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
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very experienced travel agent with a great knowledge of the attractions
Kathi at African Welcome Safaris is an exceptional travel agent. We have used her on two occasions now (out of three visits to the continent) and have not been disappointed by her service, prompt reply to emails, and considered guidance in her itineraries. Her picks have been spot on, factoring in travel time, bookings, and attractions we wanted to see. She obviously can see what we are after, and match the itinerary.
You are reassured to be in safe hands when you book here, and we will likely use her again for future holidays.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Family Adventure
African Welcome Safaris, and Kathi in particular, made our adventures in Africa amazing. Her communication was immediate and attended to every detail. She sought to understand our goals and matched us with experiences and guides who exceeded our expectations. Our time at Kapama Game Lodge was incredible wihg many animal encounters, great service, and an outstanding guide, Stephan, and tracker, Rogers. Accommodations, food, and spa were excellent. Exploring Cap Town and the surrounding areas with Ryes was really cool. Our experience at Chobe River Lodge was fantastic with a highly attentive staff and RT our great guide. Victoria Falls Lodge provided epic views with vulture feedings and the stunning Victoria Falls. Lesedi Cultural Village was a great place to stay and to enjoy the tour and traditional dancing.
AE
Email John Hammond | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Meticulous in their planning, putting the customer first, high quality service delivery - faultless
We are a family of 6. Our eldest child is 12 and our youngest is 5. It is always a challenge finding a balance of experiences for us all for our holidays. African Welcome put together a perfectly balanced itinerary that combined time in the wild with urban exploration. The planning, communication and level of service was first class. We had a stress free experience during the planning and booking stage. The locations for our holiday - Kruger National Park (Tintswalo resort), Victoria Falls, Cape Town (V&A Waterfront) and Franschhoek (La Petite Ferme) were all stunning in their own way. The accommodation selected - mainly 5 star combined with self catering in Cape Town was all of exceptional quality and perfectly located. In particular the staff at Tintswalo and the Safari Lodge in Victoria Falls were amazing with the children and they are missing them after returning home.
We got to see the best of South Africa - amazing safari (we saw the big 5 and so much more), driving around Cape Town, the Cape area, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek - simply a stunning part of the world. Victoria Falls is world renowned for obvious reasons although the visa costs and park taxes imposed by the government are a little disconcerting. We picked some great places to visit and African Welcome picked amazing accommodation and service for us.
Top marks African Welcome. You really raised the bar. Not sure how we will better this experience next year or ever!
We look forward to working with you in the future - you're simply the best!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The entire experience was great: from brainstorming, to planning, to troubleshooting, to enjoying!
What I think is important to point out is not only that the experience was a great vacation, but working with Africa Welcome Safaris was what made it so great. Having never been on a safari before (nor visited the continent), Africa Welcome Safaris' made it easy and approachable to plan and enjoy: from finding a great place within my budget, to helping me prepare for the experience (and what to pack, what to expect), accommodating changes to my itinerary when needed and being there 24x7 when small travel hiccups occurred (e.g. airline flight changes or delays). I felt like Africa Welcome treated me and my trip as a top priority for their staff. I want to particularly commend Kathi Simon for making this on of my best vacations ever.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We dealt with Kathi and she offered excellent advise, was prompt in her responses and very helpful
Everything was booked for us and the logistics worked perfectly. We were looking at 2 different lodges and were told about both and given recommendations. We chose Sabi Sabi Little Bush Camp and had the most wonderful experience in the bush.
Email John | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari in Sabi Sands
We booked a 4 night safari in Elephant Plains through African Welcome Safaris and couldn't have been happier with how it all worked out. We dealt with Kathi and she was a pleasure to work with in finding the correct safari the matched our needs. We settled on Elephant Plains in Sabi Sands and were delighted with the quality of the lodge and the friendliness of the staff there. The drives themselves were superb and the variety and number of animals we saw far exceeded our expectations. I would highly recommend booking through this tour operator and will do so myself the next time I visit South Africa.
CA
Email André | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Once again, African Welcome Safari came through for us to organize a trip of a lifetime!
Once again African Welcome Safari came through for us! We travelled to South Africa in 2013 and this year, when came time to book our second trip to Africa , there was no hesitation! Kathi from African Welcome Safari was going to be our go-to person to put it together. As we wanted to visit Botswana, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Namibia, we knew it would be much easier to deal with someone with knowledge and experience, as opposed to having to search the Web for hours on end to find the best place to stay, how to get from point A to point B, etc. Within a few e-mails back and forth with Kathi, she was able to put together a great itinerary that would allow us to experience the best these countries have to offer! From flights and transfers between countries, car rentals, to lodges and tented camps, everything she booked for us was extraordinary!!!! If you are looking to organize your trip to the great continent of Africa, African Welcome Safari is your best option!
André & Natalie from Canada
Email Guy Warmington | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Nothing was too much trouble - Alex and team ensured we had a wonderful, trouble-free trip.
Our self-drive trip to South Africa went way beyond our expectations. We had a reasonable (although fairly ill-informed) idea of some things we wanted to do, but needed someone on the ground to offer advice on logistics, costs, availability, appropriateness of choices and general advice. What we ideally wanted was a ‘one-stop-shop’ where we could go for advice and wrap up the organisation our entire 3-week trip from front to back, from ideas through to bookings. I have to say, it’s (sadly) rare these days to get such dedicated service and attention all through the consultation and booking process. Once the trip was underway, we had no mishaps from start to finish, since every single aspect of the trip was meticulously planned. My wife and son also had a fabulous time, and we were reluctant to come back to the UK! Alex's advice was particularly helpful with regard to the fact that we were travelling with a 3 year-old, which brings with it its own challenges. In short, we had the trip of a lifetime and we have fantastic memories to treasure! Not only would we feel 100% confident of referring any friends or family to African Welcome Safaris for advice, we are threatening to come back next year too!
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.
CH
Email Cinthia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Memories for a life time - Thank you
I never write reviews, caught up in life, family, work, friends... but this time I thought I would because our trip to South Africa was extraordinary thanks to African Welcome Safaris and Kathi's perfect planning and availability.
African Welcome Safaris was recommended by friends and we are recommending their services too.
We travelled as a family, four adults all together (parents and 2 "kids" 20-25).
We were interested in different aspects of the country, the history, the people, the wines, discovering the landscape, the nature... so based in this mosaic request, Kathi prepared an itinerary that allowed each of us to discover what we were looking for.
One of the highlights of our trip was taking the Rovos train from the Cap to Pretoria. I can only recommend this unique experience.
We favoured boutique hotels and two that stood out were the Dock house hotel located close to the waterfront in the Cap and the Parkwood hotel in Johannesburg. The trips to Table mountain and to the Cap of good hope allowed us to be in the middle of nature and a nice break from the city.We also very much enjoyed high tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel.
Robben Island is a must of course. Taking the time to visit the Apartheid museum and the prison in Johannesburg where the Supreme Court was built is a heavy load for an afternoon but essential to understand some of the aspect of South African history and culture. Of course, taking in the history of South Africa over the past centuries is most helpful in order to understand (if possible) the 20th century and the present. One last recommendation: Shumbalala Lodge for a safari in the Thornybush Private Reserve - a fantastic and most welcoming place. Thank you Kathi and the team of African Welcome Safaris for memories that will last a life time.