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:
- $121 to $463 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 Tom P. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Personalized, caring, knowledgeable, responsive, seamless - what more do you want in an agent?
We were a party of 12, ages 6-80, special occasion trip, first time on safari. We reached out to Kathi on a friend’s recommendation and bottom-line, our experience was flawless. Our itinerary was 6 nights Kruger (3n public, 3n on reserve), 3 nights Victoria Falls with day trip to Botswana. Cannot emphasize how much of a difference Kathi and team made - self-booking for a party of this size was a no-go - you need an expert who can hold enough seats on those non-daily, connecting flights, enough rooms at each hotel, arrange reliable, local transfer companies etc., and pull the trigger in one go. Kathi and team took all the stress out of what was quickly turning into a logistical nightmare. And, I got the feeling the $$ was the same or cheaper than self-booking! Our experience with AWS fully converted me to the value of a good agent.
For those who want to read more on our service experience:
- Highly personalized, lots of attention to detail, always thinking ahead, proactively suggesting what is/isn’t suitable for kids and grandparents, and proactively sharing important details with our hotels in advance.
- Highly responsive and knowledgeable: every e-mail replied to promptly within 1-2 days; WhatsApp support throughout the trip with check-ins. Given our party spanned three generations, we had lots of questions around health considerations, travel requirements, hotel swimming pools in winter, suitability of vehicles and road/trail conditions etc., all of which Kathi patiently addressed in detail.
- Seamless: minor issues and schedule adjustments were handled on-the-fly immediately.
- Professional proposals to help our decision-making (and get everyone really excited!): we received beautiful slideshows with itinerary day-by-days, hotel photos, ideas for side activities to give us a sense of what to expect; all documents (tickets, vouchers, receipts) meticulously uploaded onto the TravelKey app once finalized. If tech is not your thing, all docs came in duplicate over e-mail for old-fashioned printing.
- Value: as above, means something different for everyone but the important thing is the whole family felt like the trip was super reasonable in hindsight.. what more do you want?
Thanks for everything Kathi & team. Please don’t retire anytime soon!
US
Email Jill | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Service
Kathi was able to tailor our vacation based on our time, interests, and budget. She was amazing to work with because she replied quickly to our questions and requests, she was able to accommodate changes due to weather and she made our vacation an absolute trip of a lifetime!
US
Email Nicole K. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very accommodating and easy to work with!
Our trip included four days in Cape Town, a short flight to a private game reserve that was top notch at an affordable rate with lovely staff and luxurious accommodations! The attention to detail and hospitality was phenomenal! It was a trip of a lifetime and couldn’t have been any less stressful in the planning. I highly recommend African Welcome Safaris if you’re looking to visit Africa!
SA
Email Loay Alayadhi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, kind and knowledgeable
Thank you so much for making my trip wonderful .
All of us enjoyed and had a lot of fun.
US
Email Valerie Clark | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Every aspect of the trip met or exceeded my expectations: fantastic experience!
I wanted the vacation of a lifetime for my 16 year old granddaughter and that’s exactly what we got. Every detail was planned out and all we had to do was show up! All of the drivers were professional and knowledgeable, and accommodations all exceeded my expectations as far as service and luxury. The Panorama Route is a must see and the safari part of the trip was exhilarating! We saw all the big 5 multiple times as well as many others! I will definitely use African Welcome Safari again for future trips!
US
Email Bill | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
African Welcome Safaris was fantastic. Would highly recommend!
Kathi Simon and AWS did a wonderful job planning and handling our trip to South Africa. We travelled as a family of 4 from the USA, with 2 teenage boys. We did Cape Town, the Wine Country, and safaris near Kruger National Park. Kathi was a great communicator, and worked hard to ensure that all the details were accounted for. Every location and accommodation she selected was fantastic. All of the transfers were easy, reliable, and safe. The value was excellent for the peace of mind provided. We received Kathi's name from a good friend who booked with Kathi over 10 years ago, and now - 10+ years later - Kathi and AWS are still providing a wonderful South African experience.
SG
Email Shawn Chu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Honeymoon in South Africa
We had our dream honeymoon in South Africa thanks to the efforts of Kathi Simon at African Welcome Safaris. I decided to book through Kathi as she was very responsive to my emails and could accommodate all my travel requests, providing me with a detailed itinerary suited to my budget. My wife and I could enjoy ourselves without worrying about missing our flights or transfers. During the trip, we could contact Kathi whenever we encountered any issues. Our Shark Cage diving tour got postponed due to inclement weather, but she managed to coordinate and reschedule with the tour operator when the weather improved. For anyone visiting South Africa, we highly recommend booking through African Welcome Safaris for an unforgettable experience!
CA
Email Philip Kuruvilla | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic trip
My wife and I travelled to South Africa for the first time. Our agent was Kathi Simon. She was outstanding. Prior to the trip she took the time to make an itinerary tailored to our specific wishes and interests. Every aspect of the trip was superb. She always responded promptly to any questions we had. We highly recommend African Welcome Safaris .
US
Email Sejal Gala | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kathi at the African Welcome Safari is the dream travel agent anyone wants!
This trip was easily top 3 travel experiences I have had, and I travel a lot. Kathi’s attention to details, ability to truly listen and plan us exactly what we wanted blew our minds. The service was top knotch. Every aspects of the trip with hotels, tour guides, bookings, flights, everything was on point. The trip exceeded my expectations! Great value for money, very reliable and truly a phone call away to meet your concerns. I will be coming back with them to do more trips to Africa.
US
Email George Nutial | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely efficient -
We missed our connecting flight from Newark to Johannesburg. Kathi Simon did an excellent job rearranging our itinerary. Plus, the entire trip went as smoothly as can be imagined. Every pick up/ Hotel arrival was on time and completely professional.