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
Safari to Lion Sands
The trip was perfect. We saw lots of game and the lodge was top notch. Service levels and attention to detail were exceptional. Highly recommend both the tour company and lodge.
US
Email Emilia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything was planned perfectly and went as smoothly!!!
We visited Cape Town, Sabi Sabi Selati, Victoria Falls and Chobe in Botswana. We stayed at top luxury resorts which were all top notch personallized service. We were greeted at all airport arrivals and escorted to all departures. Not one single issue within our 2 week travel period. It was fantastic and exceeded all expectations!!!
Email Tara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing South African Safari thanks to African Welcome Safaris
We recently returned from a 3 week safari in South Africa booked with the assistance of Kathi from African Welcome Safaris. I cannot praise Kathi highly enough - she designed a custom itinerary for us which included a complex array of transfers, flights and accommodation and everything went very smoothly. During the booking process, she gave excellent advice on itinerary choices and was incredibly prompt to get back to us with any information or bookings we requested.
This is our second time booking through African Welcome Safaris (fourth time travelling to Africa), and as an Australian I would encourage Aussies to consider booking through a local operator - we were able to save a very significant amount of money compared to when we have travelled with an Australian based agency, plus Kathi's local knowledge was far superior and made the transfers/itinerary far more efficient than we have experienced in the past with other agencies.
Because we had specific animals in mind on this trip, we went to Phinda Forest and Mountain Lodge in Kwa Zulu Natal, and Ngala Safari Lodge, Kirkman's Kamp, and Arathusa in the Kruger area. The lodges and staff in all locations were absolutely fantastic and I can highly recommend them all. There were pros and cons to the game viewing in South Africa- the density of game was very sparse compared to Kenya or Tanzania, however being private reserves, we were able to go off-road and get very close to the animals we particularly wanted to see (Leopard, Cheetah, Black Rhino and African Wild Dogs). So we were able to get great photos of these animals which we are very thankful for, but we did miss the sheer volume of the other animals (zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, elephants, various antelope etc) that we have seen on other safaris.
Overall we had a fantastic experience thanks to Kathi at African Welcome Safaris and highly recommend her, along with &Beyond lodges.
Email Georgina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful experience
We had a truly wonderful holiday, organised by Kathi at African Welcome Safari’s. The insight, advise and responsiveness in organising the trip was excellent. It really was one of the best holidays we have ever had.
The accommodation recommendations were impeccable. We had six nights on safari. Kapama made a great start to the holiday, the accommodation was fabulous and the staff couldn’t have been friendlier. The game drives at Elephant Plains in Sabi Sands were on another level entirely, we loved it there. The setting was just sublime. We couldn’t believe how much we saw! The food was a bit hit and miss but we weren’t there for the food
Cape Town was fantastic, so much to see and do. We had some fabulous meals and we really loved the city. We had five nights in Cape town but I think if we did it again we would try have a little longer there so we could spread out the sightseeing.
The wine tour organised by Kathi was a real highlight, our driver was just fantastic, really knowledgeable, he was the perfect guide. Blackheath Lodge was just one of the nicest places to stay, the design was quirky and tasteful and the staff were fantastic. The little details like the prepaid mobile phone for our use, the welcome drinks etc were just brilliant and the breakfasts were delicious. We also enjoyed our short stay in Stellenbosch.
Overall an amazing holiday. We would love to go back!
SE
Email Eva | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best ever
We had the most perfect Safari ever. We travel a lot but African Welcome Safaris made this trip extraordinary. Everything worked perfect. Answers on our questions in no time. Keenly aware of our expectations. Only the best recommendations.
IE
Email Mary | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Had lots of great experiences and got a great vision of South Africa and its people
Very good communication with our tour guide Rhys Bradshaw and got to visit all places on our list. Excellent package put together by Kathi Simon. Great accomodation. Enjoyed the safari. Will recommend
DE
Email Sebastian Rosswag | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect personalized Safari trip to Botsuana including Victoria Falls
From the beginning I had a perfect communication to Kathi. She understood our personal wishes including respicting our Budget! Very soon she found a very good solution for us and found a perfect Discount on Belmond lodges!
US
Email Cristin B. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip Of A Lifetime!
Thank you to Kathi of African Welcome Safaris, who put together a wonderful trip to South Africa for a group of friends. From the beginning, Kathi was so helpful and informative. She also answered our e-mails and made recommendations and suggestions before we even arrived. She really went above and beyond. Kathi put together such a great package that we did not have to think about anything - just enjoy ourselves. One of the highlights of our trip was our stay at Tintswalo Manor House. We were treated like royalty. We also had two wonderful tours in Cape Town with Rhys who was so knowledgeable and friendly. We cannot thank African Welcome Safaris enough for putting together this magical trip. We will talk of this trip the rest of our lives! We will recommend African Welcome Safaris to our friends and family.
US
Email Brian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip Of A Lifetime
Kathi organized the trip of a lifetime for our group. We loved the game drives and accommodations at Tintswalo Lodge and our wine tours around Cape Town. The trip was absolutely perfect!
TH
Email Ploy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hands down, one of the most memorable trips in my life!
I decided to take my parents to South Africa during a long holiday (and for mom's birthday) but I got only about 2 weeks before the flight to actually plan the whole trip. I was reading a lot of reviews and found a couple tour operators that sound reliable. I was skeptical at first that African Welcome Safaris only got positive reviews but I thought why not. I told Kathi my very brief plans and told her places we would like to visit. Kathi was very responsive and informative. She sent me a quotation within the next day. We discussed and revised the itinerary almost everyday until probably two days before the flight. I really appreciate her being very patient with our requests. We knew almost nothing about South Africa and my parents were concerned and paranoid about many issues but Kathi was very comforting and she assured we will be having an amazing time (and she was right!). We spent the first day in Jo'burg, 2 days in Kruger National Park, and 4 days in Cape Town. We did a private tour for the whole trip and our tour guides were knowledgable and funny which made the trip so fun. We were able to do things at our own pace and that's very important as my parents are quite old. My parents asked me at one point if we could stay longer and perhaps change the flight but unfortunately, we couldn't.
During our time there, Kathi was still keeping in touch with us. Whenever we had a question, she would answer as soon as she could. She kept us informed about everything eg. airlines strikes so we had to do online check-in before going to the airport etc. This trip really was soooo amazing! I cannot wait to go back - especially safari! We stayed at Inyati in Sabi Sand Game Reserve and it was really lovely. The staff was friendly and so helpful. Our ranger was Omega and our tracker was Rodger. We got to see the Big5 plus a Cheetah within 24 hours!!!!! They also pick the best spots to do a small picnic. We were by the river across from 3 giraffes. It was so surreal. Our last night was even better - they stopped the open 4-wheel drive in the middle of the river. We could see the Milky Way above us and there were lots of fireflies flying around. I can't even explain my feelings at that moment.
We cannot thank Kathi and African Welcome Safaris enough for putting together this super awesome trip.
Seriously, you won't regret choosing African Welcome Safaris.
We will definitely go back again and will add Botswana in our plan.
Advice: Check with your safari lodge about their morning game drive time. We missed our last morning game drive because we had to leave for the airport before the game drive usually ends. Also try to check with the hotels about breakfast when you have to leave earlier than their normal breakfast time. Some will prepare you a take-away breakfast box so you can have it in the car or at the airport.