Discover Africa Safaris team
Discover Africa Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, SATSA, CTT & IGLTA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $450 to $2,000 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
Email Jenny | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Megan and Steve are professional well informed and went out of their way to make our holiday amazing
Discover Africa and Megan in particular organized the most incredible holiday for us. They were knowledgeable efficient and arranged the most amazing accommodation for us. We flew to Windhoek where we collected our hired 4x4. We spent 1 night at the Kalahari Anib lodge, 2 nights at Klein AUS Vista Eagles Nest , 2 nights at Fish river lodge,1 night at Zannier hotel Sonop , 2 nights at little Kulala Sossusvlei and 2 nights at The Delight Swakopmund. We were very happy with the accommodation which varied from tastefully practical to super luxurious with beautiful views of the desert / canyon / landscape.
At each venue Megan gave us fantastic advice on what to do and see and booked it for us if needed.
We saw and experienced the most incredible things. We visited the quiver tree forest at Keetmanshoop and went to Kolmanskop the abandoned town outside Luderitz . We were super lucky to see the wild horses at Garub too. Some amazing highlights were the fish river canyon drive , the climb up big daddy sand dune and seeing deadvlei , the hot air balloon ride ( a magical must) , the 4x4 tour to sandwich Harbour at Walvis Bay.
The long drives through the desert are part of the journey and one can only marvel at the beauty of the desert with its changing scenery and vastness.
Discover Africa planned a magical holiday for us which we will never forget. Thank you.
US
Email Eric Holmes | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Honeymoon/Vacation of My Life
My wife and I scheduled our honeymoon through Discover Africa just by finding them through a simple Google search. A client of theirs called us right away and then over the next several weeks helped us figure out what package of travel we wanted. We ended up going on a safari in Tanzania for 10 days while the wildebeest were migrating and then 5 days on Zanzibar to relax. We scheduled all of this in 2019, and when the pandemic hit Discover Africa was kind enough to allow us to simply reschedule to 2021. Once we finally did get to go on our safari we were with a guide almost the entire first 5 days of the trip, which was AWESOME. A guide was there to immediately meet us after getting of the final airplane's stairs to walk us through the Tanzania customs and Covid protocols. A guide was then there to drive us to the first hotel and was super informative and great to talk to after a long plane ride. We then met with our actual safari tour guide that night to walk us through what would be happening starting the next morning since we were getting up early to check out OH, and The African Tulip hotel was amazing and they treated us to a surprise, private honeymoon dinner by the pool as with our own little fire pit.
The next morning we went to Lake Manyara with our guide and were blown away right away with all the animals we saw. 5- 10 minutes in we saw a group of giraffes followed up almost immediately by 2 elephants crossing the road only a car's length behind us. Absolutely surreal. The rest of the day was full of different types of gazelle, babboon, huge baobab trees, water buffalo, dik-diks, and others I'm forgetting. We saw several elephants very close to the car which was awesome. We ate a prepared lunch for us on the top of the overlook of the Lake. Nothing fantastic about the food but they were all designed to be "safe" food choices for everyone's diet and sensitivities. The safari took up the entire day and we were exhausted and happy as the tour guide took us to our next hotel where we had our own little condominum room. This next place as well put flowers on the bed and treated us special for our honeymoon.
The next morning we had the same tour guide (who had 17 years experience by the way) and went to Ngorongoro Conservation. He drove us up the jungly, misty, crater outer mountain and stopped to look over the massive bowl. Then we descended into the crater and immediately saw zebra, tons of wildebeest, and a RHINO (from a distance). Again a day full of tons of HERDS of gazelle, ostrich, zebra, wildebeest and LIONS laying on the very side of the road, without a care in the world about us getting up close. We ate lunch by this body of water and even it had a herd of hippos popping their heads up out of the water looking at us eat our sandwiches! Again another exhausting, exciting day with elephants as well. Our tour guide took us back to the same hotel that night.
The next morning our tour guide took us to the airport and walked us through the little bit of security that they had to get on a small plane to head to the Serengeti. The plane was small but never felt unsafe. Once we arrived in the Serengeti we were given some tea and were immediately whisked off onto our next safari. There were a heard of hippos basically AT THE AIRPORT. Then we drove off and had lunch with a group of 20+ elephants and baby elephants drinking in the Mara river. Then we were abruptly told to hold onto our lunches to go see the RIVER CROSSING of wildebeest going nuts on the Mara and dodging crocodiles. The day was full of eagles, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, a duo of MALE LIONS, and much more. The night was at a beautiful, huge tent with our own tent with a shower and double vanity mirror and huge bed. We fell asleep to the sound of wildebeest "moos" and hyena yelps.
The next morning we woke up at 4AM for a morning HOT AIR BALLOON ride. It was around $300 a person but so worth it. The safari car ride can be very bumpy so it was nice to see the Serengeti from a higher vantage point with a smooth voyage. We got the balloon up just as high basically to be above the trees and look down on the herds of animals from above. We also got maybe 15 feet from the center of the Mara river as we hovered directly down the center of it. We even got to see a LEOPARD from above! We landed smoothly and had mimosas to celebrate and were taken off to a hot breakfast in a place surrounded by trees. We got to meet other people safariing from all over the world and the staff everywhere was always so nice.
We then went off to Zanzibar for the last 5 days which was such a different pace than constantly safariing that it was a little hard to pump the adrenaline. The beach was nice but hard to relax with a pretty steady flow of people trying to sell you things or get you to go on excursions with them. We did go diving with DOLPHINS which was probably $120 and was absolutely worth it. We also went scuba diving briefly. Zanzibar was mostly for relaxing, which we definitely did, but looking back on it we wished we had spent more time safarring and maybe only two days on the beach.
All in all, everything with Discover Africa was fantastic. We would highly recommend to anyone willing to travel there.
DE
Email Tobi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service from recommendations and choices of places to booking by Antoinette!
General: Great service by Antoinette who was helpful and very dedicated to help us booking our South Africa experience. She showed us lots of different options and recommended her favourite stays. Overall an absolute 5 star service!
Accomodations:
- Klaserie River Safari Lodge: Perfect place for the first stay in the region, staff was very limited due to low numbers in travellers (covid) but did an excellent job! A true feel good place right at the Klaserie River. Our guides Lauren and Herman were very dedicated to make it the best stay ever. Great value for the money. Would definitely recommend this place!
- Hamiltons Tented Camp: Outstanding private luxury lodge where you won't miss a thing. From location, food, game drives to service this is what I call high end. Prices are high but standard for this kind of place.
- Muluwa Lodge: Nice stay on the way from Kruger back to Joburg. We only had one night but I would recommend staying at least two nights. Beautiful scenery and lovely tents with great views. Food was tasty and the staff very friendly.
- Spier Wine Farm: Large vineyard with nice accomodation. The place is created with lots of love, the garden is beautiful and invites to hang around and have a picnic. Wine was not our favourite but tastes are different so you might like it for sure!
- Mont Rochelle: Luxury Hotel on a vineyard owned by Richard Branson. Probably our favourite location in the area if you want to relax for a day or two. Overall excellent service, great food and lovely stuff. Price is high but worth the money.
- Mosaic Lagoon Lodge: Hidden gem right at the Klein River Lagoon. Staff was again superb, food great and lots of activities to do. If you don't like to stay right in Hermanus this is the place to go to!
- Lagoon Beach Hotel: A bit off the city trouble but still just a 15 mins drive to the waterfront. It's a standard hotel like any other. Room was clean, breakfast okay and they offered a free shuttle to the centre.
- Cape Milner Hotel: Nice place close to Bo Kaap, walking distance to the city centre. Can recommend the place if you would like to stay in the city.
US
Email Zuleyka Farnes | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Best Safari EVER
We have done several safaris with Megan at Discover Africa and each one surpasses the last one. This trip was by far the best rip we have ever had. The accommodations where 5 star, the guides and food where phenomenal, the attention o detail was out of this world. Every detail was attended to I have nothing but praise for this company. I am actually going to be booking another trip with them in September of 2022. If you are looking for a safari company than this company is the one and look no further! Megan navigated through all the nuances of covid regulations and testing and made the trip seamless. if I could give 10 stars I would! (Little Sabi Bush camp is amazing and I definitely recommend Kruger)
US
Email Steve Turner | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Don't use anyone else - super service with great communication
I found Discover Africa via a Google search and sent them an email. within 24 hours I had a reply (due time difference) and then a phone call with Antoinette and we planned the trip. Antoinette was so easy to work with and had the patience to keep changing the itinerary due to the pandemic and flight cancellations and more. She is a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend her to anyone looking on planning a trip to Africa.
The tour itself was arranged with Wild Frontiers. We did a 4 night Gorilla trekking trip in Uganda and then a 9 night safari in Tanzania. All the arrangements went exactly to plan and then some. From the moment we arrived at Entebbe Airport with the VIP meet and greet which had been arranged I knew we were in good hands. The VIP meet and assist off the aircraft on arrival is a life saver. With all the requirements to have a covid test on arrival and navigate the airport and the various stages of entry into the country, it simply is a must.
Our flight to Entebbe had been cancelled so we arrived a day earlier than scheduled. Arrangements were made to move the transfer a day earlier and we spent the day at an airport hotel. This had not been planned as we were going to fly direct to Bwindi - however in hindsight it was a blessing. Having the day to recuperate was awesome. A representative of Wild Frontiers, Evelyn, met us at the hotel and went over the itinerary and handed over tickets and gave us lots of tips. She even arranged to have our baggage, which had been delayed, sent to Bwindi when it finally arrived two days later. I could not ask for any better service, they were simply incredible.
On arrival we were met by our guide Echy. What can I say about him other than he was one of the best guides I've had on trips to Africa. Charming, funny, and full of information on what to expect. He is well known in the area and it was delightful to see how everyone greeted him. He made you feel at home and comfortable. Ask for him - you will not be disappointed.
Accommodation and Buhoma Lodge is simply awesome. Right at the start of the gorilla trekking area so close to everything. Food and service are awesome and the accommodations are superb - though there are a lot of steps to the rooms so bear this in mind.
From Bwindi we flew to the Serengeti via Entebbe. This is pretty much a full day affair on charter flights so be prepared. One suggestion I would make is to have a packed lunch sent with you as there is no time at the airports to grab a bit to eat.
Again all arrangements were superb with not hitches whatsoever. On arrival we were met by our guide, George. Again another super person who was full of knowledge. He immediately realized we loved birding and was awesome in spotting them. He was flexible with game drive times and length which was wonderful.
Kiota Camp is a wonderful camp overlooking the open plains of the Serengeti. Lying in your comfortable bed at night listening to the sounds to of the bush is incredible. Again service and food are wonderful and the staff went out of their way to look after us. In the evening after our game drives and we had all showered and freshened up we would head to the dining tent and sit around the camp fire and have a pre-dinner drink and just talk about the day. One night the staff asked us if they could move our chairs for a moment. We were not sure what they were doing but the next thing they had brought our dinner table from the dining tent and put it at the fire so we could have dinner there. It was super night.
One comment I do have on this - when going out for the game drives a packed lunch is provided. These were always put on the floor of the vehicle and sat there for a good number of hours before we stopped for the lunch break. Recommend this be put into a cooler box rather than left in the open heat. There was a cooler box on the vehicle but it was not working so that didn't help.
After 4 nights in the Serengeti we moved to the Ngorongoro Crater area and stayed at the Bougainvillea Safari Lodge. A wonderful place to stay with awesome meals. The food was incredible.
Unfortunately this is when I fell ill with gastroenteritis and severe dehydration and ended up in the hospital! George, our guide, was magnificent at handling all of this and still making sure our friends traveling with us would continue with the safari. They throughly enjoyed their game viewing in the crater and then moved onto Honeyguide Tarangire Camp, which they just raved about. I was sorry to have missed that part of the trip.
We ended the trip at the Africa Tulip Hotel in Arusha. A great hotel to end or start your trip if starting in Arusha. Highly recommended.
I highly recommend both Discover Africa and Wild Frontiers. All arrangements were exceptional and the constant communication through-out the trip made for a well executed safari. Thanks to everyone for all their help and look forward to seeing you on the next adventure.
PT
Email Berta | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very good price/quality rate. Every detail well organised. Surely we will book in future
Tour highlight’s Botswana and vitoria falls very well organised, good lodges and flight connections. Wonderful staff everywhere taking care of all our needs and giving us all best of nature.
The very best value/quality
We will surely book other destinations
US
Email Jon | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cape Town and Kruger Safari
Discover Africa was very accommodating in holding the booking until travel restrictions were lifted. The trip itself was better then expected and went very smoothly. I'm glad I split the Kruger safari into two different places. Both places were recommended by Discover Africa and were first rate. Overall a good value, considering the stays at top-end lodging, transfers and R/T flight from Cape Town. Definitely will use Discover Africa again if I get the chance.
Email Dolly | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent customer service, brilliant tours, exceptional client journey
What a fantastic choice we made! We are from the uk and decided to book our tour with a local African tour operator rather than someone from the uk who has never visited the place. The trip was booked pre-pandemic, however, all way through lockdown Megan from Discover Africa, contacted us regularly, kept us updated and made sure that as soon as the borders were open that our trip went ahead. We visited SA, Botswana, Namibia & Tanzania. Every transfer was on time, every hotel was excellent and on each safari we saw amazing things - including seeing the big 5 (although not guaranteed!)
Towards the end of the trip SA went on to the "red list" and we couldn't get home, what a relief it was to know that with a quick whatsapp call, Megan was on to it, hotels were booked and a tour of the Garden route sorted during our extended stay. Our favourites were Babylonstoren and Grootbost which allowed us to experience the diversity of South African nature.
The whole trip was an experience of a lifetime, the Serengeti, the Okavango Delta, Etosha, the Ngorongoro crater to name but a few places we visited.
In essence I would highly recommend Discover Africa to anyone wishing to travel there. I will most definitely be using them again. Great work Megan!
Email Jenny | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Megan and Steve are professional, friendly ,helpful ,listened to our needs and gave excellent advice
We discovered Discover Africa in October when we first went to the south of Namibia . They organised such a fantastic trip then that we decided to use them again. It also gave us a flexibility that you needs in these covid times if you need to change your bookings due to covid. We chopped and changed our dates a few times but they were always accommodating and fitted in with our requests. Their service and communication is excellent.
Our accommodation ranged from basic ( our choice on 2 occasions) and luxurious.
Discover Africa organised a Toyota Fortuna for us in Windhoek and we drove to Okaukuejo camp inside Etosha for 2 nights ( our choice ) Megan managed to secure us a waterhole premium chalet even though they were very busy. Even though it was basic and very busy because of school holidays , the premium chalets are really worthwhile to stay in for the early morning light and the animal viewing. Thereafter we drove through Etosha to Onguma the Fort which was magical and luxurious. So many opportunities for game viewing at their waterhole and game drives. We would definitely go there again.
Our travels took us north along the Kunene river and then back south again.
Other places we loved staying at were the Kapika falls lodge at Epupa falls and then further south at Camp Kipwe near Twyfelfontein. Camp Kipwe was isolated , loved the desert landscape , the sunsets, the staff , the food, the accommodation, everything. Other highlights were the desert elephant tour and the tour to burnt mountain,organ pipes and Twyfelfontein rock engravings. We would definitely go back there again.
Our last stop outside Windhoek was Omaanda hotel - luxurious , relaxing , beautiful pool , lovely staff and opportunities to do game drives walks etc
We had so many different wonderful experiences which can’t be captured in a short synopsis
Thank you Megan and Steve for making our trip so memorable
CA
Email Brian Evans | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
First class service under trying COVID pressures
We organized a dream vacation to Vic Falls including Rovos Rail transfer. As Covid hit, the rail portion was canceled and Megan stepped up to the plate and ensured our trip took place. It turned out to be amazing.
We liked the online travel package which was provided which contained plenty of useful information and fully outlined what we could expect on a daily basis as it helped us prepare in advance.
The accommodation recommended was top notch - a 5 star hotel, Vic Falls Safari Club and met all our requirements and was faultless; the same could be said about the tours and transport arrangements. Travelling in these strict health and safety times, having an itinerary that is safe and healthy and well organized sure takes a lot of one's mind.
Our package included transfers to and from airports, three tours, and accommodation with all meals which meant we could just sit back and enjoy. A great feeling
If you are considering traveling at this time, please contact Discovery as you will not be disappointed