to experience the magic of an African Safariis that you contact Cuan at African Ubuntu Safaris.
In doing so you may have the opportunity of meeting the "Big 7".Namely Cuan,Gerald and hopefully the "Big 5".
Email Tracy & Amanda | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The name you need to know for travel in Africa
While we usually organise our travel ourselves, travel in Africa was a complete unknown so we opted to go with a travel agent. Selecting African Ubuntu Safaris was the first best step in the trip of a lifetime. Our agent Cuan McLaren, listened to our trip ideas and budget and came up with a range of appealing options based on his extensive experience as a travel agent and guide in Africa. When we had to change part of our travel plans he came up with the perfect Plan B.
From Cuan’s suggestions we chose the Jenman’s 23 Day Intimate Botswana Zimbabwe Encounter Small Group Safari. Jenman’s is a well-respected company which develops amazing itineraries at reasonable prices (given that travel in Africa is very expensive).We were in good hands with our knowledgeable and efficient guide, Thulani, who dealt with any minor hiccups that arose, and our driver, Tham, who kept us safe on some very dodgy roads. Local guides were used wherever possible to ensure we got the best local information on our trip. Two small plane flights were included to reduce the amount of time spent on the dusty bumpy roads, which we really came to appreciate! The itinerary, which included houseboat time on Lake Kariba, was varied and interesting. Days were often long but this is an unavoidable feature of African travel and there was downtime wherever possible. There were so many highlights but the beautifiul Matobo Hills deserve special mention as does the sunset views at the Shashani Matobo Hills Lodge. Accommodation was varied, interesting and comfortable. The traditional thatched huts of Planet Baobab was a highlight. Last but not least, the dizzying variety of animal and birdlife made every day an unforgettable adventure.
Post tour we spent time in Cape Town in the perfectly located Commodore Hotel, minutes away from the Victoria and Alfred wharf. After a tour of the Cape Peninsula, including Seal Island and the penguins of Boulders Beach, we relaxed in the wineries of Franschhoek, a perfect end to a busy few weeks. Our fabulous B&B, Maison Chablis, was another great choice.
Cuan organised every detail of our trip with great care and often went above and beyond. Thank you for interrupting your own family holiday in Africa because you wanted to cover some issues to your satisfaction! Thank you for the tip spreadsheet to help us work out what tips might be needed and when!
We cannot recommend Cuan and African Ubuntu Safaris highly enough to anyone thinking of going to Africa. We certainly will be contacting Cuan for any future travel there.
Email Susie & Ian | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Customised trips where everything fits together seamlessly
This was our second trip arranged by African Ubuntu Safaris. The first was a dozen years ago when Cuan designed us an amazing trip through Kenya and Tanzania. Now having a sudden urge to see gorillas, Cuan was the first and only person we called. He provided some amazing advice on how to structure the trip. Advice that we happily accepted at the time, but once in Rwanda and moving around, we came to understand why it made huge sense to do things the way Cuan had proposed. This is the sort of value-add that Cuan brings to the table, and after our first experience, we had no hesitation in just putting our trust in him and his team. Our experience was seamless and flawless. There were quite a few moving parts in making everything fit together, but it all worked effortlessly from one end to the other.
I think travelling in Africa could be a bit challenging without someone who knows the ropes. It was just nine weeks from when we first sat down with Cuan to discuss some ideas, until the day we departed for Africa. A remarkably short time to put together such an amazing trip that was executed so smoothly.
Email Tiffany & John | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An adventure we will never forget!
We highlighy recommend anyone travelling to Africa to get in touch with Cuan at African Ubuntu. Cuan did an outstanding job organising our trip to South & East Africa. It was an unforgettable trip and more magical than we ever imagined!
Cuan took the time to understand our travel interests and planned the trip to perfect - from transfers, selection of camps and safari tours.
Cuan was always willing to help, answering all of our queries promptly (not only during the planning stages but also during the journey).
Thank you again for a trip of a lifetime!
Email Brad & Tracey | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A company that goes above and beyond, excellent local knowledge and service - highly recommend
In November we completed an amazing 22 night personalised tour for 4 people covering South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana with African Ubuntu Safaris. Cuan McLaren our principal contact was brilliant to deal with, as was there South African contact on the ground Gerald. One week before we were due to travel we had to defer our trip for two months and they handled the whole reschedule of 7 flights and 6 locations with minimal fuss. Not only that they were also in constant touch with us when South African Airlines went on strike mid holiday and organised alternative flights and transfers, plus they organised us a mid transfer stop for us to watch the Rugby World Cup Final. Our tour exceeded expectations, all the accommodation, transfers and tours were first class, we thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to Africa and we be back. We would highly recommend African Ubuntu Safari for your African holiday, you will not be disappointed their knowledge of Africa and service were excellent.
Email Sam | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great service, knowledgeable and friendly - couldn’t recommend more highly
Second Safari tour planned by African Ubuntu Safaris. Both have been incredible. Cuan’s knowledge and passion guarantee a brilliant African safari. Friendly, always willing to assist and professional.
Email Jenelle & Ron | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ubuntu miraculously managed a complete holiday reschedule for four of us and did it with a smile.
When everything is running smoothly it all looks easy but it is when unexpected complications arise the worth of a really good Travel Agent comes to the fore. Ubuntu Safaris are really good Travel Agents.
Our South African-Zimbabwe-Botswana tour involving 6 flights and 7 locations had to be completely rescheduled due to a parent's illness which Ubuntu Safaris miraculously managed on our behalf. There was much to do and a lot of communications between all parties to make our wonderful tour happen and Ubuntu were tireless in their efforts to accommodate our needs. Ubuntu's recommendations and choices of accommodation and Safari Lodges were spot on. We will return to southern Africa one day and it will be through Ubuntu Safaris.
Email Chris & Barbara | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely helpful and informative, delivering all the information in a timely and pleasant manner.
The information provided was accurate and informative. All questions answered in a friendly manner with a nothing is to much attitude. The tour was great fun and everything went as planned. The finer details were precise and even when we were in what appeared was the middle of nowhere our every need was catered for. Food and accomodation was top knot notch and the trip was amazing. Africa and its people were simply amazing.
Email Lorna & Colin | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Hakuna Matata- no worries everything was perfectly well organised.
Communication during the planning stage was great. Every issue or concern I had was addressed either on the phone or via email. Cuan was always honest and willing to discuss options and because of his experience, was able to make sound recommendations.The service was very good and we could set off on our safari with confidence.
The accommodation was excellent, surprising that such high quality establishments and services could be found in such remote locations. The only concern was that the Farmhouse at Ngorongoro Crater (although an excellent establishment) was quite a distance from the crater so it took a good hour or more driving to reach it on the morning of our safari.
All the safaris were excellent and each and every driver we had was extremely knowledgeable, interesting, friendly and easy going. This made each safari so much better. We were fortunate enough to see lots of different animals and birds and our guides were very accommodating so we could get the best possible view and have time to take plenty of photos. The highlight was seeing the great migration with thousands of wildebeest in the Masai Mara.
Each game park we visited was interesting and rewarding - offering something different in each place, so couldn't really say that one was better than the other - we enjoyed them all. The downside was the long, slow, dusty roads between places which meant we had very full days and little time to relax on arrival to the lodges. I guess that this is unavoidable when trying to fit in visits to lots of places in a limited time.
The hospitality and service at each hotel was excellent and so nice that the staff were very friendly and always willing to talk to us. So good to hear their stories. I felt that maybe the tipping is getting a bit out of hand and there is a growing expectation to tip for every service supplied.
In conclusion, we were thoroughly satisfied with the organisation of our trip with African Ubuntu Safaris and everything seemed to "spot on". We had no concerns whatsoever and would wholeheartedly recommend them to other travellers.
Email Simmone, Martin and Amelia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional , knowledgeable, listened to our concerns and alleviated our fears
Can’t highly recommended Ubuntu safaris enough , from out first discussions of what we would like to do to the first proposals from which to choose was , insightful and professional and you knew that they knew what they were doing . They gave great suggestions where to stay etc for the best location of the great migration only someone with deep knowledge of the great migration would get this right which they did .
They listened to what our concerns were travelling with young ladies and put our fears at bay . Not a stoned was left unturned to ensure out trip was safe and exceeded all our expectations .
Quan made our wish list happen , covering 5 counties in 20 days , what we thought would be impossible, Quan made possible
No question was too difficult to answer , believe me we asked many along the way .
Quan went out of his way to accommodate our meetings in the office and at hand always when a question came up.
The itinerary was so detailed and had absolutely everything we needed .
He had to liaise with our travelling family in London and nothing was too much trouble even with time difference .
He even went out of his way to put us in touch with his wildlife photographer for tips and tricks before our trip .
We so were fortunate to have his father Gerald pick us up from Johannesburg airport and take us to our hotel .We had a wonderful dinner with Gerald and Louise at a wonderful local restaurant, what an unexpected and wonderful way to start our adventure, discussing our trip and what to expect and sharing their wonderful travel stories .Their hospitality will never be forgotten and truly a wonderful memory of our trip.
Once again so blessed to have Gerald pick us up from hotel and drop us off at the airstrip to start our safari , this personal touch money can’t buy.
All our adventures were in themselves amazing , hard to have a favourite as they were all soo different .
SA - Sabi Sands
Zambia
Tanzania , crater and Serengeti
Uganda - Gorilla trek
Each country and experience was beyond words and surpassed our expectations
It was important for us to experience the local culture and communities which he assisted in making happen . This definitely touched all our hearts and is an experience we will never forget .
There were 2 birthdays on our trip and Quan assisted in making these memorable and special .
There were no major hiccups along the way but knowing we had Quan and Gerald at an email / phone call away made us relax .
There was delayed local flight that would make our connection very tight and we weren’t getting much information from the local airstrip .
We contacted Cuan back in Australia, he found out what was happening with the flight and organised with airline to rush us through to connecting flight and then again had someone waiting for us as soon as we got off the plane to ensure connection made , we could have not made this happen .
Knowing this was arranged made us feel at ease .
I’m one who always organises our own travel , as good as I think I am I could have never even started to book a trip to Africa .
The complexities of our travel , countries , timing , could only be done by someone who has an in-depth knowledge of all the African countries .
We can’t thank Cuan , Gerald and Louise enough for making our trip the most memorable one we have ever experienced .
We left a piece of our hearts in Africa and we will be back and the first person we will see will be Cuan .
Thank you Ubuntu safari you made our dreams come true and exceed all our expectations.
Until next time .