African Welcome Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1999)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $123 to $469 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
HK
Email Patrick Leung | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very eye-opening, exciting and satisfactory overall.
We are happy and satisfied with the service and communication provided by African Welcome Safaris.
As for our trip experience, we had a wonderful time and enjoyed ourselves a lot, but the trip would be even better except for the following:
(1) Our original confirmed booking in Kuria Hills Lodge was cancelled and we had to stay in Kuria Lemala Camp instead. The land cruisers supplied by Lemala Camp was not in good shape and the food could be better.
(2) We were bumped out of Treetop Lodge despite our confirmed and fully paid booking made one year ago. Even though the compensation package is acceptable, many of us are still quite unhappy with this unexpected change.
Other than the above, the trip was great and we particularly like the gorilla trekking and the Bisate Lodge. We will recommend them to our friends in Hong Kong.
US
Email Dj | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If I could give it 10 stars I would!
No words can adequately describe the overall experience!
I booked this trip early 2018 with Kathi from African Welcome Safaris. She was professional, responsive and super friendly. She answered my 50,000 questions quickly and thoroughly and she handled all of the logistics beautifully.
The safari itself was an unforgettable experience. Selati Camp was out of this world. The staff paid such close attention to every possible detail. Ashleigh, the property manager, was so professional and kind. Keegan and Donald were our guide / tracker duo and they were AMAZING! SO knowledgeable and fun to spend hours each day with as we tracked game on our drives. The house staff (Lucy, Chef Dick, etc) were one in a million.
There were literally surprises around every corner! Expect unexpected experiences pulled together by the staff literally took our breath away (not going to say what they are to avoid ruining any surprises!). And there were wildlife surprises around every corner - from rounding the corner on our drive to go shopping to stumble upon a group of giraffe, to finding an elusive pair of lions wandering across the road en route to the airport on our departure day.
Like I said, 10 stars out of 5. Must book! I will be going back!
CA
Email Lucille | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kathi is extremely responsive, patient, and worked very hard to plan a trip of a lifetime for us!
5 adults went on a 10-day self-drive tour of Namibia covering Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Damaraland and Etosha National Park. African Welcome Safaris helped us plan the trip and booked us into incredible lodges along the way. We initially planned to go with 4 people, then it went down to 2, increased to 3 and finally very close to travel time we added a 4th and 5th person to the group. Kathi was extremely understanding and patient and was able to juggle the accommodation to suit this moving target! They provided a very detailed book of day to day driving and sites to visit.
Everything worked out according to plan and definitely met and exceeded our expectations! We stayed in a variety of lodges each with their own special character and strengths.
- Windhoek Country Club was a good place to get oriented and kick off our Namibian adventure! Dinner at Joe's Beerhouse was lovely and gave us our first taste of game meat. Unfortunately, showers flooded in 2 of the rooms - be careful!
- Hoodia Desert Lodge (Namibia Desert) was wonderful in all respects. A great welcome, very comfortable rooms, outside bathtub for 2 or 3 is fun, excellent dinners, very friendly staff and knowledgeable guide (Lucas), refreshing pool after a day in the desert, magnificent stars and sundowner not to be missed! Lunches could have been a little better.
- Swakopmund Luxury Suites - a great, clean, modern room with fabulous bathroom and a very friendly and helpful receptionist. Excellent seafood dinner at Tug restaurant. Enjoyed having a voucher for breakfast - chose Cordes and Co. which had an eclectic setting and very good food. We only had one night booked in Swakopmund, but would have liked one more to take in some of the activities and spend more time exploring the town.
- Mowani Mountain Camp (Damarland). Kathi was determined to get us in here and had to do some juggling to make it happen. This is a beautiful lodge in a very unique setting built into massive rocks. The food is outstanding and most of the staff was excellent. Sunset drinks and appetizers were special! Some of the attitudes and signage were a little pretentious e.g. for Superior guests only - need to make all guest feel equally welcome.
- Ongava Lodge (Ongava Private Game Park) - Excellent, warm welcome, magnificent setting with expansive views from the large patio. A well-stocked reserve so we saw a lot of game on the evening drive.
- Mushara Lodge (just outside Etosha National Park) - Probably the most comfortable accommodation (except for the single room), good amenities and food. The only lodge without a view and nowhere to walk. Lovely pool and meals. Great guide (Jonathan) who went the extra mile (Literally) to show us some incredible game. This lodge is great and the staff were good, but it felt like it lacked someone in charge.
Finally, we drove 2,200 kilometres. We had to go into Windhoek to get the vehicle from Namibia Car Rentals. This was time consuming, and it would have been better to get a car at the airport. The car was very reliable, and fortunately we did not have to use either of the 2 extra tires they recommended we take with us. They were great to come to the hotel to remove the additional seats in the back, which were too small for adults. We needed the extra room for luggage and the extra tire. The drive was not too onerous - about 5 or 6 hours on driving days - some more interesting than others. Don't miss the Spreetshoogte Pass on the way to Solitaire. Enjoyed the Cheetah Sanctuary at Solitaire.
All in all a fantastic vacation!
CA
Email Ashley and Braden | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best vacation of our life!
Our booking was done through Africa Welcome, and the owner, Kathi Simon, took amazing care of us from day 1 of planning. We were on opposite ends of the world, and Kathi had no problem answering our questions quickly and thoroughly, and making changes last minute - she was a gem and the entire reason we were able to go!
In South Africa, we started our voyage from Capetown, on to Franchoek (wine region) and then onward to Kruger National Park and then through Johannesburg on our way back home. The country of South Africa is like no other I have seen - it is so diverse, with a very westernized city like Capetown with amazing food and scenery, and then the wine region which was like Napa Valley or Okanagan (Canada) on steroids - it was THAT good - the buildings were designed beautifully and the wine was fantastic. And finally, the unbelievable wild animal life in Kruger National Park! It really was a dream trip and South Africa is an amazing place with many secrets that unfold for the tourist! Our private lodge, Simbavati, was beautiful, high-end, amazing service and food. Our guides and trackers made our trip, by teaching us so much about the animals, the terrain and the foliage. We loved every minute of our trip and have been highly recommending to anyone who will listen!
You MUST go to South Africa, we seriously thought about how we could move there, that's how amazing it is - no joke, you will be blown away!
Email Alan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Totally competent
This was the fifth safari that African Welcome have sorted out for us. They know what we want before we ask and we just relax knowing it’s all in hand. We have total faith and we’ve never been let down. Looking forward to the next one
Email Ian Humphrey | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The trip was well organised, the overnight stays exceeded our expectations.
Communications were rapid and coherent. Expertise of advisor useful and valuable. All the information provided was clear and precise with the electronic information particularly good.
Email Nicola Wetherill | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Impressive service
I found African Welcome Safaris by chance when searching Google for safari holidays, read their excellent reviews and went ahead and contacted them. From that first email Kathi was extremely responsive and helpful....emails came back same day or next day but often within hours. Nothing was too much trouble despite changing our plans numerous times....Kathi understood that this was to be the holiday of a lifetime and we wanted to get it 'just right'. She understood that we had a budget and offered us various choices within that budget. The accommodation she booked for us in Johannesburg was outstanding and every transfer and flight booked through African Welcome Safaris went without a hitch. The safari was out of this world and the advice she gave us about what reserve to visit and why was spot on. She communcated the special needs we had (there were a couple) to the hotel in Johannesburg and the lodge on safari making our stay perfect. I would not hesitate to recommend Kathi and African Welcome Safaris to anyone wanting to go on safari or simply to visit South Africa....we have already passed their details to two sets of friends thinking of going and they would definitely be our first choice were we to safari again. Thank you so much Kathi.
CH
Email Sophie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fabulous trip to South Africa - unforgettable experience
It is the second time we have requested African Welcome Safari to plan another trip to South Africa. The first time was in 2016. The trip was so marvellous that we decided to go back this year. It has been another unforgettable experience. We did a horse back safari at Wait A Little, a big 5 safari and it was just amazing. Kathi from African Welcome Safaris has tailored made our trip taking into account all our requests and budget. She had also made some very valuable suggestions, one of them, was to spend a few days in Kosi forest. What a beautiful part of the world. I highly recommend this travel agent if you want to spend some memorable time in Africa.
Trip of a lifetime -the beauty , the adventure , the experience of South Africa !
After extensive research of safari companies in South Africa we chose African Welcome Safaris and I could not be happier. Kathi Simon responded to all our inquiries promptly and thoroughly. She was able to find a great resort (Simbambilli) that would meet our exact needs. She walked us through the process with ideas and information that was very useful In addition to booking the safari she recommended that we stay four nights in Cape Town and provided private tours for three days. The Alfred and Victoria hotel was right on the harbor with beautiful views. The surrounding area was very colorful with performers and plenty of delicious restaurants to chose from. Our guide Graham was extremely informative and enthusiastic about Cape Town and the surrounding area. He provided us with local color and was sensitive to our needs. He was amazing! Leaving Cape Town we traveled to Sabi Sands and stayed at Simbambilli. The atmosphere, the service and especially the safari rides with Jaben and Rodney were exciting and exceeded our expectations. Ashley coordinates everything you need flawlessly . The safari rides were full of adventure tracking animals and finding them - white rhino, lionesses, leopards, giraffes, elephants, zebras, hyenas, warthogs, impalas , hippos etc- was breathtaking and so informative. Relaxing at The lodge with the view of the waterhole where impalas, elephants, warthogs, baboons to name a few come to drink never grows old. South Africa was as special as we dreamed and this tour let us revel in this beauty. This was a wonderful trip of a lifetime that we will always treasure.
SG
Email Jia Hui | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing, comprehensive and easy-to-use service
Kathi was prompt and patient in arranging my first trip to South Africa. Louis, my private guide for Cape Town was friendly, kind and extremely knowledgeable and he made my trip to Cape Town a blast. Overall a great experience and an extremely trustworthy travel service provider that I highly recommend!